The Cantiere del Pardo shipyard and the Grand Soleil brand are breaking new ground in the field of daysailing. Until now, the yacht builders in Forli on the Italian Adriatic coast have focussed exclusively on their two lines for fast performance cruisers and sporty blue water yachts. With the Grand Soleil 33, the programme has now been further expanded and the brand's smallest boat has been introduced. A pure daysailer/weekender is a new addition to the Grand Soleil range.
The new model is officially being presented under the name Grand Soleil Blue. Blue stands for the colour of the sea and is intended to underline the shipyard's new efforts in terms of sustainability and ecology in yacht building. "Blue is the new green," said the shipyard representatives at the project presentation. The environmentally friendly project goals are to be achieved by using thermoplastic and therefore fully recyclable composite materials for the construction of the hull and deck, among other things. To this end, Cantiere del Pardo is working together with the innovative start-up company Northern Light (NL) Composites in Italy, which has already produced recyclable boats with the Ecoracer 25 and Ecoracer 30 projects and has also been honoured with innovation awards for this.
In keeping with this, the new Grand Soleil Blue will of course be powered by an electric pod motor. The power comes from a lithium battery bank, which is to be permanently recharged with solar panels on deck on the cabin superstructure and when sailing with hydrogeneration by the rotating propeller. According to those responsible for the project, this should provide autonomy of at least 30 nautical miles at a cruising speed of five knots.
The design of the Grand Soleil 33 comes from the office of Matteo Polli Yacht Design, who is now responsible for all new construction projects of the Grand Soleil brand. Polli is known for his successful designs, especially for the ORC handicap. However, as a pure daysailer with few requirements for special regatta suitability, the new boat was not specifically designed to be optimised for measurement. Nevertheless, the sporty lines with the typical Polli stern shape promise good, high-performance sailing characteristics. The T-shaped keel with ballast bomb is available with draughts of 2.20 metres (standard) or 1.80 metres.
Plenty of space on deck to sunbathe and enjoy
The design in the cockpit is also exciting with the large aft deck, which can also be used as a large sunbed with inlay cushions. There are also two helm stations and two seat bays at the sides, which are also designed to offer full reclining length. All sheets, halyards and trim lines are led back laterally inside the cabin superstructure and the coamings to the two winches in front of the steering wheels. Together with the standard self-tacking jib, the concept is therefore fully suitable for single-handed sailing and also corresponds to the standard layout for daysailers or weekenders of this size and orientation.
Cantiere del Pardo plans to equip the new boat with a 9/10 rigged aluminium rig. A backstay is not planned, which means that the concept allows a powerful, fully battened mainsail with a wide square top as an option. The mast is positioned relatively far back on the boat. The relatively long J-measurement allows for a standard self-tacking jib of a reasonable size. However, there is no provision for an overlapping genoa with hoisting points on deck. However, additional space windsails such as Code Zero, Reacher or Gennaker can be attached to the long, permanently attached carbon fibre bowsprit.
Interior fittings are only planned for the forward part of the ship, i.e. from the cabin bulkhead forwards. The spacious foredeck offers plenty of room for two people to spend the night. There is also a separate toilet area aft and a small galley. In the saloon, five people can sit comfortably around the folding dining table. Explanatory graphics can be seen in the picture gallery above.
The shipyard has not yet provided any concrete information regarding the first presentation of the prototype or the official trade fair premiere. However, Cantiere del Pardo has also communicated the prices to YACHT online for the first time: the Grand Soleil Blue will cost 308,200 euros, including 19% VAT and including the recyclable laminate superstructure with thermoplastic composite materials.
Technical data Grand Soleil 33 "Blue"
- Designer: Matteo Polli Yacht Design
- Design: Nauta Design
- Hull length: 9.99 m
- Overall length (with bowsprit): 11,00 m
- Width: 3.70 m
- Draught standard keel: 2.20 m
- Draft short keel: 1.80 m
- Weight: 3.3 tonnes
- Mainsail: 36.0 m²
- Self-tacking jib: 26.0 m²
- Gennaker: approx. 100.0 m²
- Motorisation: Electric pod drive
- Price: 308,200 euros, gross incl. 19 % VAT.
