The first Grand Soleil Plus 80 Long Cruise is Cantiere del Pardo’s new flagship. It measures 26.20 metres in length, has 400 square metres of sail area, features hybrid technology and boasts a cockpit that clearly separates the work areas from the living areas.
There are still some old waves off Porto Cervo, and the wind is moderate, between ten and fifteen knots. These aren’t spectacular conditions for the Grand Soleil Plus 80 LC. But they do provide the perfect opportunity to make an important observation: just how much stability a 22-metre waterline can bring to a boat.
The Grand Soleil Plus 80 Long Cruise was first unveiled to owners in private at the Grand Soleil Cup at the end of May 2026, with *YACHT* magazine also having the opportunity to come on board in the waters off the Costa Smeralda. Its public international debut is set to take place at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2026. ‘Bianca II’, as the first vessel is named, demonstrates how Cantiere del Pardo intends to further develop the Plus range: greater length, greater owner input, a more consistent focus on charter and long-distance cruising, whilst retaining its recognisable sailing credentials.
Hull and rigging: elegant at 26 metres
The first thing that catches the eye are the black sails. High-quality carbon-fibre sails from North Sails on an Axxon carbon rig with rod stays as thick as a thumb – all top-of-the-range. Beneath them lies a hull which, despite its size, presents a harmonious, elegant overall appearance. The superstructure tapers towards the stern in a coupé-like manner, becoming flatter with every metre towards the stern. This gives the yacht a sleek, sporty silhouette despite its size. A striking feature is the wide stern, almost as wide as the yacht at its widest point. However, designer Matteo Polli has largely dispensed with pronounced chines or kinks in this stern, as are often used in such sweeping aft sections. The Italian designer, known for his preference for width, has tapered the frame shape quite sharply towards the waterline in order to achieve a narrower waterline. The boat offers volume and deck space at the stern, but is designed not to create too much wetted surface area in the water.
Polli has designed the hull to remain stable both when fully loaded with full fuel tanks and in a lighter configuration. For a yacht whose owners can choose from different system configurations, this is no trivial requirement. Keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible and positioning the large systems optimally: this is how he describes his approach to the 80-foot hull. The concept comes from Cantiere del Pardo itself, the hull lines from Polli, and the exterior, interior and layout from Nauta. Massimo Gino, CEO and co-founder of the Milan-based design studio, sums up the challenge: “An 80-foot yacht is intended to incorporate features that are otherwise found on 95- to 100-foot yachts. To achieve this, the interior spaces, cabin sizes and fittings must be carefully optimised. This principle of compact design runs throughout the entire yacht.”
“Bianca II” was built entirely in-house, from the laminating stage right through to its launch in Fano. For a boat of this size, this offers enormous advantages. The structure, interior fit-out, hydraulics, power system and cable routing must all be planned together from the very outset. According to project manager Franco Corazza, this is precisely what this approach enables: stricter quality control and better integration of the hull design and on-board systems. The hull is constructed using a sandwich construction method with epoxy-based vinyl ester resin, vacuum infusion and carbon fibre reinforcements in high-stress areas.
The cockpit as an open-air lounge
On deck, it is immediately apparent what makes this boat so special in terms of its design: the control area is clearly separated from the living area. All sheets, stays and running rigging run aft to large, hydraulically operated winches. There are also mast winches for operating the halyards there, for example when manoeuvring with large headsails. The helm station, with its two wheels, is kept uncluttered, offering plenty of space for the helmsman and the crew working there. In front of it lies a cockpit that is almost reminiscent of a large daysailer, only on this scale. The open spaces there are enormous. Two cockpit tables on the port and starboard sides, which can be lowered and raised hydraulically, can be fitted with cushions when lowered, creating vast seating and sunbathing areas. No fittings, no lines, and a good view ahead and all around. This really is luxurious sailing: even on a boat of this size, you’re still right in the thick of it and take in everything. You’re free to choose your own position, and everything is very well designed from an ergonomic point of view. The cockpit thus becomes an open-air saloon, a beach club on the water.
The Grand Soleil 80 does not have a traveller. The mainsheet runs centrally below deck to a so-called captive winch: a large, transverse, hydraulically operated winch drum. Only a single sheet line is visible on deck; this is attached directly to the main boom and is not further routed. The decision not to include a traveller was a deliberate one. As the boat is intended for charter use and may therefore have less experienced crews on board, a traveller always carries the risk that, during manoeuvres, someone might be standing in the wrong area and could be injured by the fast-moving traveller carriage. The twist in the mainsail is controlled solely via the hydraulically operated downhaul. Should the winch or the hydraulic system fail, there are attachment points on the main boom for an emergency sheet, which can then be routed directly to one of the large hydraulic winches on either side. These could then also be operated using a winch handle.
The yacht is fitted with a Semi-Park-Avenue boom, which opens upwards in a triangular shape to form a large opening, similar to a permanently fitted lazy bag. The mainsail runs on tracks and drops into this area. However, to ensure the mainsail can be stowed there neatly and securely, someone must climb onto the boom and move aft to fold the sail neatly. Someone is also needed at the front of the mast. This is not ideal for a charter boat. For regatta use – for which the boat can also be chartered – this solution is clearly the better choice: the mainsail can be set up more effectively than with a furling boom. A charter crew sailing the boat will certainly have one or two crew members on board to carry out this task.
Sailing at the touch of a button: rig and hydraulic design philosophy
In addition to the carbon mast and V-boom, as well as the rod rig and the hydraulic boom vang, the hydraulically adjustable luff tension, the split hydraulic textile backstay and the fixed carbon bowsprit are particularly noteworthy. The sail set comprises a classic nylon gennaker for light winds, a furling gennaker on anti-torsion cables, a staysail and, as an option, an inner forestay for a storm jib. Even the flagpole is made of carbon. A detail that perfectly encapsulates the focus on performance and high standards of equipment.
The whole boat could be described as a push-button boat. Whilst this is by no means a rarity in boats of this size, it never ceases to impress. Everything is hydraulically or electrically operated; you really don’t have to use any physical effort at all. There isn’t a single winch handle to be seen on board whilst sailing. When asked, Pastorino says that, of course, there are some. “They’re in a bag.” That describes the operating philosophy on board more precisely than any technical explanation. A fully-equipped luxury SUV would be the aptest comparison: everything you could possibly imagine is there, with electric or hydraulic controls everywhere.
On a boat with 400 square metres of sail area and a displacement of 42.5 tonnes, this is less a matter of luxury and more a matter of rigorous load management. The large Harken 1111 winches are electrically operated, whilst a centralised hydraulic circuit powers the winches, mast systems, telescopic keel and sail trim. Even the companionway bulkhead is electrically operated, both externally and internally at the touch of a button. When the tester pulls on it and feels a quiet whirring sound, a crew member comes running over within seconds, presses a button, and the bulkhead lifts. So much for the ‘push-button boat’. You can have it, but you don’t have to. It is, however, consistent.
Driving impression: smooth, responsive, almost magical
Under sail, the boat feels very well-balanced, and it’s a real pleasure to stand at the helm. Whilst there isn’t a great deal of feedback from the steering, the boat responds very lightly and smoothly to the rudder. If you wish, you can steer with precision; movements of the wheel are translated immediately and directly. Thanks to the twin-rudder system, the steering feels a little more indirect, but in return it’s very smooth and very pleasant. And the amazing thing is: despite the boat’s size, you quickly get that indescribable, almost magical feeling. When the heel settles at around 20 degrees without increasing any further, when the boat finds its own course between being too high and too low, when you’re only making very slight rudder movements. Then everything is in balance; the boat fades into the background, and you just want to carry on sailing, to reach the horizon.
Matteo Polli is generally not a fan of twin rudders, even when it comes to harbour manoeuvres. “A single rudder blade is always fully submerged; it sits in the propeller wash when travelling forward, thereby allowing for more precise manoeuvres, even from a standstill,” he says. “A single blade is also easier to control when reversing.” On this yacht, however, he has opted for twin rudders because the boat has a hydraulically retractable keel. A single blade of this boat’s size would have to extend so far down that it would be at risk of collision when the keel is retracted. This is because it would extend deeper than the retracted keel. An alternative would have been a shallower but wider single blade. However, this can significantly increase the rudder pressure.
Polli has fitted the two blades relatively far inwards and at a comparatively vertical angle. The further out twin rudders are positioned, the more likely they are to protrude partially above the water when travelling at low speed or at a standstill – often with the upper, most effective third of the blade already above the water. This then makes reversing manoeuvres problematic. On the Grand Soleil 80, the rudders are positioned far enough inwards to remain in the water for longer, and at such a vertical angle that they act less like wings – that is, they do not push upwards or downwards, but only sideways. The result is essentially a sort of hybrid between an extreme twin-rudder system and a single-rudder system. A good compromise.
The telescopic keel is not primarily a performance component designed with regattas in mind. Pastorino is straightforward on this point: “My customers want to get as close as possible to bays and beaches.” The keel can be adjusted hydraulically between 2.90 and 4.40 metres; the standard draught is 3.95 metres. There is also a flat-keel version with a draught of 2.40 metres, although this will almost certainly mean compromising on regatta performance. Incidentally: according to Polli, the version with the hydraulic keel achieves the required righting moment even when the keel is fully raised. The boat is said to remain safely seaworthy in this state, though it probably won’t sail quite as well. We were unable to test this configuration.
22 metres waterline: comfort for physical reasons
On large yachts, comfort is often equated with plenty of space, technology and luxury. However, another factor that contributes significantly to comfort on such large boats – and one that should not be underestimated – is the waterline length. This is particularly noticeable off Porto Cervo: long swells, relatively little wind. And the 80 simply glides right through them. Due to its length, the boat is, in principle, always riding two waves at the same time, particularly in the coastal waters off Sardinia, where the average wave length under the aforementioned wind conditions ranges between 15 and 30 metres. No pitching. The boat simply maintains its trim and glides along as if on rails. Whereas smaller yachts have to tackle each wave individually, the 80 simply straddles the motion. Sailing comfort for physical reasons – and a benefit in terms of seasickness too.
The extremely wide boat also offers a unique experience. If you sit on the edge and look down, you’ll find yourself several metres above the waterline. It’s a completely new sensation. Spray hardly reaches you here; you sit high and dry whilst the boat sails. You can move easily from one side to the other; the walkways are spacious and unobstructed. But if you don’t switch sides quickly enough during a tack, you’ll find yourself having to scramble: the clean, open deck layout offers few places to hold on. Free climbing on a teak deck.
Coming up in Part 2: What the Grand Soleil Plus 80 LC has to offer below deck, how the hybrid propulsion system works in charter operations, and how much a week on board costs.
| Grand Soleil Plus 80 LC: Key specifications (selection) | |
| Overall length | 26.20 m |
| Fuselage length | 23.99 m |
| Waterline length | 22.00 m |
| Width | 6.60 m |
| Standard draught | 3.95 m |
| Telescopic keel ‘Bianca II’ | 2.90 to 4.40 m |
| Displacement: empty | 42.5 t |
| Fuel | 2,000 litres |
| Fresh water | 1,300 litres |
| Engine | Yanmar 4LV250, 250 PS |
| Wing area | approx. 400 m² |
| Concept/Design | Cantiere del Pardo |
| Naval Architecture | Matteo Polli |
| Exterior, interior, layout | Nauta |
| Hybrid platform | Torqeedo, 2 × 40 kWh; long-distance cruising: 2 × 45 kW generator |
Hydraulics instead of a winch handle, the push of a button instead of manual labour: do you still consider that sailing? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital