The Grand Soleil 50 will make you fly with the wind

The Botin Carkeek-designed Grand Soleil 50 is so Italian you could almost hear her sing. The rewards of the focus on weight and stiffness are apparent when you take the wheel. She redefines the term ‘fingerlight’, giving you a dinghy-like sensation to savour Force 3-4 puffs. In 10-12 knots of true wind, sailing under main and 106 per cent genoa, we slithered into the mid-6s and topped 7 knots, attacking the apparent wind at 35˚. The Grand Soleil 50 is beautifully balanced and the figures are commendable, in line with her high SA:disp ratio. But it was unfurling the Code 0 that really showed off her performance in these Med conditions. Instantly, we sailed 1.5-2 knots quicker, losing only between 5-10° pointing, as we glided past a truly stunning stretch of coastline in the evening sun. With the wind slowly dying, we eased into a bay under genoa, still making 5.5 knots in 6.7 knots of breeze. Gybing her in a couple of boatlengths, we hoisted the gennaker to carry us out around the headland back to Lavagna.

The marked improvement in feel results from serious research. The ability to sense every gust is down to how stiff Grand Soleil have made the infused hull – this is the first Grand Soleil with full carbon fibre reinforcement in the grid built into the mould. Every 2m are complete beam stringers, including across the deckhead, absorbing the inertia loads, forming a ringframed solid structure. Add in a vinylester sandwich hull and deck and the result, say the builders, is 30 per cent more stiffness than the last model. The flush hatches were developed with Solimar. Their grooves are integrated into the mould and laminated into the deck, thereby eliminating the need for guttering and preventing any leaks into the headlining. Sparcraft aluminium mast is standard, with three spreaders to keep the same bend under pressure as the two-spreader carbon Hall rig. A method to hide all the running rigging line tails would be more in keeping with the 50’s ‘clean’ style. Eighty per cent of owners choose the trendy grey caulking – the caulking actually dyes the teak to give a nice stonewash effect over time. The wide toerail is a neat solution for keeping the teak from staining it and is comfortable for hiking crew. 

Down below the Grand Soleil 50 there is a pleasant mix of old and new, all of it very symmetrical. White panelling and Corian contrast well with the traditional satin-varnished veneer, while the switch between saloon and galley layout looks fresh. Mahogany is standard, with oak and teak options – most buyers go for the latter. Bowing to the wisdom of client feedback, Grand Soleil 50 switched the positions of the galley and saloon from their original design. The saloon table has a carbon-capped insert and transforms into a coffee table, borrowing the chart table stool; the forward cabin can be a twin and the aft cabins can have separate raised bunks. The galley isn’t so far forward as to be impractical and there is a secondary area to port that can be used as a serving worktop, with room below for an extra fridge, washing machine or dishwasher.  The seating area is very comfortable and the table can turn into a coffee table – or a footrest for watching the 37in flat screen hidden behind the chart table opposite. Alcantara upholstery with white stitching is very designer Italian. The whole area is light, with double hull windows each side, long coachroof windows and large flush hatches.

Our test sail was one that would make any sailor smile and realise the money spent on their yacht was worth it, gliding along a film-set coastline able to milk every puff thanks to a finely tuned rig. Just add the Mediterranean sunset. Builder Cantiere del Pardo have been producing fast cruisers – boats that they modestly title ‘icons of Italian style’ – for nearly 40 years. However, the new 50 carries a message of pure sailing efficiency thanks to its structural framework reinforced with carbon fibre. “The global philosophy of Grand Soleil is to be a very enjoyable boat to sail,” Cantiere del Pardo’s product manager Gianguido Girotti explains. “It’s like driving a Porsche; you can feel the performance, but you can also slow it down if you want and enjoy it in comfort.”

Source: “Yachting World“.