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| VICSAIL PTY LTD - Boat Reviews | | |
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Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 41
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January 2007 |
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With a world class finish, the Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 41 is a true sea-going yacht that will more than satisfy discerning sailors, writes Geoff Middleton.
Many readers will be asking themselves, what is this Wauquiez (pronounced Vork-ee-ay)? Another small yacht manufacturer from a far-flung corner of the world trying to break into the lucrative Australian market perhaps?
But the yachting cognoscenti will be seeing this mouth-watering cruiser as something else entirely. They'll see in their mind's eye a plethora of scenarios and opportunities for this world-class yacht.
Long and lazy days cruising in style and comfort; fast passages on a stiff and dry yacht; below, the ambiance of a gentleman's club with stunning cabinetry and a fit and finish to rival anything; cigars and port in the cockpit after a twilight race on a balmy night; riding at anchor with a spread of lovely hors d'oeuvres and chilled sauvignon blanc and perhaps even some truffles...
I might have overdone it a bit with the truffles, but this is, after all, a French yacht and, as they go, it'd be the truffles of French yachts.
VOT IS WAUQUIEZ?
Henri Wauquiez built his first sailing yacht in 1965 – the opening chapter in an ongoing story of a passion for sailing and high quality boats: Wauquiez sailing yachts are well known around the world as comfortable, fast and reliable boats with earlier models still highly sought after by bluewater aficionados. Elisabethan 29s and Prétoriens have given way to Centurions and Pilot Saloons, but Wauquiez craftsmen are still motivated by the same passion – each new boat must be an example of excellence in seaworthiness and performance, styling, and construction.
The company was bought about 15 years ago by Groupe Beneteau and it is now known as the premier brand in the Beneteau stable.
A few have found their way to Australia and I have been fortunate to have sailed on the Centurion 45, which used to belong to Beneteau importer and head of Vicsail Brendan Hunt.
The boat featured here is the Pilot Saloon 41, which is a development of the Pilot Saloon 40. According to the manufacturer, the 41 has been developed with the assistance of the 130 owners of the 40, taking into account their suggestions and input into the development.
One of the major changes is an increase in sail area. This is achieved by lowering the gooseneck and lengthening the boom, giving more drive to the mainsail and achieving greater speed for passagemaking.
The overall design, however, is still the same as the original Pilot Saloon 40. It's a good-looking boat that has high freeboard and a tall coach house, and while some may think that it lacks the sleek lines of a traditional yacht, I think it carries its height quite well. Just.
I first clapped eyes on the Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 41 at the Sydney Boat Show. There were so many new yachts to see there that I didn't get very much time aboard any one yacht, but I did spend a few precious moments sitting in the saloon of the Wauquiez and admiring the vista produced by the raised dining area and the big picture windows.
This time on board was a bit different. Photographer Ellen Dewar and I arrived at the Rushcutters Bay HQ of Vicsail at the same time as the rain. It was only early in the day though so we thought we'd sit it out for a while and see if the rain was going to blow through before going for a sail.
I was glad we did because the Wauquiez is a great wet weather boat. Sitting high at the dining table with a lovely cup of hot coffee, I had a great view of dockside goings on while the water trickled down the windows. Most yachts you tend to sit in, but with the Pilot Saloon you tend to sit more on it, which gives a terrific perspective and isn't nearly so boring on a rainy Sydney morning.
The inclement weather gave us plenty of time to poke around in the recesses of the Wauquiez and I was impressed by the finish and the attention to detail found in these yachts.
Everything is neat. The wiring, the through-hull fittings, the fitment of tankage and batteries are all top class and generally easily accessed.
As this is a true deck-saloon type yacht, the boat isn't all on one level like a conventional yacht. There's a step down to the forward cabin and a similar step down to the aft cabin. I didn't find it a problem, though some might think this compartmentalises the boat to a certain degree.
The aft cabin is a full-width affair with an island bed and a voluminous head, which incorporates a separate shower stall. There is plenty of locker space on either side of the cabin and enough hanging space for a couple.
The forward cabin also has an ensuite that would serve as the dayhead. It also has a shower but it's not a separate compartment. Still, there's plenty of room and plenty of storage.
The boat, I reckon, is primarily designed for the cruising couple with the odd weekend away with friends or family. I'd be making the aft cabin my own and leaving the forward cabin for the visitors... if they must stay.
An interesting bit of detail that shows the intention of the manufacturers of this yacht is that all berths are rigged for lee cloths, including the saloon berth. I've noticed this on a few yachts and, although it's rare, I think that other manufacturers could well take note (unless, of course, they don't intend their yachts to be put to sea).
Another point of interest for me was the galley. Situated to port across from the dinette, the galley sports a gas cooktop with oven, plenty of storage custom built to take the monogrammed Wauquiez crockery and cutlery, and really good refrigeration with a front opening fridge and top-opening freezer/fridge.
The nav station alludes to the ocean-going nature of the boat, too. I felt very comfy there. It is designed to be a true sea-going nav station, featuring plenty of room for electronics and radios, and a nice, deep chart table that can fit plenty of the cruising navigator's stuff.
With the big picture windows, the interior is light and has a roomy feel to it. It also has plenty of opening hatches and a series of opening ports along the lower edge of the big windows which would give a lovely crossflow effect.
The Wauquiez is powered by a 45hp four-cylinder Yanmar engine that sits low under the companionway.
One of my only criticisms is the low aspect of the engine. It seems tight in its engine bay and has limited access. It is quiet, however, due to its position and the attention to soundproofing.
GETTING OUT THERE
Despite our delayed start, Hughie was in a good mood and, after an hour or so, the rain desisted and we were able to return to the deck to check things out and prepare for our departure.
The Wauquiez has a fairly roomy, though not capacious, cockpit. There is more than enough room for four and it is built for comfort. The high coamings give the boat a feeling of safety and ensure that it'll be dry in a seaway.
Six winches control the running rigging and the sheets. Out test boat was fitted with an optional electric winch on the cabin top to control the halyards and the main sheet.
The aft winches controlled the genoa sheet. It's an ideal setup as the helmsman can control the genoa and one crew can press the buttons for the main, or give the helmsman a hand on the headie sheets.
All winches were two-speed self tailing Harkens, and I noted that all of the deck gear was of the highest quality, as one would expect on a boat of this caliber.
The wide teak decks give uninhibited access forward. The decks are handlaid teak and lovely, both in appearance and underfoot.
Like any good cruising boat, we had a furler for the genoa and a set of lazy jacks for the main, so getting going wasn't a problem for the two of us – especially with the electric halyard winch.
The rig is quite a tall two-spreader mast with the aforementioned longer boom giving a mainsail sail area of about 39.5sqm. The masthead genoa is 44sqm and if you want to run a kite that'll be in the region of 105sqm and a gennaker would be around 94sqm.
The rig powers the Wauquiez up nicely and, as we headed out, the breeze filled in to about 15 to 20kts with Sydney's usual gusts and shifts.
The test boat was fitted with the optional deep lead keel of two metres (6'6"), which made it nice and stiff in the gusts. In fact at one point, with a 20kt gust, we left the traveler centred and the headie sheeted on to see what would happen. The Wauquiez trucked. Only once did I have to call for a bit of traveler down when we were hit with a sudden gust. It's the kind of boat that really gives a sense of strength and a feeling of sea-kindliness that's not often found in modern boats.
Although this boat is a cruiser, it's no slouch. I found that although it liked to travel at about 40 degrees, it could be sailed at 30 to 35 with no real problems. We were tracking along quite nicely at 6.5kts upwind and eight to 8.5kts off the breeze in comfort (and style).
The helm is light and the boat manoeuvres easily. The steering position is comfortable and I found I could sit down and take a break without fearing that the boat would do something unpredictable. Yep, I liked it. I felt I could just keep going on the Wauquiez; out to sea, and then to where?
HEADING BACK
As is always the case, all too soon we were heading back to Rushcutters Bay and John was running back the lazy jacks ready to catch the main. We furled in the headie and I hit the key to start the Yanmar. There's plenty of grunt in the engine if you get caught out in a blow. With the standard three-blade prop, we were getting well over 8kts on the way back in. Comfortable cruising under motor will show seven to 7.5kts with plenty in reserve.
On the way back in, I got to thinking about who would buy a Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 41.
I figured it could easily be a couple who had previously owned a race yacht and wanted a cruiser that wouldn't disappoint when it came to performance; or conversely, it could be a motorboat owner wanting to move to sail but not wanting to compromise on the feeling of spaciousness obtained from sitting up high and looking out at the wonderful scenery that boating provides. Either way, it'll be someone who appreciates the finer aspects of boating and boatbuilding. Someone uncompromising when it comes to fit and finish… and, of course, someone uncompromising when it comes to bluewater cruising.
HIGHS
- Genuine deck saloon yacht with all its advantages
- Good sailing characteristics; stiff and forgiving, an ideal seaboat
- Big owner's aft cabin with lovely ensuite
- Fit and finish is world class
LOWS
- Tricky engine position with limited access
- Smallish bed in forward cabin
- Some may not like the differing levels in the accommodation
- Smallish cockpit for a boat of its LOA
- High purchase price
| WAUQUIEZ PILOT SALOON 41 |
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| HOW MUCH? |
| Price as tested: $596,820 |
| Options fitted: Raymarine 'Offshore' nav pack, electric winch on coachroof, third battery and 50amp charger, deep draft lead keel |
| Priced from: $563,000 |
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| GENERAL |
| Material: Fibreglass using infusion process; balsa sandwich deck |
| Type: Monohull |
| Hull length: 12.95m |
| Waterline length: 12.5m |
| Beam: 4.04m |
| Draft: Std draft 1.8m; deep draft 2m |
| Displacement: 10,000kg |
| Ballast: Std 3400kg; Deep draft 3200kg |
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| CAPACITIES |
| Berths: 4+1 |
| Fuel: 220lt |
| Water: 2 x 220lt |
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| ENGINE |
| Make/model: Yanmar 4JH4 |
| Type: Four-cylinder diesel |
| Rated HP: 54 |
| Prop: Three-blade fixed |
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| SAIL AREA |
| Mainsail: 39.5sqm |
| Genoa: 44sqm |
| Spinnaker: 105sqm |
| Gennaker: 94sqm |
| I=15m; J=4.38m; P=13m; E=4.79m |
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SUPPLIED BY:
Vicsail, D'Albora Marina, New Beach Road, Rushcutters Bay, NSW
Phone: (02) 9327 2088
Website: www.vicsail.com
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