20/03/08

Big news indeed…

Finally, after months of searching, ‘Canasta’ has become the long anticipated w2n yacht and represents a huge boost to the project.

She’s a beautiful Grand Soleil 42 designed by the famous German Frers and built in Italy in 1992.

If you’ve been following the development of the project in the forum, you’ll know that I’ve chosen Canasta out of hundreds of potential boats ranging from a classic steel hull ketch to a brand new Benetau Oceanis 40. I was impressed by most of the boats reviewed and each had specific strengths and weaknesses. I first saw Canasta in Lymington back in February and described her then as “built from solid granite”. It was only after subsequent online research and conversations with various people that I realised just how pertinent that remark was. The Grand Soleil shares many of her design features with the eminently capable range of Nautor Swan yachts. It’s no surprise then that German Frers was the common element in both. Evidence of this can be seen in her beautiful sweeping hull lines gracefully tapering back to an elegant transom. No ‘sugar scoop’, no soppy diving platforms – the Grand Soleil was designed to cross oceans quickly, safely and in style. Above, the similarities are evident too. Teak laid from bow to stern with broad, uncluttered decks. The gentle unbroken slope of the coaming merging seamlessly with the coachroof and forward to meet the deck at a purposeful, arrow-like point, gives her a slightly sinister profile. Her huge wheel, eight Lewmar winches, fully battened mainsail and her removable inner stay coupled with thoughtful and manageable control line routing will make her a joy to sail – to sail hard. And then, in the rough stuff, her marquee sized sprayhood will make life a little more comfortable as she plunges through the waves. Below, she’s in spectacular condition. With just two cabins, she capitalises on the remaining space by boasting a huge saloon, a comfortable and functional nav station and a spacious ‘L shaped’ galley. There’s room to sleep seven people as the saloon converts into a double and a single berth to complement the two double en-suite cabins.

Suddenly, the questionable economic reasoning behind selling the house and the business is clear to see. ‘Canasta’ is everything I had hoped, at what I believe was a reasonable price that leaves a comforting amount of money in the budget for a few essential items, a few personal touches and of course, enough left over for a rainy day!