Yachting Monthly – September 2019

Tracks for the optional 106% headsail can be bolted

to moulded plinths immediately outboard of the

coachroof. More non-skid is needed in places on deck

function as switch panels so, for example, you can

check tank levels or turn navigation lights on or off

from the helm. Monitoring data from your phone is

possible now and the next stage will be the ability to

control the systems from your phone or tablet. If

you’re heading to your boat for the weekend and

want the beers cold in the fridge and the cabin nicely

warm when you get there, just log in and it’s done in

a couple of taps.

Although you might imagine that this sort of

electronic connectivity is a bolt-on that could be

added to any boat, in practice it needs to be

incorporated into the design from the outset. And

that’s one reason why the Cruisers are still running

alongside the C range, at least for the time being, as

more basic and lower-cost alternatives. The Cruiser

51, which started life as the Cruiser 50, was

introduced in 2010 and costs around £40,000

less than the C50.

Plenty of other new features are to be found in the C

range too. Galleys are no longer linear but have

moved aft. And whereas the Cruisers used the full

length of the hull for accommodation, the new

models have dinghy garages in the stern.

Externally, twin rudders have given way to single

blades because owners wanted the manoeuvrability

under power that comes with prop-wash. They

wanted self-tacking jibs too – now they’ve got them.

A BOLD STATEMENT

To say that the C50 looks bold would be an

understatement. She’s high, wide and fl at-topped,

with towering topsides, full bow sections by modern

standards, a low coachroof and three enormous

rectangular ports in the topsides. Whether or not you

think she looks beautiful, she has presence.

She also needs to offer more than ‘smart

connectivity’ and a few mod cons to attract buyers in

the numbers that Bavaria is hoping for, so what’s she

like as a sailing yacht?

The short answer is that she’s comfortable,

respectably fast, simple to handle and easy to live

with as a coastal cruiser. There’s no reason why she

shouldn’t be sailed further offshore, but she’s

unashamedly geared towards inshore waters and

what you might call ‘lifestyle cruising’ – hence

features like the wet-bar and barbecue in the stern

complete with fridge and sink. You can prepare your

sausages and sundowners standing on the large

bathing platform (the ‘terrace by the sea’ in

PERFORMANCE FIGURES

POINT OF SAIL AWA* AWS** SPEED

Close Hauled 33°-35° 16-18 knots 6.8-7.7 knots

Fetch 60° 14 knots 7.2-8.5 knots

Beam Reach 90° 10-12 knots 6.8-7.1 knots

Broad Reach 120° 8-11 knots 6.36.6.8-knots

Run 180° 5-7 knots 4.5-5.7 knots

*APPARENT WIND ANGLE **APPARENT WIND SPEED

LOGBOOK

TESTED BY

David Harding

LOCATION Solent

WIND SW Force 4

SEA STATE Slight

WHEN June 2019

A large bathing platform hinges down to
reveal the dinghy garage, which can also
be reached via a hatch in the cockpit sole