28 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com November 2017

Photos by Rick Tomlinson

This Rob Humphreys design, the third model in the

Azuree range, is a welcome refinement in terms of

quality as Toby Hodges discovers

Azuree 41

W

hat is a gem but

a stone yet to be

polished? When Sirena

Marine produced its

first Azuree model,

a 40-footer designed by Giovanni

Ceccarelli, it looked exciting and

different. It resembled a Class 40 in

shape but with a cruising friendly

interior, though it proved a little

quirky and rough around the edges.

Built by a big yard and workforce with

industrial production experience, the

potential was there to see, but the first

Azuree needed refinement to take on

the competition properly.

Nine years later, after a great deal

of hard graft, the brand has moved on

and its latest offering is a jewel worthy

of admiration – not perfect, but one

that has a definite sparkle.

Sirena Marine’s learning curve

has been a steep one engineered

by improvements in quality and

management. To improve quality

Sirena builds a prototype. By the

time you get aboard for a test sail any

teething problems have been spotted,

indeed they are pointed out and have

most likely already been adjusted for

the production version.

That doesn’t make a test on the new

Rob Humphreys designed Azuree 41

any less exciting. She is a consummate

NEW BOAT TEST

THe UK’s mosT compReHensive yAcHT TesTs

cruiser-racer, a yacht that has been

burnished to be a cut above the rest.

Performance

Sailing the 41 for the first time was a

rewarding experience – the longer I

spent aboard the more I learned about

how she behaved. We had a couple

of hours of ideal conditions with full

sail up in a 10-13 knot breeze blowing

over flat water, before the wind

mysteriously vanished.

The helm doesn’t load up with

wind pressure; rather heel just keeps

increasing. Once past a certain

sweet spot, though, the effect has a

negative impact on speed. It is easy

to become comfortable with too

much heel because the beam provides

stability and the twin rudders give real

traction. Rob Humphreys remarked

that an Azuree should be sold with

an inclinometer, and it's easy to see

why, as you can sail at over 20° heel

without even trying.

She responded better when sailed

more like a multihull, by keeping

the bow down and getting the

apparent breeze up before trying