Yachting Monthly — November 2017

november 2017 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 79

She doesn’t need a boat full of crew
to enjoy sailing her, however, and
in the continuing depressed market
for second-hand boats, the Jeanneau
Sunfast 42 is a steal.

Performance
With little more than between 6-10
knots of north-westerly breeze we
motored Arcturus off Merlin Quay
at Woolston on the east bank of
the industrialised River Itchen and
headed south beneath the city toll
bridge. Her 55hp Yanmar three
cylinder engine is very quiet and threw
her along with impressive directional
stability, the 2-bladed feathering prop,
giving minimal resistance once we’d
switched off the engine.
She was finger light to steer, tacking
in her own length and while owner

Julian Brown set the asymmetrical

spinnaker with ease, I helmed. He has

fitted a retractable bowsprit to push

the tack further forward taking away

any unwanted weather helm and also

clearing the sail from any dirty air

from the genoa. However, once during

a race to Alderney, the sheet was

eased and the spinnaker snagged the

bowsprit and ripped.

The gods did not bless us with the

sort of tempest with which to put

this boat through her paces on the

day, but Julian’s log book records her

potential: Cherbourg to Bembridge

Ledge in nine hours is a passage to be

pleased about. Although she might

look a handful, she can be trimmed

to sail herself, which Julian managed

recently on one solo cross-

Channel passage.

The owner

Julian Brown, 54, is chairman of a

renewable energy lobby and started

sailing as a youngster with his father

in a Trapper 500. He now sails

Arcturus with wife Mandy and their

three children and has cruised her to

the West Country, Brittany, and the

Channel Islands

USED BOAT TEST

Point

of sail

Apparent

wind

angle

Apparent

wind speed

Speed

through

the water

Close

Hauled

30° 5.4-9.6 knots 1.8-3.0 knots

Fetch 60° 5.3-7.4 knots 2.0-2.7 knots

Beam

Reach

90° 4.5-8.2 knots 2.2-3.4 knots

Broad

Reach

120° 3.3-4.4 knots 0.8-3.4 knots

Run 180° 5.1 knots 2.0 knots