Boating New Zealand - July 2018

34 Boating New Zealand

A point

old to its new owner in Tauranga,

the 41.1’s delivery trip from

Auckland encountered 25-knot

nor-easterlies and, with well-reefed

sails, recorded a comfortable cruise

speed of 10 knots. I was keen to

see how the Finot-Conq design measured up in more

moderate sailing conditions on Tauranga harbour.

Boarding the yacht is an easy step onto the

electrically-activated rear platform. his can be lowered

with a handy remote-control fob (great when your arms

are full of provisions) or from on board.

he bow thruster helped with making the tight

turn out of the marina. Not strictly necessary in the

light wind we had, but I could see its advantages when

manoeuvring in stronger crosswinds, and certainly

helpful when lining the yacht up to reverse into the

marina at the end of the day.

My immediate impression is of space. It starts with

the large, roomy cockpit, accessed between the twin

composite steering wheels. he folding leaf table – on a

ixed central island – expands into a generous platform

for cockpit meals. he leaves could have done with

retaining clips as they swung out when heeled – a small

tweak to ix on a brand-new boat.

But the yacht’s most noticeable design feature is the

central arch over the cockpit. It has numerous roles: it’s

an attachment point for the dodger and bimini, and also

ofers good locations for grab rails.

Importantly though, it provides a solid anchor point

for the mainsheet, and allows the boom to be sheeted

well aft, thereby doing away with the need for a deck

S

The Oceanis 41.1 is Beneteau’s

performance version of the 41 – the

company’s more modest 12.4m model. The

.1 extension doesn’t sound like much, but

the distinction provides plenty of extra zip.