tested
amel 50
This is The firsT amel sloop in over 20 years. pip hare
wenT To france To see if The new formaT worksmel has a long established
following for yachts designed
and built to match the needs
of liveaboard and bluewater cruisers. It
is reputed for its singular way of doing
things and is famed for its ketches,
designed for ease of sailing by a couple.
So when the La Rochelle yard unveiled
this Amel 50, its first sloop since 1997,
one with a broad, modern hull shape and
twin rudders, it was met with surprise.
Had Amel abandoned its heritage in
favour for what’s in vogue?
Fortunately not. Step aboard and you
quickly understand why this is a brilliant
new model, one true to the brand’s DNA
but versatile enough to suit everything
from coastal sailing to global cruising.
When I arrived in La Rochelle for my
two-day liveaboard test, I wasn’t greeted
with the sparkly weather I’d seen in
Amel’s brochure. It was a dark, wet, windy
and cold December morning. But, with its
fully enclosed doghouse, the Amel 50 was
made to take on weather like this. Would
‘indoors’ sailing leave me metaphorically
cold, I wondered – surely the beauty of
our sport is achieved through connection
with the elements?
Setting out in a brisk westerly wind and
lumpy seas that broke over the foredeck,
the heat from below decks soon flowed
up the companionway to fill the enclosed
doghouse, bringing with it the aroma of
fresh bread and coffee. Within minutes
we were punching our way confidently
upwind, oblivious to the weather raging
outside. I sat in the doghouse, feeling
overdressed in salopettes and sea boots,
and with every wave that crashed into the
windscreen I felt my need to be out in the
elements melting away.Bold first impressions
The Amel’s lines follow modern trends
including a blunt stem, full volume
bow, high topsides, modest sheer
and a beamy transom. But this latestA
The Amel 50 in her element. This new model offers many
› Easy Ridetraditional Amel benefits in an easier-to-manage package