78 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com JANUARY 2016
Key cruising features
from the aft cabinlights in the hull The vertical port improve the view around deck saferrail make moving the extended grab Nice touches like A boarding ladder is incorporated into the guardrail gate on each side versionon the MkII are standard Flush hatches seats are extended pulpitattached to the Dolphin watchingPush-button sailing: with optional electric furling,
Liferaft stowage is built into the pushpit all sail controls are to hand on the binnacleNEW BOAT TESTABOVE: The raised saloon makes the most of the view. Leather upholstery is standard
‘She’s designed to be used at sea, yet she
also excels in port’GalleyThe galley is wide enough for two people to pass, but narrow enough to provide good
bracing while working at sea. The LED downlighting is excellent, as is the amount of usable workspace and stowage. Beneath the microwave (aft) are four pull-out wire
trays, secured fi rmly by wooden braces.Like most of the drawers on board, the slide-out mechanisms on this boat weren’t the smoothest I’ve come across. There are
four opening hatches, and an extractor fan with a light. Discovery fi ts the GN Espace Ocean Chef cooker, which gimbals well. Its trays are designed to fi t snugly
into the sink unit when they come out of the oven to avoid them sliding around in a lively sea. Stowage is plentiful for any ocean rover: 27cm (11in) deep beneath the
fl oor, and plenty more elsewhere. There’s also a 1m high (300 litre) fridge that boasts 11cm thick insulation and a further 170 litre
compartment, which can be used as either fridge or freezer, is by the steps up to the saloon.
MaintenanceA walk-in engine room is great: enough room to sit and refl ect on what’s not working and why,
and to remedy the fault without hanging upside-down retrieving runaway tools from the bilge. Raw water enters through two
raw water manifold, which distributes it to the engine, generator, watermaker and anything else that needs it. 240/24/12 hull fi ttings via a fi lter to the
volt circuit breakers are found in the chart table support, forward of which is the main switch panel. Access to all parts of the boat and her equipment is as good as
one could hope to fi nd.The aft cabin is fl ooded with natural light, thanks to a plethora of windows. There’s oodles of stowageChart tableLike the saloon, the chart table is raised to take full advantage of the view from those
glorious 44cm (1ft 5in) high windows, making it possible to keep an effective watch from inside the boat. The seat is neatly padded, deeply squishy and holds
the navigator securely when the boat heels over. The space inside the 81cm x 71cm (2ft 8in x 2ft 4in) chart table is deeper at its forward end, so any small
items you put in there migrate away from the navigator. There is also a full-sized chart drawer under the starboard seat, a deep cave locker outboard, which will
swallow more stowage under the table outboard from knee level down.Reeds Almanac with ease, and