FIRST 30 and SENSE 50 Win CRUISING WORLD Magazine Boat of the Year
Beneteau is proud to announce that two nominations for CRUISING WORLD MAGAZINE'S Boat of the Year Contest were nominated.
In the "Best Small Cruiser- 30 Foot and Under" Category- The Juan K designed Beneteau FIRST 30
"This was one of the best sailing boats the judged during the competition."
By Bill Springer
As they approached the First 30 to conduct their dockside evaluation during the boat show, the BOTY judges may have been just a little skeptical of this performance-oriented 30-footer’s cruisability. But that skepticism turned into appreciation as soon as they stepped below, and they were downright enamored with how the boat sailed. As a result, the Beneteau First 30 was named the Best Small Cruiser, 30 Feet and Under.
It’s not easy to include all the accommodation features that make for comfortable cruising—standing headroom, full-size head and galley, decent nav station, roomy saloon, and good-size sleeping cabins—in a 30-footer that’s also good-looking and whip fast under sail, but the First 30 does just that. The main saloon is bright and airy, and it’s also much more creature-comfort oriented than what you might find on older 30-foot performance cruisers. The cabins have ample bunks and adequate stowage. Nearly 6 feet of headroom in the saloon creates a good sense of space, while the light-colored varnished woodwork and clean lines are downright stylish.
Meanwhile, during the test sail, none of the judges wanted to give up the tiller because the boat was just so fun and responsive. The dual rudders provided superior control, even when the heel angle increased in the puffs, and the judges noted how this little thoroughbred sliced to windward at 6.5 knots in 12 knots of breeze.
The judges found the cockpit to be comfortable and the sail controls to be well planned and efficient. A tweak here and there was rewarded by another quarter of a knot, though it was just as tempting to contemplate the benefits of simply setting the sheets and then humming along for 20 or 30 miles on a coastal cruise.
Winning Details
•The use of space throughout the interior is excellent.
•The boat’s torpedo bulb keel, powerful sail plan, and dual rudders make the First both fast and forgiving.
•The boat significantly ups the ante regarding what’s currently available in the 30-foot-and-under range.
To Continue Reading the full write-up
In the " BEST Full Sized Cruiser 50-55 Feet" Category- The Revolutionary SENSE 50.
Here's what the CW editors had to say:
"But when it came time to choose a winner, it was the Beneteau Sense 50 that turned circles around the competition—literally. It’s equipped with Groupe Beneteau’s Dock & Go system—a joystick controls both the bow thruster, the engine throttle, and the rotating saildrive unit—that may just revolutionize close-quarters maneuvering under power. That, along with an innovative cockpit and interior layout that’s unlike any other 50-foot monohull, made for a boat that was chock full of fresh ideas. More important, the judges found that the innovations they saw were way more than just gimmicks and it was named the Best Full-Size Cruiser, 50 to 55 Feet."
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KYS Notes: The accolades continue for both of these boats. The First 30 will make her Chicago Debut at the Strictly Sail Chicago show January 27-30th at Navy Pier.
Here's what the CW editors had to say:
"But when it came time to choose a winner, it was the Beneteau Sense 50 that turned circles around the competition—literally. It’s equipped with Groupe Beneteau’s Dock & Go system—a joystick controls both the bow thruster, the engine throttle, and the rotating saildrive unit—that may just revolutionize close-quarters maneuvering under power. That, along with an innovative cockpit and interior layout that’s unlike any other 50-foot monohull, made for a boat that was chock full of fresh ideas. More important, the judges found that the innovations they saw were way more than just gimmicks and it was named the Best Full-Size Cruiser, 50 to 55 Feet."
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KYS Notes: The accolades continue for both of these boats. The First 30 will make her Chicago Debut at the Strictly Sail Chicago show January 27-30th at Navy Pier.
The SENSE 50 will be seen around the Chicago Harbors this Spring as her new owners will be sailing her proudly.
For the full press release see below.
Cruising World Announces ’11 BOTY Winners
For Immediate Release
Middletown, R.I. — Cruising World magazine announced today the winners of its 18th annual Boat of the Year awards. Topping this year’s list of winners for the most anticipated awards in the sailboat industry were the Catalina 355 and the Discovery 50. The Catalina 355 won the Domestic Boat of the Year award, and the Discovery 50 was named Import Boat of the Year.
Four other boats also won awards from an independent panel of experts, who inspected and tested 19 nominated boats following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., earlier this year. Decisions were based on extensive dockside inspections and sea trials of the boats. All of the winners, along with the rest of the 2011 BOTY nominees and several other boats reviewed by the magazine’s editors, will be featured in the January issue of Cruising World.
In addition to claiming the Domestic Boat of the Year award, the Catalina 355 was also named Best Midsize Cruiser, 30 to 39 Feet. “The judges were impressed with the 355’s sailing performance, accommodations, and overall construction quality,” said Boat of the Year director and Cruising World senior editor Bill Springer. “This boat strikes a good balance between cruising comfort and sailing performance in a 35-foot package.”
The Discovery 50 cruising catamaran from England was named Import Boat of the Year as well as Best Catamaran. “The Discovery 50 is well suited to withstand the rigors of offshore passagemaking, and the judges thought it had the best owner’s cabin of all the boats they tested,” said Springer.
For more information on the winners and other nominees, visit Cruising World’s website (http://www.cruisingworld.com/).
Cruising World, based in Middletown, R.I., is published monthly by Bonnier Corp. As the largest sailing magazine in the world, Cruising World is considered the bible for bluewater sailors. The magazine seeks to nurture cruising sailors’ dreams with practical how-to information and stirring real-life adventure articles.
Bonnier Corp. (www.bonnier.com) is one of the largest consumer-publishing groups in America and is the leading media company serving passionate, highly engaged audiences, through 49 special-interest magazines and related multimedia projects and events. Bonnier Corp. is the U.S. division of the Bonnier Group (www.bonnier.com), a 200-year-old family-owned media group based in Sweden with business operations in 25 countries.
CRUISING WORLD 2011 BOTY WINNERS:
Best Midsize Cruiser, 30 to 39 Feet, and Domestic Boat of the Year
Catalina 355
Best Catamaran and Import Boat of the Year
Discovery 50
Best Small Cruiser, 30 Feet and Under
Beneteau First 30
Best Cruiser, 40 to 49 Feet
Dufour 45e
Best Full-Size Cruiser, 50 to 55 Feet
Beneteau Sense 50 Best Premium Cruiser Over 55 Feet
Hylas 56
Cruising Spirit Award
Presto 30
To see the original Story on Cruising World
For More Information Ask Karma Yacht Sales by email or call 1-877-KARMA-Y-S (527-6297)
