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BBY PURVES FrilfiIr^lt¡TEFr ilee oul e-Boldels Why fit hail scheme: a chartplotter rhlt rlrl¡r ¡ha¡lrl i¡¡ llra ¡a¡lrnitl 100-P0lNT BOATTEST

The UK's most comprehensive yacht tests

32 We compared this beloved 32ft British icon to Bavaria's new 32ft wunderkind. Which is better? (hris Beeson's scorecard might surprise you

o modern boats match from New York to San Francisco, via up to trad¡tional Cape Horn, chronicled inJohn cruising classics? Kretschmer s book Cape Horn to Readers often say Stqrboard. After finding her in 'They don't make them Houston, Texas, in a sorry state, like they used tol'We decided to Jeremy brought her back to find out by putting the classic Lymington and refurbished and Contessa 32 up against a modern refined her to the point where she's cruisen the new Bavaria 32. almost certainly one of the best The Contessa is the Queen lVlum examples afloat today. She has now of Br¡t¡sh cruising - a much-loved been sold to an anglophile icon that set the benchmark for Frenchman and ours was the last cruisers when she was designed by sail before the handover. David Sadler in 1970. lt's a benchmark that, l'm often told, Performance modern cruisers have consistently The 20-knot northeasterly failed to reach. lndeed, so revered is funnelling down into Lymington she that some say her second-hand Yacht Haven faded to just 12-14 value is artificially high, surfing a knots once out in the Solent. Under wave of appreciation that has been full main and jib she tracked upwind rolling for nearly four decades. at 5.7-6.2 knots, sheeted in to Jeremy Rogers' Lymington yard about 35'to the apparent wind, and built the vast majority of the tacked through 80', very creditable 800-plus Contessa 32s afloat for a yacht with an overlapping today, but a few were built byJJ genoa. WithJeremy Rogers, serial Taylor in Canada. Recession in the winner of the Contessa 32 National early 1980s closed the yard, laid off Championships, on the mainsheet, its 200 staff and the moulds were she slipped along gloriously with sold. Undeterred, Jeremy started up 5-10" of weather helm. ro again in l988 at Milford-on-Sea, Further over towards the island tct N refurbishing Contessa 32s, and the shore, in l6-18 knots of true wind, Ð yard returned to Lymington in she fetched along at 6.9-7.5 knots, o 2009. ln'1995, having bought back dipping her rail at around 35' of zo the moulds, he started building heel. Modern, beamy cruisers them again and there have been 19 I d new Contessa 32s since then. For g Isn't she louely? Pouerful too. t143,750, you can have one, too. thís ôts But iconic British cruíser o The Contessa 32 we tested was ísn't wíthout herfaults and many È- GrEr¿ made famous by her passage b elíeu e she's ou er - u alued

74 w.yachtingmonthly.com FEBRUARY2olo FEBRUARY 2o1o www.yachtingmonthly.com 75 {

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rr ^ò. Cushíons and infiIls create a 5ft toín double berth below the big TíIe-backed locker doors (INSET) No separatíon between the forehatch but Gigi's pipecots lift QNSET) to reueal the sail bin crelte more space in the galleg midship heads and the forecabin fl

An excellent chart table, Iots of" Engine access ís crood íf Plentu of saloon stowage cnd Gigi's lowered sole (INSET) means there's stowoge and utews outside noí always conuönieni just sianding headroorT, buL the llopíng sole isn't uery ankle-frtendlg

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Longþabrails anct gutu"uales that get deep, safe space, but The kínk in the stanchion aLl¡¡ws deeper towurds the lotu freeboard means crew to use bígger winches uithout bow make the passage ít can get wet rapping their knuckles onít forward safe

76 rw.yachtingmonthly.com FEBRUARY2o1o IOO.POINT SOATTTST

would be pirouetting ¡nto wind at half this angle but she slipped along without so much as a twitch of rounding up. Bearing away onto a beam reach, she clocked up 5.9-6.5 knots. As a sun-blessed finale we hoisted the spinnaker and barrelled along on a broad reach at 72-76 knots. Upwind there was a sl¡ght but constant murmur through the tiller which I put down to wash across the rudder from the locked prop, but otherwise she was ajoy. Though you can see forward while sitting in the cockpit, I chose Jeremy s favoured position, up on the coamings and leaning against the lifelines. Both pos¡tions were bone dry. Off the wind she reacted regally and accurately, if not immediately, but barrelling along at over 7 knots with the scuppers scooping the Solent was unforgettable. Her reputation as an invincible sea-boat seemed entirely justified to me. livingbelow A pair of hand-holds and three steep, flat steps take you below into Ggrr's saloon. ltb a bright space with two port lights and an opening hatch, but ventilation is a bit limited, w¡th just the hatch and two solar vents. Aft of the 6¡n step supporting the keel-stepped mastthereb 5ft 9in headroom forward, 5ft 1l in aft, but the angled sole - Glgls sole has been lowered 6¡n to improve headroom - starts just 10in from the centreline, which makes walking a bit tricky. Itb a squeeze getting between the table and the U-shaped seating

uíth scLtppers galley. A solar vent provides the only Jeremy Rogers MBE, talented direct galley ventilation but it5 right r acing y acht sman and builder of hundreds of Contessa y ac h ts, next to the scooplng ntwas joAaus' companionway. grínds up the spínnaker halyard Unusually, 6þr's forward cabin, through a sliding louvred dooI has to port but once you're seated, six communication with the on-watch twin pipecots that can be hauled up Design & construction can dine comfortably. A wooden- crew There's another foot of space for excellent access to the stowage David Sadler drew a hull that is backed cushion infill converts the for charts ¡n the tiny gap beneath beneath, or lowered to create a achingly beautiful above the U-shaped seating to port into a the bookshelf outboard, but pencils, 5ft 10in double berth with infills in waterline. Her sheer sweeps 6ft 5in by 3ft 4in double berth. The dividers and the l¡ke can get in there place. Two sideports and a big elegantly down from her starboard settee berth is the same too and you have to tack to get opening forehatch flood the overhanging bow to a freeboard of length but 2ft 4in wide. Both have them out again. forecabin with light but headroom ìs just 2ft 3in at full beam before lee cloths fitted. There's stowage in The chart tables seat is the head a pint-sized 4ft 8in. Theres a locker flowing aft and pinching at the lockers outboard, behind and below of the 6ft 1 in quarterberth. A panel at the foot of the berth and a sole elegant sawn-off counter lt's as the seat¡ng and a stainless steel under the berth lifts out in two panel for transducer access. good as the best of Sparkman & water tank is f¡tted below the sole pieces and there's more stowage The heads has two lockers Stephens - so attractÌve that the with an access panel. below A port opens into the cockpit outboard, a clever space-saving coachroof and coamings, though by Hand-holds run the length of the but itb still a gloomy berth. sliding sink and there's a holding no means disproportionate, look a saloon and thereb a sturdy fiddle at To port is the galley, which has tank under the forward berth little lumpen. the chart table and a pillar in the 5ft 7in headroom. lts design hasn't Theres no bracket for the shower The long overhangs give her a galley, so no shortage of securit¡r changed since 1977 and it includes head and nothing to separate the deceptively high displacement- The chart table is excellent, plenty of stowage in deep, well ablutìons from the forward cabin. length ratio, at over 300, nearly halÊAdmiralty size with plenty of organised lockers outboard. Thereb Opposite the heads is a zipped 50% higher than the Bavaria, but stowage and instrument space, a a footpump to empty the two 6in locker that looks like a wet locker when heeled, her waterline length view out through the side port and a deep sinks, a coolbox under the - good bracing means itb the increases significantly. That, and her solar vent above. The drainer and an lsotherm fridge aft of perfect place to put on your oilies - much more powerful sail area-to- companionway is close by, too, the two-burner Force 10 stove. A but thereb no wet locker drain and displacement ratio than the improving ventilat¡on and fluorescent light helps illuminate the headroom is just 5ft. Bavarias, means she's more

FEBRUARY2olo w.yachtingmonthly.com 77 seakindly and, theoretically at low freeboard means it does get wet capping to bnce against. Despite the least, quicker in a blow and if the two sink-sized double lowers either side of the Below the waterline she has cockpit drains are blocked, that could shrouds, moving forward along the plenty of rocke¡ with V-shaped be a problem. Views forward without sidedecls is quite easy sectlons fore and aft, a long, the sprayhood up are excellentfrom Clear deck and solid bulwarks encapsulated lead fin keel and an the cockpit but I preferred sitting on make the foredeck a safe place to unbalanced rudder hung on a the coamings where the helmsman work. The anchor locker is quite full-depth skeg, which also houses has Lewmar 44 primary and 14 shallow but still large enough for an I the shaft-driven prop, so secondary winches to hand, along 11 kg (25 lb) CQR and 50m of 6mm It directionally shes very stable. A with the backstay hydraulic pump. chain, which runs from the double The shallow anchor locker is ballast ratio of 48 per cent gives her There are two bins in the coamings bow roller round the remote control bíg enoughfor an ukg (25 Ib) ,l55'AVS CQRand of 6mm chain an astonishing (angle of for stowing winch handles, sail ties, a Lewmar windlass and through a 5om vanishing stability), despite a STIX hand-held VHF radio and so on, and hawse pipe ¡nto the locker (stab¡lity ¡ndex) of just 33. a deep cockpit lockerto port, which Gø is fitted with an inner forestay Hull and deck are solid laminate also houses the plastic fuel tank. that stows at the mast when not ¡n infused with polyester res¡ns. Theres also a layer of isophthalic resin behind the hull gelcoat to prevent 'The c.oc@itít tgfr.,rf no! exqc-tlq osmosis. The rudder is laminated on ^ a stainless steel stock with two spacious, and she's w et in a" blow' bronze bearings and a stainless steel lower attachment plate. Unlike most Contessas, Grgls use and deploys using a Highfield lazarette is hinged on top of the lever Remove the lever fitting and Sailplan coaming rather than at the back of you have a babystay. The inner The masthead rig has a chunky the seat, which means larger items forestay and twin lowers are section with single in-line spreaders can be stowed there. Port aft is a excellent heavy-weather safety and her'engine room' is definitely two-bottle gas locker The throttle features but they make tacking the 140 per cent genoa, which is and engine controls are to starboard significantly more of a chore. Gigi's lazarette, hinged at the twice the size of her mainsail. and a manual bilge pump is fitted to coamíng rather than the seat, can handle larger bí.ts of kit Tacking it round the double lowers the cockpitb aft bulkhead. The Underpower and shrouds inevitably involves a fair Lewmar 28 halyard winches handle A 20hp Beta diesel engine drives a bit of winching. The high aspect ratio all sail control lines except the third shaft-mounted, three-blade mainsail is sheeted from the end of reel which hooks on at the mast. Featherstream prop through an the boom on a cockpit-wide Jeremy found himself knocking Aquadrive. She cruises at travellerjust aft of the br¡dgedeck his knuckles on a stanchion when 2,500rpm making a shade over 6 using a 4:1 mainsheet purchase. winching Gþls upgraded primaries knots. She turns forward injust over The genoa cars are mounted across so he installed a curved stanchion her own length. Astern, she turned the sidedecks, angled towards the to create more space. This also to port in two boatlengths, but we bow lt's certainly an 'old school' created a space between the couldn't get her to turn to starboard. arrangement but surprisingly, she coamings and the lifelines that he Companionway steps remove to points as high as the Bavaria. likes to wedge himself into when prov¡de access to the front of the helming in rough stuff. engine. Panels in the cockpit locker Decklayout Theres a gnbmil on the and under the quarterberth provide Ro g er s has ed Gígi with Coamings surround the deep cockpit sprayhood and a handrail running to access to the back of the engine rtft a plastícfuel tank, easily so it's a safe, if not exactly spacious, the forward hatch. You've also got and the oil filter ltb thorough, if not accessible from the big place for crew and helm, though the the toera¡l with ¡ts gorgeous teak exactly convenient. A cockpít locker to port ,*,3601*. '," ofthe Contesa 32 at Yil4's 100-P0|NT www.yachtirymorthly.con UNDERSA¡L BU¡LD PERFORMANCE AT THE HELM DECK LAYOUT SAILPLAN OESIGN & MAINTENANCE She's a powerful yacht The tiller rumble was the cockpit is a squeee There's plenty of power CONSTRUCÏION Access to most but intuitive to sail. She distracting but she feels for any more than two available and the lfyou're not bothered seacocks and systems is feels surefooted, well connected and but it is deep and mainsail can be easily about headroom, shet good and the deep responds well and responds precisely. The secure. Primary and managed by a a sight you'll never tire bilge makes sure the tolerates poor trim. tiller rather dominates secondary winches and singlehander Not so the of - beautifully sole stays dry. The Sheb a little too heavy the cockpit during the backstay pump are big genoa, which always proportioned with the engine casing in the to deliver genuinely manoeuvres but views within reach of the requires a fair bit of sweetest lines and cabin, with neat built-in exhilarating forward are clear and helm. There are good winching in after delightf ul details, like toolbox, dismantles and performance but her perching on the handnils and oerails tacking. The removable the fairleads built into there are side panels rcputation as a great coaming is a delight. goingforward and the inner forestay is an the bulwarks at the below the pilotberth sailing yacht is well Her low freeboard lowers don't obstruct excellent sea safety bow. Glgl hæ two extra and through the cockpit deserved. You'll spend means she can be quite the s¡dedecks too feature and the in-line stringers but all locker for all-round a fair amount of time a wet yacht to sail. much. She has a good, spreaders work well, Conþssas are built like access. well heeled, though. unclutter€d foredeck. but do require double rocks, readyfor lowers. anyth¡ng. 9,,o 8n" 8n" 7,o lon" 8n"

78 m.yachtingmonthly.com FEBRUARY2o1o IOO.POINT BOATTEST

THREE

Contessa Sz Sadler 32 tl8,0OGl32,0O0 She was also designed by David Sadleç in a bid to improve on the Contessab perceived shortcomings. Another solid sailing yacht

Riwl 32 tr9,0OO-t26,ütO Peter Brettb design has lines and a sailplan similar to the Contessa's but O Price guide !90,000 as seen, ' displaces too much to perform on a par

second-hand f rom t24,OOO o LOA 975m (32ft) o tWL 7.32m (24ft) - O Beam 2 9m (9ft 6in) O Draught 1.68m (5ft 6in) O D¡splacement 4,218k9 (9,300 lb) o Ballast 2,026kS (4,468 lb) O Sailarea 52.2m'?(562sq ft) O Engine 20hp a Diesel 55 lit (12 gal) llicholson 32 t17,ütGt32,000 a Water 82 lit ( 18 gal) A long-keeled GRP legend by Peter O Displ/length 307 (moderate Nicholson and Halmat¡c that set the displacement) benchmark before the Contessa arrived 2 Isi[|r918*; O Sail area/displ 20.05 (racer) a Ballast ntio (%) 48 O RCD categoryA a sTtx 33 0.50 O Designer David Sadler O Builder Jeremy Rogers

-0.50 a Tel0'1590 645454 20 40 60 80 r00 120 t40 t60 180 Heel a¡gle (degre6) O Websíte wwwjeremyrogers.co.uk

BELOWDECK CHART TABLE GALLEY HEADS LIVING BELOW It's well positioned, There's plenty of Stowage and seacock Stowage, handmils and close to the storage, good lighting, access are good and we light in the secure TOTALSCORE companionway, very and we really like the like the slide-out sink, saloon are top notch, A beautiful, solid, seakindly secure, with lots of fiddled, tile-backed butweu fancy our but ventilation is cruiset a little slow by stowage and the seat locker doors more chances more on a l¡mited, sections of - the modern standards and the is the head ofthe working space and toilet thatb fore-and- sole are angled because sailplan is not as easily pilotberth, so the great for hot pans. aft, and further aft than Glgr"s cabin floor was handled. Down below she navigator can get some The only issues are this one. The heads is lowered by 6in, but feels cramped and a bit sleep. lt's got views headroom and well short of standing despite this there's l¡ttle gloomy by today's outs¡de and ¡s bigger ventilation, which is headroom and lacks standing headroom. standards but the chart than ¡t loolG because lim¡ted to a dorade vent ventilation. There's no The forward cabin is a table and galley are charts can run under and the companionway. shower bracke¡ nor any b¡t tight and open to the excellent. thejoinery outboard, Otherwise, it's a barrier between the heads. The saloon but pencils and dividers very safe, seamanlike heads and the double is the best can, t00. setup. forecabin. berth. Ð' 8n" 4,,o (6,ro

FEBRUARY2olo www.yachtingmonthly.com 79 100-POlNT BOATTEST $ntkt, The UKt most comprehensiue yacht tests %rrrt$

O avana

Fresh from a makeover at the hands of Farr Yacht Design and Bl'lW, Bavaria presents its new 32ft cruiser. ftris Beeson puts her through her paces ! avaria has achieved lockers. We started with too much , phenomenal success canvas - a single reef and full jib as a builder of - to test her limits, and she made D easily-handled, 5.3-6.0 knots at around 30-40'to comfortable production the apparent wind but span out cruisers, lacking the quality of more several times as the combination of bespoke yards but delivering yachts heel - approaching 30" - and at a much more accessible price. beamy aft sections left the rudder The company recently ditched long- with too little to bite on. term designersJ&J and brought in Having taken three rolls on the the world s most successful racing headsail she was faste[ flatter and a yacht design house, Farr Yacht little easier to helm but we still Design, working in collaboration couldn't find a groove, despite with BMW Design Works. The two playing with sail trim in search of a firstworked together on BMW sweet spot. There was a fairly Oracles Americas Cup campaign. ser¡ous amount of weather helm Since the early 1980s, Bavaria despite the main being eased so has been growing steadily and now much that ¡t was backwinding the yard, based in Giebelstadt, heavily. Flattening the salls wasn't an Germany, employs 620 people and optlon eitheI as the genoa halyard '-ãE;.- '' has four production lines churning was cleated off at the mast and -l-d:--i'-"--+-- out six boats a day - thatb there wasn't a block to lead it aft to half-capacity - 60 per cent of a winch. The 4:1 split backstay - which are sailing yachts. But even wasn't budging an inch further Bavaria is not immune to eithet desp¡te there still being some economics. lt was bought by private play in the baclstay, so maybe a 6:1 equity firm Bain Capital in2007, purchase would have helped. before the slump, for 1.3bn euros, Offwind she fared a lot bette[ but recently sold again, with debts fetch¡ng along at 6.3-6.8 knots and of 1 bn, to two American investors in responding wellto the wheel, where we a debt-for-equity swap. except on one occasion nl: \¿ With the German yard facing nearly hit West Bramble cardinal hard times, great things are because she wouldn't bear away, expected of its revamped range. even with the main eased to the The entry-level 32 was nominated spreaders. We tacked instead. With for European Yacht of the Year the wind on the beam she rO Iq 20.l0 in the family cruiser category, discovered her manners and tôtÈ so we took her out for a test. slipped along obed¡ently at ::| :r1: --. E 6.7-7.4 knots, sparkling at times, o and she broad reached at z. Performance We had 18-25 knots from the 6.3-8.5 knots, responding ' I south, kicking up a steep little chop d as the tide ebbed, which was I Surfs up! She's quicker offthe ö certainly going to test the mettle of O wind but lacks the displacement, F O our Bavaria 32 Cruiser with her unladen at least, to match the J:*:- a- basic spec, empty tanks and Contessa upwind in a good breeze

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Like the Contessa, settee berths are 6ft 5ín long, but with almost Goo.d light anduentilation in the An af-flcjng afterthough,t, no i"t :oIolime shows galley,but no fiddles and one big sink goodfor detailed paper chartuork Sftl"i" Ari^ ;;d ^o;;i"".drio ,"tnä $ Ah l¡ -# ' .,,

;l'"L- F-.T ,,ff*t,r, ffi, Access to the engine and other Spacious, bright and well- Aft cabin. Space beneath the cockpit Forecabín. Good access to sys¿ems is good throughout appointed heads cubicle (inset) will be increased transducers (inset) below the berth I B oom-end mainsheeting g iu es muchbetter mainsaíl control and the non-ouerlapping jib means Bavana 32 she'll tack easily upwind Key features I , t Coamínas are a sood ñeisht foiward. but shorter aft ancl stop short of the transom, which will dampen the helmsman +

Thefolding transomis an excellent idea, improuing bathing facílities and making the 11 ...- ";' cockpit euen biqger

Cockpit seats are ouer 7ft long, with Grabrcils start iust outside the qood bracinq but the tíñg wiñóhes cockpít but endiuell short oJ the masl, àre out of the helmsman's reach wher e the coachroof j ib track b eg íns

8z m.yachtingmonthly.com FEBRUÀRY2o1o IOO.POINT BOATTEST

The cockpitis bíg andsafebuttlæ tiny uinches are out ofreach,thebackstay needs 6:t insteadof4:t and sheneeds better sails andrunning rigging

being buried alive. Most of the cabin immediately and fa¡thfully to every 'She as twitch of the wheel. w faster and flatter with is well lit and vent¡lated by two Whether the struggle for sail opening ports and a hull port, shape was due to halyards or sails three rolls inthe heqdsailbutwe along with LED cabin lighting, stretching ¡s academic. Either way, grooue downlighters and a reading light. beating wasn't a pleasant stíIl cauldnTftnd a Lq)LDind' Stowage is in a split hanging/shelved experience in these conditions. locker a fiddled shelf outboard and Loaded with cruising gear, tanks full, seen with LED cabin lights extra locker The huge single sink in a bin locker below the seat. with her running rigging sorted out throughout and we like the has excellent grabrails but no Theres more stowage below the plus a higher-spec suit of sails, we downlighters in the saloon and aft fiddles, so crockery and cutlery are berth along with the fuel tank, would have a much better idea of cabin, too. Theres impressive likely to go flying. The fridge has no calorifier and other systems. the difference Farr Yacht Design has stowage under the berths, along drain and its lid lacks a rubber seal. ln the forecabin, light floods in made to the Bavaria 32 Cruiser's with the house battery under the The heads, to starboard, is from the hatch. Headroom is 6ft 2in upwind performance. lt must be port settee. Companionway steps excellent. lt's amazingly spacious for below the hatch and there's a 6ft better than this. are curved, with great grip, and a 32{oote[ with just under 6ft 5in double berth. Stowage is huge, hand-holds ensure safe passage headroom. Forward thereS a sink in drawers below the berth that pull Livingbelow when coming below. The main issue with adequate stowage above and out to reveal the transducers, below The light oak finish and white trim here is the lack of hand-holds in the below it, and aft is a separate the berth forward of the water tank throughout work wonders with the cabin - you need to lunge from shower unit and a wet locker that and in two huge lockers, hanging to light - the saloon is dazzlingly galley grabrail to bookshelf fiddle. drains into the shower sump. ïhe port and shelved to starboard. bright. Because the deck-stepped The aft end of the port berth is cubicle has an opening port and There's a main cabin light and two mast is further aft, the stainless steel also the chart table seat. The chart two lights. There are a couple of halogen reading lights. compression post runs through the table is too small for complex minor issues, ¡n that the teak grate saloon table but it's not overly navigation on papet; and while on the floor is one piece, so itb Design & construction intrusive. Headroom is 5ft 10in at there's some stowage below it, triclq to lift for cleaning, and the wet There are certainly signs of Farr in the forward bulkhead and 5ft 11 in thereb very little elsewhere for locker means there's no bracing to the hull, in the plumb bow and slab under the hatch garage, marginally almanacs and pilot guides. your right when sitting on the toilet. sides that flare increasingly from the more than the Contessa with its lnstrument space is also limited. The Aft of the galley is another well lit shrouds aft. The.letterbox coachroof lowered sole, but effective sharp corner of the chart table cabin with just under 6ft headroom windows tend to exaggerate the throughout the saloon. could be dangerous in a seaway and a huge 6ft 10in by 5ft 10in boxy nature of the coachroof. The Both settees are 6ft 5in by 2ft 1 in The galley to starboard has 6ft double berth. lts major drawback is transom excepted, she looks a lot seaberths and there are four headroom, great ventilation and a that there ¡s, at best, 1 6in of space like a Hanse - the BMw-style opening coachroof ports, a dorade dedícated light. Covers for the sinks between the berth and the cockpit concave flare to the coachroof ¡s the and a hatch, too, so the ventilation is and stove increase the workspace moulding. Bavaria is aware of this most obvious difference between as good as the Iight. This Bavaria is but galley stowage is at a bit of a and finding a way to increase the them. AesthetiCally, shes not the first production yacht we've premium so Bavaria is adding an space and make it feel less like a patch on the Contessa,

FEBRUARY2oIo m.yachtingmonthly.com 83 but then few modern yachts are. previously favoured by Bavaria and handrails run from the primary * She has an L-shaped cast iron fin still in use on the Contessa. winches right to the shrouds, which and bulb keel, lengthening in chord have outboard chainplates. The at the root, and the rudder is Ðecklayout coachroof mounted jib tracks are positioned right under the transom, For us, the Bavariab best feature forward of the handrails but thereS maximising accommodat¡on and was the transom, which folds down not much to grab onto after that, improving turning moment, but also to create a bathing platform with a just 1 in deep toerails and good leaving the rudder less immersed at sturdy removable ladder that stows moulded non-slip. c'{l greater angles of heel. She has less in the,cockpit locker The platform There's a single bow roller offset rocker than the Contessa and makes the cockpit much bigger but to starboard and a small, deep rounded rather than V-shaped it does cover the engine blower anchor locker - not big enough for The anchor locker is too small sections, but she st¡ll didn't slam when stowed. Bavaria is addressing an anchor - that includes a for an anchor, but it's deep and has roomfor a ¿uindloss despite a much livelier motion. this. Theres also an emergency windlass. The water filler is also at Views forward from the wheel are ladder fitted in the transom. the bow. There are two moulded excellent, as you might expect from The cockpit is huge with two 7ft pads on the port foredeck and a a cockpit raised to accommodate 3in seats and a fixed table. Crew can padeye on the stem so that a the aft cabin. Freeboard is 4ft, nearly double that of the Contessa 32. She also has a staggering 5ft 'Her bestfeature is the bathing more waterline length and 2ft more beam, most of which is carried right platform, which folds down, aft, all of which makes a huge difference to headroom and making the co clcpit much big g er' accommodation beloW cockpit The folding b athing platform stowage, form stab¡lity and speed. brace against the leeward seating or bowsprit can be fitted and offwind is an excellent feature for She has almost a foot more draught the table, and the coamings are saib can be used. There is a Iazy summer days at anchor and displaces nearly 2,000 Ib more comfortable in the forward cockpit. spinnaker rig opt¡on but our test than the Contessa, but with a ballast The cockpit locker to port is huge boat didn't have it. ratio of just 25%, her angle of and well organised, with a panel aft vanishing stability is just under 130". that opens ¡nto the transom for Underpower ma¡ntenance to the steering 0ur test yacht had the upgraded Sailplan quadrant and another panel in the engine, 28hp instead of the She has a fractional rig with two sets sole that reveals the engine battery. standard 18hp, driving a ¡nio-blade of sweptback spreaders. She is The helm position feels high, fixed prop through a saildrive. She unlike previous Bavarias in several which makes for excellent views cruised at 2,BOOrpm making 6.3 respects. She hasjib tracls on the forward but it does feel a little knots. Ahead she turned in 1.5 times coachroof instead of the sidedecks, exposed. Other drawbacks are the her length, and nearly two lengths which improves pointing ability and split backstay, which fouls the helm's astern, though the wind may have keeps the sidedecks clear The head when sitting to windward, and affected that test - she presents a mainsheet is trimmed from the end the coamings that stop short of the fair amount of windage. of the boom to a strongpoint on the stern, so any water on the sidedecks The companionway steps lift to cockpit table rather than from the will drain onto the helmsman. provide access to the front of the middle of the boom to a traveller Engine controls and throttle are on fresh water-cooled Volvo Penta forward of the hatch garage. Also, the binnacle. Thereb a shower and D2-30. A panel below the berth in the mast ¡s stepped further aft, manual bilge pump to port and a the aft cabin provides excellent The mainsheet attachment allowing for a 109% jib, much easier single bottle gas locker to starboard. access to the back of the engine doesn't look too sturdy but it to tack than the overlapping genoas Sidedecks are perfectly clear and and the saildrive. A seemed to be up to the task ,.*..3601*. of tlrc Ba¡arh 32 at Yþl'sT00-P0INT www.yachttgmonthly.com UNDERSAII OilDECK BUILD PERFORMANCE AT THE HELM DECK LAYOUT SAILPLAN DESIGN & MAINÏENANCE She was fine, fun even, The position was very The folding tnnsom is a It's a cruising sailplan, CONSTRUCIION Access to the eng¡ne, offthe wind, though high. Great for looking major asset for this with a sail area- She's not the best keelbolts, tankage and she'd benefit from a ahead but fairly yacht. ltt a good size displacement figure looking yacht but the all the yachtt systems is bowsprit and downwind exposed, and the short cockpit with easy similar to the Westerly high freeboard and very good. There's even sails. Upwind she, and coam¡ngs will give the bracing and decent Corsair 36, but Farr has boxy coachroof makes a panel in the galley's we, really struggled. helmsman a dousing. coamings and the certainly improved a big difference down forward bulkhead that This must be due to the s¡ttlng outboard, the helmsman can reach control and below. Compared to the provides maintenance sails and running backstay fouls your the ma¡nsheet but not performance with Contessa, the space access to the sink r¡gging stretching head and some the winches, which look sheeting from the boom below is outstanding for plumbing. Panels in the becâuse Farr Yacht footblocks would be a bitsmall. Sidedeck end and a tighter a 32-footer but BalBria aft cabin and cockpit Design wouldn't let useful. Offwind, she felt are cleaç as is the sheeting angle for the has always excelled at locker allow easy performance like this good through the foredeck but she needs non-overlappingjib. that. Workmansh¡p has access to the steering pass. We would have wheel, offering plenty an anchor-sized anchor Our problems were definitely improved but quadrant and rudder flattened the sails, of control. locker. related to the test mastic is still a visible tube. if ¡t was yacht's feature. possible. setup. 7,o 7," ro,"

84 m.yachtingmonthly.com FEBRUARY 2o1o IOO-POINT BOATTTST

0.6 o5 IT,ffiffiHGT 0.4 Maximum G/z 56' 0.3

'; l 0.2 rl 0l il I l 0 gz -0.1 Bavaria i--l -o.2 -o3 Price 575,280 .J O t: -0.4 , r: 20 40 60 80 t00 r20 140 160 180 a lOA 9.99m (32ft 9¡n) i ;t Seel arg¡e (degæes) :I LWL 8.85m (29ft) . rl a Beam 3.42m (11ft 3in) O Draughtl.95m (6ft 5in) ',1 a D¡splacement 5,200k9 (11,464 lb) ' -_ --' o Ballast'1,300k9 (2,866 lb) :-. O Sail area 50m'z(538sq ft) O Eng¡ne 18hp a Diesel'¡50 lit (33 gal) O Water 150 lit (33 gal) O DispUlength 210 (modemte d¡splacement) (cruiser I Sail area/displ 16.93 ¡acer) I a Ballast rat¡o (o/o) 25 ! ri i o RCD categoryA O STIX 32.33 (RCD cat A requires >32) O Designer Farr Yacht Design and BMW Design Works O Builder Bavaria Yachtbau a Tet 02380 605060 O Website www.clippermarine.co.uk

THREE

Bénéteau Océanis 3l t75,000 Jeanneau Sun0dyssey 33i ,86,723 Hanse 320 t75,210 I From short-handed racing designers Groupe The 33, by Marc Lombard, also a racing Another racing design house,Judel : Finot, she makes the best of the space below designer sails well and follows a Vrolijk, has drawn a capable performer ' and performs engagingly on all points of sail comfortable formula down below with family-friendly features down below

BELOWDECK CHART TABLE GALLEY TIEADS LIVING BELOW 0n many modern It's a comfortable To find a heads with It's a big, bright, well yachts the chart table is working height and the this much space, light ventilated saloon with TOÎALSCORE planned becoming something of extra locker and facilities on a nice touches, such as The qual¡ty ot life below yacht an afterthought and will bring stowage up to of this size is the downlighters and wh¡le moored at least, prime good this one is a a level. The sink unprecedented. lf this drawers in the table. has improved hugely your pay-ofi good example. Unless and stove covers is the for the Stowage is and in 40 years - the heads paper is provide workspace, feeble table, Bavaria is navigation chart addlng two is lantastic. 5he3 quick l¡mited to marking a Iight and ventilation and many cruising families extra lockers in the and lively off the posit¡on GPS on a chart, are excellent. A double would say it's worth ¡t saloon. Both cabins are wind but lacks the it's too small. lt3 big sink, instead of one A little extra stowage bright and spacious displacement to match plenty enough for a laptop but huge sink, would be wouldn't hurt, but that with of stowage her forebears upwind there's room to bettet plus fiddles aside, it's exemplary. and the space barely between in a breeze. \ mount a chartplotter. around the work the aft berth and the surface and a better cockpit moulding above seal on the is being fridge lid. increased. 4,,o 7,o ro,"

FEBRUARY2olo m.yachtingmonthly.com 85 .POINT WHERETHE I I BOATTEST Sn*k* COI{TESSASGORED ATTHEHELM Contessa 32 - 8/10 Bavaria 32-7110 ïhe deep cockpit and reassuring heft of the tiller in %t*tf the hand win this round for the Contessa, although with more than two in the cockpit, it gets a bit crowded. The Bavaria has a much bigger cockpit but some careless design, short coamings and backstay positioning, let her down. Justtwo cot1E33A32 points! BAVARIA:':I-a

l'luch has changed in yacht design in 40 years. How did the classic Contessa 32 rate against the new wunkerkind Bavaria 32? ftris Beeson compares his score cards FI]IALYERDIGT

The Contessa 32 wrests top spot byjust tlvo points! This was a surprise to me. I expected the Bavaria 32's superior accommodation and spacious cockpit to seal the deal for modern yachts, but unexpected shortcomings in the sailing department let her down. ln fairness, Gþi has thousands of ocean miles under her keel and she's recently been refurbished and kitted out to a high specification by her original builder Jeremy Rogers. Despite her1982 vintage, Gigl is absolutely gleaming and, at t90,000, still more expensive than the The cockpit utas deep and she was to helm Bavaria at a shade over t75,000. Contessa's ajoy Generally, secondhand prices range from Bauaria 3z: quick and líuely ofiiind tl6,000-t35,000, but a new Contessa will cost you nearly 1145,000. was a Spartan past¡me, an adventure sport The Bavaria 32 was fresh out of the synonymous with hardship and endurance box, unladen with cruising gear and - more like mountaineering - and if you equipped with a basic sail wardrobe and found yourself aground or in a gale, you running iigging. With 5 knots' less wind for got on with it. the Bavaria, or a 16,400 suit of Elvstrøm's Sa¡l cruising today is a hugely popular taffetâ-covered EPEX sails, instead of the success story. Yachts are eas¡er to sail, basic Dacron, results might have been more affordable, more comfortable to stay very different. onboard and deliver better performance What these two tests highlighted clearly in the avenge range of conditions than is the change sail cruising has undergone ever before. lmproved weather forecasting in nearly 40 years. ln the early 1970s it means we can avoid challenging cond¡tions rather than blundering blindly ¡nto them. Cruising is more accessible than evet which is why more people are developing a passion for sailing. The remarkable success of Bavaria, Bénéteau- Jeanneau and Hanse over the last 30 years emphatically proves the point. Ultimately, boat choice depends on the rOì tÞt kind of sailing you want to do. lf it involves tdt g weekending, a fortnight's summer cruising and the odd fair-weathe[ foreign jaunt oV o with friends and family, or a winter base in z the Med, a modern cruiser like the Bavaria 32 will be well suited to your needs. lf I you're planning long, offshore passages, a d traditional cruiser like the Contessa 32 will 6 cope with any cond¡tions you might tso O encounter in exchange for a degree of =d comfort below. Forty years ago, we didn't Contessa 3z : inuincible seaboat have a choice. The Bauaria's cockpit utas bí9, but had. short coamings

86 www.yachtingmonthly.com FEBRUARY2olo DESIGN & CONSTRUCTIO¡{ Contessa 32 -10/10 Bavaria 32 - 7/10 Contessa 32 - 9/10 Bavaria 32 - 6/10 The Contessa's peerless look, pains[aking attention to detail and bulletproof build win her this round, The Contessa proves her class, while the though the downside is her modeËte d¡splacement/length ratio and a lack of headroom. For many Bavaria struggles, though the Bavaria faced cruisers, standing headroom is non-negotiable these days. tougher test conditions. Not many cruising yachtsmen would contemplate heading upwind in a Force 6. OfiWind, the Bavaria was quicker and her form stability made her less prone to heeling.

GALLEY Contessa 32 - 8/10 8avaria32 -7110 The Contessa's stowage is better organised. The twin sinks are more useful and there's better bracing. The Bavarias galley, more like a kitchen, presents a more pleasant working environment while moored.

Contessa 32 - 9/10 Bavaña32'4ll0 A runaway winner for the classy Contessa. Even among good chart tables, hers would score highly, but there is no contest against the Bavariab sorry-looking ledge. Many builders are increasing living space at the cost of the chart table, believing that chartplotters are replacing paper charts. 4 ir"; ¡ DECK LAYOUT Contessa 32 - 8/10 Bavaria 32 -7ll0 A narrow win for the Contessa, mainly due to the fact that the helmsman can adjust all critical sail controls from the helm, essential for shorthanded sailing. Not so on the The Contessascoredtopmarksfor designandconstruction and 9 out of toforperþrmance Bavaria, which also has very small winches.

WHERE THE BAYARI,A SCORED SAILPLAN Bavaria 32 - 8/10 Contessa 32'7ll0 The Bavaria wins her first round. The jib is so much easier to tack shorthanded than the big genoa. Having the sail areab power shared more evenly between main and foresail makes it easier to balance the sails.

Bavaria 32 - 9ll0 Contessa 32 - 6/10 Bavaria storms th¡s round with a biggel lighter brighter betterventilated saloon and two spacious cabins. Despite a lowered sole, the Contessa just can't match her with a cmmped forecab¡n thatt open to the heads.

Bavaria 32 -10/10 Contesa 32-4ll0 The Bavaria wins hands-down. Among modern 32-footers this heads would be a remarkable achievement, albeit at the expense of a decent charttable. The Contessa's heads is poorly ventilated, cramped and exposed to the forecabin.

MAIT{TENAT{CE Bavaria 32 -10/10 Contessa 32 - 8/10 Ma¡ntenance access is good on both boats, but thereb more space under the Bavariab cockpit for rummaging around at the back of the engine, and you can workfrom the aft cabin rather than climbing inside the cockpit The Bauaría's saíIplan scored wíth potuer shared more euenly between mainsaíl and jíb locker as you must on the Contessa.

FEBRUARY2oIo www.yachtingmonthly.com 87