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● SEPTEMBER 2015 No 1,315 Expert night pilotage tips ● Could you berth a 60-footer? www.yachtingmonthly.com USED BOAT TEST The UK’s most comprehensive yacht tests USED BOAT TEST Hallberg-Rassy 29 Despite being the smallest design from this prominent Swedish yard, the HR29 is no less an ocean cruiser than her larger stablemates. Duncan Kent reports

ear after year in Performance Monthly’s readership survey, The HR29’s hull is relatively narrow Hallberg-Rassy is the name and tapers aft, which limits her that many of you aspire to own, accommodation but makes her a for good reason too, they have steady and stable boat in big seas. madeY their name by building high-quality Though she wasn’t built for speed, her cruisers for more than four decacdes. ample displacement and deep-vee bow Hallberg-Rassy’s boatyard, on the Swedish means she covers the miles easily and island of Orust, was formed by merging comfortably even in adverse weather those of Harry Hallberg and Christoph conditions. Rassy in 1972. Since then the company has We set out from Portsmouth Harbour gone from strength to strength and now on a perfect day, with sunshine and produces a range of dependable ocean a warm Force 4-5 wind blowing from the cruising yachts from 9.4-19.5m (31-64ft). southeast. Hoisting full The HR29 was launched in 1982 as a sail, Osprey soon fell Hallberg Rassy 29 – Performance on test compact but competent family cruiser and easily into her stride, Point Apparent Apparent Boatspeed a total of 571 were built before the design nudging away the wash of sail wind wind was dropped in 1994. from passing ferries angle speed and warships without a Close- 35° 20 knots 4.2 knots RK

O drop venturing onto her hauled pristine new teak decks.

LIN W Fetch 60° 18 knots 5.5 knots

O Having a longish Beam 90° 20 knots 6.2 knots means she stays reach resolutely on course,

PHOTOS: C PHOTOS: ABOVE: She’s an ideal yacht but the cutaway Broad 120° 14 knots 4.7 knots reach for a couple wanting to forefoot enables her to cruise reasonable distances be tacked more swiftly Run 180° 12 knots 4.0 knots in comfort and safety than a full long keel would allow. She has an overlapping, furling genoa and her powerful self-tailing of the bridge deck. Whilst at the tiller the mast was standard, but Osprey on, although the proud forehatch winches made light work of tacking. you can also reach the plain Lewmar 8 has the reefing lines and main can be an obstacle to unwary toes. When the sea breeze filled in she heeled winches on the coachroof, to where the halyard led back to the cockpit. She Her deep, self-draining chain a little more, but her generous ballast kept single-line reefing lines, halyards and has a fully-battened mainsail and locker also serves as a gas bottle her stiff and her rails dry. Under normal kicking strap are led. a 130-percent genoa on a Furlex locker, which isn’t ideal as the gas conditions she’s light and positive on the 200S furler as standard. Lazyjacks bottle looks very vulnerable to tiller, but when the apparent wind rose Design & construction and decent batten cars ease damage from the anchor. briefly to 24 knots, her helm did get a little The HR29’s Lloyds-certified hull has a mainsail handling considerably. heavy – nothing that couldn’t be sorted by solid GRP lay-up with a foam-sandwich Living aboard The owner dropping the mainsheet traveller car down deck and coachroof for reduced weight Deck layout Access from cockpit to cabin is the short track. and improved insulation. The hull/deck The majority of owners opted for also slightly awkward due to the Chris Cooper (53) has owned Osprey Off the wind she’s a little sluggish, as joint overlaps and is topped off with a teak decks, which really emphasise high bridgedeck, but you’ll be glad since 2013, after selling his Halcyon 23, you might expect with so much wetted smart teak capping, and her long, cast- her classic looks. The cockpit Communication to the helm from the companionway is possible of that in big, following seas. She which he sailed for 13 years. Working surface and her ample displacement. iron fin keel is fully encapsulated, so it is narrow and safe with high is surprisingly roomy inside with part time as an airline steward means Overall she has a wonderfully sea-kindly can’t fall off and never goes rusty! coamings, but more than three crew is a from the cockpit can be a bit tricky as they headroom just under 6ft (1.8m). The he has up to 50 days a year to enjoy motion and could happily and safely Standard deck equipment was high crowd. In port, with the tiller raised up, narrow aft and disappear altogether at the saloon has an L-shaped settee to port his sailing. Chris loves the Hallberg’s be cruised in almost all sea conditions quality and fixtures and fittings robust there’s room for six. No quarterberth cockpit coamings. around a two-leaf table with a bottle store. character and substantial build, saying without worry. and long lasting. For this reason many means Osprey has two full-depth cockpit She has a pleasant positive sheer and Teak abounds, which lends the saloon a the beautiful woodwork below decks still sport their original gear. lockers, together with a deep, full-width her coachroof blends into the foredeck warm, cosy feel. The settee backs lift up makes her feel like a real traditional At the helm lazarette, so there’s ample stowage for all behind her steep bows, giving her the to increase the width of the berths, which yacht. He also loves the way she handles Having a long tiller enables the helmsman Sailplan your usual cruising kit such as the dinghy, looks of a true ocean-going yacht. The are 2.0m (6ft 7in) long by 0.69m (2ft 3in) under sail in heavy conditions and to get up close to the self-tailing Lewmar Her sail area is somewhat conservative kedge and fenders. She has a stern rail moulded non-slip on the coachroof is wide. This also provides a place to stow is confident that she could take him 40 primary winches for efficient grinding, and she has swept back spreaders, which gate, a fold-down boarding ladder and the effective and teak hand holds continue bedding during the day. Above each side anywhere safely and in comfort. and to trim the mainsheet, which is on a means you can’t let her boom out too far backstay bifurcates to ease cockpit access. forward of the mast. are two deep lockers and a fiddled short track running along the after edge without chafing the mainsail. Reefing at Although her side decks are wide, access The foredeck is relatively easy to work bookshelf, and there’s further stowage

96 www.yachtingmonthly.com SEPTEMBER 2015 SEPTEMBER 2015 www.yachtingmonthly.com 97 She has a stout fractional Although the 29 didn’t sport the USED BOAT TEST rig with a conservative, usual HR windscreen, handles on USED BOAT TEST easily-handled sailplan the sprayhood make things easier G R Key APH I CS: OUR VERDICT ON THE BOAT

Hallberg LI cruising ZA SAWYE features What’s she like to sail?

Rassy 29 R Despite being only 29ft long, the Hallberg Rassy 29 has all the credentials of a true offshore cruising yacht – unless a Southern Ocean passage is planned! She’s easy to handle for a couple or even a single-hander, as the gear and sails are less loaded. She is a well-balanced boat and her long keel means she tracks well downwind. She does have a little weather helm when pushed, but a couple of rolls in the large genoa soon returns the tiller to its normal positive feel. Once properly trimmed she was happy to sail herself on a close reach with no input from us or the autopilot. This is important for a small crew or single-hander as there are often times you need to momentarily leave the tiller to attend to something urgently. All HRs are built to Lloyds certification. They’re neither the lightest nor the quickest yachts around, but they instil confidence by their ability to shrug off heavy seas and plough on to windward without drama. The 29’s motion through the water is pleasing and comfortable, which is what you need for long offshore passages. Boatbuilders used to give top priority to ensuring that off-watch crew can brew up, cook, wash and sleep safely and comfortably but this has, sadly, become a secondary consideration as they focus on boatspeed and in-port luxuries. The portlights don’t open, so Her sidedecks are wide The mainsheet traveller Her transom and it can get a little stuffy below forward, but disappear is mounted atop the coamings are high decks with just the forehatch aft where the cockpit bridgedeck, within easy enough to keep the sea What’s she like in port and at anchor? and a few vents for air coamings begin reach of the helm from entering the cockpit She exudes a feeling of warmth and quality that makes her FACTS AND FIGURES downright cosy at anchor! Accommodation is somewhat sparse, ■ Guide price £30,000-£45,000 though, and I’d only want to share it with daytime guests as is ahead of the saloon to port and there’s aft ends, although there’s a holding tank ■ LOA 8.90m (29ft 2in) the heads arrangement means that crew in the forecabin are ‘Her hull shape makes a sink opposite. Closing both the saloon to port and the fresh water tank takes up ■ LWL 7.30m (23ft 9in) effectively trapped there when someone is abluting. and forecabin doors makes it completely the forward area. There is no other clothes ■ Beam 2.83m (9ft 3in) A lot of 29s were built with a quarterberth to starboard, which her a steady and stable private, but does restrict forecabin access. stowage. A large forehatch above provides ■ Draught 1.59m (5ft 3in) is ideal for long ocean passages. It also offers you an extra berth There’s a huge hanging locker behind the plenty of natural light and air. ■ Displacement at rest – or some extra stowage, although HR29s without the boat in big seas’ loo and good lockerage above and below 3,800kg (8,380 lb) quarterberth have a much deeper cockpit locker. the sink. No shower was standard. Galley ■ Ballast 1,750kg (3,860 lb) The galley is fine, but stowage for provisions is limited, so under the settees with top and frontal access. Through a split doorway from the heads, To port is a compact, L-shaped galley ■ Ballast ratio 46% you’d need to find space for them elsewhere on longer trips. Full-length teak handrails run overhead the forecabin has a vee berth measuring containing a gimballed cooker with two ■ Sail area 38m2 (409sq ft) The saloon comfortably handles four for dinner or six for drinks and the half-bulkheads between the nav 2.0m (6ft 7in) along the centreline and burners and an oven, a large cool box/ ■ SA/D ratio 15.9 and snacks. It lacks ventilation, though, so could get muggy in station/galley area and the saloon have 1.82m across the head including the infill. fridge and a deep sink with a drainer. The ■ Diesel 60lit (13.2 gal) hot climes. The lack of a shower is a bit limiting, too, although I’m sturdy handholds at their corners, making Headroom drops noticeably, making lockers above are shallow but adequate. ■ Water 120lit (26.4 gal) sure one could be installed with a little ingenuity. it easy and safe to move around under way. dressing in the small floor area nigh-on There’s a small gash bin under the sink and ■ Engine 18hp Volvo Penta 2002 Sadly, none of the portlights in the impossible with the door shut. a pan drawer beneath the cooker. ■ Transmission Saildrive The Volvo Penta 2002 engine is a saloon open, instead ventilation comes The hull sides are teak and above the As the food-prep area is minimal the ■ RCD category A (ocean) snug fit, but access is pretty good Would she suit you and your crew? from hatches and mushroom vents in the berth are deep shelves with high fiddles. engine box cover doubles as a worktop, but ■ Designer Olle Enderlein The Hallberg-Rassy 29 is an ideal yacht for a couple wanting saloon, heads and forecabin. The heads Underneath there is some stowage in the it’s the first companionway step, too, so and Christoph Rassy ■ Tel 023 8045 4000 to cruise reasonable distances in comfort and safety. She’s movement through the boat is restricted ■ Builder ■ Web a beautiful boat with classic lines on the outside and warm, when the cook’s at work. Hallberg-Rassy, Sweden www.transworldyachts.co.uk perfectly-crafted joinery below decks, and I for one would be ■ UK Agent Transworld Yachts, ■ Owners’ Association extremely proud to show her off to my friends. I’m not sure I’d Chart table Hamble, Southampton www.hroa.org.uk recommend her for cruising to warmer climes, though, as she Opposite the galley is the navigation area lacks a little in ablution facilities and ventilation is minimal. with an outboard-facing chart table above a She’s a traditional yacht built to cope with heavy weather. cabinet of four drawers, which is designed Her high ballast ratio means she carries her sail without drama to be stood at. Chris has extended its depth and she has a sea-kindly motion to windward that makes her a little to allow it to take Admiralty charts. a pleasure to sail. Of course, this comes at a cost to light air As this model is without the optional performance, which leaves a little to be desired, but personally quarterberth there is heaps of room for I’d prefer the compromise to be weighted that way around – instrumentation all around it and plenty of especially if I was planning a few long ocean passages. stowage for charts, pilot books and plotting instruments in the drawers. Would she CREEK COASTAL suit your style CRAWLING PORT-HOPPING Maintenance ★★★★★ ★★★★★ The freshwater-cooled, two-cylinder Volvo of sailing? diesel fits snugly into the engine box but OFFSHORE TRADE WIND HIGH-LATITUDE access is pretty good for servicing. A panel PASSAGE-MAKING VOYAGING ADVENTURE in the cockpit sole lifts to enable ample ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ access to the saildrive, engine seacock, fuel The the saloon exudes a warm, quality and cosy feel when at anchor thanks to the teak joinery tank and primary fuel filter. The galley and chart table sit opposite either side of the companionway

98 www.yachtingmonthly.com SEPTEMBER 2015 SEPTEMBER 2015 www.yachtingmonthly.com 99