Sailing appreciate the closing speed of the 28 when they decide to undertake their own
The difference between the Touring manoeuvres. Anticipation is essential.
and the Sport versions are in the sailing
performance available. The Touring The jib is not self tacking which is great and has its own barber hauler arrangement
has an 12.5 m aluminium mast and which is necessary to ensure the shape is right for the wind angle. This can be a
54 sqm of upwind sail area, the Sport bit fiddly to adjust when loaded and I would add another purchase if I had one of
has a 13.6m carbon fibre mast and an these boats. The mainsheet is substantial with a course and fine control and this is
additional 9sqm of sail area, this turbo excellent.
charges the boat and increases the fun!
The compromises in the design The mainsail is fully battened to mainsail cars on a track. This makes it
are there to deliver sparkling sailing straightforward to reef as friction is minimised. The mainsail drops into a stack
performance and this it does. We sailed pack making it easy to reef and to stow away at the end of the sail. We did not get
two handed on a blustery September to use the asymmetric spinnaker which at 80sqm would have been far too much
day with the wind gusting up to 27 – for the wind we had, the 45 sqm furling Code 0 seems a great option to purchase
28 knots with the direction moving all on a boat that loves to go fast.
over the place. In lumpy and short seas
she was great. The pitching was less Despite the gusty wind and the lumpy seas the 28 handled herself well. She is a
than I expected, no doubt due to the powerful boat but is controllable and safe, the big rudder gives plenty of grip on
high volume floats extending in front the water and the big floats make her stable and fun to sail.
of the mainhull. The boat did not slam
over waves as some trimarans do and Performance (knots)(measured by GPS) wind speed fluctuated from 20 - 32 knots
she managed to maintain a good VMG true wind
despite the conditions. We gave her
quite a hard time with just one reef in • Main and headsail close hauled - 8 to 8.5 kts
the sail but the 28 did not mind it. As • Main and headsail fine reach (45%) – 12 – 14 kts
we beat out into the Solent we sailed • Main and headsail reach (90%) – 16 kts
higher and faster than a 40ft double • Main and headsail broad reach (120%) – 12 kts
ender that should have excelled in the • Main and headsail run (150%) – 10 kts
conditions.
Tacked through 85 – 90 degrees in flat water and 90 degrees in choppy water.
Our peace of mind prompted the
second reef. The 28 preferred sailing
Under Power
flatter, faster and we did not need to
The recommended engine is a Honda 10 HP 4 stroke outboard that sits in a
de-power in the gusts. In this set up
moulded mount on the transom of the main hull. There is an option for a 20 HP
she tacked through 90 degrees which
engine but I am not sure what advantage that brings other than the need to carry
was excellent in the conditions and we
more fuel and a lot of extra weight in a sportsboat that is better at sailing than
sailed upwind in 25 – 27 knots of wind
motoring.
at 8 to 8.4 knots which was excellent.
Off the wind was a more exciting tale,
on a close reach she was up at 12
knots and on a reach up to 16 knots
and at all times the helm was in control.
She cut through the waves or sailed
over waves without a harsh motion and
the cockpit was surprisingly dry.
Once back into the flatter waters of
Chichester Harbour the 28 was fun
to sail managing a top speed of 16.9
knots and tacking just better than 90
degrees. The wind direction was all over
the place so we were never able to set
her up to sail any distance on one tack
or the other. But as the wind picked up
we managed some fast reaching which
was exciting.
There were few moment of anguish
due to big gusts sweeping across
the harbour. Sailing at speed requires
judgement and forward planning and
the acceleration available in the 28
makes one cautious about the actions
of other boat users who may not
Outboard installation – note the link of the tiller to the outboard
10  MULTIHULL REVIEW : OCTOBER 2009
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