The mainsail furling is operated at the mast. In the interests of safety, all other control lines are led aft to the helm. The sail-trimming area is just forward of the twin carbon-fibre spoked, laminated teak wheels and aft of the large, sociable cockpit seating area. The mainsheet is controlled by a dedicated winch set amidships on a raised plinth and can be trimmed either by foot controls at the winch or with buttons on the command station forward of each wheel. Likewise, the sheet winches for both headsails and any offwind sails are controlled either at the winch or from the helm.
an evening aperitif after taking the tender ashore. Philippe then set about tailoring every part of the boat accordingly,to give its owners the best experience. ‘The challenge was to deliver a good boat at sea and one that also offers space and luxury’, he says. ‘While it should be able to cruise offshore or compete in race series there is no reason why it shouldn’t also be a place to relax.’ With all of these factors in mind, the saloon is a very large and versatile space offering seating on both sides of the wide, bright central area. The seating units on the starboard side can be converted from U-shaped settees to a large day bed or a more intimate snug area in the evening. The saloon table, to port, can convert from a low coffee table to a larger electrically-raised dining table. Extra seating inboard is made with the infill benches from the starboard snug. A raised saloon floor gives panoramic views out when you stand up or move around, which ensures that those on board get a real sense of place whether they happen to be cruising the Baltic or the Bahamas.
Headroom in the L-shaped galley comes from the long cockpit seating overhead. This, along with the generous portlights and hatches overhead, makes the galley bright and well-ventilated. The stylish and practical galley furniture has an
Above: the saloon offers a large and versatile space flooded with natural light with large through-hull windows and panoramic views through the low-profile deckhouse. To ensure the highest standards of quality control, the hulls, decks,
carpentry and stainless steel work are all produced in-house. The new yacht’s cutter rig is optimised for easy handling, particularly benefiting from CNB’s own design furling boom (below) with push button
hydraulics for all sail controls. The cockpit is neatly divided into separate areas for steering, trimming... and relaxing
abundance of stowage.
Each of the three guest cabins on board benefit from generous berth sizes and offer views out of large through-hull windows. All cabins are served by their own en-suite bathroom and the two double cabins also have a separate shower compartment in the bathroom. There is more than enough interior volume in the hull to ensure that none of these cabins are compromised in space, style or comfort.
Up forward is the owner’s suite. The double berth is offset to port for privacy – in bed you remain unseen from the rest of the living space even when the door is open. Outboard of the berth is a desk while forward is a large en suite bathroom with a separate shower compartment. Stowage on board, in all cabins and throughout the boat, is all that’s expected of a long-distance cruiser. But it’s not just down below that the 66 excels. On deck too the boat has been tailored to the needs of the owner-skipper. Its lines are clean and sleek; the coachroof is raised just enough to give a view from the saloon while keeping her silhouette sharp and purposeful. The window line tapers as it sweeps aft, cleverly distracting the eye from what little height the coachroof needs. A 3.25m-long tender garage, which can comfortably accommodate a Williams jet RIB or similar, is hidden behind the fold-down transom. A fixed bowsprit juts forward from the plumb bow, giving an attachment for code zero or asymmetric sails and housing the anchor and bow roller. The cutter rig with hydraulic furling headsails makes sail-handling more manageable for a small crew and the addition of hydraulic in-boom furling completes a sail plan that is both practical and controllable at the push of a button. As should be expected on a long-distance cruiser all of the sail-trimming and handling systems have manual back-up.
It’s perhaps the promise of easy handling (and lots more living space) that has enticed five of the first seven owners to upgrade from yachts in the Beneteau Sense range to the CNB 66. Another obvious attraction is the better quality of build and of course there’s the option for the owners to customise and make the boat their own in a way that isn’t possible with a standard production yacht. Many will be drawn by the 66’s sleek silhouette and the spacious, bright living area. If you’re used to sailing as a family – whether as parents with your children, or as grandparents – stepping up to a larger boat needn’t be a challenge but the space, comfort and luxury that comes with the extra length of a yacht like the CNB 66 is definitely a big step up.
While advanced sail handling systems (like those in use on the 66) make it possible for a couple to handle almost any size of yacht, the physical practicalities of sailing – the handling of sails, fenders, warps and of course cleaning – have led CNB to the 66ft size limit. Systems like bow and stern thrusters make managing a yacht of this size easier in marinas and harbours. Sailing the CNB 66 shouldn’t be hard work either; a two- handed crew can easily ready the boat for mooring or prepare a 185m2 furling code zero to hoist from the cavernous forward deck locker. With all this this luxury and the design focus on improving the owner’s life on board, it might be easy to forget that the CNB 66 is designed to be as rewarding under sail as it is in harbour. ‘I could not design a boat that isn’t exciting to sail’ explains Briand – and he hasn’t. The hull is easily driven and while it’s wide enough to allow massive accommodation down below, that hasn’t compromised the hull shape. But one question remains. Does Philippe think he has fulfilled the brief to design the best 60ft semi- production boat in the world? He pauses for a second. ‘I think I have.’
www.cnb-yachts.com
q SEAHORSE 65
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