RIGHT: A spacious and practical cockpit. Note the foot rest that hides a pop-up table


BELOW: The Arcona is in her element close to the wind. Jib sheet tweakers give accurate control of the jib leech


Fast cars are low, sleek machines that look like they’re moving while parked. In fact, seeing one parked seems odd, as they should be driving along hairpin mountain roads. I had the same feeling when I saw the Arcona; seeing her low, sleek profi le restrained (however neatly) to a pontoon felt wrong, like a greyhound on a lead. What had she done to deserve to be tied up? It was a sunny, unseasonably warm October day,


and even though the winds were a light Force 3-4 the Arcona needed to be sailed. She rewarded those who took her wheels. The helm was fi nger-light and responsive with just the right amount of feedback from the Jefa steering. Her hull is light and together with a generous sail area to displacement ratio, she’s quick and easily powered, helped on this occasion by the North 3Di sails. Even when over- powered with her large asymmetric she retained her composure elegantly so that only the weight on the helm and her speed increased. She sails as sleekly as she looks, making over 10 knots under asymmetric and increasing wind. The seating for the


helm, outboard, is a bit low when sailing on an even keel, but with a bit of heel it starts to feel more natural. There is a raised lip inboard which gives something to grip on (as do the pull-up foot rests), but a little more height would keep your rear protected from a wet deck and make sitting a little more comfortable. As it is, you can sit aft, astride


or forward of the wheel and still have access to the mainsheet winches (both were electric driven on this yacht) and the mainsheet traveller which is forward of the wheel binnacles. There is space aft of the wheels, doing away with the perched-on-the-transom feeling, but there is also the option of having the aft end of the cockpit more enclosed by way of well- placed cockpit boxes with a semi-open transom.


WIDER AND FASTER Unlike her predecessor, the Arcona 430 that started life with a single wheel, the 435 was designed with twin wheels from day one. This has made the hull carry the beam further aft for more width in the cockpit, and with a fl atter underwater profi le for speed, her aft sections lead up to a soft, rounded chine that gives more space in the twin aft cabins. While looking modern, the hull hasn’t followed the fashion of hard angular chines, twin rudders and high freeboard. It’s an easy step up from a pontoon to the deck, but the headroom below hasn’t taken a beating because of it. The coachroof windows come in three options,


two with the frameless look shown on this test boat — with one option of having the windows opening, the other for them to be fi xed. The third option is for a line of opening black-framed hatches more familiar to current Arcona owners. The deck forward of the cockpit is clean and clear,


even the furling line from the through-deck furler is led under the deck, as is the mainsheet, albeit from a point aft of the mast. Having said that, the tack line from the bowsprit is led across the foredeck just above ankle height to disappear into the forward end of the coachroof. There’s a good walkthrough between the shrouds to windward, but the jib is also sheeted through the gap and there’s a jib sheet inhaul running across the deck from below the vang to catch out the unwary. Curved corners and slight reclines make the cockpit


a comfy place to be. At anchor or in harbour the cockpit table pops up from the sole (it’s housed in the space between the twin aft cabins). The lid, in the cockpit sole, provides a decent foot brace for the crew. She has Harken 60ST manual genoa sheet winches. The German mainsheet system is controlled by two Harken 46ST winches; one option is for a single electric mainsheet winch that can be operated


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