Nautitech 47

Nice weather, calm sea.

We are near La Rochelle, off the port of Les Minimes, on the sheltered waters of the Pertuis. There is a nice 15 – 20 knot breeze blowing, the Nautitech is sailing at just under ten knots and its pure lines cannot fail to impress. The wind and the sunshine together provide us with ideal test conditions and as before even climbing aboard, today’s boat appears to have, a priori, a good pedigree, it is going to be a good day! The 47 uses the same hull moulds as the late Nautitech 475; the nacelle is radically different, but there is undeniably a slight family resemblance. The 47 has the same fine forward sections as the 40, its smaller sister in the Nantes-based builder’s range. (Nantes is just where the offices are located; the 40 is built in La Rochelle whilst the 47 is assembled in Lorient). Reduced drag resulting from the low wetted surface should help progress in light winds, and the design should allow a respectable performance upwind. Once I have finished taking photographs of the boat under sail from La Rochelle port's motor launch, ‘L'Aubisque', I climb back aboard the 47. Eric, our skipper, gybes and we set a course towards the open sea. We are go...