Sept 10, 2020
The Oceanis Yacht 54, younger sister of the Oceanis 62, embodies the innovation that has always been a hallmark of the Beneteau brand, while continuing to remain loyal to the Yacht range ethos: elegance, luxurious accommodations, and unrivaled performance. Capitalizing on experience gained with the enormously popular Oceanis range, as well as the trend-setting new First Yacht 53, her architects, Roberto Biscontini and Lorenzo Argento, have created a masterpiece that seamlessly blends form and function into a yacht that is exhilarating under sail, easy to shorthand, and comfortable both at sea and in port.
The yacht features cutting-edge technology such as Ship Control (a simple interface that accesses all the boat's systems); Dock&Go Joystick harbor-side maneuvering); and Harken's AST (automatic sail trimming), all of which firmly set Beneteau at the vanguard of the industry. By incorporating a standard feature of the Oceanis range - the mainsail arch - the OY54's cockpit is completely open, allowing for intuitive movement, comfort, and space; indeed, the flush cockpit occupies more than a third of the full deck area. Passage from the companionway down the centerline to the side-decks is absolutely unimpeded, and transit to the foredeck is made safe by the boat's high bulwarks and lifelines, as well as the generous width of the catwalks.
To simplify maneuvers both at the harbor and underway, Beneteau has e9uipped the Ocean is Yacht 54 with the invaluable Easy Sailing navigational aids. Ship Control is standard on the yacht and provides user-friendly intuitive control of all the boat data and components (batteries, tanks, engines, lighting, etc.). The well-proven Dock & Go system is also available to facilitate engine-powered maneuvers in a limited space, using a straightforward joystick control which operates a bow drive and a 360° rotating saildrive pod. You can use the amazing Harken AST (assisted sail trim) to trim the sails automatically in line with the apparent wind and trim the jib when you need to change tack. The AST system is controlled from a display in the cockpit.
The Oceanis Yacht 54, destined for the cruising life, is available with two different draughts (2.5 m as standard,1.95 m on option) and two types of masts (standard or in-furling). In both cases, Easy Sailing will make all maneuvers much easier, so that the crew can focus on the real pleasure of sailing.
LIGHT OAK OR WALNUT INTERIOR WITH THREE CABINS
Lorenzo Argento's watchword in designing this yacht was to create a warm modern atmosphere with as much natural light and ventilation as possible. The Oceanis Yacht 54's interior layout offers a chart desk and large saloon table which easily accommodates six adults. The interior can be built in two different wood tones, light oak or the more traditional walnut.
Two versions are available: three cabins and two heads, or three cabins and three heads with an extra-large forward master cabin, in which it is easy to walk around the double bed (1.6 m wide.)
By Andy Adams
The multi-generational island cottagers of Georgian Bay and serious fishermen are just two of the groups most attracted to the new Oakley Boats models.
Brad Oakley has been around the boat business his entire life and he said to me that he has long admired durable, seaworthy welded aluminum boats. His company WMW Vacuum Pumpout Systems in Waubaushene, Ontario on Georgian Bay, builds highly regarded vacuum pump-out systems and Oakley’s equipment is in so many marinas that he knows a lot of people in the business.
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By Katherine Stone
On a beautiful summer morning in July, I hopped aboard a new-owner delivery from the Outer Harbour Marina in Toronto to the Port Credit Harbour Marina in Mississauga, with the President of Navy Point Yacht Sales, Steve McPherson. I don’t know if I have ever referred to a boat as pretty, but this adjective fits the Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42 to a tee.
The transitions and communication from interior to exterior spaces are seamless and well-thought-out with functional ergonomics.
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Following the War of 1812, a battle that Canada narrowly won against the United States, the boundaries of Upper Canada were held and the British army realized that the St. Lawrence River was no longer safe as a supply route. A more defensible route was needed to bring supplies from Montreal to Kingston and on into other Great Lakes settlements.
This new, more secure route revealed itself through the travel and trade of the Indigenous peoples. Surveyors learned that one of the Indigenous trade routes began at the mouth of the Cataraqui River in Kingston (Canada’s first national capital) and connected a series of lakes and rivers all the way through to where the Rideau River meets the Ottawa River in the heart of Bytown (known today as Canada’s national capital: the City of Ottawa).
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Over the last decade, sailcloth weaving equipment has evolved and allowed the production of low crimp warp oriented woven cloth of medium to heavy weights. We have had light weight warp wovens of 200g/m2 (4oz) or lighter for much longer than that, but the finer denier weaves of light sailcloth allowed that with older looms and setups. Why is this important? This new loom technology is very important because it allows sailmakers to make better warp cut woven sails for boats 25-50’ long.
Let’s start by clarifying what a crosscut sail is. The crosscut panel layout aligns the fill (short) edge of the sailcloth roll with the leech edge of the sail. Most of the sail load goes from clew to head up the leech. Secondary sail loads go from corner to corner along the foot and luff edge.
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I filled up last week at $1.90. Pundits are suggesting that prices will stay high throughout the summer. Radio and TV news have been flooded with ‘man on the street’ interviews that show the impact on the average driver. How will these prices affect the average boater this year? Will we see more hours spent on the docks and fewer on the water? Will fuel efficiency become a top-of –mind selling point? Will we see a shift toward electric marine engines?
Time will tell – but for the majority of us, we’ll need to weather the storm as best we can. There are a number of tips and tricks we can employ aboard to make the most of our boat’s fuel. BoatUS published an excellent article this week that I’ll break down...
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