X-Yachts GB & IRL’s Stuart Abernethy and North Sails’ Ruaridh Wright travelled to the shipyard in Denmark to sail aboard the XR 41.  Conditions were lively, with 18kts to 26kts of wind from the southwest, relatively flat waters flying the square top main option, no.2 jib and the A2 asymmetric.

Stuart has sailed aboard all new X-Yachts produced in the last two decades, and was excited to be aboard and experience this, the very latest X-Yacht design.

From the moment you step aboard not only do you notice many familiar X-Yacht racing details reminiscent of the X-35 and X-41, but also a massive step forward with the very latest design and technology to aid performance sailing.  Features like multiple push-button controls are not just a gimmick, but vital for efficient trimming and to get the very best from modern performance race sails.  The high stability at all points of sail, from her hull-form and ballast takes longer to master, but quickly she becomes very rewarding with hull speeds not seen on other X’s.

As the dealer in the UK and IRL, I look forward to help specifying these yachts for our clients for racing, and also in a de-tuned version with an easier short-handed sail plan, and full comfortable and practical interior, that will suit the sporty sailor looking for the most exciting performance-cruiser on the market

- Stuart Abernethy

And now from another perspective and for an insight into Stuart and Ruaridh’s day afloat, along with a general discussion on sailing trends, follow the debrief conversation below:

 

Stuart – Now that you have experienced her afloat albeit only for 1 day, in your opinion what type of boat is she, and what type of sailor will she suit?

Ruaridh – Despite only sailing her for one day I took a lot from it. Versatility is the first word that comes to mind. She has a high stability hull form and a slippery underwater profile. Given the range of specifications available she could quite easily be a turnkey offshore race boat or a fast cruiser depending on what interior or keel setup an owner chooses. The rig and mainsail can be backstay with a pin-top or runners with a square-top. Lending itself to shorthanded racing and cruising easily. It is hard to judge from one day of sailing, however she showed great speed upwind and heel angle was easily controllable. I could see her performing well inshore.

 

Stuart – How did she handle the blustery Baltic conditions?  What do you see as her strengths and weaknesses?

Ruaridh – She handled the conditions very well I thought. She carried the speed low downwind in VMG conditions and started planning when we put the bow up to 130 TWA. We had the spinnaker up without the jib but there is plenty of room to keep the jib up and have a small staysail tacked aft. She was fast for sure, but it felt like there was a lot more to come.
Upwind we went to full runner (5.2 T) and set the jib up wide to allow the main to fill. There is plenty of range in the controls to flatten sails and all at the easy touch of a button next to the mainsail trimmer. Once flattened the boat sails well to a heel angle of 18 to 20 degrees and sits nicely on the chine. There are a lot of controls so there is some learning for people stepping up into a bigger boat. I do think they are easily usable and with some learning the boat will quickly become rewarding to sail.
I think the deck layout and the beam which carries forward at deck level give the boat a lot of versatility in reaching setup. I would say with the bowsprit and wide shroud base, double and triple heading should be easily achievable.

Stuart – The race boat fashion and trends are always moving in the UK and Ireland, where do you see growth – inshore or offshore.  Full crew or short-handed?

Ruaridh – For this type of boat, there is a clear trend towards offshore and adventure style racing. The feeling just now is that owners and sailors enjoy the variation and challenge of offshore and destination style sailing. The Fastnet has never been more popular and RORC and JOG’s offshore series is going from strength to strength. This could be good timing for the XR 41 as it’s setup and interior lend itself very well to life aboard and offshore versatility.

Stuart – Specified in a different way to the yacht we sailed, do you see potential in the double-handed market?

Ruaridh – There could be, but I would say the XR 41 is at the top of this range. 36 footers tend to be the largest in the double-handed class however a 40-footer can be done. Certainly, in a longer style 600 miler or an Ocean crossing the XR 41 could be an excellent platform.

Stuart – You have a lot of experience with twin rudders on high-performance IRC yachts – what are your thoughts on the single rudder design aboard the XR 41?

Ruaridh – The double rudder trend is growing amongst offshore boats. Especially among low displacement; high performance yachts. Twin rudders give the boat a lot more grip at higher heel angles mostly experienced when reaching. The trade-off would be in upwind performance and rudder lift. The single rudder is quite far forward on the XR 41 and the rig holds a lot of rake so I would imagine it sails with a reasonable amount of rudder angle which would be beneficial upwind. Since the boat has a high righting moment and form stability it means the boat can benefit from the upside of single rudders.

There is also the practical side to consider for owners who might use this to cruise. The single rudder provides much more control under engine.

Stuart – With the new IRC appendages option, how do you see her slotting into the UK and Irish racing markets?

Ruaridh – Quite simple really. IRC class one. She has the ingredients to perform well in RORC and JOG races and would fit well in the Performance 4 class. Cowes week also provides a good mixture of round the cans and windward-leeward type sailing. With the number of controls aboard and setups available the boat feels like a Swiss army knife which could hopefully lend herself to winning some races.

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