X-Yacht 442

 

Issue: October 2002
Manufacturer: X-Yachts

You know that the times are a-changing when a young bloke, thirtyish, buys a new 42ft yacht as his first boat - of any kind. And learns to sail. You know the times have really changed when he buys a fast cruiser/racer as his second boat and takes second place in a major long-distance ocean race.

He was able to do it because he could (a) afford it, (b) because we can safely assume he's not a mug and (c) his new boat is a stock model, so the boating industry could give him a lot of after-sales support.

It seems that the old days, when ocean racing was impenetrable, the most exclusive sport in the world, dominated by the rich and powerful supported by prima donna yacht jocks, have gone. And it's a good thing, too.

Nick bought his Bavaria 42 from Sydney importers North South Yachting. He had a good time with his Bavaria, cruising with the family and a bit of racing, so he went back to North South for his next boat, a Danish-built X-Yacht.

The X-Yacht company is big news in the Northern Hemisphere for building very classy boats in two basic lines - the X-Yachts (ten models, which they call their Performance Cruising Line i.e. fast cruisers you can race) and the IMX series (three models at the moment) which are racers, pitched at the IMS and IRC rating systems but retaining a high level of trim.

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The French team recently won the Commodore Cup with a team of two IMX 40s and an X-442. Nick chose the X- 442, but he wanted to tailor the boat for his requirements. He wanted to be able to sail it, safely, with his wife and two children, a three-year old boy and a new baby girl. He also wanted to be able to indulge his increasing passion for racing.

Nick and Andrew Parkes of North South Yachting decided they would specify electric primary winches and self-steering to make the boat easy to sail short-handed. They put in a plasma screen TV with DVD, so the three-year old could watch videos below and stay out of trouble, while the baby slept in a suspended cot. Nick also chose the teak deck.

For the racing sails Andrew sent Nick to Quantum Sails, where Geoff Couell built the sails and maintains them. "We don't have allegiance to one loft, but because it was Nick's first campaign we needed a loft that would make a big commitment to the programme," Andrew said.

"On top of that Geoff is a nice guy, which never hurts your sailing. No one wants to go out with a bunch of yellers and screamers."

Andrew helped the new owner work his way through the complexities of the safety regulations and Nick tracked down an ocean racing crew from various sources.

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