Hanse 400e

 

But you sacrifice the nice folding table mounted on the front of the pedestal. The designers have moved the headsail furler right into the bow to maximise the jib's sail area. There are tracks for a genoa of 135-140 per cent, but the yacht's polar diagrams show the jib to be at a very small disadvantage to the genoa. The differences show up only when two-sail reaching in lighter airs.

Hanses appear to be extremely well built. There are seven keel bolts for extra strength on the 400e and six of them take a 65mm socket.

ACCOMMODATION
The 531 has a stunning interior as good as an apartment in downtown Milano, Rio or Manhattan.

The 400 is not quite as dramatic, but the Hanse style is unmistakeable. The furnishings are in cubes and squares; the timber trim uses shut lines and shadow lines for dramatic effect. I would say it is a bit Bauhaus if I was sure what Bauhaus is. Or should I say was?

The boat we sailed was trimmed in Hanse's trademark mahogany with an ultra high-gloss finish. You can order cherry or beech trim, which is lighter in colour, and you can also have a satin finish.

You can have two or three cabins and a choice of five layouts for the forward cabin, normally the owner's cabin, which is common practice these days. If you opt for two cabins you are rewarded with a longer galley bench and a huge lazarette under the cockpit's starboard-side seat.

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With one of the three-cabin layouts you get a head in the owner's cabin forward. The boat shown here has only one bathroom (on the portside, aft of amidships) but it has a separate shower area so the room doesn't get soaked. There's a small seat if you insist on showering when the boat is underway. The five layout options show two versions with settees to port, and three (including our boat) with the navigation table between two seats, creating seating for two more at dinner.

The galley is an 'L' layout on the starboard side. The fridge has a front-opening door feature which eliminates that head-down, arse-up scratching to reach the bottom of the unit. It's easy to clean, too.

SAILING
No yacht is easier to sail. Hoist the main, unfurl the jib, go. When tacking, the greatest expenditure of effort is made when the helmsman changes sides. Come to think of it, the helmsman doesn't need to change sides. Because I like quiet, contemplative, recreational sailing I find the self-tacker irresistible, and what it means to family sailing is easy to imagine. Because the hardware is in place for a genoa, the self-tacker demands no sacrifice.

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