Beneteau’s Briand Battler
Beneteau’s new First 45 delivers in every department; a regatta winning cruiser racer with family comforts. Andi Robertson takes the helm for a Monaco test sail… AS A showcase for Beneteau’s new Philippe Briand designed First 45, winning the Bell Lawrie Scottish Series is a valuable insight into the boat’s racing potential, but since the original design brief was drawn up, the intention has always been to offer a boat which is more of a fast cruiser than an out and out IRC racer-cruiser. The concern for the company is that the market for racer-cruisers is relatively small worldwide. Enhancing or highlighting the race performance of the new boat would only narrow down the market even more, so they have approached the new 45 with considerable caution, looking to the watchwords of a strong style statement, user friendly fast sailing, an interior with real wow factor and good accommodation. They have learned from the 34.7 which was designed to too narrow a performance envelope for crews of better ability - hence the cautious, softly softly, approach. In saying that though, Gery Trentesaux’s First 45 Lady Courrier, has done remarkably well since being launched in February. They won the La Trinité winter/spring series, at Spi Ouest, won the Obelix Trophy and came to Scotland and won convincingly against a fleet of good IRC boats, including the best of Ireland’s custom IRC racers. We took the earliest chance to test the new 45 at the annual Beneteau media test session, this time in Monaco. The surroundings were very much in keeping with the standards the new boat sets, but sadly there was little wind indeed. It’s a good looking boat, and even on looks alone, won many admirers in May at Tarbert. For me it took a little getting used to. The window line with the flared, extended hoods above the windows is interesting and does not really enhance the deck line, but neither does it detract from it. The boat has sold well so far with the full 2008 production run accounted for at the moment (30 boats). At Sunbird in Ardrossan, the Beneteau agents for the north have potential customers for two or three boats, just waiting to sign on the dotted line. They see the boat as offering the best of both worlds. As Chris Dodgson at Clyde Marina points out, the ability to have the bigger, race rig, run it with non-overlapping headsails and simply swap the headfoil for a roller furler system, such as they have done regularly with the First 47.7 Playing FTSE, (which family cruises as well as wins trophies), is an option which many will take. Lady Courrier is very much a standard boat, with the big carbon rig. She also has a carbon boom and Trentesaux specified a carbon rudder. They removed the anchor windlass and the hot water tank to save weight. Since the Scottish Series he has gone to a spinnaker area of 166sq.m on a pole length of 5.9m and taken a four points rating hit to achieve better downwind speed in the lighter, summer breezes. The Bell Lawrie Scottish Series was very much the 45s preferred conditions, and Trentesaux was always open about that. The boat is quick upwind in the breeze. Windward finishes on each windward/leeward race played to their strength, but that said winning by over 90 seconds over a 90 minute or two hour race is ample evidence of the boat’s potential. There is nothing done to Lady Courrier which cannot be ordered directly, at sensible cost, from Sunbird, or any other Beneteau agent in the north or Ireland. There are two rig options: The performance racing rig offers a J of 18.35m as opposed to the standard cruising rig of 17.75m. The deep keel version gives a draught of 2.74m, and the shallow, t-bulb style keel comes in at 2.4m. Our test boat in Monaco was the cruising version, with a big roller headsail, the short rig and the shallow keel. Conceptually it is similar in approach to the Briand designed First 50, but can be made more race orientated with the tall rig. The days of needing big overlapping headsails are long gone on the predominantly windward/leeward race tracks. The First 45 appeared to develop plenty of height against opposition in Tarbert, but we have never had the chance to try her ourselves in such a race mode. As a racer-cruiser and as a cruiser the boat works really well. We didn’t have much wind, but we did have a big complement of journalists on board, all putting their back into trying the boat in different positions. Certainly the working areas seemed excellent; well defined with ample space and good ergonomics. The halyards and lines are led aft in open deck channels, rather than under the deck in conduits. This is a styling and practical feature. The main reason, say Beneteau, is that they lengthen the look of the coachroof, as well as giving open access if anything goes wrong. The deck edge is neatly flared at the base of the mast to recess the turning blocks. The race boat version comes with a 9/10ths three spreader Hall Spars carbon rig setting a 61sq.m main and 104% jib at 54sq.m compared with the standard 55sq.m main and 60sq.m 135% genoa as we had on our test boat. Lead prices have increased sevenfold since the beginning of the year, but the deep lead fin is a necessity for serious racing. The cruiser version takes the forestay 5cm forward on the bow and provides a substantial bow roller. The hull shape is relatively modest, with a subtle chine aft, fairly deep and running forward about one third, while the stern sections are quite flat with a noticeable overhang which should be relatively easy to lift clear and reduce wetted surface in light winds. Note too how high the bow of Lady Courrier sat clear of the water in Tarbert, great for measured LWL, but when trimmed down on the race that is extra effective waterline length. It is a better looking boat than 47.7 and, less so, the 44.7 in our opinion. The twin 900mm diameter wheels are set on angled pedestals reducing their footprint on the cockpit floor. Space and footholds are good. Space for the mainsheet trimmer is cramped, but the Harken mainsheet traveller system is exemplary. From the Harken big boat range it cross cleats so that you have a full pull from the opposite side giving maximum purchase. Strangely the boom has additional length to ensure the mainsheet lines up vertically to the track. Our mainsail clew was still a few cms short of the black band on the boom. Not good looking, but not too distressing. The German single line A-style mainsheet system runs along the sidedeck as opposed to being tunnelled under the deck and shares the 44.2 STA with the spinnaker. Primary winches are a pair of 53.2s. There are lockers deep to cockpit floor level port and starboard, with a large liferaft locker under the helm’s feet which is on a gas strut. Access forward of this, through a screw off ply panel, is to the steering mechanism which is a chain and cable system that seemed to transmit a positive feel. The Mediterranean spring sunshine was bliss, the backdrop spectacular and the company insightful, but why, Beneteau, pick somewhere there is either no wind or 30 knots at this time of early Spring? Sailing journalists would rather have wind over glam surroundings, and packed lunches over sit down feasts every time. Over the two, two hour periods that I sailed the boat, the wind speed never topped more than five knots TWS and on the second occasion we had no choice but to put on the donkey and head in. The First 45 does pick up pace and hold it with ease, but we had nothing to measure ourselves against in terms of other boats. In cruising mode she slipped along sweetly in the light breeze and under the circumstances you’d be happy to cruise along and keep the sails filling, heading for the next destination. The boat built speed and left a tiny wake. Upwind we could make 5.2 knots in about 7-8kts apparent. The helm felt light and positive, tacking through just over 80°. That is with the 135% headsail and smaller main. The new First 45 just gave the impression of being steadily efficient in the conditions, responding neatly to the smaller helm movements even when overrunning the gentle breeze. In the conditions and the cruising short keel configuration, we did not feel the boat to be especially close winded, rather ease a few mm on the sheet and build speed to gain height. With the AP spinnaker up, the First 45 took on a bit of life and we could make six knots as we built apparent wind with the pole on the forestay, but sagging downwind there was little to achieve with heavy sheets and a media crew on board, some more interested in taking photos FROM the First 45. There was no obvious sticking and the boat did seem happy to run deep with the light winds, maintaining good feel over the rudder. The interior offers lots of space and natural light and ventilation is excellent. You really would be happy to cruise the boat extensively in comfort, and owners will and should. It is a boat which would happily cruise extensively at speed, taking in quality IRC events around Europe and perhaps the likes of the ARC and the Caribbean circuit. The main saloon is light, airy and spacious. This is an easy area for handling sails below. The saloon table is offset to port with a wrapround settee which has good, flat angled back supports. There are two small stools opposite which are unobtrusive, but comfortable enough to sit on. To starboard is a long settee. The facing nav station feels more like a little office space offering ample stowage and good instrument mounting and electrics access. This is very much more than a simple nav area and will add appeal to those who occasionally work on board. The galley, too, is excellent. I am a little suspicious of having the cooker butted adjacent to the aft cabin semi-bulkhead as I suspect it limits space for the pan handles on the right side burners, otherwise there is a full 100 litres front opening fridge and a deep 80 litres ice-box. There is a good, deep drawer for saucepan stowage which has an integral second drawer above it for flat plates, and a second plate stowage cupboard. You quickly get the picture that this is a boat which will accommodate big meals for six or eight people. The two symmetrical aft cabins are good, with ample natural light and stowage, whereas the forward cabin is really a bit special with a large centreline double and lots of space, although the understated styling and chrome handles is an acquired taste. I liked the stowage under the bunk either side for bags, although shock cord retainer would be good. Overall, the new First 45 does seem to deliver in every department and the performance at the Bell Lawrie Scottish Series simply endorses our early beliefs. That said, for those of a more out and out race orientation and you need to be honest with yourself on this one, how much furniture do you want to push around and how much cruising will you do? I know a good few skippers who will like this boat especially because they can cruise with the family and the crew can stay on board during big regattas, perhaps sharing with a house on land. The First 45 comes in at £280,000 (ex sails) incl VAT with a carbon rig, delivered and commissioned at Ardrossan.