Reviews

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 Deck Saloon

Patrick ‘tenpin' Bollen went to France to test Jeanneau's latest Sun Odyssey 44 Deck Saloon, a magnificent yacht underway for socialising on deck and living down below

Since 1957, when Henri Jeanneau built his first boat, the design
and production team at the eponymous French yard have prided
themselves on delivering superb sailing vessels. While many will
contest there is no such thing – as every owner is likely to never
be totally satisfied, be it sail or powerboat – the latest offering
from Jeanneau makes a pretty good fist of a sailboat, delivering
just about everything from performance to comfort and ease of
handling.

Late last year, I flew to Les Sables d’Olonne on the west coast
of France, about 50nm north of La Rochelle, to take a look at the
brand-new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 Deck Saloon. Les Sables (meaning
The Sands) is the homeport and start/finish point of the world
famous Vendée Globe single-handed and unassisted round-the-world
yacht race, founded in 1989 by Phillipe Jeantot, which takes place
every four years.

Linked to the sea since 1472, by the 17th century, Les Sables
was the largest cod fishing port in France. On August 27, 1944, the
occupying German army destroyed the port and mined the harbour.
Today, Les Sables is a thriving holiday destination, with beautiful
beaches and a protected marina facility, offering a safe harbour
and services for local boaters and visiting yachties from all over
the world. It is also the port from which Jeanneau launches and
tests its new production models.

First sighting

Arriving at the marina with my host, Paul Blanc, Jeanneau
director of sales Asia Pacific, I was introduced to Eric Stromberg,
the design and operations manager for builder’s yacht division.
Stromberg took time out from his busy schedule, organising a day on
the water in the notorious Bay of Biscay, so I could experience
this new 44-footer. In the afternoon, we motored past the breakwall
at Les Sables and the sea couldn’t have been better.

Back in October, I saw two of Jeanneau’s latest models on
Sydney’s Pittwater that belonged to members of the Royal Motor
Yacht Club at Newport, and was impressed with the eye-catching
appeal of these new-generation yachts.

Stem to stern

From bow to transom, the new Sun Odyssey is a pretty hull and,
being a voluminous boat, her sheer beauty is a pleasure to behold.
It is such a pretty yacht that, on first appearance, you feel you
must investigate it further; if it looks this good on the outside,
then the inside must be something again.

The 44 DS’s lines are clean and she looks fast, even sitting at
her mooring. The highly-respected French yacht designer Phillipe
Briand has enjoyed a distinguished association with Jeanneau for
many years, and his design has produced a yacht that not only looks
good but handles and performs effortlessly.

Briand was born into a yacht racing family. Inspired by his
Olympian father, he designed his first sailboat at age 16. During
the 80s, as a skilled and talented helmsman, Briand won several
World Championships, including the Half Ton and One Ton Cups. With
this experience under his belt, he brought his ocean-racing
savoir-faire to the design table, from which Jeanneau has benefited
enormously.

Meanwhile, the deck and interior layouts on the Jeanneau Sun
Odyssey 44 DS are Franck Darnet and Flahault designs. “My life has
always been about design and the sea,” says Darnet. So with that in
mind, he has endeavoured to achieve a bright and spacious main
saloon, emphasising a wide and open visual space.

Below deck Having been on the water for almost
40 years, I must admit I thought I was about to witness pretty much
more of the same, with just a tweak here and there. However, when I
went below I was surprised by the volume and sense of space on the
44 DS.

The first thing that grabs you is just how open and bright
everything is. The gently sloping cabin top features two enormous
side windows as well as two overhead hatches-cum-skylights abaft
the mast, affording persons below generous views of the ocean and
loads of natural light. Maximum use has been made of the space from
cabin sole to deck head and the bulkheads fore and aft. A choice of
varnished timbers is available, too, from taupe to teak
finishes.

The main saloon is akin to a large living room, incorporating a
white leather chaise lounge opposite a U-shaped lounge around an
electrically-powered revolving dining table, which folds into a
coffee setting and also lowers to make a double berth. Adjacent,
the chaise is a functional and unobtrusive navigation station,
housing all the state-of-the-art instrumentation by Simrad. On the
starboard side, aft of the dining area, is a fully functional
galley with top-loading refrigeration, twin stainless steel sinks,
four-burner gas stove and oven and heaps of storage.

Back window The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 DS
offers several below-deck layouts. The boat tested was a
four-person version, offering a monster full-beam aft cabin with
king size bed. It is bright, spacious and airy, with several
hatches and ports that offer good vision outside.

The pièce de résistance is the window behind the bedhead that
offers views through the stepped transom bulkhead, astern to the
sea – pure magic. Imagine waking up to a lapping-water view each
morning. The forward cabin is luxurious, too, offering a huge
double bunk with excellent light, much storage and good
ventilation.

Darnet deck The deck on the 44 DS is big and
again the work of Darnet. That certainly is the impression you get
when you step into the spacious and comfortable cockpit, featuring
a large centre table with storage. Looking forward from the dual
steering stations, everything is well laid out – the primary
winches located just forward of the helm for ease of control.

The jammers are also nicely positioned so the helmsman can
easily operate sheets and halyards without leaving the wheel.
Sheets rope back to the cockpit, with storage in seat lockers in
the port and starboard coamings. The overall view of the deck from
the cockpit is clear and open offering good vision both under sail
and motoring. This allows the helmsman to be comfortable, able and
in control when executing singlehanded sailing, racing or just
cruising.

How does she sail?

A good question. Once we cleared the breakwall, head to breeze,
we easily hoisted the main before easing away to unfurl the
headsail. Trimmed for speed and close hauled, we set a course for
the Caribbean in a steady 20-knot northwesterly on a lazy one-metre
sea. Only one problem: we hadn’t provisioned for a 3500nm passage
across the Atlantic and we certainly didn’t have enough beer. Oh
well, the thought was there.

Back to the test. The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 DS performed well.
On the breeze, the boat is soft in the sea, forthright and
comfortable, letting down easy over the swells. It is just a dream
to control, and letting go of the helm, the yacht was extremely
well balanced. The 44 DS responds to the helm immediately and is
good through the tack – with good teamwork, it was quick to get
back to speed once through the tack.

The main and headsail respond well on trim and, once set up, the
boat maintained good speed and momentum. Getting off the boat and
into the dinghy to take some photographs of the boatbuilder’s new
pride and joy, I was, after sailing this lovely yacht again,
impressed by the way it moves through the water.

The Sun Odyssey 44 DS looks at home on the sea and, as I said
before, is an eye-catching craft. Pity I had to fly home as I was
tempted to relieve the factory of one their new babies and set sail
for St Thomas. Then I remembered it was winter in Europe and summer
in the southern hemisphere.

Motoring back to Les Sables along the breakwall, I could hardly
hear the 54hp Yanmar. The engine compartment is simple, tidy and
well laid-out. Any diligent owner would be happy to keep this
important area clean at all costs. You know what they say: look
after your boat and it will look after you. After bidding farewell
to Blanc, who had to fly to Hong Kong the next day, Stromberg and I
headed to one of the quaint bars along the waterfront for a couple
of cold beers to talk some more about the Jeanneau brand and the
boat we’d just sailed. Stromberg is from Annapolis, Maryland, US.
He spent most of his young life sailing and racing on Chesapeake
Bay.

During our conversation, we – as seems to be the case so often
in the yachting world – discovered many friends in common. It’s a
small world after all. He is passionate about his job and even more
so about the Jeanneau product and brand: “We are a committed team.
It is a wonderful company to work for and we all work hard together
to deliver a magnificent sailing yacht that customers the world
over enjoy so much. And we have a terrific backup and service
operation through an extensive worldwide agency operation,” he
says.

For more information contact Orakei Yacht Sales, visit orakeiyachtsales.co.nz.

We like Huge, comfortable, well laid-out
cockpit Stepped transom Big, bright, open saloon Responsiveness
under sail Quiet motor

We don’t like Omnidirectional LED reading
lights over the bunks Steering binnacles’ grab rails are too low –
there is a chance crew or guests may grab the wheel by accident
moving about the cockpit

Specifications

Material GRP Type Keelboat Length overall 13.34m Waterline
length 12.99m Beam 4.24m Draft 2.2m (standard keel) Weight 9750kg
(dry w/ deep-draft keel) Cabins 2/3 People (night) 4/6 + 2 Fuel
tank 200L Water 330L Holding tank 80L Engine make/model Yanmar
4JH5-CE Type Diesel sail drive Rated hp 54 Sail area 77.6m²
(standard)

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Photography: Patrick Bollen & Jeanneau

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