Thirty-four is the new 50. And even if that doesn’t sound directionally correct, it is the trend now in new-boat introductions. In Miami, I tested Jeanneau’s new baby, the Sun Odyssey 349, and found there’s a lot to love in this relatively small package, which feels much bigger than its dimensions suggest.
Jeanneau’s most audacious sailboat design yet began as many artistic endeavors do, with a hand-drawn sketch, in this case on a large sheet of paper in the Philippe Briand design office in London.
Shot from the largest and latest in Jeanneau’s Sun Odyssey line, the 509, we bring you a stem-to-stern look at how the editors of SAIL complete a boat review. Follow Charles Doane on the 509 as you learn how we measure and make sense of a brand new sailboat.
All too often, sail trials end up taking place in minimal wind. But that certainly wasn’t the case with the new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 439. Two days after the 2012 Annapolis Sailboat Show, a cold front brought with it overcast skies and gusts of 20 knots and more out of the northeast—which was just fine with the 439.
Jeanneau’s Sun Odyssey 409 replaces the very successful Sun Odyssey 39i in the French builder’s fleet of performance cruising boats. With its angular styling and solid performance, the 409 won accolades as the 2011 European Yacht of the Year in the Family Cruisers category.
Continuing the new styling introduced with the smart-looking 409 last year, the 439 is a fast and well-mannered family cruiser that also promises enough fizz for rewarding PHRF acing. The Philippe Briand design has a bright, well-thought-out interior layout and a deck plan thats optimized for ease of handling.
The latest in Jeanneau’s deck saloon line promises to be as popular as its predecessors. The distinctive styling has been taken a step further with the inclusion of even bigger portlights to brighten up the accommodations. jeanneauamerica.com SPECS LOA: 43ft, 9in Beam: 14ft Displacement: 21,450lbs. Draft: 7ft,
This attractive midsize cruiser offers prospective owners a choice between a deep fin keel or a stub keel/centerboard configuration. It shares its bigger sisters’ new-look styling, complete with hull chines, and has a tall fractional rig. jeanneauamerica.comSPECSLOA: 37ft, 2in Beam: 12ft Displacement: 14,740lbs.
The second model in Jeanneau’s new Yacht range to reach these shores–the 57 made its debut last fall–this 53-footer is a spacious, well-appointed cruiser. A choice of four interior layouts with up to five cabins should suit just about any sailing preference, and a large rig and easily-driven hull form promise good performance.
Replacing the long-lived Sun Odyssey 39i, the Sun Odyssey 409 is a handsome midsized performance cruiser. Drawings show a new cabintop style with angular portlights, a deck layout where headsail and main sheets are led aft to the twin helms, and a sailplan with a small non-overlapping jib.For more information, visit
Six IMOCAs are lining up in New York this week for the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic, a fully-crewed sprint from New York City to Lorient, France.
Tank water can easily be contaminated with anything from a lingering bad taste to dangerous bacteria. Installing a triple filtration set up on Ben-Varrey helped.
The effort to save Maine’s classic plastic fleet began—as so many great things do—with three friends and a foolish idea.
Boat meets spaceship at the luxury end of the market.
Tides are an essential part of coastal sailing, so don’t forget to look at the moon once in a while.
The Magenta Project seeks applicants for their 2026-2027 mentorship program.
Twist: The Big Question When asked to help out onboard, I’m sometimes surprised to find how many skippers only have a vague notion of how
The sailing world has lost another great this week in the passing of John Rousmaniere, author of Fastnet Force 10 and numerous other sailing texts.
As a yacht broker, many people have talked to me about wanting to buy a boat, learning to sail, and then taking their own boat
A new flagship elevates an iconic and evergreen cruising brand.
