Grand Soleil 44 Performance
An easy-to-cruise yacht that can excel in both IRC and ORC regattas sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Yet that’s the core brief of this smoking new model from the Cantiere del Pardo stable. It marks the yard’s first collaboration with Matteo Polli, who has worked successfully with Cossutti Yacht Design and Italia Yachts in the past.
Polli was tasked with providing a boat with high form stability while not being too extreme. If looks play a part in its success, the GS44P is off to a flyer. Maximum beam is carried well aft at deck level, but is narrow at the waterline, which reduces drag and suits a single rudder configuration.
After the sea trials pictured, in which Polli took turns on the helm with multiple world title helmsman Enrico Zennaro, he commented that the “stability allows you to use the sail plan even in strong winds, an interesting aspect for a boat that does not necessarily rely on having a crew on the gunwale”. Zennaro, meanwhile, says he was impressed with the upwind angles and acceleration in the restarts.
A true cruiser-racer needs versatile options throughout, so the 44P is available with two different deck layouts, as seen on the 48P. The cruising version simplifies manoeuvres and line handling, including a self-tacking jib as standard, while the race model offers six winches, a taller carbon rig and the option for transverse jib tracks.
Massimo Gino of Nauta Design describes it as
