As promised I did not go to Cannes Yachting Festival without bringing back some nice boats and stories to write about and show to you. The first boat I´d like to talk about is certainly not a „no frills“ yacht, but I guess by now you all may have understood that the name of my brand NO FRILLS SAILING.com is wisely chosen, not without a little wink, because, in essence, there aren´t really any no frills boats, aren´t there? So, here we are, the one I chose to present you is the beautiful new Grand Soleil 52 Performance.
She is the newest addition to the shipyard´s portfolio and so I was really keen on seeing her. You may remember my article on the Grand Soleil 40, which I called „Bella Figura“, written after this year´s edition of Boot boatshow Duesseldorf and in that article you can see a hull model of the 52 presented back at that show as a teaser. This model showed the distinctive sharp lines of one man who, even though you may not know his name, almost single handedly changed the course of Grand Soleil for good …
Unmistakably: Polli!
I follow the work if Italian naval architect Matteo Polli since years now and apart from the fact that his boats are collecting race wins and prices like nothing, his designs carry a signature style that is his most visible unique feature. A Matteo Polli-designed yacht is unmistakable, easily recognizable. A beautiful, low freeboard, a slight sheer line, a fine sharp entry with an almost always oversized bow sprit and – for me as a „bottom lover“ best to look at – a breathtakingly carved, wide, flat and darn sexy stern section.
The new Grand Soleil 52 is no exception from this. When I got to the Grand Soleil pontoon which featured seemingly almost all of their yachts, especially the big units, I wished I´d have more time there than just one single day because her outward appearance alone would have called for a much more intensive inspection. Standing in front of her looking back, she appears almost as flat as a surfboard: Perfect, aggressive and lush lines made to roam and race the sunny Mediterranean waters.
Re-invention of the Grand Soleil yachts
In this it is truly remarkable that, at least in my opinion, Matteo Polli managed not only to design such beautiful boats but also to redefine a whole company. I don´t know the real backstory and there is certainly much more going on behind the scenes, but actually it doesn´t matter all too much as well I´d say. But in 2020 both Franco Corazza, one of the deciding figures and mastermind behind Italia Yachts, and Matteo Polli „switched“ to Cantiere del Pardo, namely Grand Soleil.
Up to that point I was personally never really interested in their products. The yachts couldn´t catch my imagination, didn´t really „touch“ me. In Germany we have a saying: „It´s neither fish nor meat.“, meaning, that something isn´t quite manifest, tangible or concrete. Sure, their Long Cruise-yachts had some nice features, like the stong keel concept. But for me, these yachts had an appeal like a Hanse with luxury injected … this, however, changed dramatically when Polli joined the game.
If you look at the product range of Grand Soleil yachts now, you still have the old 46 LC that I´ve visited during Boot Duesseldorf back in 2017 but almost all of their range has either been re-done or completely relaunched with Matteo´s lines. And those yachts are not just a set of new products. They are at last breathing new life into the whole brand. It´s a unique design language, an end to the „not fish nor meat“-era. Yachts with their own strong character and distinctive design. If I were cantiere del Pardo, I´d hand a medal over to Matteo (and to all guys who took the wheel and steered the brand to where it is now). Hats off and congratulations! Just like Solaris, my prime example for a unique signature and unmatched design language, The Polli-designed Grand Soleil yachts opened a whole new chapter and elevated Grand Soleil to a really grand status.
Entering the racing circus
But it´s surely not just the looks, which in itself would be a huge task of its own. These yachts are made to sail quick! Matteo Polli´s nickname is not without purpose dubbed „ORC-Wunderkind“, meaning that his strictly ORC-optimized racing designs collected prizes like nothing. Optimizing his designs for ORC and also IRC rules is in Matteo´s DNA as it seems. Even if you are not a racer yourself and you´d never inscribe in one of these races, you´d certainly be thankful to him as you sail a quick yacht anyway.
The new Grand Soleil 52 Performance is no exception. This is the cruising-version of the yacht although the name´s appendix might be a bit misleading. For Grand Soleil, „Performance“ means cruising. If you want to take part in serious regattas you´d go for the „Race“-versions of the yachts. The 52 is available in both versions, at the Croisette on display is the cruising boat. In numbers: 16.20 metres hull length, a whopping 5.15 metres of width. 16.5 tons of displacement, the Solaris 55 almost equally sized comes with a weight of 23 tons … The sails area is said to bring 95 or 100 square metres of canvas to the (up)wind with an additional huge 250/280 square metres Gennaker for cruising or race versions. That´s something, I´d say …
Easy sailing deck layout
In this, a big boat like the Grand Soleil 52 should be sailed in th easiest way possible, which can best be seen by looking at her running rigging and the deck layout. Entering her wide stern section you´ll recognize a very nicely proportioned helm area. The two wheels are needed because her big width makes the way up to windward under heeling a kind of climbing a mountain. There´s a recessed mainsheet traveler, which I love and four winches to operate the whole running rigging, which, of course, is all diverted back to the front of the steering wheels.
The aft „working area“ on the deck behind the wheels is well sized, which also adds a kind of safety-feel should the weather and above all the sea state become a bit harsher. Some other yachts have their helmsmen positioned extremely near to the aft reeling which poses a kind of danger in my mind. Not so on the Grand Soleil 52. Underneath is a large aft lazarette, easily accessible via a opening hatch.
For the Performance „cruising“ version, the boat is sailed via four winches which are positioned well reachable between the cockpit lounge area and the wheels. All of which can be electrified. It´s of course not possible to work the winches from behind the wheels, but it´s just a step around. I loved the extra large canvas pouches to take on the lines, an easy, simple and convenient way to prevent sheet mumble. For the „Race“-version of this yacht the winches will take on addition two drums, adding up to six winches. The layout will become more racing-classic, with the Gennaker winches remaining on the aft position, two Jib winches on the cockpiut coamings and two working/halyard winches mounted to both sides of the entryway down to the salon.
In this, the Performance-version is sailed in the easiest way possible: A self-tacking Jib in the front and a (probably an upgrade) boom-furling mainsail will make sailing a push-button experience. Operating her safely single handed when underway and with just two hands more when mooring is a no-brainer a guess. In this, the target group for prospect owners of this yacht is easy to encircle: People who endulge themselves in some luxury but striving for a unique sailing experience with the speed and fun that only a powerful yacht like this can guarantee. Of course, this comes with an equivalent price tag …
Two men bringing about a change
Seeing all this – and we´ve just been up on deck for now – makes me think about Franco Corazza and most of all about Matteo Polli again. I meet this very sympathetic, very polite and almost shy guy aboard the Grand Soleil 52 right after an exclusive journalist briefing down in the saloon. For a person with his Palmarés of prizes and awards, a list of works as impressive as his, it always stuns me how approachable, welcoming and humble Matteo is presenting himself.
He is truly one of the deciding names in contemporary naval architecture right now and I am sure, once again unleashed by a customer client he is able to draw many more white rabbits out of his sleeve, he by no means has reached his end! It is so nice to witness his career, follow his works and step aboard his latest boats from time to time, truly, an extraordinary career! I hope that Cantiere del Pardo recognizes his influence on Grand Soleil and the fact that his design – at least in my eyes – has „saved“ the brand from boredom and insignificance. Speaking of being down below:
Welcome below deck
Grand Soleil is a luxury brand and where to showcase this claim better than inside the yacht itself? In this I must say I am not really a big fan of Nauta Design´s works, of course, not knowing how the design brief for this yacht was like and how much freedom the fellow designers of this bureau really had. Nauta for sure is a cornerstone of contemporary interior design and they blindfolded come up with practical, beautiful and seaworthy concepts of how to utilize interior volume best.
In this, their work for the Grand Soleil 52 is by no means disappointing nor in any case „bad“. I just had wished for a more bold step! Just a bit of something new, something fresh, something … unseen, maybe. Entering the saloon of the Grand Soleil 52 is revealing a pretty classy layout, nice, clean look that is Grand Soleil´s signature for sure and you´ll find everything right there where you´d suppose it to be. A galley (later more on that) to port side, a large dining table with U-settee to the front bulkhead. Complemeted with a vis-a-vis 3-seater and the chart-table. The 52 is available in three different wood designs and corresponding cushion-colors, Teak, white and grey Oak.
Not a galley. A kitchen!
The highlight of the Grand Soleil 52 for me is the galley. This is truly the first real „kitchen“ I´ve seen on a boat like this. It´s just wow! I mean, you´d expect a galley that size on a true blue water cruiser made to do the very long trips covering oceanic distances. The fridge/freezing volume of the Grand Soleil 52 offers over a whopping 170 litres! For comparison, the big-ass Jeanneau Yachts 55 made for excessive holidays flaoting on the water offers 144 litres.
The galley is really the dominating element of the Grand Soleil 52 with its huge central fridge, an almost closed O-shape that will provide for maximum safety when cooking offshore even in violent seastate. I don´t know why they´ve focused so much on the size of that galley, but it struck me the moment I entered the yacht down below. Maybe a testament or proposal to future owners who want to take this beautiful yacht out of her natural habitat, which of course is the Mediterranean, and sail her around the world on a really long (but quick) cruise?
I don´t really know of course as I couldn´t talk to someone of Nauta. But the idea is very clear to me: Just by added this huhe central fridge unit, it´s not just this big galley you´d get but also on the front side you achieve this very intimate, enclosed as well to three sides, seating area around the dinner table. Two very „private“ almost encapsulated areas creating an almost disconnected feeling. It kind of works for me, but also at the same time devides the large internal volume into separate „compartments“. Maybe that was the idea? I cannot know.
A safe bet: Nauta-Style
It is worth noticing that the interior wooden parts for the furniture are made with composite wood with a huge emphasis on weight saving. This surely is one of the main factors for this big boat being that light weight. Sure, she is not a dedicated ULDB-boat but for a luxury fast cruising yacht her size the displacement is really low. In this, of course, Nauta´s range of possibilities may have been limited in the design brief.
As I said, I´d wished for some more boldness or audacity to complement Matteo´s sleek and sexy design with a corresponding interior. It´s a kind of stark contrast to be honest to see such a conservative approach down below. It´s beautiful, don´t get me wrong! Nauta has come up with a proper yacht´s layout and some design elements which are really nice. But I kind of miss the Cherry on top. Maybe they should hire an „Interior-Matteo“?
Something I´d had done differently is the forward facing nav station positioned at the front bulkhead. This is really a bit dated. I am pro chart-tables, you know it, but if you fit one, on my eyes, it should have a really practical purpose. And it starts with a practical location. I mean, dashing down from the cockpit to the VHF, to do a logbook entry or just grab the boat´s documents is something that happens regularly: But why should I cross the whole saloon to reach the chart table? It would have been better – my opinion – to place it rear-facing right behind the starboard-side extra fridge and not so far away to the bulkhead. In this, the designers could have made some more use of the fridge´s top side. But anyway, that´s my only critique here. Surely, I am just one opinion and truly not the most important!
Three cabin luxury
Coming back to her cruising qualities, as a +50-footer the Grand Soleil 52 Performance offers a decent amount of comforts for her crew and guests. The boat is available only with a three cabin layout, classic front owner´s suite with en-suite bathroom and two aft cabins for crew and guests.
Let´s start with the main character in this play, the owner´s cabin. You probably know by now that I am not a particularly big fan of island beds and this will certainly never change. The 52´s island bed offers decent measurements and I am sure it´s very cozy in there. The overall design of the cabin is light, plain and practical. The cabin, as well as the overall interior design, is self-effacing: She is not meant to scream „I am rich!“ all over the place!
What I really like about the front cabin is the fact that the hull windows are placed on a location that makes it possible to look out onto the anchorage or the nice marina when laying in bed. Many other boats feature front cabin hull windows as well but these are placed in such a height that they merely function as an entrance for natural light (which in itself if a win for sure) but they don´t offer any „practical“ use for looking through them.
The en-suite bathroom is also very, very frugal, if I may say so. The room is very functional, wooden parts are reduced to a minimum. Luxury is in the details: Such as the nice stainless steel tap, the nicely designed sink or the hugh-grade Tecma electric toilets. I´d say that instead of utilizing a simple inlay made of white plastic a nicely CNC-milled Teak grating would have instantly upgraded the bathroom visually, but maybe that´s the character and concept of this yacht, the whole line?
Maybe the idea of introducing a new kind of, how should I name it, maybe „modest luxury“ is the core idea behind the Grand Soleil line? There is a huge difference in poerceived luxury aboard this yacht compared to, let´s say a Solaris or an Oyster, nevertheless, the level is the same. Maybe the task of creating a lightweight boat prevented Nauta from playing around with more lush materials and „luxury“?
I am sure that this approach will find ist fans for sure! The level of building quality of both wooden parts and GRP works lives up to the highest standards, as I mentioned, there are a lot of nice details documenting that. Like the massive scantling parts protecting the edges of the cupboads and other joinery. This „modest luxury“ is a nice new approach, although I guess it is also kind of polarizing. In the aft cabins clients have the choice between double berths and a butterfly bed configuration, which my two kids would love to occupy.
The boat always comes with two aft bathrooms, meaning that each cabin has ist own en-suite WC. The day bath that is also accessible from the saloon to be used whilst sailing features a nice large separated shower whereas the portside aft cabin bathroom is WC only with the possibility to take a shower by pulling out a head from the sink. I don´t like these configurations much as after each shower the whole WC-area needs to be cleaned which is a mess when sailing. Again, a nicely done Teak grating would have elevated the perceived luxury and quality very much.
This boat is made by people who know their job. Small details, such as perfectly fitting (!) and non-squeeking floor boards are just one example. In this perfect and noteworthy outcome, the efforts to achieve it are minimal: It´s just some little effort put in by the shipyard to attach little spacers between all of the floorboards and maybe put some extra effort in measureing and cutting the wood has this nice effect. How often on how many yachts are loosely put, sometimes jamming, noisy floorboards a constant source of annoyed owners?
Your next 52-footer?
My overall assessment is mixed, to be honest. I absolutely love the sexy, tempting and dynamic lines of the Grand Soleil 52 such as I adore any of Matteo Polli´s works. The boat looks fantastic and judging by the sheer numbers she will be a fun, quick, elegant and thoroughbred yacht to sail. What the hull model I admired amlost one years ago during Duesseldorf could only promise, the real yacht keeps it in the best possible way.
On the other hand, for my personal taste, her „modest luxury“ approach down in her saloon, cabins and bathrooms is a bit too restrained. I would have wished for a slightly more bold approach for her layout, a bit more bravery to leave the safe paths of coming up with such a classic design. I mean: You are Italian, who if not you should be on the forefront of design? And also, looking on the price tag, the boat could bear a little bit more lushness and luxury. But again: Maybe that´s just me and this simple, modest approach is her signature.
In the end, thanks Matteo for showing me around, congrats to your consistently amazing work! I will be checking regularly the race results of the big Mediterranean regatta-events to see if the Grand Soleil 52 is able to collect maybe as many places on the podium as her victorious sisters. For now, this was a very nice start for my Cannes Yachting 2024 series and I hope this article is also more than a nice Hors d´Oeuvre for your, dear readers.
You might also like to read these related articles:
My first ever encounter with Matteo Polli, long time ago
Matteo Polli shows me around in the Italia Yachts 9.98 production
Talking with Matteo Polli about appendages iterations for sailing yachts