You´ve maybe read the last article about the first boat show appearance of the Omega 42 in decades. This was on the occasion of last weekend´s ancora boat show in Northern Germany. I am a bit frustrated to not having collected all the stories I wanted, but one I indeed did manage to do: The first sea trial of the brand new Beneteau First 30! So, here´s my impression from a little 1.5 hours dash out after closing time of the boat show on Saturday. As usual, it wasn´t your ordinary sailing test …
First of all, for some reason, the boat´s sails did not arrive on time so that literally five minutes before casting off the guys got a hold of the sail bags. Likewise, the mast had not been fine tuned and it took us a while to accustom to the new boat and the running rigging. Pros that we are, we´ve managed to getting her to a “sail ready” status soon. I was very excited since this new boat indeed was one of the big premieres during last edition of Duesseldorf boat show.
Measuring 10 meters, she is excatly the sweet spot of the current market, offering a decent size for both performance-oriented sailing with regatta winning potential and at the same time bringing cruising comforts like a fill sized bathroom, a complete galley and two decently sized cabins to the table. A perfect combination, a perfect size: I am sure that the First 30 will be an equally huge commercial success as her voluptuous cruising sister, the Oceanis 30.1 has been and still is. Both for coastal and inshore sailing. Now, let´s go, shall we?
A bit of an audience overload
Well, as usual, things turned out to become a bit complicated. The “let´s have a quick dash out”- announcement from my dealership-colleague and friend owning the boat somehow turned into a “come aboard, all who want to sail with us!” and so the otherwise wide and spacious cockpit of the First 30 suddenly filled up with no less than six people. That´s a lot of surplus weight to move …
Casting off the landlines, the Diesel engine came to life and we were slowly gliding past the exhibited yachts. One of which was a racing Class 40, the Pogo 40 S4 from Next Generation Sailing Team, a boat surely worth a closer look … Anyway, I was wondering what the other guys were up to as they presented themselves in full heavy weather gear and racing-ready. The rest of us in boat show-casual Chino trousers with a windbreaker. Funny combo, right?
So good to be back …
On our way out, I took the helm briefly. It was an all too familiar feeling and although my GEKKO is indeed a much smaller and in many terms different boat, it felt “at home” at an instant. I woulnd´t say that I can sense Sam Manuard, who designed both the First 27 SE and the First 30, by just steering the boat, but I was instantly reminded of my many, many miles at GEKKO´s tiller.
Then, for some reason, one of the “racing guys” took over. I don´t know what their briefing had been – ours was “we go out for a loop, try to have some fun and take nice pictures” – but tone changed a bit. A calibration of the instruments was done and some hustle and bustle broke lose, but I didn´t cared. Taking the main halyard, I hoisted the main sail, which went up in a matter of seconds. Brand new nice Elvström laminate sails, a one of a kind smell.
Unrolling the Jib, putting her to an upwind point of sails and off she went. We killed the engine – by the way, I hate those tiny Diesel engines! A hammering, unnerving sound. If it wasn´t for the ultra-limited range of the batteries, the electric drive would be so cool. It just fits so much better those small boats, doesn´t need all too much maintenance and is so much more convenient when using. I hope that the Kräutler drive, one of the colleagues at Lake Constance had fitted to the First 30, will do its part for an all-electric breakthrough for these boats.
Shipyard-fresh and untrimmed
She sailed nicely. After the hammering noise of the Diesel had died down, the guys steered her away from the shoreline. I know the area around this marina very well: I´ve learned to sail yachts here with my favourite sailing school and have also spent some very nice years with my own boat in this marina. Avoiding a shoal right after leaving the harbour, we dashed out.
There was a Hanse right in front of us with considerable heeling. Well, two boats is one regatta, right? And so we set sights on the boat and tried to catch it. But she sailed away: In our area the wind had already died down. No more than 8 knots TWS at most, no chance. Nevertheless – and that was astonishing – our little 30 sailed on! One of the “racing-guys” put himself on the back right in front of the mast. What´s going on?
The guys began to fine-trim the mast. No problem on a First 30 as there is an adjustable backstay. I found it was a bit overly exaggerating, but hey, have fun if you want! With six grown up big-ass men aboard we surely had overshoot the weight restrictions for fast sailing under these conditions. In a futile attempt to try to get her into planing mode, the “racing guys” ordered us to the boat´s rail and started to simulate racing.
It was a mixture of awkward comic and strange seriousness, I never knew if they´d really mean it or if they were just joking. Anyways, a strict upwind course and after some fine trimming with the Jib barber hauler and mainsheet traveler the little boat indeed got some heeling and gained speed. Not bad for a super-lightwind situation like this.
“… we´ve got her to 6 knots!”
… one of the guys was happily announcing. And indeed, six knots over ground with just eight knots of true wind isn´t something you should be ashamed of. At the stern I was able to observe the all-too familiar trail of the rudder blades, just a bit more and planing would have started. With my GEKKO, I needed 7.3 to 7.5 knots of boatspeed and she would go out and start planing. Surely something impossible with six people on board today.
Another nicely done detail on the First 30 is the beautiful bowsprit. I find it is even prettier than that on the First 36. It´s a wonderful occasion for a Code 0, I thought, but as sun went down and we´ve already spent a good hour cruising around fine trimming the mast with our “racing guys” we refrained from unboxing the brand new light wind sail. Nevertheless, this yacht was already sold and due to be handed over the next day. Let´s not risk damaging the precious material. And so we turned her around, pointing the bow towards her berth and sailed back to the marina.
Downwind, again, perfect occasion for a Gennaker. I remember quite well how I sailed out in almost similar conditions with my then brand new boat as well to try out the Gennaker for the first time. Even on the much smaller First 27 SE it was always such an incredible sight to get the blister up (and even more exciting getting it down LINK). How much cooler would it have been on the 30?!
She would have been my boat
It started to rain a bit and so I took the chance to go down. If you´ve read my walkthrough-article already, you may have gut the full interior tour. I was again puzzled to realize that the First 30 interior looks so good! In reality as well as on pictures. It also looks so much bigger and spacious. Really, design-wise she is such a bi step forward! I like the materials, the clean lines and the light design of the boat.
Now, with blue water flowing by behind the hull windows it looked even cooler. This yacht is so perfect for single or double handed sailing! It surely would have been my boat if it were available back in the day when I opted for buying my then new boat! Ten meters is the perfect size for coastal cruising, so much more spacious and comfortable, offering all the cruising amenities like a full bathroom and galley. Not to mention the two decently sized cabins.
The guys upstairs went through a few more maneuvers, loose ends of the lines fell down the entryway. I must admit that I still cannot really make my peace with the floor of the First 30. That´s the only thing I really dislike. The mix of solid wooden floor boards in the front part of the salon and cork in the galley and entryway just doesn´t do it for me. But that´s something an owner can change by himself – a little “tuning” and individualization is normal with every yacht I´ve seen so far.
Enjoying a smooth afternoon sail
Back on deck the “racing faction” went upwind again for a last try to squeeze out some speed. With the famous Baltic 500 regatta up for the next weekend, maybe they wanted to extra practice. Sun went down slowly and after having a tiresome work day on the boat show – you know that I´ve presented the Omega 42 here – we asked for a home course.
So what are my impressions? First of all, the compact size of the First 30 make her controllable in any situation by just one. You can be sure that maneuvering in marinas, berthing and casting off with this boat is a no-brainer. Nevertheless, her volume down below offers great stowage, so that even longer trips are no problem anymore. In my GEKKO, storage-wise, I had already reached the minimum, restricting myself to just the absolute musts to take with me. The First 30 indeed is a great cruising boat!
The running rigging and her trimming options also make her a great racing boat. Even in standard, you´ll get the big mainsheet traveller, 3D Jib-trimming and the adjustable backstay. Invest in good sails and you will end up with a very, very capable sailboat that has the potential to win races. Even if we hadn´t got the chance to properly test sail her in moderate winds or waves, from what I´ve experienced in this little sea trial, she is as nimble and lightfooted as the First 27 SE, indicating powerful performance. I know that there will be at least a handful First 30 attending this year´s edition of famous Silverrudder regatta, so that will be very, very interesting to see how these new boats perform.
Performing especially against the Dehler 30 OD, which is traditionally very strong on this course, but also compared to the smaller sister, the 27 SE. I am not selling Beneteau boats (or any boat at all) anymore, but I told my ex-colleagues, who I by the way thank wholeheartedly for inviting me to this little dash out, that the First 30 is the only boat I really miss not being able to sell anymore. I am sure that the good sales figures for this yacht will become even better once more of them are out.
The bottom line
We finally returned home. As the wind had died down completely, even our die-hard “racing guys” admitted that it was time to fire up the Diesel engine again. Having six guys aboard meant that we could fold up the mainsail beautifully on the boom. The lazy bag hadn´t arrived yet as well. Although sailing-wise these almost two hours weren´t all too revealing, having sailed her in light wind was indeed also interesting.
There is a saying that every boat will sail in strong winds, but it´s the light to no-wind conditions which really show sailing capabilities. I´ve experienced a similar occasion on the Excess 14 back in the day, when I was amazed with how little of a puff this big boat was sailing! Similar to the First 30: Overloaded with six guys in a die-down wind situation, squeezing out 6 knots (albeit only briefly), is not bad. Not bad at all!
And so we tied her up again, showing her nicely designed wide stern to the public the next day. It´s a beautiful, clever designed and well-built little big boat that will surely find its admirers. I hope that I get invited for a thorough sea trial in the coming weeks by my friends again, this time not with the “racing sixpack” and maybe a few knots more wind. For now, well done, Seascape! Well done, Lorenzo and Sam! There is a new kid on the block to be taken seriously, 10 meter class …
Related articles you´d maybe find interesting to read as well:
The “Avengers of Sailing” gather: About the design of the First 30
Life is too short for a slow boat!
POV: Is the First 36 my new boat?