First class yacht for any occasion

Five Beneteau cruiser-racers lined up for the start of the HSBC Coastal Classic yesterday, giving the hugely successful yacht from the board of leading New Zealand designer Bruce Farr the kind of race presence here that the French-built boat has established throughout the world.

The Beneteau First 40.7 has been hailed as the most successful 40-footer of its time and continues to dominate the international race circuits, as does its bigger sister, the Beneteau 44.7.

There are two 40.7s in the fleet racing to Russell, along with one of the 47.1 versions and two 36.2s.

This year, the First 44.7 was voted Imported Boat of the Year by the Australian Marine Industries Federation, showing that the Farr and Beneteau were right in building the boat after seeking feedback from 550 First 40.7 owners.

The race record is impressive.

Skandia Cowes Week saw 20 First 40.7s contesting the IRC 3 division and placing in the top four.

For this year's Hamilton Island race week, which is fast becoming one of Australia's major sailing events, there were 55 Beneteaus among more than 200 competitors.

In the premier cruising division, 11 First 47.7s fought for line honours, and Michael Spies in the 44.7 Dimension Polyant won all but one race to clinch the IRC Cruising division.

Spies cemented his place on the Australian sailing ladder by winning both the IMS and IRC divisions in last years' Sydney to Hobart race in his 40.7.

He described the boat as freak, because it is capable of convincingly winning a gruelling offshore event yet is able to be transferred in less than two hours into a comfortable cruising yacht.

Gary Erceg, managing director of Yachtfinders Global, the Auckland company that imports the Beneteau, says the Australian award and the Boat of the Year gong from Sail World magazine is a testament to the dedication of Groupe Beneteau and the Farr design office being intent on answering their clients' needs.

The agency has sold three First 40.7s, two 36.7s, two 44.7s and three 47.7s.

All the Firsts are great-looking boats, says Erceg.

But it is the whole package that is winning owners' hearts as well as races.

New Zealand sailors can see the potential. They get a boat that is well set up and easy to handle around the course but it is is also well-suited for taking the family cruising the Gulf or the Islands, thus providing the best of both worlds.

To mark the milestone production run of 500 boats, Beneteau has put out a limited edition First 40.7 Distinction.

It has a stylish grey hull, a two-spreader rig, furling genoa with removable drum, Navtec backstay, Lewmar winches, folding prop, spinnaker gear, a full electronics package, and a Bar Y spoke wheel.

There is a three-cabin layout featuring beech and hot and cold showers - even on the transom.

The company says the Distinction is in a class of its own.

At the Paris Boat Show in December, Beneteau will reveal another Farr collaboration, the First 34.7 developed to meet the IRC rating rules.

It is built on a new hull from the board of Farr Yacht Design and the Beneteau Design Office to create a simple concept that the company says makes the most of the boat's centre of gravity to get top performance.

Erceg will be there to check it out for the New Zealand market.

At the Coastal Classic he is sure to be expecting more race successes to be added to the Beneteau log.