Buying a boat is a bit like starting a new relationship: the excitement at first laying eyes on what could turn out to be “the one”, getting to know each other and going on adventures together, finding a few quirks and working through them, then (hopefully) settling into a long period of being happy together.
Buying their Jeanneau Sun Odyssea 380 has certainly been a love affair for this Auckland couple, who worked hard to get to this point. Nearly eight months in, they are still committed to a happy relationship. It’s a pleasure to meet people who are clearly enjoying their boat so much and are so deeply appreciative of what it is bringing to their lives.
Richard and Robyn took possession of their boat – called simply Le Bateau, French for “the boat” – in December last year and have certainly made the most of it. They’re off cruising most weekends, summer or winter, and have exciting plans for a longer cruise this summer. “We just use it all the time – we can’t get enough,” Richard says.
The boat lives in East Auckland’s Half Moon Bay Marina, so it’s easy to jump on board and head out to the cruising grounds of the southeastern Hauraki Gulf: Motuihe, Motutapu, Waiheke and beyond. After the necessarily slow trip down the Tāmaki River, the Gulf is your oyster, and some of the best bays for the weekend just a short motor or sail away.
Jeanneau’s Sun Odyssey range are designed to be cruisers with a performance edge, and the 380, designed by French naval architect Marc Lombard (who sadly died last year), is influenced by race boats but also provides plenty of volume for creature comforts. This combination of factors in the 380 has resulted in a beamy, flat-bottomed cruiser which doesn’t let her generous lines affect her sailing performance. Twin rudders, positioned well aft and outboard, along with a significant chine and a scow-style reverse bow to lift the front end, mean this boat is not just a comfortable platform on which to sit at anchor, but one on which you can also enjoy the journey to your destination.
Because the couple like to sail, they opted for the performance pack, which provides spec’d up sails, a taller mast, two-metre keel and some deck gear upgrades. As well as the square-top main and overlapping genoa (the standard is a smaller self-tacking jib), these owners have also had a gennaker and code zero hybrid built by North Sails in New Zealand for more efficient downwind sailing.
They ticked quite a few other boxes when ordering the boat, too, deciding on a policy of getting what they wanted up front, rather than under-spec’ing and trying to add or improve on features later. “We looked at a lot of boats and could see that the owners just hadn’t spec’d them up from the start,” Richard says. “We thought, if we’re going to do it, let’s do it properly. We have no regrets.”
The couple had been part of a yacht-share arrangement in the past but over the last 10 years or so had been making do with getting out on the water in a runabout, especially while their two sons were involved with a lot of their own sailing. They had been looking around for a while, wanting a boat which would fit in a 12-metre marina berth, with heaps of volume but which would still be pleasurable to sail. After considering the Jeanneau SO 349, they decided to go slightly bigger with the 380, because it was a new-generation model.
Stepping aboard Le Bateau, the generous beam is immediately obvious. A large boarding platform (nicknamed “The Wharf”) folds down from the stern to open up the transom and provide a large and stable surface off which to swim or paddle-board. When in passage-making mode the True Kit inflatable tender can be carried across the stern on davits; when it’s in the water, a hammock can be strung between them to make an excellent spot to relax. There’s also a handy Magic Reboard ladder mounted on the transom to port: an excellent idea when sailing shorthanded, as in a person-overboard situation it can easily be deployed from in the water.
In the wide cockpit, the racing-style Carbonautica wheels are positioned well aft and outboard, corresponding with the position of the twin rudders below the water. A useful addition here is the curved stainless grab-rail atop the pedestal which gives you something other than the wheel to hang onto when you’re moving around. On the starboard pedestal are the controls for the engine and bow thruster, plus a nav screen; there are two smaller instrument readouts on the port side.
The main and jib sheets are run right aft to a pair of Harken winches on the cockpit coaming within easy reach of the helm, each paired with a large jammer so the sheet can be secured if the winch is needed. There is no traveller; a German system comes down off the mid-point of the high boom onto the cabintop forward of the dodger and splits to run aft either side, to be sheeted in the cockpit. There is also no backstay; instead, the aluminum mast has two pairs of heavily swept spreaders.
Up on the cabintop there’s a second pair of Harken winches, the one to port push-button powered for easy hoisting of sails, and a bank of clutches for sail controls. With the ‘sailing’ parts kept neatly out of the way, the rest of the cockpit is clean and open. Comfy squabs press onto the seats and backs of the cockpit seating, and a central table has twin leaves that fold out from a central bracket.
The entire cockpit area can be covered, with a central section which zips in between the dodger and bimini. The owners have also opted to have clears which zip around the outside of the whole area, effectively creating a large outdoor room.
Another practical feature up on deck is the walkaround side decks. Instead of having to stand on the seat and step over the cockpit coamings to go forward, the side decks ramp up gently from the stern inside a solid toerail, which runs all the way forward – a well thought-out and practical feature which means you can easily move from the helm up to the bow in complete safety.
Heading below, down three steps with curved-up ends, the interior volume can really be appreciated. (The 40hp Yanmar diesel can be accessed by lifting these stairs.) The galley, with twin sinks, chest fridge/freezer and two-burner gas stove and oven, is to port at the base of the stairs, with saloon seating running forward on each side. The table is positioned from amidships to the port settee, creating a dining area, and on the starboard side an angled seat-back and a small arm create a kind of chaise longue: the best seat in the house, with a reading lamp above and perfectly positioned view out the through-hull window.
Along both sides the interior designers have made good use of space by creating a long, deep storage area between the sofa backs and the curve of the hull. The owners have a range of items, from kitchenware to books, tucked down here where it won’t tip out when the boat heels. At the aft end of the starboard settee is the small chart table and nav station.
For this boat the owners decided to go for just two cabins – one in the bow with a double berth on the angle (not v-berths) and a quarterberth to port – and a single head, as they are mostly using the boat just by themselves. This has the advantage of creating space for a generous separate shower compartment aft to starboard, which has useful hanging space for wet gear. Beyond this is the huge storage locker under the starboard cockpit seat, which can be accessed from down below or up above.
Heading out onto the Gulf on a cool but sunny Saturday morning, the temptation is to just keep sailing, find a nice bay to anchor in, and kick back. But we’ve got work to do, and it’s time to see how Le Bateau sails.
The main is easily hoisted from the stackpack and the jib unfurled, all without having to leave the cockpit. On a gentle reach she heels slightly and sits comfortably on her chine, without any weight coming on the helm – almost as if she is steering herself. Richard is keen to have everything adjusted perfectly, clearly enjoying getting the best out of his new toy. The main is easily adjusted on the winch right adjacent to the helm, and the genoa’s shape can be tweaked through inhaul and outhaul lines attached to friction rings on the sheet, rather than traditional fairlead cars and tracks.
This fingertip steering persists even when we head onto the wind into an increasing breeze. Although the angle of heel goes up, the sensation of steadiness, stability and control remains, and it’s a pleasure to feather her upwind and manage to squeeze out a top speed of around 7.5 knots.
We’re really keen to try out some of the ‘extras’, but with the wind rising we decide a gennaker or code-zero reach will have to wait for another day. In the meantime, it’s satisfying to see a pair of owners getting such obvious enjoyment out of a boat they have planned and waited a long time for. Long may the happy relationship continue
