Here comes a great Dane

By ROBIN BAILEY

For years the French and Germans have been big players among the imported yacht brands seeking New Zealand buyers. Price has long been one of the factors that gave the imports an edge over local builders, particularly today with the high New Zealand dollar.

Now there is a new entrant in the field, X-Yachts from Denmark. The boats are performance cruiser-racers with a huge reputation in Europe and the newest arrival is already attracting attention on the racetrack.

Atle Bakkehaug and partner Anna-Marie Sigurdsson have been campaigning their blue-hulled X-362 Malisa with a crew of locals in the Richmond Yacht Club's Wednesday-night series. They have also managed a good deal of Hauraki Gulf cruising that has helped to lift the profile of the boat on the local sailing scene.

The yacht comes from the board of Denmark's Neils Jeppsen and was first released in 1993. More than 250 have been sold in Europe where the model is popular on the club racing arena.

The company updated the X-362 in 2001 to improve performance. The hull lines are unchanged but the new version has a 9/11 fractional rig, a deeper keel and lighter displacement which mean the X-362 Sport has had more than just a facelift.

Reviewing the new version, Mathew Sheehan from Yachting World, who first sailed an X-362 in 1994, said the major modifications have made the yacht an even better boat under sail, with the kind of responsive handling normally reserved for custom-built racers.

In what turned out to be something of a rave, he praised the management systems and the new rig, then added: "Last time I sailed the X-362 it was the detail below decks that let her down. There are few such problems aboard the new version which is plush yet functional at a standard that maintains the boats' reputation in the cruiser market."

That reputation is why Bakkehaug and Sigurdsson have become the New Zealand agents for X-Yachts. "They are in a class of their own," says Bakkehaug, who raced and cruised the yachts extensively in Europe. "We have been here a year and had a good look at what is available. There is a place in the market for X-Yachts."

The X-362 is landed at $329,000 minus sails and electronics which are sourced locally. This is a plus for the New Zealand industry more familiar with sail-away imported packages. The range starts with 12 models from the X-302 at 9m (30ft) through to the X-412 (12.5m; 41ft) up to the X-612 at 18.2m (60ft).

The X-362 will be at the IMTEC On-the-Water Boat Show at the Viaduct Basin from March 11 to 14.

Show CEO Peter Busfield, whose day job is executive director of the Marine Industry Association, puts a positive spin on the number of imports booked into the show, saying they make the event a comprehensive showcase of what is available internationally.

"While many of the imports, are landed completely fitted out in sail or drive-away mode, they call on our industry's expertise for the regular maintenance and servicing our marine sector provides," he says. "This involves everything from berthage to electronic and engine servicing to sails and rigging which all benefits New Zealand companies."

There is no doubt the Danish high-performer will attract a lot of interest from Kiwis who have had a long love affair with family-friendly boats that can perform.