05 Dec
The Solaris 40 possesses real cruising credentials but it’s also as much fun to helm as a serious racing boat.
Windshift has been fortunate enough to spend time aboard the undeniably chic Solaris 40.
We caught up with the charming and gracious Luca Bianchi on his lovely Fra Martina in Greece a few seasons ago, and he generously showed us over his three-cabin-two-head version of this attractive yacht designed by Xavier Soto Acebal.
Indeed, meeting Luca and getting a first-hand appreciation of Solaris’s Italian build quality, fit, and finish was a major highlight of the trip.
Windshift’s first impressions of the Solaris 40 were this:
A sleek profiled yacht emerges from the heat haze rippling off the cobalt blue waters of the Ambracian Gulf at the ancient port of Preveza, in Western Greece. Leaving minimal wake as it cuts through the increasing wind chop, the boat’s relatively high freeboard, low profile coach roof, flush decks, and pronounced bow chine register an unmistakable aesthetic.
Add to that desirable amenities such as an Owners cabin boasting a full-size peninsula bed with side-steps, plenty of floor space, big hull windows that provide natural light, and large hatches for ventilation, and you have a package that effortlessly transitions from twilight and regatta racing to enjoying the best aspects that the cruising lifestyle has to offer.
Yachting World’s Boat Test Editor Toby Hodges summed up the Solaris 40 this way: fast, clean aesthetics with Italian style, and also practical.
See the full Yachting World video review of the Solaris 40 here:
When designing the Solaris 40, Xavier Soto Acebal has said he wanted the helmsman to enjoy the same benefits as a racing yacht: good pointing ability and sight lines forward, a nicely balanced feel and a good turn of speed.
Luca Bianchi told Windshift he believed those design parameters had been well and truly met, resulting in a boat that is very rewarding and enjoyable to sail across a range of conditions.
“It’s an all-rounder,” Luca confirmed. “Our particular boat performs well, we have good sails (North 3Di cruising), there’s no one exceptional area or angle. We have a Gennaker on a top-down furler and a high cut staysail, also on its own furler, which we use mainly as a storm jib or in strong head winds,” he added.
A set of electric winches ensured furling is fast and hassle-free, as well as being helpful in hoisting the main or getting someone up Fra Martina’s carbon rig from Hall Spars. There are also two manual winches. The recessed traveller runs the width of the deck, an option Luca was keen to have. “I’m a big fan of travellers,” he revealed. “You can play with the shape of the mainsail, and you have more control.”
The absence of side decks aft of the 40’s helm stations maximises the cockpit space, and according to the designer, the siting of the wheels further outboard than on many boats grants the helmsman “a great view to incoming waves, the tell tales on the sails and a great overall boat view.” Luca agreed and cited another advantage: “That’s good, but the real benefit is the extra space in the cockpit, and we have folding captain’s chairs that we put up there.”
Luca’s experience as a world-class competitive sailor informed his choice of the Solaris 40. Its appealing mix of style, performance and spacious accommodation provides any potential Owner with a refined and assured yacht that will fulfill their desire for a beautiful yacht that combines style and substance.
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