10 Jan
Serge Busato rates his current Dehler 34 as the best in a long succession of sailing yachts .
Having six decades of sailing experience to his credit, Serge Busato, from Sydney knows a thing or two about yachts.
His and his wife Phyllis bought their first boat a New Zealand built Spencer 36, “quite light and very quick”, around 1976 and since then five more yachts have carried the Renegade name, including an immaculate Dehler 34 delivered in December 2023.
This is the latest incarnation two cabin, single head version of the highly successful Dehler 34 and boasts a Judel/Vrolijk designed hull with plumb bow and beam carried all the way aft, granting generous internal volume.
The focus on performance is complemented with drag-minimising features such as pop-up cleats, sheets running under the coach-roof, flush hatches, a below-deck windlass – and a streamlined bowsprit for the gennaker.
Clearly a yachtsman with an eye for sail trim and performance, Serge opted for the taller, more powerful competition rig from Selden. Combined with a competition rudder, an upgraded sail package including a North gennaker, and upgraded electric miansheet winches and you a have a very competent club racer that would shake-up the usual podium pecking order.
But that’s not what Serge and his long-standing crew are about, anymore.
“We’re all in our middle to late ‘70s so it’s getting a bit harder to get around the boat but so far so good,” he tells Windshift. “We’re still managing to get out there while we can,” he says admirably.”
He and a few mates usually venture ‘out there’ for a ‘social sail’ on Wednesdays on Sydney Harbour for a bit of boat ogling while also keeping tabs on the various club fleets in action round the buoys.
“Looking at the numbers we’re getting with the same wind strength it’s as quick as the 38, (his former Dehler 38),” he reveals. “I like good performance,” he concedes. “We’re always trying to take advantage of trimming tricks, and we quite easily keep-up with much larger boats and pass them,” he says with a degree of pride.
Serge says Renegade’s intrepid crew remain undaunted by an offshore outing, regularly venturing out beyond the Heads.
“We like to go out for a few miles then unroll the gennaker and just have nice sail,” he says.
He acknowledges while its smaller than his previous Dehler 38, the 34 is also noticeably lighter and more nimble (5.6 tonnes for the 34 vs 7.6 tonnes for the 38). “They’re a pleasure to sail upwind,” he agrees. “Also with the bigger rig and the competition rudder, it’s so light on the helm.”
Serge intends to keep sailing Renegade as long as he can, and Phyllis has helpfully prepared the way for the inevitable. “She said ‘if worse comes to worse we’ll have to go to a motor-boat’”, he says wryly.
Until then though he’s content with the Wednesday match-pacing and cruising to some of the hidden gems on Sydney Harbour, with the odd trip to Pittwater.
On such occasions he admits the indulgence of deluxe cushions has been well worth it, while the open forward cabin layout without the bulkhead creates the feeling of extra space. A recent impediment to a pleasant afternoon on the world’s biggest natural harbour has been the bout of unseasonal weather Sydney is experiencing.
“The weather has been so lousy lately it’s a bit hard to fit in a decent sail these days,” Serge notes.
Boating New Zealand neatly summed-up the Dehler 34’s appeal: “She’s perfect for an owner interested in stepping aboard a ready-made, ready-to-go competitive racer – and once the adrenalin’s subsided, she instantly presents as a comfortable cruiser for hosting friends or family.”
It’s an efficient and engaging design combination which suits Serge perfectly.
For more information: windcraftyachts.com/sailing-yachts/dehler-34
Windcraft Brokerage has two Dehler 46s in stock and ready to sail.
Find out more here: windcraftyachts.com/pre-owned/
