From Canadian Yachting – the Sun Odyssey 509
Passion for design, performance plus and brilliantly conceived
From the first time I saw this boat I was impressed. Its distinctive look was unique. It was big, it looked fast, and it had that edge that seems to be the new trademark for Philippe Briand and the Jeanneau design team. It is impressive from the outside with its long waterline, high-aspect-ratio sail plan, hard chines and massive deck; and wonderfully brilliant inside, with a voluminous interior and wonderful design elements. No wonder Warren Feldstein and his family were most gracious (and keen) to show it off to Canadian Yachting – and no wonder, too, why Paul Fenn, president of Jeanneau North America, Steve McPherson and Shawn Bannon of Navy Point Marine were so keen as well to go sailing on this boat.
The brilliance of the design also allows several variations of rigs and sail plans, depending on conditions where you sail. The hard chine increases stability and yields great interior volume. This is the new flagship for the Jeanneau line, built on the company’s experience and success with the 409 and 429 models. A variety of features and elements combine to make this such a wonderful, elegant offshore cruiser.
The wide foredeck is complemented by the sort of extra elements that give this boat’s layout an ergonomic feel: double anchor rollers, a deep anchor locker, above-deck windlass and below-deck furler are a few of the neat touches. The below-deck furler allows a larger sail forward, adding more performance. And if you opt to add a Code Zero asymmetrical spinnaker, you gain better speed and performance in lighter airs. I was impressed, too, with the tight sheeting angle for the genoa, the flush hatches, and the rig and shroud configuration that allows easy access forward on the side decks and complements the boat’s expansiveness on deck. The inset handrail is a neat touch, too.
Each of the twin helm stations boasts a compass and GPS touch-screen instrumentation with nav, wind and autopilot. The twin helms (choose the composite steering wheels!) are far apart and offer superb visibility.