Hey everybody. I admit it. I love France. The language. The cheese. And even the pandemic of dog poop in the streets of Paris! And as anyone who’s been on the cobbled, albeit pooped on streets of Paris in the hight of summer vacation knows, lots of other Americans love Paris too.
And as anyone who’s ever been to the Paris Boatshow knows, the French (French boatbuilders that is) love France too!
So without further ado…here’s what was new and cool that I found at the recent Paris Boatshow.
French builder Jeannueau (along with all the French builders) pull out all the stops for Paris. Here’s the first look of the new Jeannueau 349. It’s a cool new design that incorporates a bunch of good ideas that come from the world of high-performance keelboats such as….
Soft, Spectra jib leads and….
And elegantly simple mainsheet system. And before you say “But how do you de-power the main without a traveller” let me remind you the rigid boom vang pictured in the top left of the frame provides all the sail-flattening power you’ll need.
Seascape Yachts build a pretty cool sport boat with a pretty cool bulb keel….
I’ve never seen anything like this. And it looks like it works but I don’t know what you’d do if you have problems with the hydraulic ram. But still a great solution to having a boat with a deep bulb keel that can be retracted to shoal draft without the need for an intrusive centerboard/keel trunk. And speaking of things I’ve never seen before…..
I just love the Aquabugg. It’s an “only in Europe” paddleboat that reminds me of “Herbie the Love Bug.” Now I’m dating myself. The company has all sorts of “boats.”
I also loved seeing the new Sun Fast 3600 sportboat from Jeanneau. As you can see it’s way French with its dual tillers, a crazy fine-tune system on the double-ended mainsheet, big-ass wedges to brace against when you’re carving the boat upwind, and wide open transom that most speed freaks will appreciate. Even the backstay is double ended so it can be easily adjusted from the high side.
And speaking of speed freaks, there were literally a million different multihulls that were all capable of cranking out 20-knots without working too hard. Here’s just one….It’s a razor sharp, 24-foot trimaran and it looks like a blast. I’m gonna have to come back to go sailing with the French guys who smoke–both cigarettes, and on the water–on tris-like this and others.
And no trip to Paris would be complete without a run along the Seine.
Where I came across this amazing sight on the Pont des Arts. Those are locks and each was put there by sweethearts to signify how “locked” they are to each other. A cool sentiment but alas, not very French.
Au revoir for now.
