There’s nothing like a violent storm to stress-test a new catamaran model. However the all-new St Francis 460 wasn’t about to let Mother Nature delay her date with destiny at the Port of Cape Town, where she was packed off to new owners across the pond. “We had to heave to off Mossel Bay for eleven hours because of the storm passing but it was no problem,” said St Francis yard chief operating officer Rob Brennan. “It was a bit rough but the boat stood up to it well. And by now it is already a third of the way across the Atlantic on a container ship,” Brennan told SABBEX.
That it came through unscathed was no surprise for Brennan who is familiar with the model’s attributes. “It’s a modern design and construction with a lot of carbon,” he explained.
“It’s a much stiffer construction and sails really well.”
The robust 460 owes much to a grid framework of 150mm high carbon beams that underpin the bridge deck, saloon and galley.
The interior modular construction allows owners to select their preferred layout. “You don’t have to move the bulkheads – the owners can pick what design they want and we just put the modules in,” said Brennan.
That’s an auspicious start for the long-awaited new Anton du Toit design, which was in development for three years and is now in full swing, with three more in production.
Having weathered the storm, the St Francis Bay yard looks set to enjoy some plain sailing.
