Sense 50 Displays Sense-ational Performance during Freemantle to Bali Yacht Race

Cruising division honours in the Freemantle to Bali Yacht Race were awarded to Don Booker and his crew aboard the Beneteau Sense 50 Dorade. The Sense, already a proven bluewater cruiser/racer, demonstrated her abilities again, battling huge seas and 33 other teams to come out on top in this challenging 1440nm race.

Testament to the capabilities of the Sense 50Booker’s crew where mostly dinghy sailors, each of whom had little, if any, ocean sailing experience under their belts.

After early delays due to bad weather the fleet had following winds for most of the trip. But coming on the tail end of a storm the huge seas were not for the faint of heart. Don had never had Dorade out in such large seas. Hitting a max of 16.5 knots running down the face of a large wave in the dark found him very nervous indeed. Captain Don said, “The comforting thing is the boat just handled it so well.”

Even with no spinnaker the team kept up with the cruising division boats and finished the course in 10 day pacing an average of nearly 150nm/day - all while fishing along the way.

Don’s wife, Darinka, also enjoys yachting and they explained that they chose the Sense for a couple of key features, not the least of which is the multihull-style accommodations with large windows, light, and the lack of steep stairs into the saloon like most monohulls.  “We really liked the room in the cockpit and the saloon layout, as it feels just like the space you get on a powerboat. Darinka really liked the kitchen layout, and I knew that the Beneteau sailing pedigree would ensure it was a great sailing boat”, said Don.

Simpson Marine will try to catch up with Don and Darinka when they return from some more leisurely cruising in the beautiful Abrolhos Islands of West Australia. Until then come see our brokers and try out a Sense for yourself.

The Beneteau Sense 50 has taken home Best Production Sailing Yacht (under 51 feet) trophy at the Asia Boating Awards 2011, the Cruising World Boat of the Year 2011 Full-size cruisers 50 to 55 feet Award, and was nominated for "Luxury Cruiser" for European Yacht of the Year 2011/12.

For further details, please contact Richard Allen, Group Sales Manager for Beneteau, atrichard.allen@simpsonmarine.com or +852 2555 8377.

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