17.10.2024
25 Years of Power: From BMB to BMW and the BAVARIA SR-Line
When everything on board is about the sails
Sailors are curious by nature. When new equipment for the sailing boat comes onto the market, you naturally want to try it out straight away. The BAVARIA YACHTS team is no different, especially when we have new options for our sailing boats in our portfolio. In Denmark, on board a BAVARIA C46, we had the opportunity to test the new furling masts with electric furling device for the mainsail and the synchronised halyard winch, all developed by our long‐standing rigging partner Selden Mast from Sweden. Setting and hoisting the mainsail at the touch of a button.
It’s the end of October and the mornings are already pretty cold. Our product manager for sailing boats, Udo Erbe, and I, Marcus Schlichting – who has worked in marketing at BAVARIA YACHTS for over 10 years – are on our way to Ega Marina in Aahus on the Baltic coast of Denmark. Our Danish dealer Dansk Marine Center has its home marina there and a new BAVARIA C46 with the Synchronised Main Furling System, SMF for short, from Selden has just been delivered. The furling system is available directly from the shipyard. When we arrive on the jetty, there is already a lot of activity on deck. Christian Due from Dansk Marine Centre welcomes us. Sören Hansen from Elvström Sails, John Melander and Mats Lindström from Selden introduce us to the rest of the crew, all technicians and sailmakers from Selden and Elvström. There are a good 10 of us on board, but there are important things to test.
When we set sail, I’m very glad to have put on everything I had in my sailing bag, from long underwear to a thick oil jacket. The wind isn’t particularly strong, but at two Beaufort it’s absolutely fine for sailing. Udo and I use the time until we have left the marina to have the experts from Selden explain the finer points of the SMF system to us in detail. The electric motor for furling the mainsail is located in the mast below the luff fitting, where the mechanism for manual furling is normally located. The diameter of the mast profile remains the same, whether electric or mechanical, and does not need to be larger for the motor. John Melander from Selden shows us every detail: ’If the electrics on board fail, the electric motor can be disconnected from the system in an emergency using a small lever on the mast and the mainsail can be furled manually using a winch handle on the mast. Safety first, so it’s always good to have an alternative on board.’
Synchronised furling is carried out via the electric Selden halyard winch at the port helm. There is a button for ’main in’ and one for ’main out’. To set the mainsail, simply place the line for trimming the foot on the winch and the furling can begin. Udo takes over the button job when setting the mainsail for the first time. There is a fast gear and a slower one on the winch. This way you can decide for yourself how rapidly the mainsail is unfurled and with the low gear you can later trim the foot of the mainsail very finely. I want to take a video of the mainsail unfurling, but I can hardly keep up. As if by magic and very smoothly, the slide runs from the clew of the mainsail on the boom towards the boom clew. And bang goes the mainsail, simply, safely and quickly.
We are so fascinated that we want to furl the mainsail again straight away. This is also very easy. Press the ’Main in’ button and carefully furl the line from the lower leech. The mainsail is safely furled in the mast again. Because we want to test the system and because it really is fun, we furl the mainsail in and out twice more.
The Synchronised Main Furling System from Selden has convinced us. It is easy and very safe to use and, of course, saves energy. Of course, our colleagues from Selden and Elvström didn’t just lure us out into the cold to test the Synchronised Main Furling System with us. We already have this in our price lists for the BAVARIA C46, C50 and C57. They have also replaced all the winches on board with Selden electric winches and even the self‐tacking jib and the Permanent Code0 run on Selden electric furling systems.
Because we have little wind, we go straight to the Permanent Code0, my new favourite sail. With its UV cover, it can actually remain set as a second headsail for the whole season and its cut makes it perfect for sailing high upwind even in lighter winds. The sailboat then easily runs as fast as the real wind and you can enjoy the exhilarating ride under sail instead of being exasperated and starting the engine in light winds.
To unfurl, lay the sheet from the Code0 on the genoa winch on the cockpit coaming. There are also two buttons here. One for the slower low gear, one for the faster high gear and if you press both, you go into the third high‐speed gear. The Code0 is rolled out in seconds. All the control buttons for the winches have been mounted right next to the winch, although they could of course be anywhere in the cockpit or at the helm with a longer cable. But this is also about safety. Whoever operates the winch should be right next to it and see whether the sheets are running free.
We sail a few metres and Sören asks me which manoeuvre I want to do with the Code0. Tack or jibe? As I know that jibes with a gennaker and Code0 are often a bit more complicated and require a well‐rehearsed crew, I decide on a jibe. Sören nods to the helmsman and he slowly starts to drop. Sören releases the Code0 sheet and the helmsman presses the button for the electric gennaker furler. In less than ten seconds, the Code0 is furled and we can jibe the mainsail comfortably and safely. When the main boom is just on the other side, Sören lays the new Code0 sheet over the winch and it runs perfectly in top gear. Less than ten seconds again and the Code0 is perfectly positioned on the new bow. Brilliant, we are thrilled! This also shows that Selden’s electric furling systems can be used to sail larger sailing boats for longer. Longer, because you are not afraid to quickly adjust your sail area in changing wind conditions and therefore have more sailing time on the water. And longer, because even smaller crews always have a sailboat like the C46 safely under control.
The Synchronised Main Furling System is available from BAVARIA YACHTS on the BAVARIA C46, C50 and C57 ex shipyard. All BAVARIA YACHTS dealers and Selden Mast from Sweden offer expert advice for further upgrades.