A Southerly breeze
Before I start this review, I should declare that I am an avowed fan of the swing keel. A few years back I owned a fairly peculiar boat in Poole Harbour that had this arrangement and I vividly remember the great joy of sailing at speed through Blood Alley, a narrow channel, while a selection of sailors watched in disbelief from their anchored yachts gesturing wildly for me to make an about turn. It’s a great feeling and, certainly in the tidal waters of the UK, it opens up whole new vistas to explore – stretches of water that you would never dare to go near if you had a fixed-keel yacht.
Anyway, that dewy eyed narrative brings me seamlessly to the new Southerly 435 which, with her swing keel, is an ideal vehicle for illustrating my point as she draws just 2ft 9in with the keel raised.
Some of you may be thinking that the 435 seems awfully familiar and that’s because when I say she’s new, I’m only half telling the truth. Her hull dates back to 2008 when this design was first launched as the Southerly 42RS (Raised saloon). It’s
