THE SECRET WEAPON
Where we tested: Plymouth Sound and Cawsand Bay, in Devon and Cornwall
Wind: Squally Force 5 westerly
Model: SO410 lift keel version with 3 cabins and 2 heads layout in teak finish.
If you sail in tidal harbours or shallow waters, your choice of midsize new production yachts is more limited than you may realise. While most manufacturers offer a shallow draught version of their fixed keels by adding more weight to the bulb to compensate for the reduction in righting moment, this is not a compromise all sailors are willing to make. Jeanneau, on the other hand, has long offered a lift keel on its smaller models, yet by doing so at this size in particular, has established a clever niche.
The Vendée yard certainly didn’t follow the status quo when it developed its eighth-generation Sun Odyssey line three years ago and this
