Boat test - Oyster 495
Most manufacturers don’t like you ‘helping’ delivery crew move its boats between various boat shows – I would assume that this is because a) journalists are a thundering pain who ask too many questions, and b) an extended trip gives said journalist much more time to familiarise him/herself with any niggles or defects a boat may have that may be hidden by a shorter test format. I was therefore quite impressed when Oyster invited me to help move its all new 495 from Palma to Cannes ahead of the boat show. It spoke of a confidence in the product often lacking from more pragmatic manufacturers. So I duly signed up as crew/minor irritant for the trip and I write this comfortably ensconced in the master stateroom of the 495 as we roll towards Cannes making a steady 7.5kts in 12kts of breeze under Code 0 and full main. It’s been like this all day; no tacks, put in, just mile after mile of easy rolling across the Med. It’s a tough life.
More on that later. First up, let’s forget about tacks and get down to brass tacks: what’s the new 495 all about? Well, it’s one of a new generation of Oysters developed since the marque came under the ownership of tech entrepreneur and (possibly an oxymoron?) Richard Hadida. The new man at the helm wanted to take the company back to its roots following a journey that had taken it from
