Contest 67 CS: a boat for all seas

Sooner or later, there comes a time in every sailor’s life when he says: ” That’s it. I’ll buy a boat; no, I’ll buy THE boat. Not the definitive boat, not the final boat. But a boat to leave. A boat that, if and when I want, enables me to go around the world. A boat that gives me the chance to leave and navigate without really knowing when I come back”.

To sail how and when you want

That’s when the sailor, especially the experienced one, starts to recover in his memory the pictures of all the ports he has visited as well as the historic and fully-equipped boats on which sun-baked sea dogs told their Atlantic and Pacific adventures.

Boats where Baltic or Breton retirees set sail towards hot winds, leaving behind their houses, works and children. Veteran, protected, inhabited boats. Boats that have grown old with their own passengers.

At this point, the sailor in love with the idea wonders: ” And if I didn’t leave right away? If I wanted a boat that can sail in every sea, a strong, expert, smart and resistant boat but also a holiday boat, a cruiser? A boat where to have friends, a boat that is oceanic in bones but Mediterranean in appearance? In other words, a beautiful boat?

At this point, the memory of the judicious sailor goes back to a name: Contest. It’s an historic Dutch shipyard that has been working since 1959, covering three generations, but that, unlike other offshore boats manufacturers, has been able to innovate itself, to evolve and keep up with the times.

This way, it combines style and market needs with performance and efficiency needs, acquiring acceptance not only in the community of the stubborn Breton retirees.

It is no coincidence that design is by Judel/Vrolijk studio.

Contest 67 CS, a jewel of design

The German studio has designed also the Contest 67 CS, a luxury bluewater cruiser, Lloyds certified: a boat conceived to sail but also able to turn any head in the port.

As I was told at Cannes Yachting Festival, the shipyard has already sold four units of this boat, the last of which has been recently delivered in Italy.

Forward, hull lines are designed for enhanced upwind performances and combined with a slightly enlarged flat stern for greater stability and improved downwind characteristics.

This arrangement not only facilitates handling with a small crew ( there’s a large central winch for the mainsail sheet, positioned within the helmsman’s reach) but also allows to economize the efforts of the autopilot during long-range ocean passages.

At the wheel, view is perfect far beyond the bow even for a small woman like me. The deck is flat and linear, with flush hatches and a low gentle deck house entirely surrounded by windows that flood interiors with a great amount of natural light.

Despite this modern design, the cockpit is not sacrificed to aesthetics but is a real comfortable well-sheltered lounge ( accommodation is of up 12 people) where passengers can sail protected against wind and water or spend time in an anchorage.

Construction is designed to resist sea and time in every detail: just look at stays, the sail store hatch or the bowsprit to understand that we’re talking of a boat that doesn’t fear the sea.

All you need to sail, hidden in beauty

Even details below deck confirm this concept: hidden in an elegant, completely custom design and a highly refined manufacture, some points delight the sailor who dreams of sailing all around the world.

Here are some examples.

The hatchway trap that leads to the cockpit is retractable and pressure in order not to disturb anyone and to be always ready to protect in case of rough sea.

All angles in teak interiors have smoother corners in order to offer greater safety while sailing as well as safe handholds when the boat heels.

Below deck, too, handles and handrails are always within reach so that passengers can always rely on safe handholds.

Instead of the chart zone ( it would be an understatement to call it “table”) there is all you need to sail, including a highly comfortable chair with a protection on the open side, in order to guarantee perfect balance even when the boat heels.

Wardrobes are long and deep: finally an elegant boat but with a convenient compartment where to store sailing jackets.

The galley is equipped with a double refrigerator with freezer where the owner can store a lot of food or even the fish he has caught in his ocean crossing. Cabinets are arranged so that everything is in order and well-exposed while securing the most delicate crockery.

The forward crew cabin is divided by a watertight bulkhead but is accessible from both outside for greater privacy and from inside in case of bad weather.

Under the cockpit, a large isolated technical room will make the captain happy since it includes electric panels and a garage room for any maintenance operation and repair.

Even in the master cabin – wide and luxurious as befits a boat of this type – you can see the anti-roll cloth hooks above the double bed.

Everything is designed for an owner-sailor who, sooner or later, is ready to go around the world.