The Xtra Mile

X-Yachts’ new flagship X5 6 combines luxury, style and power with a practical and seamanlike approach for extended cruising

- By Rupert Holmes

Tested by RUPERT HOLMES

Where: Port Ginesta, Catalonia, Spain, late October.

Conditions: first sail 3-7 knots with flat sea, second sail 15-17 knots with confused seas and swell.

Model: three-cabin, two-heads version. Options include in-boom furling, carbon mast, electric winches and Code 0 with electric furler.

Large cruising yachts are enormously appealing, but it’s imperative that they’re easy to tame in deteriorating weather. Yet if this is achieved through making the boat underpowered it will be a disappointment in lighter winds. Striking the balance between the two is therefore a key factor in establishing a successful new model.

My first sail on the X5 6 was in very light airs, with just 3-7 knots of true wind, but even this revealed important insights about how well the boat might handle challenging conditions. With the Code 0 set we made speeds that belie dits near 20 tonne displacement, hovering at around 80% of the true wind speed at an apparent wind angle of 45- 50°. We achieved 2.8 knots of speed in just 3.5 knots of true wind, rising to a very useful 6.2 knots in 7 knots.

At the same time, it felt like sailing a smaller, lighter and surprisingly nimble boat. We even had enough steerage to tack with only the mainsail set in just five knots of wind.