Hallberg-Rassy 44
Yachting Monthly|March 2017

Do twin-rudders and a bowsprit have a place onboard the world-girdling iconic brand Hallberg-Rassy, or are the Swedes simply following fashion? Graham Snook travels to Ellös in Sweden to find out.

Hallberg-Rassy 44

Hallberg-Rassy regularly tops the poll of the boats that YM readers aspire to own, with good reason. I’ve seen that tell-tale blue stripe on yachts from Torquay to Tahiti and from Sydney to Saint Lucia. There aren’t many boats I’ll interrupt my Christmas holiday for, but the new HR44 isn’t any boat, she’s the replacement for the 43 that spanned 16 years in three guises. She’s also the first boat from the Ellös yard with a moulded bowsprit and twin rudders. Who wouldn’t want to sail this Hallberg-Rassy as a late Christmas present to themselves?

Performance

The night before I arrived, winds had exceeded 60 knots, but you’d never have guessed from the millpond-like Ellös Fjord. Initially heading NE up the fjord we had light winds which lacked enthusiasm and got weaker the further north we went. She sailed nicely in the light winds, but it wasn’t enthralling, so we headed south in search of breeze, thankfully we got some and as it increased, so did the feeling on the helm; as if someone was turning the volume up which she speaks to you. As she heeled the leeward rudder gripped the water and she responded well. Although not pushed to the limit we did have almost 20 knots over the deck with full sails and no need or desire to reef.

Leaving the shelter of the archipelago we met 2-3ft waves with a ground swell. Coming off the top of the larger waves, her rounded forward sections softened her landing as much as one can expect. Given that it was December and we were beating into the sea from a storm 12 hours earlier, the three of us on board could have happily kept sailing all night. Had it not been for the drop in temperature after it started to get dark at 4pm, it would have been comfortable too.

At the helm 

Bu hikaye Yachting Monthly dergisinin March 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Yachting Monthly dergisinin March 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

YACHTING MONTHLY DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
How to rig preventers and boom brakes
Yachting Monthly UK

How to rig preventers and boom brakes

Rigging a preventer or using a boom brake is just good seamanship when sailing downwind, but doing so badly is asking for trouble, says Rachael Sprot

time-read
10+ dak  |
July 2024
Don't let Thames sewage kill off this lovely boat
Yachting Monthly UK

Don't let Thames sewage kill off this lovely boat

Samuel Pepys mentions oysters in his diaries 68 times, but that was when they were as common as winkles along the banks of the Thames and when they were a source of cheap protein for the masses.

time-read
3 dak  |
July 2024
I finally found the magic of the sea
Yachting Monthly UK

I finally found the magic of the sea

I won’t be in theatres with a notebook as much as usual this month – time for some wider, wetter horizons – but may be musing, as I often do, on how rare it is for theatre to express a convincing reality about the oceans and the trade or pursuit of seafaring.

time-read
3 dak  |
July 2024
TECHNICAL GOLDEN OLDIES
Yachting Monthly UK

TECHNICAL GOLDEN OLDIES

Ken Endean looks back on the boats he has owned over 50 years and explains why the hull lines of older yachts continue to offer first-class handling

time-read
10+ dak  |
July 2024
HOW IT WORKS MARKING
Yachting Monthly UK

HOW IT WORKS MARKING

Many cruising yacht skippers mark very little on board their boats.

time-read
1 min  |
July 2024
TECHNICAL INSTALLING A NEW ENGINE
Yachting Monthly UK

TECHNICAL INSTALLING A NEW ENGINE

When a mysterious loss of coolant jeopardised his sailing, Andy Du Port knew the time had tome to replace his yacht’s:veteran Volvo Penta

time-read
7 dak  |
July 2024
NEW GEAR
Yachting Monthly UK

NEW GEAR

Dennis O’Neill rounds up the latest marine innovations, including developments in women’s sailing jackets

time-read
6 dak  |
July 2024
MARIE TABARLY HONOURING HER FATHER
Yachting Monthly UK

MARIE TABARLY HONOURING HER FATHER

Marie Tabarly took line honours in the Ocean Globe Race, surpassing her father’s record while racing aboard his famous 73ft ketch Pen Duick VI

time-read
3 dak  |
July 2024
HEATHER THOMAS SMASHING RECORDS
Yachting Monthly UK

HEATHER THOMAS SMASHING RECORDS

In leading her all-female crew to victory in the OGR, Heather Thomas has broken records and taken women's sailing into the stratosphere

time-read
3 dak  |
July 2024
MAIDEN MAKES HISTORY AGAIN
Yachting Monthly UK

MAIDEN MAKES HISTORY AGAIN

Being the first all-female crew to win a round-the-world race is seismic in itself, but the diverse nationalities of the crew are just as significant for the future of sailing

time-read
10+ dak  |
July 2024