Sun Odessy 379 - How skittish is it in fast/high tides?

[john_burn]

We recently trialed a Jeanneau 379 and found that it travelled sideways a lot. Was this just a combination of a high fast tide and relatively low winds, or is this handling typical of this model.

Also do any owners have any comments on the real pros and cons of this model, the reviews read like Jeanneau paid for them...

[Rohan]

Originally Posted by john_burn

We recently trialed a Jeanneau 379 and found that it travelled sideways a lot. Was this just a combination of a high fast tide and relatively low winds, or is this handling typical of this model.

Also do any owners have any comments on the real pros and cons of this model, the reviews read like Jeanneau paid for them...

Which version? The 379 is the only Jeanneau with a swing keel option. If that swing keel was up, then yes, you can expect a lot of slippage.

[john_burn]

Thanks Rohan,

No it was not a swing keel. It was a fin keel, with twin rudders.

[UNCIVILIZED]

It may just be that you were pinching too much, & thus making excessive leeway. Which does raise the question, how do you know that you were going sideways too much? As in compare to, or measured, by what specifically?

[Polux]

Not a bad sailing boat and not bad upwind. The easiest way to see how it performs is to follow a known boat (model with known performance) on the same course and see how it performs comparatively.

Did you have done that?

[john_burn]

Thanks Polux, I was comparing the perforamance to a jeanneau 36 and 39. They seemed to track a lot better, but that could be due to the variance in tide and wind.

When reaching the 379 seemed to struggle to stay on track.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Were you guys having any rudder cavitation? And how far off of the spreaders was the jib trimmed, out of curiosity?

[pjhagbard]

Twin rudder - does that mean shallow fin keel? Shallow mean bad upwind...

[pschleck]

I have sailed a 379 with shoal draft keel on Lake Michigan for 5 years. The boat tracks well in all wind conditions but I haven't experienced fast/high tides. The boat does have a high freeboard and tends to blow of the finger pier when docking in winds over 20 knots. Had a bow thruster installed this year which solved this problem.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by john_burn

Thanks Polux, I was comparing the perforamance to a jeanneau 36 and 39. They seemed to track a lot better, but that could be due to the variance in tide and wind.

When reaching the 379 seemed to struggle to stay on track.

Never sailed one but sailed alongside with some in the water and the performance seemed good for the type of boat (main market cruiser). All the tests I read said good things about the boat and here you have a comparative one with three boats on the water, where he performed much better than the Bavaria 37 and close to the Varianta 37 that is a lighter boat with the hull of the Hanse 37 and a very fast boat, probably the fastest in this class. Note that they tested the center boarder from Jeanneau, a boat that sails considerably worse than their standard deep keel model.

Note that thsi keel has notyhing to do with the swing keel of the 349, with all ballast on the keel.
My impression is that the standard boat it will out perform a Oceanis 38 except in a strong breeze on a beam reach or downwind.

Maybe a jeanneau 36 will be better close upwind or with very light winds but in all other positions and wind strength the 379 will be probably faster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94vvD7lMQs8