52: Lagoon 52

[Freedom52]

Greetings, I am a new member. Lagoon 52 'Freedom' is hull #10 and based in Grenada. She was shipped to Guadeloupe in July and since has sailed about 1,500NM in the southern Caribbean. This is a fully loaded four cabin plus crew model. Freedom is available for charter and will be shown in Tortola and Antigua at the upcoming luxury charter yacht shows. Our primary offering is crewed luxury charters in Grenada and the Grenadines.

We have guests planning to visit us who are considering which new model to purchase. Happy to field inquiries and questions about the new yacht. Freedom does indeed sail very well, handles the seas with ease and is very spacious. Most people who see the yacht are amazed by its volume and size. The 52' length is a misleading tag; and she seems in all respects much larger.

We are now refitting a few things, making repairs and preparing for the upcoming season. My wife and I are owners and retired early from CA. We have a home in Grenada and our children are all grown up now.

Good sailing to all!

[timandchanel]

Hi, thanks for your post here
How many people do you need to sail her comfortably? (which sails do you have?)
Thanks again for your posting, Tim.

[Freedom52]

Hi Tim,

I ordered just the mainsail and self tacking jib from Lagoon; and my dealer assisted with sourcing a Gennaker from Incidences. The latter is a large flying sail with Facnor roller furling. This Gennaker is a joy to fly and adds a lot of power and speed, however my cruising profile makes the hoisting, deployment and dropping a bit cumbersome. I also found that strong wind makes the continuous line furling less than ideal. Therefore I am converting this sail to a Genoa and will attach a drum style furler to the bowsprit along with a stay and extrusion. This way the sail can be covered while furled with UV protection and ready for deployment. The roller furling will lead to the bridge deck as does the Jib so to be controlled by the electric winches. Furl out, furl in no problem. If I ever want another foresail, which is doubtful, there is still room to attach a flying sail forward.

Because of the rigging and layout, the boat can be sailed easily by two people; and no problem for one person to do it all barring any issues. Docking and mooring require two people but anchoring also can be done solo. This is great for having guests on board since my wife may be busy during the same time. Of course it helps that I anchor in crystal clear water most of the time.

[JoFi]

Hi,
Thanks for the info. Can you give us more details about the sailing performance.
Thanks

[Freedom52]

Regarding sailing performance, the precise measurements are not definitive yet since my Raymarine instruments were not properly set up or calibrated when we took delivery. Actually still trying to sort out this warranty issue,,,frustrating.

In the Grenadines, where the wind is consistently 15-20 kts, we are averaging 8-9 knots on most tacks, with associated sea conditions. With the Gennaker and wind abaft the beam, the speed increases to 9-11 kts as a CMG avg. This is mostly southbound. Close hauled to the north, the cat takes the sea extremely well and we maintain 8+ kts even when reeling the main. Staying close to the lee shore in motor sailing mode, we maintain 8 kts with approximately 1,800 - 2,100 rpm.

Freedom accelerates noticeably and quickly with wind gusts. So if the wind is light and we are at 6 kts, a gust quickly pushes us towards 8; and similarly when sailing at 8 kts, a gust can increase speed to 9+ almost instantly. Being in charter, we don't often linger at slower speeds. The engines are almost undetectable on the bridge deck and burn very little fuel,,,so we try to maintain our speed.

AWS 15, AWA 60, SOG averages 8 kts.

Max speed so far, 12 kts. Max wind encountered 45 kts, with SOG at 10-12 with reefing. Light winds, say 6-9 kts, avg SOG is 4-5 kts.