Hoist a tad too much sail on a blustery morning, on a boat you’ve never sailed before, and things can go a couple of different ways. Fortunately for us—CW’s Boat of the Year judges and yours truly—as gusts ripped straight down the Severn River and kicked up whitecaps all across the bay off Annapolis, Maryland, the Hanse 415, to which we’d just been introduced, dug a rail into the chop and took off like a demon possessed. It was one spirited sail.
In fact, brief as it was (all told, we only had about 45 minutes of sailing once our motoring tests were completed), it was the sail I best remember from last fall’s week of a couple of dozen sea trials following the U.S. Sailboat Show. As each puff hit our full-battened main and closehauled self-tending jib, we’d heel a little more but track straight, as if we were on rails, the helm (with Jefa chain-link steering) remaining firmly under control all the while.
It really performs beautifully under sail,” noted BOTY Judge Ed Sherman. “Even when overpowered, it’s like driving a big dinghy.”
The 415, drawn by Judel/Vrolijk & Co., with an interior by Hanse’s Water Vision, is the latest entry in the builder’s lineup of sailboats that are, by design, both exciting and simple to sail. Controls—a pair of single reef lines, halyards, and a main and a jib sheet—are led to winches set just forward of the two helm stations, where they’re easy to reach and kept tamed by rope clutches. But really, if you're tacking to windward, there’s no reason to bother with the strings. Want to come about? Just turn the wheel and both the jib and the midboom-sheeted main will see to themselves. Off the wind, an asymmetric sail can be set using a dedicated bail on the single anchor roller. It’s a great setup for a shorthanded watch or the skipper whose crew prefers to enjoy the ride. If you routinely sail in lighter air or are looking to eke out a little more speed, a slightly overlapping 106-percent genoa is also an option.
Though a production sailboat through and through and intended to meet a price point, the 415 is available in a wide range of hull colors and interior finishes. The boat we sailed was a three-cabin/two-head model, though a two-cabin (with one or two heads, depending on your needs for locker space in the V-berth) is also available; in that configuration, you gain a large storage area in place of the starboard aft cabin.
