Niels Thomsen and Poul Christiansen at X-Yachts of Denmark helped us work through Robert’s specification for the yacht. A yacht of this size has so many systems, the specification is a vital component to get right. As our lead time into the ARC was quite short, it was suggested that the commissioning and hand over be carried out by X-Yachts France in Port Grimaud.

Hand over in Port Grimaud, France
The months flew by and before we knew it, Robert, Hamish McAllister and I were in Port Grimaud on a beautiful Saturday afternoon looking at a stunning X-562. Hamish has been Robert’s adviser on both of his yachts, a former professional yachtsman and engineer, his input into the project was invaluable. The boat was well advanced and we spent a few hours looking over Robert’s new pride and joy. Over the next few days the boat was completed, systems were checked and parts were replaced if they weren’t functioning properly.

On handover day we awoke to the mistral blowing very strongly from the north, it looked to be too windy for our maiden sail. By 11 am the breeze was dropping so we decided to sail after lunch and headed off at around 2.30 pm. The bay was almost totally windless and we drifted along the shore past St Tropez’ beautiful scenery, but not very exciting sailing. As you would expect, all of the systems worked well and the boat behaved beautifully. After handover, a few minor jobs were finished by X-Yachts France, spare parts arrived, provisions were loaded and we were ready to go. A brief christening was performed for the newest X-562 in the world and champagne was poured over the bows of “X-To-Sea”. I would like to thank Jose Vande Casteele and his staff at X-Yachts France for being so helpful during the commissioning of the yacht. To Isabelle, Christophe, Luis, Laurence, Anthony, Greg and Alain, thank you for making our trip to Port Grimaud memorable and enjoyable. We shared a glass of Moet et Chandon with our new friends from X-Yachts France and departed Port Grimaud, bound for The Balearics.

Arrival in Palma de Mallorca
As we sailed between Menorca and Mallorca, the breeze began to shift to the north and it was time to gybe for Palma. On deck alone, it was pretty straightforward. Furl the genoa, take the runner forward, set the autopilot for a slow turn and put the mainsheet on the electric primary winch. Gybing an X-562 in 25knots is possible on your own, if the deck layout is well planned. As the breeze lightened, the reef was shaken out and we sailed into the Bay of Palma as the sun rose.

Getting ready for the ARC
The passage had been a great shakedown for us, we learnt a lot about the boat and are really looking forward to crossing the Atlantic. Andrew Parkes North South Yachting, Australia

“X-To-Sea” on her first passage
The crew for our first passage was Robert Green, his son Travis, Roger Smith, Nick Easton and myself. We left Port Grimaud just after 6 pm on the 14th of October in a 14 knots easterly with slight chop and no swell. The forecast was for the breeze to build to 25-35 knots during our passage and stay in the east. A full mainsail and roller furl genoa were set and as we bore away to leave St Tropez astern, the breeze had built to 18 knots at 120 degrees apparent.

Our first evening at sea provided fantastic sailing conditions, broad reaching with a poled-out genoa, “X-To-Sea” was light and responsive on the helm. The wind and sea continued to build and with 25-35 knots of breeze, we hit our top speed for the passage, 18.7 knots! We now have a record for the crew to aim for in the ARC in November. We were greeted on our first morning at sea by grey skies, large breaking waves and rain squalls. This was not what I had expected for a nice sail in the Mediterranean! When the breeze built to 38-40 knots, we broached with a poled-out genoa and sheared the spinnaker pole track off the mast. After tidying everything up, we decided to put one reef in the main and reef the genoa as well. The slab reefing system with a dedicated luff line worked very well and the boat was snug with a reef and settled back on course in no time. We continued on our way with this rig throughout the day and evening, the boat still sailing fantastically.