SHINE is a yacht that we know well.  The Grand Soleil 56’ is a capable blue water cruising yacht which also has the ability to regatta successfully and which is very rewarding to sail.  SHINE is a very highly specified example of her class, with a carbon spar and many other yard fitted extras.  In this ownership she has been totally uprated and has competed successfully on the regatta circuit as well as cruising extensively including completely an ARC Atlantic crossing.  She has been maintained regardless of cost and will give her new owner enormous pleasure as well as trouble free and fast sailing. 

I bought SHINE specifically to cruise and race a circuit of the Atlantic over 2 seasons.   In this time she has been to Rome – Southampton – St Peters Port – Cherbourg – La Coruna – Gran Canaria – St Lucia – The Grenadines – Antigua – Newport – Bermuda – New York – Boston – Fort Lauderdale – Key West – BVI – Antigua – Lymington.  She is a strong and seaworthy vessel that looks after her crew in all conditions.  I have added many sail handling options so that she can be set up correctly for inshore racing as well as shorthanded offshore sailing.  She is quite manageable with a husband and wife only but can also keep 16 people entertained at regattas.

I decided on a GS56 because most agree that 56’ is the largest waterline length boat that a couple can handle safely.  I discounted all of the mass production boat builders such as Hanse, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Dufour because I think the build quality and interior joinery is poor and they go for over beamy hulls to squeeze in accommodation at the expense of sea kindliness and performance.  I don’t like centre cockpit boats such as the Oyster because I think it’s the wrong place to helm a boat from and you’re too far removed from the back of the boat when you’re mooring stern too shorthanded.  I looked at the Swan 56 but its interior layout is poor and it has a single wheel which restricts movement around the cockpit.  With stern to mooring in the Med I wanted the owner’s cabin to forward to avoid the noise.

The following features make SHINE easy to handle by a couple:

• Fold down stern platform for easy throwing of stern lines and jumping ashore.
• Remote controls for anchor windlass.
• Slab main reefing with lazy jacks and V-boom.  With hi-load battens cars the main drops quickly and easily to each reef point.  There is a single clip at the mast and wind in the reefing pennant at the hatch.
• Electric winch at hatch for all halyards, reefing and spinnaker trimming.
• Profurl on jib which is no-overlapping.  The genoa winches are not powered but they are powerful and so as the jib is small it can be winched in with a few turns.
• German mainsheet system which means you have a powerful winch next to each helm and can adjust the main easily whilst helming.
• Autopilot!
• Raymarine chart platter in cockpit table which also controls the hifi.

RCD Status: The yacht conforms with the essential safety requirements of Directive 94/25EC (Recreational Craft Directive) and is categorised A – “Ocean”.

Hull, Deck & Superstructure Construction:

·         GRP Hull with white gel coat topsides and coach roof blue boot lines.

·         Teak deck.

·         Soda blasted re-sprayed primer and antifoul - Autumn 2014.

Keel & Rudder:

·         Carbon rudder and stock.

Engine & Gearboxes:

·         1 x Yanmar 4JH3 100hp diesel.

·         Racor fuel filter.

Maintenance & Performance:

·         Engine Hours: 2146 hours

·         Engine Serviced: Regularly to Yanmar guidelines.

·         According to hours, new fuel pump and injectors + full service (Winter 2015).

Propulsion & Steering:

·         Shaft driven 3-blade Max-Prop propeller through P-bracket.

·         Maxpower retractable bow thruster (2014).

·         Solimar steering system with twin wheels.

Voltage Systems:

·         24v domestic and 12v engine and generator start systems.

·         220v UK sockets at galley, chart table, owners and guest cabins.

·         12v cigar socket at chart table.

Battery Banks:

·         8x deka marine 105ah deep cycle new January 2014.

Battery Chargers:

·         Battery charger for both domestic and engine start

Alternators:

·         Bosch 80 amp 24v alternator on main engine, for domestic battery bank inproved pulley sizes for more efficient charging

·         Generator and engine both charge their own start batteries.

Generator:

·         Paguro 6500 – serviced regularly – last service Winter 2014/2015.

·         Generator Hours: 209 hours

Shore Power:

·         Shore power socket adjacent port wheel.

Other Electrical:

·         Mastervolt inverter.

Fresh Water & Water Heating System:

·         Water heater.

·         Hot water boiler with 220v immersion heater and exchange heating system with the main engine.

·         3 x 24 v electric pumps for discharging the 3 shower trays.

Bilge Pumps:

·         24 v electric pump for the main bilge.

·         Manual bilge pump, handle position under saloon floorboards

·         Additional manual bilge pump positioned beneath the wet locker behind the chart table.

·         Extra bilge pumps and float switches for chain locker and fo’c’sle,.

·         Water tank and fuel analogue gauges at chart table.

Fuel:

·         Total capacity of 400 litres in 1 x stainless steel tank.

Fresh water:

·         Total capacity of 720 litres in 6 x polyethylene tanks with inspection covers and anti-surge baffles.

·         B & G Hercules system.

·         4 x 20/20.

·         2 x FFD in cockpit.

·         1 x FFD at nav. station.

·         B & G auto pilot full service and all new lines and seals - summer 2014.

·         Computer output from instruments and AIS.

·         Simrad plotter with radar.

·         Raymarine E9 hydrid plotter in cockpit with AIS.

·         Ais transponder and receiver with dedicated masthead aerial.

·         Simrad 2 station vhf cockpit and chart table with dedicated masthead aerial.

·         All aerials and nav lights replaced- winter 2014/15.

Galley:

·         Double stainless steel sinks with mixer tap.

·         Top access fridge compartment.

·         Top access cool box.

·         Stainless steel gimballed gas cooker with 3 burners and oven.

·         Microwave.

Heating & Ventilation:

·         Climma air-conditioning to all cabins.

Entertainment:

·         TV.

·         Fusion stereo with internal iphone jack and link so can be controlled from cockpit chart plotter

Lighting:

·         LED bow navigation lights, new 2015.

LED stern navigation light,

·         Interior overhead recessed lights, with LED bulbs.

·         Chrome reading lamps to all cabins.

·         24v blue underwater lights at stern on both sides.

·         Underwater lighting.

·         Rig lighting.

Summary of Accommodation:

·         The interior joinery is Burma teak throughout, treated with polyurethane and buffed to a satin shine.

·         Teak and holly sole boards throughout.

·         Light beige Alcantara upholstery.

·         All heads electronic flush.

Description of layout from forwards:

Main saloon:

·         Light and airy with overhead deck hatch, 4 x coachroof fixed windows and opening port lights above galley and chart table.

·         C-shaped dining area to port with large fixed table and seating to three sides.

·         Recessed grabrails in overhead ceiling lining.

·         Numerous lockers and 2 x bookshelves.

·         Frigobar forward to starboard.

·         Berth/bench seat to starboard with lee cloth

Chart table:

·         Forward facing chart table to starboard of main companionway with 2 x side storage lockers, bosuns locker beneath with joinered drawers.

·         Wet locker behind navigator’s seat.

·         2^nd tv/pc screen at chart table

Galley:

·         C-shaped galley to port.

·         Corian type counter top.

·         Hinged door with rubbish bin.

·         High-level storage lockers.

·         Numerous low-level storage lockers with pull-out racking.

Forward Master Cabin:

·         Centre-line double berth with storage drawer beneath plus lift-up aft end on gas  struts for further storage.

·         Wing seats with storage beneath.

·         Small joinered storage lockers to sides of berth.

·         8 x high level lockers.

·         Large double hanging locker.

·         Overhead deck hatch.

Master Cabin En-suite Heads:

·         Shower cubicle with sliding door.

·         Wash hand basin with mixer tap, mirrored vanity unit with storage locker beneath.

·         Jabsco WC, with electric pump unit.

Port Aft Guest Suite:

·         Double berth with storage beneath.

·         Access panels to hot water calorifier and domestic water pump.

·         Access panel to generator.

·         Large hanging locker.

·         Side shelf.

·         Storage locker.

·         Opening port lights to side deck and cockpit.

·         Overhead deck hatch.

Port Aft Cabin En-suite Heads:

·         Shower.

·         Wash hand basin with mixer tap, mirrored vanity unit with storage locker beneath.

·         Jabsco wc, with electric pump.

Starboard Aft Guest Suite:

·         Double berth with storage beneath.

·         Access panels to hot water calorifier and domestic water pump.

·         Access panel to generator.

·         Large hanging locker.

·         Side shelf.

·         Storage locker.

·         Opening port lights to side deck and cockpit.

·         Overhead deck hatch.

Starboard Aft Cabin En-suite Heads:

·         Shower.

·         Wash hand basin with mixer tap, mirrored vanity unit with storage locker beneath.

·         Jabsco WC, with electric pump.

Rig:

·         Carbon mast and boom.

·         Carbon 3 spreader mast by King Composites.

·         Mast track removed and re bonded with plexus instead of Spabond – spring 2013.

·         New spreader roots- spring 2013.

·         Additional genoa sheave for use with tuff luff- spring 2013.

·         Up & down lights on mast- spring 2013.

·         Full new rod rigging- spring 2013.

·         New harken tuff luff- spring 2013.

·         Facnor low profile furler with own forestay- autumn 2013.

·         Fixed inner fore stay wire with facnor furler (cruising/ delivery mode).

·         Removable inner forestay covered kelvar replaced spring 2015.

·         Park avenue style boom with 3 reefs and cockpit lights.

·         Check stays added professionally engineered and installed-winter 2014/15.

·         Both mast and boom resprayed white in awlgrip by Desty summer 2013.

Hydraulics:

·         All Navtec and regularly serviced.

·         2 x backstay rams.

·         1 x vang ram serviced and shortened to allow for better leech profile- winter 2015.

·         1 x outhaul ram.

·         1 x Enerpac internal mast jack ram- winter 2015.

·         1 x Enerpac mast jack pump- serviced winter 2015.

Winches:

·         Harken and spinlock throughout.

·         All control lines lead back to cockpit.

·         Harken 60.3 mainsheet winches.

·         Harken 70.3 primary winches.

·         Harken 53 halyard winches the port of which is electronic.

·         Full rope package for racing and cruising mainly Marlow and regularly updated.

Sails:

SHINE has a very full sail inventory for both racing and cruising.

• Full battened spectra – now used as a delivery main.(I sails)
• Full battened North 3DI 2015 (5 days use).
• Short battened offshore main. (I sails)

Sails (Headsails – Tuff Luff unless otherwise stated):

• Shine has a choice of a Profurl or a Tuffluff system for her forestay and a roller furler or hanks system for her inner forestay.  She is also able to rate for non-overlapping (105%) headsails or overlapping (135 – 150%) headsails.  For the tradewinds of the Caribbean 105% is preferred whereas in the Mediterranean bigger genoas may be needed.
• All sails are made by North Sails unless otherwise stated.
• Light 1 135% (Tuff luff).
• Light 1 135% (Furler).
• Light 1 150% (Tuff Luff) (I sails)
• Med 1 135% (Tuff Luff).
• Heavy 1 135% (Tuff Luff).
• Jib top 135% (Tuff Luff).
• Med 105% (Tuff Luff) (I sails).
• Jib top 105% (Tuff Luff) (I sails).
• Heavy 105% (Tuff Luff).
• Medium 3DI (2014)101% (Furler) with vertical battens 10 days use.
• J4 Kevlar (Tuff Luff).
• Staysail for fixed furler on inner forestay (I sails).
• Staysail (2015) for removable stay on soft hanks 3 days use.
• Storm Jib (I sails).
• Trisail (I sails).

Sails (Spinnakers):

• Super light. (I sails)
• 0.5oz runner. (I sails)
• 0.5 oz vmg.
• 1.5 reacher. (I sails)
• A3 (Asymetric for heavier weather or cruising chute).(I sails)
• Snuffer (sock).
• Spin staysail (2015) with facnor furler used once.

General:

·         Teak cockpit table with folding leaves.

·         Custom stainless steel foot brace to base of cockpit table, modified and improved from original design.

·         Telescopic washboard.

·         24v Electric opening transom with integral bathing ladder.

·         2 x Large aft lazarette storage lockers beneath helm seats to port and starboard.

·         2 x Large side cockpit lockers.

·         2 x Gas bottle pods.

·         Halyard storage bin beneath teak grating near companionway.

·         Stainless steel stanchions.

·         2 x Opening side-gates mid-ships.

·         Stainless steel open-style pulpit.

·         Stainless steel pushpits.

·         4 x Fixed coachroof tinted windows.

·         Electronic stern opening.

• Custom lifting foot chocks painted in non-skid.
• Lightweight folding GRP passarelle.

Anchoring & Mooring Equipment:

·         Electronic windlass.

·         Electronic anchor roller lift.

·         Main anchor 55kg on retractable electric arm.

·         100m x 10mm chain.

·         25kg kedge anchor.

Covers, Canvas & Cushions:

·         GRP recess for stowage of sprayhood.

·         Sprayhood with stainless steel frame and separate cream stowage cover.

·         Bimini for helmsman with stainless steel frame and cream canvas cover.

·         White mainsail stack-pack cover with lazy-jacks.

·         Full cream boom tent linking into the bimini

·         Cockpit cushions.

·         Covers for cockpit table, saloon table, winches, hatches, the interior floors and wheels.

·         Jib forestay cover.

Safety Equipment:

·         Liferaft pod beneath floor to aft end of cockpit.

·         McMurdo EPIRB 406

·         RORC canister flare pack.

·         Jonbuoy

·         Horse-shoe life ring with strobe light.