Matteo Polli continues to collaborate beautifully with his fellow Italian style masters at Nauta Design to create a standout Grand Soleil lineup. This Grand Soleil 52P is positioned between the performance cruisers of the larger range and the cruiser-racers of the smaller models, giving benefits of both, he says – a comfortable fast cruiser that can be raced.

Nauta’s co-founder Massimo Gino considers this the best looking deck of the range yet, and together with Polli, he gave me a tour of this first yacht at its Cannes Boat Show premiere. This was particularly interesting as I heard both points of view – including how they negotiate over space and best positioning of the mast for example.

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“I had to fight for every millimetre with Matteo for bed space in the forward cabin,” says Gino with a smile. “It has the soul of a performance line, which means less compromise on my calls,” a grateful Polli counters.

The 52P (Performance – so a sleek, not raised coachroof) has a whopping 5.15m beam in a modern attractive shape. “If you keep the waterline narrow and the beam wide then you get the best compromise,” reckons Polli, referring to performance, interior volume and stability – a hull shape with lots of form stability negates the need to carry too much lead.

Either four or six winches are available with jib tracks for overlapping or self-tacking headsails. This first example has an optional longer bowsprit and traveller, in a mix between performance and easy sailing, and it also has an in-boom furler.

Interior feels spacious with low cabinets and plenty of natural light

The grey oak Alpi interior may be a little neutral for some, it perhaps lacks some ventilation and the forward ensuite is a tad compact. But it’s designed to perform. The build includes strict attention to the designed weight (16.5 tonnes light) with foam-cored panels and full ply structural bulkheads.

The mast base is as far aft as it could be. A practical solution to this in the saloon is to have an inboard bench which slides forward to sit at the table yet still provides access past the mast base. Tanks are below the saloon sole, closest to the centre of gravity, so they don’t change the trim of the boat depending on the amount of liquid carried.

This is a three-cabin, three-heads yacht as standard, the only option being a split berth in one of the aft cabins.

Grand Soleil 52P specifications

LOA: 17.05m /55ft 11in
Hull length: 16.20m / 53ft 2in
Beam (Max): 5.15m / 16ft 11in
Draught: 2.90m / 9ft 6in
Disp (lightship): 16,500kg / 36,376lb
Berths: 6/8
Engine: 75hp Yanmar saildrive
Water: 600lt / 132gal
Fuel: 350lt / 77gal
Price: (ex VAT) from €689,000 ex VAT
Design: Matteo Polli & Nauta Design

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