Product of the Week- Sweden's Arcona 34

by Nancy Knudsen on 5 Jun 2010 You want a comfortable cruising boat, but you don't want a dog. Swedish company Arcona's newest product, the Arcona 340 perfectly fits that category and was nominated for 'European Yacht of the Year 2009/2010', in the class of 'performance cruiser.'

As usual every year, a jury composed of journalists from 11 leading sailing magazines in Europe test the nominated boats. The winners in each class are published in the Dusseldorf Trade Fair in January.

In 2009 it was the 340's big sister, the Arcona 430, that won 'European Yacht of the Year' in the same category, beating such well known finalists as Beneteau First 45, the Dufour 45, Finngulf 43 and Salona 34.

Arcona 340 seems to be loaded with top-performance characteristics for maximum sailing experience: high-class joinery, practical details in the right place and a built-in comfort from the beginning.

According to Adam Loory of www.ukhalsey.com!UK-Halsey_Sailmakers, the yacht 'combines performance with comfort, and brings the price and size down to an achievable level for the average cruising couple/family without losing any of the quality that Arcona is well known for.

He also reported on the yacht being tested 'real-time' with great success: 'In the Netherlands this spring, Harry Amsterdam proved this comfortable cruiser is a fast sailboat as well. The Lenco Regatta, off Lelystad, in late April was sailed under light conditions. On the first day three short upwind-downwind races were sailed followed by a long distance race on Sunday.

'In the ORC Class 2, Amsterdam sailing the new Arcona 340 finished third. Given the fact that Harry's Arcona 340 had just come out of the box with no preparation at all, this was an excellent result - and her carbon Tape-Drive sails were perfect.'

Even on a long cruising passage, there are times when 'a fast boat is a safe boat', especially when it comes to avoiding weather systems. For anyone thinking of acquiring a new boat of about this length, and wanting some performance as well as comfort, this boat would have to be on the short list.

To inquire for more information, click http://www.arconayachts.se/_cur/kontakt/kontakt_eng.htm!here