Hallberg- Rassy 50 “European Yacht of the Year 2022” in the “Luxury Cruiser” category.

The new Hallberg-Rassy 50, a 50-foot (15.23-meter) long sailboat recently won the “European Yacht of the Year 2022” award in the “Luxury Cruiser” category. as the best luxury sailing yacht built in 2022.

 

The award was born in 2003 on the initiative of the German magazine Yacht with the aim of rewarding every year the best European boats designed and built to best meet the different needs in sailing in the sea enclosed in 5 categories which are: Family Cruiser, Performance Cruiser , Luxury Cruiser, Bluewater Cruiser and Special Yachts.

The professional jury is made up of journalists from the twelve leading European yachting magazines. The prize is awarded and motivated only after the jury has tested all the boats nominated in the competition in the category to which they belong and the winner is awarded for each category.

The new Hallberg-Rassy 50 is the result of the close collaboration between the Hallberg-Rassy shipyard and the naval study of the world-famous Argentine architect and sailor German Frers who designed the boat for the Swedish shipyard. A collaboration that has been consolidated over time that begins in 1988. 

This new yacht perfectly manages to express the great design work of one of the most talented of our time without losing the classic setting of the Swedish shipyard known worldwide for the solid build quality of its comfortable boats, easy to manage by a small crew with well protected wells.

Hallberg-Rassy are two Swedish shipyards, however, they have never collaborated in the construction of a boat.

When Christoph Rassy started the business, he bought the site of an old shipyard from the boat builder Harry Hallberg in Kungsviken on the island of Orust in Sweden.

The Harry Hallberg shipyard founded in 1943 began building its first wooden boats more or less on instinct. The different possible solutions were discussed with the customer and then directly implemented. The projects hardly existed at all. It was said that: “Whoever cannot build a boat without drawings cannot define himself as a true boat builder”.

The Harry Hallberg shipyard in 1963 was one of the pioneers in the production of fiberglass sailboats, the first to mass-build fiberglass hulls with a wooden superstructure. So in the mid-1960s the shipyard in Kungsviken had become too small for shipbuilder Harry Hallberg so he built a new, larger site in Ellös, 10 kilometers southwest on Orust Island and put the site up for sale. of his old shipyard then bought by Christoph Rassy.

In the years 1965 to 1972, Harry Hallberg and Christoph Rassy were two competing Swedish shipyards. 

Then in 1972 Harry Hallberg decided to retire from the business and in the meantime Christoph Rassy was looking for larger premises and yet fate intervened because in 1972 Rassy bought the Harry Hallberg site for the second time this time in Ellös.

Since the Hallberg brand was by far the best known at the time, Christoph Rassy chose to call the new yard with the name of the two yards that became one with the name Hallberg-Rassy, ​​this decision gave excellent results. 

The new Hallberg-Rassy 50 is a luxury cruising sailing yacht with elegant lines and refined details and perfect finishes made to enjoy high quality sailing in comfort. She is a contemporary yacht, with well-functioning solutions with lots of space in the cockpit, on deck and below deck. She is a good blue water cruiser that sails well in all conditions equipped with an impeccable sail plan that is easily manageable thanks to all the largely automatic equipment on deck. According to some opinion leaders in the sector, she is the best model built by the Swedish shipyard in the current era.

The modern and efficient hull shape uses every inch of expert German Frers design and offers impressive sailing performance in all wind ranges because it has been designed with a long waterline that is up to 50cm (1 ′ 8 “) longer than its big brother Hallberg-Rassy 55. The front of the underwater hull is rounded which allows for smooth movement in the open sea at any angle of heel.

The boat overall is 16.34 m (53.7 ft) long; hull length is 15.23 (50 ft); Waterline length is 14.80m (48.7ft); Maximum width is 5.02m (16.6ft); Draft 2.35 m (7.7 ft); Displacement 21,000 kg (46,300 lbs); Ballast weight 7,150 kg (15,763 lbs); Water 800 liters; Fuel 1,000 liters; Total sail area 136 square meters; Sail area with genoajib 131.5 sq m; Optimized mainsail sail area and 149.5 sq m genoajib, 110 hp Yanmar 4JH110CR engine.

The deck layout entirely covered in teak leaves plenty of space to relax and have fun both while sailing and when standing still with the possibility of setting up a spacious sunbathing area in the bow. Below deck we find a large stowage space. We discover a first huge locker between the forward cabin and the chain locker. Two other lockers are located aft with openings from above, another locker in the cockpit and a good stowage for fenders and ropes we find it above the locker of the anchor chain.

The cockpit is the typical Hallberg-Rassy one, very sheltered with high walls, protected by a wraparound windshield that can be equipped with soft top or hard top, with tempered glass with the central section that can be opened and handles on the sides, an ideal solution for the cockpit for both hot and cold areas.

The well sheltered cockpit is a typical feature of almost all boats produced in the north because they must be able to sail in all weather conditions.

In the cockpit there are also the two twin control wheels installed together with the navigation control instrumentation with plenty of passage space to move forward with a perfect view both on sails, navigation instruments and the sea and during maneuvers in port. The two wheels are positioned not too far back and leave ample space in the stern. As an option, a large fixed table in glossy lacquered teak can be installed in the cockpit.

The sail plan has been designed to facilitate maneuvers with the 25 meter high carbon mast with electrically furling mainsail and together with various additional options including a fantastic furling Code Zero you get amazing performances. 

The interiors have been created on a single level throughout the boat to allow easy freedom of movement both in navigation and when standing still.

During the day they are full of natural light and well ventilated thanks to the numerous hatches and side windows in the hull and in the evening they are illuminated by an advanced LED lighting system.

The basic layout for the interiors includes a lounge with a very large chart area with kitchen and 3 cabins and two bathrooms.

 The master cabin with bathroom is located aft with double or twin single bed the other two guest cabins with shared bathroom in the bow. Cabins are spacious and built with solid Swedish build quality. Obviously the basic layout can be modified according to the owner’s needs and preferences.

Compared to previous models, the mast has been moved slightly further back so that the saloon can be even wider. The galley can be linear and mounted along the left side or “L” mounted on the right.

The boat also stands out for the capacity of the water and fuel tanks that make it suitable for long voyages and for the long list of standard equipment starting from the sails, then there is the mast with electrically furling mainsail, jib furler, the teak deck, Sleipner Side-Power retractable bow thruster. Also included in the same list are a 12kW generator, 110hp main engine and electric cooker, fridge and freezer, antifouling, fenders, mooring lines and much more.

The boat convincingly won the European Yacht of the Year 2022 ”award in the“ Luxury Cruiser ”category. because the jury tested the boat in the water and verified that nothing is missing on this 50-footer.