St Francis 50
The St Francis 50 MKII is the most recent and largest model in the range of catamarans built by St Francis Marine. In every respect she continues the pedigree -- fine styling, seaworthy lines and versatility of choice in terms of interior layout. These features developed through the St Francis 44 and 48 are now expressed in a high degree of refinement in the St Francis 50. For instance, with the greater loading capacity, it is possible to support better on-board systems such as air conditioning, improved refrigeration, state of the art navigation and communications systems driven by a more powerful genset.
The designer, Angelo Lavranos, has taken the opportunity to improve on the renowned performance and ease of handling enjoyed by owners of the St Francis 48. The new design offers improved speed, reduced transom immersion and disturbance, better overall motion characteristics, better looks, and bigger platform space. The additional buoyancy in the sterns also allows for a bigger tender to be lifted and stored with the davit system.
The St Francis 50 is a sophisticated yacht with all the modern conveniences of a home, yet she is a passage maker at heart, capable of crossing oceans at an average of 200 plus nautical miles per day. The St Francis 50's construction integrity and her seaworthiness are endorsed by the following account from the delivery skipper who sailed her around Africas most southern point, Cape Agulhas:
"We experienced 60 knots of westerly, wind against current. The sea was horrific. The crew did not feel threatened but for the two of us with experience, it was probably the worst conditions we would ever sail in. At one point we recorded 26.2 knots of boat speed! Both for the boat and for us it was exploring new territory. Never before had we run before 60 knots with huge following seas. At no stage was she burying the bows, even though she was overtaking the waves."