There was a moment during our test of the Saffier SE 33 Life when I lowered my camera, drew breath, and simply watched as a spectator, not a critic.
It came as the Code Zero unfurled majestically in the spring seabreeze, its tangerine sailcloth glistening like lustrous neon as it inhaled the first gust. The sleek, shiny blue hull quickly pulled away, frothing at the bow.
For a sailing aficionado starved of delicious daysailers like this, it was a moment that deserved orchestral accompaniment and a cymbal crash. If we’d been filming a commercial, the director would have cried “Cut! That’s a wrap!” and headed off for a latte.
You see, such sights are increasingly rare in a world where naval architects often prioritise accommodation before pondering how to make the hull sail well. With the Saffier, it’s the other way around – the correct way around, arguably – because performance is never wasted.
Not too many performance boats offer the Saffier’s level of quality and luxury. The ‘SE’ in its name stands for speed and elegance, so I could barely wait to jump aboard and see if it lived up to its label.
Diamond cut
Dutch-owned Saffier Yachts has an interesting backstory, helmed by the Hennevanger family who built Santana cruising yachts in Sydney in the 1960s.
Saffiers are an entirely different beast, and the company is now the world’s largest manufacturer of high-end daysailers. They are also a recipient of multiple European Yacht of the Year awards, including for the SE 33 Life in 2022.
Its symbol is a diamond, and the level of finish is certainly polished. Structural components, for example, are glassed in, while the hull is foam core and vacuum infused with a carbon-strengthened deck. The production time for each boat is up to four months.
White is the standard gelcoat finish, but coloured hulls are a Saffier trademark. Our test boat looked radiant in azure-blue, complemented by teak-style Esthec decking and mustard-coloured upholstery.
The colours were personally chosen by Peter Hrones, the Director of Eyachts, who saw Saffier as a good fit for his boutique, family-run dealership, Carbon Yachts. Indeed, Peter didn’t just secure importation rights, he bought the test boat for his own private use.
It would be difficult to find a better boat for Pittwater, Port Phillip, or any waterway where twilight and pointscore racing are popular.
Deck layout
What sets a day-sailer apart from floating apartments is the cockpit, and the 33 is a triumph of ergonomics, simplicity and functionality. Indeed, the execution is obsessively clean, borrowing from European superyacht thinking.
It begins with a retractable swimladder housed in a transom recess so as not to visually intrude. Next is an aft sunpad where you can sip a drink or sit away from the sheet-pulling action – just watch out for the traveller.
Having that rear pad pushes the two helms forward and there are padded backrests for added comfort. The skipper sits in the sail control epicentre, with all lines running back under a coaming to electric Harken winches that are self-tailing, two-speed and reversible.
The mainsheet channels through the boom to the mast then splits to lead back to both the port and starboard winches. Spinlock clutches and rope lockers keep everything tidy, in lieu of tossing the tails down the companionway.
High-back bench seats in the mid-cockpit keep sailors comfortable and secure when the boat is heeled. A windscreen deflects the breeze and airborne spray and accommodates
a cabrio dodger extension.
Continuing the clean theme, the track for the self-tacking jib is recessed, as is the headsail furler. The foredeck hatch is also flush, the cleats are retractable, and the anchor system is foldable. Finally, there is a carbon bowsprit, standard on boats coming here.
Cruising touches
With Pittwater offering protected bays for a Sunday sail, the SE 33’s cockpit is also ideal for socialising, having an optional cockpit fridge and dinette table. For a nap or sleepover, the open-plan cabin offers sitting headroom, berths for two adults and two children, an enclosed head, and a compact galley. Topside windows afford extra light.
The test boat sported a 15hp Yanmar diesel spinning
a saildrive, and Saffier also offers a Torqeedo POD electric engine with twin batteries. Rarely, though, will a motor be needed beyond the startline dash and your return to the marina, as the 33 is quick to rig and moves in the lightest of airs.
Pure performance
With the elegance box firmly ticked, how about speed? Well, retro-looking windscreen aside, this is a performance thoroughbred with a rig towering 14.5m above the waterline, supported by twin, curved, swept-back spreaders along with a wide chainplate base and backstay.
Owner Peter Hrones chose carbon spars and rod rigging over the standard Selden alloy set-up, yielding a 52% weight saving aloft. He also added factory-upgraded carbon sails from Elvstrom and a race keel with a faired lead bulb that draws 2.1m. The standard solid lead keel draws 1.7m, and there’s a 1.4m shallow-draft option too.
The hull designed by Saffier compatriots Satellite Yacht Design incorporates the latest racing thinking ensuring that it’s slippery and responsive, with impressive form stability and planing ability. Displacement is just under 3 tonnes, of which 1250kg is ballast. Power is via 56m2 of working sail area, a 62m2 Code Zero and 85m2 gennaker.
Underway, the single spade rudder maintains a brilliant grip on the water, and displays good balance and sensitivity. Pointing ability is excellent and the self-tacker allowed us to play shifts. An overlapping genoa is useful for twilighting.
The 33 easily maintained momentum and I reckon it would be a diamond in rough waters too. Never, even when pressed under the Code Zero, did it look like rounding up. Rather, it bore away with ease, clocking speeds just below the 10-knot wind strength.
If you’re looking for a car equivalent, think Porsche Cabriolet. The vibe is chilled, but you will also be thrilled. Although pricing starts at around A$600,000, for the model as tested you’ll pay A$760K, and up to A$840K with electric motor and other add-ons.
That’s not exactly cheap, but this is a purist’s sailing yacht: immaculately built, with sublime performance and ample comfort. At the end of the day, you can go back to the club, then home to a hot shower and your own bed.
