The Boat

Menai III is our second yacht and also a Jeanneau Sun Fast 37. The Sun Fast 37 was built for comfort, speed and is a spacious offshore cruiser offering good performance under sail. She has a generous tankage which is useful for cruising further afield. The powerful rig is set up for hands-on trimming from the cockpit - great for when you're learning the ropes.

Since acquiring Menai III in 2018 we have refurbished her ready for the 2019 season and this has enabled us to expand the number of places available for training courses. During the Round the Island Race it'll also mean we can have two matched yachts so crews can have a 'race within a race'.

In addition to all the standard gear, Menai III is also equipped with extra features which make her well suited to longer passages and our regular adventure cruises - autohelm, AIS, radar and heating!

As with Nomad 1, Menai III has the majority of control lines running back to the cockpit through clutches which are clearly labelled. The main sheet and traveller are in the cockpit with a pulley system allowing quick and easy control. A new forestay and furling drum fitted in 2018 enable a quick and untroubled furling of the headsail.

Menai III has a large main saloon with table that will seat five comfortably for an evening meal. This allows planning to extend from the chart table where necessary giving plenty of room for more than one person to be working on navigation. The main saloon also doubles up as sleeping accommodation at night should it be required. And for games in the evening.

Menai III has three double cabins - one in the bow and two in the stern. All the cabins had new upholstery fitted late 2019 and benefit from a breathable layer between the cushions and the wooden surface. We have replaced all the headlining in the cabins January 2020 and all cabins have wardrobe space and pillows for your comfort.

Menai III has a large chart table containing all the folios you will need to navigate in and around the Solent as well as across the Channel. We updated our electronics with a Raymarine Axiom Pro chartplotter in 2019 which has up to date Navionics software. The chartplotter is connected to our AIS transceiver allowing training on how to use this in assisting collision avoidance. We also have an extensive library (for a boat) enabling our students to reference a number of different publications on a variety of topics relating to all things sailing.

The boat is well stocked with an array of herbs and spices for those of you who enjoy cooking and has a wide variety of cooking utensils, pots and pans for use in the galley. In past years we've seen the start of baking by some of our more adventurous chefs - this activity is not compulsory! The fridge includes a fairly effective freezer, capable of producing ice cubes for G&T, Scotch and Rum and soft drinks.

Finally the 'heads'. Well there is not much to say about this little space on the boat other than it has a better shower than some marinas I could, but won't, mention and is generally a lot cleaner. Quite handy when you are sitting at anchor or on a mooring buoy off the beautiful island of Sark.