Jeanneau invents the 360 Docking and gives skippers confidence in manoeuvring large yachts in harbour.
Manoeuvring a yacht of over 12 metres in harbour is stressful for many skippers and their crews, whether family or not. Even with a bow thruster, the bulk, the inertia and the sensitivity to windage and tides of these boats makes their handling difficult in the often small and congested ports of the European coasts. These problems can spoil the enjoyment of a lovely sailing trip, as well as put off the acquisition of a larger model.
In partnership with the ZF Marine industrial group, one of the world leaders in the business of providing gearbox and transmission technology, Jeanneau have just designed a totally innovative system that makes manoeuvring in harbour child’s play.
The principle is simple: the engine is coupled to a sail drive with a rotating pod capable of pivoting over 360°, which also controls the bow thruster, and the helm is locked. The boat is steered with one finger with a simple joystick.
Thus it can manoeuvre over 360° (from which the name "360 Docking[1]" comes) in all directions: forward, astern, sideways or diagonally, at the desired speed to come gently alongside.
Such a system is a first for large sailing yachts. It is available from now on as an option on all Jeanneau yachts over 44'.