Saffier Yachts: Luxury day sailing/weekender now available in Australia and New Zealand
by Greg West/Saffier Yachts AustralAsia 12 May 2020 12:11 BST
12 May 2020
Saffier SC8 - luxury day sailer/weekender is now available in Australia and New Zealand © Saffier Yachts
Saffier Yachts are the world's largest builder of luxury day sailing / weekend yachts with over 800 yachts built.
Based in the sea side port of Ijmuiden Holland, the company is owned and run by two brothers Dennis and Dean Hennevanger. Dennis is the CEO, with an interesting past including being a professional windsurfer, super yacht skipper and lead guitarist in a rock band. Dean is a Naval architect and is in charge of the design of the Saffier yacht range.
The story of the Hennevanger family began with the boys growing up in Sydney, where their father Richard was a boat builder. During this time Richard had the dream to sail the world so he built a yacht and for the next 7 years the Hennevanger family did just that, eventually ending up back in his native Holland, building small yachts.
Over the years the business flourished, with Dennis and Dean taking over the company and expanding the product offering into what it is today. All yachts are designed and built in house - with an eagle eye on quality and layout.
Saffier focus on building beautiful yachts that sail superbly are set up for simple single-handed sailing with plenty of room for family and friends. They have won numerous European yacht of the year awards, and with over 800 yachts built they understand the market very well, with the focus on safe, sailing pleasure.
Dennis has a well-earned reputation for taking Saffier yachts out into the North Sea in gales, often when much larger yachts won't venture out of the harbour. Saffier's are well built and seaworthy.
Saffier currently offer eight yachts within the 6.5 - 12-meter range.
The SC (Saffier Classic) range of yachts are beautifully built classically styled yachts, with modern underwater packages, solid lead keels, and ergonomically laid out cockpits.
The SE (Saffier Elegance) offer similar attributes, but are contemporary styled fast luxury yachts - these are not stripped out race boats.
All Saffier yachts are designed and laid out for efficient single-handed sailing, with a large list of options that allow for a high level of customization.
The team at Saffier recognize that many people purchase yachts with lots of accommodation, with the romantic notion of spending weeks cruising offshore, but in reality, only day sail - or overnight if the weather is nice. Often these yachts are more akin to a floating caravan with a focus on the galley layout - rather on sailing performance and pleasure.
A typical buyer that would be attracted to the Saffier range of yachts would be someone who appreciates beautiful, well built, maintenance free yachts, with the ability to head out at a moment's notice for a few hours hassle free racing around the cans - or a nice weekend, either by themselves, or with friends and family in a yacht that sails beautifully and will look after you if the weather turns rough.
The newest member of the Saffier family is the SE27, a 27-footer that has already exceeded 20 knots in shake down testing.
Both the SC and SE offer standard features such as built in auxiliary engines, self-tacking gibs, and Esthdec synthetic teak decking. The Esthdec has been used for 20 + years on luxury yachts and looks and feels like teak, offering the non-slip benefits and luxury feel - without the need for sanding and caulking, stubborn stains such as oil, diesel and red wine can all be easily spot cleaned.
Surfing the Web in early 2019 I first came across the racy image of the Saffier SE37, and convinced my wife Belinda and my two boys to detour via Holland to visit Saffier on their upcoming European holiday.
We arrived in Ijmuiden on a cool spring morning and after looking around the ship yard, and meeting key people, we soon stepped aboard the magnificent SE37 with Dennis. After several hours of sailing in 20 Knots of breeze, it became apparent what fantastic yachts these are with well thought out, simple handling systems that enhance any sailing experience.
It also became apparent that the award winning Saffier range of yachts had no representation in the Down under markets.
After several months of negotiations, we formed Saffier Yachts AustralAsia Ltd to promote the Saffier brand within Australia and New Zealand.
In December 2019 Saffier Yachts AustralAsia Ltd received their first demo yacht - a Saffier SC8 meter, a gorgeous classically styled 8-meter yacht. Hapaira (Maori for Sapphire) sits on picturesque lake Wanaka NZ and is sailed whenever time permits, with electric winches, furling head sails and an auto pilot, heading out for a quick sail is no effort at all - even single handed in 30 knots, or on board with the family- the cockpit has plenty of room for six and simple, comfortable accommodation for a weekend away.
Hapaira was recently reviewed by Boating NZ, the full article can be found by clicking here
As the company name suggests, Saffier Yachts AustralAsia Ltd are the exclusive agents for both the NZ and Australian markets. Saffier Yachts Australasia plan to be regular attendees at the major on water boat shows in both countries - however this year the Covid 19 has put a dent in their plan!
We are getting a number of Australian enquiries, with families planning to combine a weekend away in Lake Wanaka with a test sail.
Our plan is to grow our business by developing personal relationships via referrals - they are such pretty boats that they generate a lot of attention!
We can assist with all facets of the purchase, from helping with specifications and freight through to commissioning the yacht. These are not cheap boats but are exceptionally well designed with a 20-year pedigree, and offer good value for money, we strongly believe that the attributes that have made Saffier such a success in Europe are equally applicable down under, with the fantastic sailing that both countries offer.
For more information on Saffier Yachts
Website: To view the fantastic range of Saffier Yachts please visit
www.saffieryachts.com
Saffier Yachts AustralAsia Ltd
To contact Greg West of Saffier Yachts AustralAsia . Mobile: +64 21 772318