by George Day
Eighteen months ago we published one of the first reviews in the U.S. of the remarkable Pegasus 50, which I had gone aboard during the Cannes Festival of Yachting in France. At the time, I met Nicolas Jonville, a Southern California entrepreneur who had purchased a new Pegasus from the Slovenian builder and had taken on the role as the Pegasus brand representative in the U.S.
Since then, Nico, as he is called, has sailed his boat across the North Atlantic to the Caribbean and then, this spring, sailed it to the U.S. East Coast. For the first time since the Pegasus 50 brand was launched, there will be a boat at North American boat shows for potential buyers to see in person.
The Pegasus 50 will be available for walk throughs during the Newport International Boat Show and at the Annapollis Sailboat Show. In Newport, the boat will be based in Conanicut Marina, Jamestown, Rhode Island, just across the Bay from Newport. In Annapolis, the boat will be in the show itself.
You can book a tour of the boat in Rhode Island from September 11 through 15 by clicking here.
You can book a visit to the boat at the Annapolis show from October 9 through 12 by clicking here.
To refresh your memory of what this new 50-foot, brilliant blue-water cruiser is all about, here is the review I wrote in April 2024.
Every now and then a boat comes along that is a kind of epitome of what a blue water cruising boat should be. And, often, these boats are amalgams of a designer’s deep experience blended with thoughtful input from cruising sailors who have put many thousands of miles on their own boats and who know what really works and what doesn’t.
The Pegasus 50 is just such a boat. Her Slovenian designers and builders have built hundreds of high-tech, modern cruising boats. In particular, they are the builders of the Shipman line of high-end cruisers, boats that have made more than 30 circumnavigations. Their owners talked; Pegasus listed.
The 50 is built around four essential concepts. First, the boat has to be built for ultimate safety in all the conditions you’ll meet sailing around the world and visiting high latitudes.
Second the boat has to offer her crew comfort, accommodations and a cockpit that will make a fine and efficient home for long-term living aboard, particularly for a couple.
Third, the fit and finish has to exude a certain understated luxury in true yacht style while at the same time her onboard systems have to be arranged and installed in an impeccable and seaman-like fashion.
Last but not least, the 50 has to offer her owners sailing performance above and beyond the average. And, the keels, rudders and rig have to combine for ease of handling for a couple and raw sailing power that will allow them to make fast passages.
FEATURES
You’ll note that the 50 has a tall carbon rig with a large fully-battened mainsail that flakes into a boom pack mounted on wide boom brackets. Lowering this big sail is a cinch. Forward it has a self-tacking, 80% jib, a 100% genoa and a bowsprit from which can be flown a Code Zero or an asymmetrical spinnaker. This all spells ease of handling and plenty of horsepower.
Under the water, the 50 has a tandem wing keel that has a very low center of gravity for stability and the extra upwind lift of the tandem design. Twin rudders are essential because of the 50’s broad transom. In a good blow downwind, it will steer like she’s on rails and will always be easy on the autopilot.
The cockpit has a dinghy garage built into the transom plus two large “technical lockers” under the bench seats. One locker is for all the “wet” stuff like the water pumps, manifolds, water maker, filters and so forth. The other “dry” lock is for all of the electrical equipment and electronics that do not mix well with the wet, salty environment of the sea. The engine compartment under the cockpit floor can be accessed through side hatches in each locker.
The centerline cockpit table has a life-raft compartment in its aft end and a cockpit fridge in the forward end. The entire table can fold backwards on a hinge to reveal to tops of the engine and generator. Not only is this feature useful for regular maintenance, it also means you can hoist the engine right out of the boat for a major overhaul. You need to have been in the cruising game for a while to realize how important this feature can be.
LIVING ABOARD
On a cruising boat, you spend most of your time in the cockpit and want to be safe and protected from the elements in all conditions. So, a rigid dodger and a hard top are features you can really appreciate. Just think about rainy night watches.
But, being out in the open air is also a true pleasure of the cruising life, so the cockpit structure has open sides that can be closed off with isinglass panels and a retractable sun roof down the middle of the hard top. On starry nights, you can be out of the wind but still watch the planets coursing by.
The cockpit joins the saloon down two steps and the two spaces can be linked by opening the sliding glass door between them. This catamaran-like design really appeals to crews sharing the galley and cockpit duties at sea.
The forward third of the 50 has the sleeping cabins and heads with a decided emphasis on creating a large and commodious master suite. For a couple planning to move aboard for years at a time, a bedroom is a must. And guest cabins are important, too.
But, this area of the 50 can be built to any owner’s unique specs, so each 50 is slightly different. And, that makes them special.
BLUE WATER READY
The new Pegasus 50 could make a fine coastal cruising boat. But that is not what she was conceived, designed and built for. No, the 50 is a blue water machine that will be an amazing home and a platform for exploring the farthest corners of your dreams and the remotest coves of your adventurous spirit.
The 50 comes fully equipped with everything from sails, electronics, genset, watermaker, and AC right on down to the cutlery and China. All you need is your seabag and groceries.
At just over a million dollars, the Pegasus 50 falls in line with a lot of semi-production luxury cruising boats in this size range. But she will sail rings around most of them. Two hundred mile-days, here we come.
Visit the Pegasus website here. https://pegasus-yachts.com/
Contact the Pegasus US representative Nicolas Jonville in San Diego.
Email: Nicolas@pegasusyachtsusa.com
Phone & WhatsApp: 760-207-7130
