Amel - Do you fit the bill?

by John Curnow on 21 Sep 2016 It is certainly an interesting set of criterion. Perhaps it is equally as fascinating as the many features that go into either the Amel 55 or 64 and make them a definitive part of the quintessential bluewater cruiser armada. We’ll come to all of those in due course, but firstly we’ll tackle the hero image and why in so many ways, this explains, so, so much.

Firstly, you’ll be a sailor, or most certainly been around boats for some time. Why? Because you will instantly know that having the liferaft as part of the fence makes fantastic sense (and yes, that was fully intended). God forbid you’ll ever need it, but should you do so, deploying it by merely releasing it from its cage will be easy and quick. Also probably a really good time to point out that the lifelines are indeed solid stainless all the way around!

You won’t be heaving something out from the lazarette and then trying to throw it into the drink. When it has all gone South on you, those moments returned to you could be what you need to get the grab bag, make the SOS with your position, fire the EPIRB, and ensure the safety of all on board. Me likey that!

What else do you then need to fit the Amel bill? Well you will be of means, for an Amel does not come cheap, but then you won’t be left wanting for much either, except plenty of the wide blue yonder to go and explore. You’ll be over 55, a couple who has family and friends pop in for some legs to enjoy the VIP cabin up for’ard, and know why things are designed in a certain way, and then subsequently built to an exacting standard.

Most of all you’ll know that safety begins well before you leave the quay, that ease of handling means central, one touch controls, that true style is somewhat timeless and that comfort comes from a powerful hull form. If you know all of the above, then you could be about to start a journey that will allow you to embark on that massive expedition and inspire you like a pod of dolphins playing at your bow, the green flash of sunset or cocktail hour aboard.

To understand it all a bit more, I was fortunate enough to spend time with Amel’s Sales Manager, Boris Compagnon, in the luxurious and sunken cockpit of an Amel 55. The very first question was to confirm that even though the helm is front of the mizzen mast, she is still a ketch, not a yawl. “So there’s a difference between the helm and the rudder. Here the mizzen is front of the rudder, and that makes it a ketch.”

Whilst talking rigs, it was great to have Compagnon go on to explain the reason for going with a ketch rig rather than a bigger, single sloop rig. “Amel has always designed bluewater cruisers, for a couple, so shorthanded. Originally it was much easier to deal with several small sails than two big ones. We’ve kept this idea into today, even if they’re now working with furlers for the headsail, the main and mizzen.”

“This makes the boat much more balanced in rough conditions, easier to reduce sail area quickly, and less heel because the height of the mast is shorter than on a sloop. So we keep this tradition for the classic bluewater cruiser and made it very comfortable for a couple to sail, and now it’s kind of our brand image.”

Yet it is the copious amounts of room, especially for a couple, that make you realise this is a very large boat, a very liveable boat. Now if you’re off for a circumnavigation, you will spend months on board and what you’ll need is space, and lots of storage.



Amel’s pair of ketches certainly have that, no doubt in a large way due to the self-contained, watertight engine and ancillaries compartment in the middle of the boat, where everything mechanical/electrical is located. Then, as you sit in the cockpit, you realise you are actually above it. The result, apart from being quiet, is a lot of free storage everywhere around and inside the boat.

Astute readers will also see that this means everything is away from the living areas, and that means low vibration, no smells or fumes and easy access. To go down, you lift up the cockpit sole, which is on gas struts, and you’re there. Inside a couple of minutes you can account for all the equipment, and you have easy access to it all, which in turn means easy to maintain and repair.

Probably a good time to mention that there is no prop shaft here. Rather, the drive goes down the keel to the trailing edge, where the folding prop with shaft lock not only pushes parallel to the intended direction, which is more efficient, but is also somewhat protected.

Now the other thing you find about the Amel is that she is quite beamy, which is handy if your intention is to reach around, or better, as much of the globe as you can. Still, you may have to punch your way into some of it. Time then to go back to Compagnon and see what she will really do.

“So the average cruising speed for ocean passages would be between 8 and 10 knots, which is quite fair. Motoring at 1500 revs, would give seven and a half knots for less than 6 litres/hour (from 900l), which is also quite fair and gives the boat huge autonomy. Also, even though she is a ketch, the boat points at 30 degrees to the wind, which is more than pretty fair for a cruising boat.”

Note that this is genoa, main and mizzen all out, and in lightish winds and flat seas. That in turn highlights how it is all push button electric furling and tacking. “Yes. We have built them like this since 1983, and we design and produce our own masts, in-house. Our systems allow you to furl in or furl out, whatever the tack is. So even if you’re on the reach, or your going downwind, you’re not obliged to face back the weather to furl in or furl out.”

“This all makes the boat very safe, especially keeping in mind that it’s just a couple on board. So that’s why we have many owners who have done a circumnavigation with just the two of them, because the systems are reliable, and easy to deal with.”

Amel estimate that their owners are alone on board for something like 60% of the time, which is why so much of the space is available to them. Not that guests get short changed in any way, for the for’ard cabin is both copious and near decadent. There is also so much space on deck, or in the cockpit, so how do Amel describe the overall picture.

“The layout is about the owners being able to receive family or friends and then offer them full intimacy by giving them a VIP Stateroom. Yet of course, most of the time they’re on their own, so they should be able to use most of the boat. It doesn’t make any sense to not let them have access to half the boat for more than half the time. So that’s why they go aft where there is better beam on offer and we can dedicate more of the overall room to the live aboard owners. Also, whilst cruising, it is the most comfortable part of the boat.”

So if it has got you inspired and you think you might fit the bill, then it may serve you well to know why an Amel is well, an Amel. The company was founded by a naval architect, Henri Amel, who was nearly blind. Yet just like Beethoven’s deafness, this did not prevent him from creating his own masterpiece. Amel had to make things obvious, as well as safe, which is why there is the solid rail, the sunken cockpit and the easy and simple control of the vessel.

Compagnon explains, “Just imagine sailing on a cruising boat when you’re almost blind. The feelings are totally different. You’re never wet, nor cold - you’re always dry and warm, whatever the conditions. The high backrest here in the cockpit means you’re less likely to hurt your back. The watertight compartment for the engine and everything is a fundamental component because he was very sensitive to smell, noise and vibrations.”

“So in applying his other senses, he allowed for a unique craft to be created. We continue that today, and for someone who is not blind, these attributes offer so much more comfort”, said Compagnon in closing.

So you might have to put a few bills down to own an Amel, but you certainly get true value for them. A large boat that is tailored to a very specific purpose, namely long range, and short handed, bluewater cruising is not for everyone. That’s kind of cool, because it means they are special and you’re not going to pass that many on the seas or at an anchorage. You will probably have a booking list for people who want to come and be a part of your journey, however, and the management of that is entirely up to you and the version you purchased.

To see if you fit an Amel, go to Amel