Denison Yacht Sales Hosts U.S. Debut of Dufour 560 Grand Large Event

The arrival of the 1^st Dufour 560 to the USA created a great deal of anticipation, and excitement within the southern California sailing community. Dufour’s new  Flagship is a breakthrough yacht by Felci Yacht Design and Dufour. The 560 has many innovative new features that will likely be adopted by many competitors. This yacht surprises immediately upon boarding. The rig is inspired from the latest Open 60 race boats. The cockpit features innovations and luxuries never before seen on anything less than a sailing mega-yacht. The interior layout and accommodation is a breakthrough in the search for comfort and luxury.

Three days of sailing out of Denison Yacht Sales’ Marina del Rey facility drew praise and accolades from one and all. The first day had the staff from Dufour Yachts and Denison Yacht Sales on board to discover the new boat’s abilities. She did not disappoint. This boat not only sails very well (you’d expect that from any Dufour) but in the light airs of this 1^st day out, consistently exceeded expectations on every point of sail.  The breeze was fairly consistent between 7 and 9 knots. The SOG hovered between 6.5 and 7.5 kts upwind and up to 8.5 off the breeze, albeit with an undersized (borrowed) A-Sail.

The next day out had several members from the Sailing Press on-board, to review the yacht for the likes of Sail Magazine, Cruising World, and Bluewater Sailing. The breeze was a little fresher, in the 9 to 11Kt range. The big smiles on everyone’s faces (especially when at the helm), told the story. This boat is a delight to sail. We will surely see some very nice reviews from the members of the press who were on-board that day. On the return trip, a Chef from the California Yacht Club, cooked up some delicious shrimp appetizers on the “Plancha” in the cockpit galley. Yes, this sailing yacht has a galley in the cockpit, replete with refrigerator, sink and Plancha grill.

The last day out was reserved for prospective West Coast customers. Some came from as far afield as Vancouver. A dozen people in the cockpit did not feel at all crowded. No one was in the way, and everyone had a comfortable place to be. The raised aft deck, behind the twin wheels proved to be a favorite spot. Turns were taken to tack the boat “single-handed” up the narrow channel to exit the harbor.  The self-tending jib really showed off the boat’s ability to be sailed short-handed. Comments such as “easy as sailing a dinghy” and “like power steering” were bandied about. Performance again proved to be stellar. The breeze peaked at about 12- 13kts, and even relatively novice helmsmen were able to show SOG numbers in the 10-11kt range.

The big surprise on this day was the amazing comfort bellow when under sail. At one point it became apparent there were very few people left in the cockpit. There were a number of people just hanging out down bellow in the salon. This while the boat was going to weather in a fair bit of afternoon chop, and the atmosphere on deck was quite “lively”. Down bellow was like entering a different world. Completely serene and quiet. A complete lack of any pitching motion made the boat feel like she was sailing in a marina.

Hats off to the Felci and Dufour design teams for their amazing accomplishment.

For more information about Dufour 560 Grand Large and entire Dufour Yachts fleet, contact

Denison Florida Mike Kiely | 954.304.2768 | Mike@denisonyachtsales.com