Greville has been sailing since he was a kid in dinghies, skiffs and one-design keelboats. His first offshore yacht was an S&S36, then came a procession of racing yachts and over the years he has completed 10 Sydney to Hobarts. I mention these things not as a boast, but as an indication that the owners of this pilothouse didn't take their decision lightly or ignorantly.

Greville says he always liked the pilothouse concept, but wanted a slippery hull, keel and rudder so he could beat to windward. After surveying the local market, he approached David Binks for a pilothouse yacht with performance, comfort and seakindliness - oh, and also a lift keel to get closer to the beach, something no cruising sailor should undervalue, he says.

SAILING IN A BLOW
After taking delivery of their new Farr 51 Pilothouse in late March, the Edgertons have struck 25-40kt winds just about every time they have put to sea, and have found the boat particularly fast in these conditions. Greville is genuinely surprised that his yacht might be faster than the flush-decked version.

A lot of its performance can be attributed to the underwater appendages. The keel is a stainless fin with a trailing lead bulb; the rudder is conventional but wider. Farr felt the rudder was as shallow as they could go. Keel up, draft is 1.67m, with the rudder about 200mm above that.

"Some people say this brick is a very nice brick but they haven't seen another brick," explains Greville referring to his pilothouse yacht. "I have done a lot of time on the bluewater racing circuit and I am qualified to say this yacht really is fast."

GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Greville says the deep and spacious cockpit is a boon at sea. He didn't want an aft cabin design with steps in the cockpit, hence the main owners' cabin in the bow. In a seaway, up against gusts of up to 60kt, he has never shipped a wave or had any problems.

"You feel secure because you are sitting down in the boat not up on top of everything. It's a good feeling," he says.

Recently they sailed from Sydney to Southport in 52hr, riding gusts of up to 40kt from the southwest, running up to 17.5kt, with the No 1 headsail half furled and the No 3 on the cutter rig without the main. The Farr 51 Pilot House is an easy yacht to sail shorthanded. Everything is electric.

RIGGED FOR HEAVY WEATHER
The mast is a stout twin-spreader stepped to the keel and held up by beefy shrouds. There is an inner forestay swinging a small jib or staysail, but not adjustable backstays. As seen here, the yacht could have done with a bit more forestay tension.

A Volvo 80hp turbo diesel engine gives 8kt at cruising speed. That's quick in itself, but it's under sail that the yacht challenges the notion that raised-deckers are slow, that 51-footers are a handful to sail, and that ocean going yachts aren't built tough anymore.

With all the modern contrivances to take the hard work out of sailing - two-speed electric winches and electric furlers - the most exercise you'll get is straightening an index finger.

Unfurling the headsail requires the flick of a switch, no more, as does raising the hydraulic lift keel.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
In the pilothouse are lounges clad in blue velour, beautiful hand-picked teak joinery creating a nautical atmosphere, and an internal helmstation with a joystick that lets you steer below decks. The build quality is very good, and only tall people might find the pilothouse a tad low (a higher cabin top is on the cards).

Inside is everything you could want in a home-away-from-home: generator, watermaker, air-conditioning, galley with deep freeze and fridge, and long-range communications to keep connected. When it's time to turn-in, the cabins pamper. The master cabin forward is massive, with a queen-sized bed, ensuite, full shower stall and lots of luscious hand-picked teak joinery. There are an additional three cabins plus a separate crew cabin accessed via the foredeck.

Greville says he hasn't used a bowthruster before, but it's working out really well. With the side gates open, the two of them have no problem berthing the big yacht and stepping off onto the marina arms wherever they care to leave it.

The Farr 51 Pilot House has lower windage than many raised deckers, while up front is 10mm toughened glass, which is what you will find on a Manly ferry.

GALE WARNING
I sailed the yacht with just one other before a gale warning for westerly winds increasing to 35kt ahead of a southerly change of similar strength and seas rising to four metres offshore.

My crew stretched the index finger, eased the main and furled in about one-third of the headsail. Upwind we powered along at 7.5kt, reaching 9kt, and off the breeze we almost cracked 10kt. The editor says the headsail looked a little baggy in the pics. But, hey, we got our speeds without working up a sweat.

Bulwarks, a pilothouse and a deep cockpit kept us dry offshore, while a fine entry split the white caps. Vision forward is such that you can steer off the telltales and see what's up ahead. Somewhere wide of Sydney Head we furled the headsail, tacked, and surfed the breakers back in. There wasn't quite a gale blowing, but it was an exhilarating ride nonetheless.