Elite finder
THE LOWRANCE ELITE- 5 and Elite-7 Ti touch-screen fishfinder/ chartplotters offer anglers an easy-to-use touch-screen interface, Bluetooth and wireless connectivity, proven Lowrance navigation technology and high-performance sonar – including CHIRP sonar, Structurescan HD and Downscan Imaging – in a compact package at an affordable price.
Available in 5- or 7-inch models, Elite Ti fishfinder/chartplotters feature a built-in GPS antenna. With integrated wireless connectivity, they operate directly through the Gofree shop for map downloads and software updates.
Bluetooth and wireless connectivity allows anglers to view and control the fishfinder/chartplotter display from an ipad or Android tablet.
A user-friendly, Led-backlit, touch-screen displays provides fast, fingertip access to all navigation and fish-finding functions. Lowrance Trackback lets anglers review recorded history such as structure, transitions or fish targets, mark a waypoint on the sonar display, and then easily navigate to that location using the chartplotter view.
The Elite-7 Ti is on sale from February 2016; the Elite-5 Ti from March 2016.
Where most cruising cats employ small “keel-lets” to arrest leeway, the 49’s retractable dagger boards increase its shallow draught to 2.35m when fully deployed. And the effect is obvious: in flattish water with the leeward board down she points at around 30o – foreign territory for most cruising cats. Sharp upwind performance is not a multihull’s strong suite.
But the most obvious hint that the 49 is a performer-not-aplodder is the pair of carbon-fibre tillers, each with a sculpted helm seat. Yes, there is a traditional wheel helm on the starboard cockpit bulkhead, but it’s difficult to resist those tillers when the cat’s at speed. It’s a bit like sailing a very large Hobie – ultraresponsive and an exhilarating adrenalin rush.
The design created an immediate stir when it was first launched, winning the 2010 European Boat of the Year (Multihull Class) and two years later scoring SAIL Magazine’s Best Boat Award.
This 49 – Lucia – belongs to Greymouth’s Mark Mellsop. A die-hard cat enthusiast, he began looking for a new boat a few years ago. He wanted one that would “sail” and was drawn to the Outremer’s streamlined contours. He bought the 49 sight unseen, opting to collect her in France and sail her back to New Zealand – a good excuse for an extended blue-water cruising holiday.
That was three years ago. Since then he’s covered 25,000 miles in Lucia, slipping across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific to Australia before heading to New Zealand. We caught up with him and Lucia in Auckland, just before his final leg down to Greymouth.