What's she like to sail?

The Sadler 290 is a fast and exciting boat to sail – especially for a twin-keeler. She will be just as obliging when taking the family for a safe potter in the estuary as she will be charging around the cans on race day with a burly crew on board.

Impressive both in light winds and heavier open sea conditions, her generous ballast, well-designed twin keels and plentiful sail area make her a powerful ocean-going cruiser and well able to complete impressive passage times while keeping her crew safe and comfortable.

Her 7/8 fractional rig allows plenty of tension to be added via the 6:1 backstay tensioner to flatten the mainsail in strong winds, reducing the need to reef down early. My only criticism of the layout is the lack of a mainsheet track, which would give a little more control of her mainsail in strong winds.

Thanks to sensible positioning of the sail controls and highquality deck gear, she can easily and safely be cruised by a couple, or sailed singlehanded.