416 Nautical Miles

MAXIMUM CRUISING RANGE AT 26 KNOTS

the starboard-side head goes bye-bye. The galleydown arrangement gives you a bit more space for preparing meals and may be a better choice for more serious cruisers. The galley-up arrangement, which places the cooking station aft and to starboard, allows for a more convivial environment when entertaining. (With five people aboard, this owner’s galley-up, two-head choice makes sense — nobody likes waiting in line for the bathroom.)

The 44 comes in a two- or three-stateroom layout. The two-stateroom version essentially combines the two smaller staterooms to create an amidships VIP with an athwartships berth, with the galley-down option. There’s standing room in the forward section of this stateroom, though getting into the berth requires some crawling. The amount of layout customization available on a boat this size is rare and speaks to Grand Banks’ customer dedication and design and construction skill sets, as well as to the boat’s interior volume.

Up in the salon, the same teak that is down below imbues the space with an inviting, old-school nautical feel. You find yourself just kind of wanting to slump down on the U-shaped settee for five that’s to port and admire the craftsmanship put into the teak table with tightly seamed holly insets. I imagined lowering the aft and side windows using their electric controls, enjoying some soft sea breezes and reminding myself why I’d come out on the water in the first place.

Teak pieces with rounded corners line those aforementioned windows, much like you’d see on some sailing yachts or on a Palm Beach Motor Yacht. The aesthetic detail is a reminder that Mark Richards, the much-heralded competitive sailor and founder of Palm Beach, is now at the helm of Grand Banks Yachts.

But that day on the Tasman Sea, I was the one at the helm, and I have to say, the Eastbay 44 was a lot of fun to drive. We hit a respectable top speed of 32 knots and cruised easily at 29 knots, gliding over the plump, rolling 4- and 5-foot humps with panache, landing softly and soundly in even the deepest troughs thanks to the sturdy, hand-laid hull. Her steering was smooth and responsive as we darted through the swells, carving joyous S-turns under the crisp, blue skies of an Australian winter.

And joyous is exactly the right word to describe my experience with the Grand Banks Eastbay 44. It’s the kind of feeling you get when a thing fulfills its purpose expertly — and then some.

“YES, SHE HAS QUITE A FEW CABINETS.” OWNER OF OUR TEST EASTBAY 44, ABOUT HIS MASTER STATEROOM