Cantieri del Pardo, the story behind the legendary Grand Soleil | Classic Boat

If today we can still enjoy so many great boats that have survived the last century, Classic Boats excellent boats still capable of excitement, credit is undoubtedly due to the hands and minds behind their creation. We have already seen some of the great designers behind the signatures, but, if these boats have since seen the light of day, it is certainly also thanks to the shipyards behind them, enlightened realities capable of maintaining quality standards that are still commendable today. To celebrate them as well, then, here is a new series of articles intended to offer a glimpse into their history and some of the greatest projects they have been able to accomplish. After
Hallberg Rassy
e
Dufour
, here then is a small “Italian miracle,” Cantiere del Pardo and the saga of the legendary Grand Soleils.

Cantieri del Pardo and the saga of the Grand Soleils

There once existed “Sailboats,” builder of hulls such as the legendary
Orca 43
, signed by Dick Carter. Then eclipse and rebirth. It is the early 1970s and Groupe Finot is designing a 34-footer, at the same time, Raul Gardini “lends” 3 million lire to Giuseppe Giuliani Ricci. The game is soon played, Sailboat is reborn from its ashes, acquired through borrowing. It’s 1973, 50 years ago, and Cantiere del Pardo was born, and with it the
Grand Soleil 34
(opening image). The rest is history.

Cantieri del Pardo, the origins

In 1973, the Pardo Shipyard was born. But as early as 1972 something was in the air, with the start of the Grand Soleil 34 project, which found life in an early prototype, GAP, winner of the 1974 Mediterranean Championship. In the same year, the production model went into production, demonstrating from the outset the intention of the fledgling shipyard: to combine hulls suited to the high performance demanded by race courses, with the qualities of safety and comfort required instead by cruise use.

The success of the formula can be read in the numbers of this first project, 300 units sold, no small numbers for a rookie. Finot’s signature does its good work here, establishing a good launching point for the fledgling Italian shipyard. This was followed by the Grand Soleil 41, from 1978, also signed by the French group and remaining in history as the only Grand Soleil with a center cockpit.

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The Hand of Jézéquel

With the advent of the 1980s, the Leopard renewed the Grand Soleil line, moving into what would be the beginning of its golden age. The signature remains French, Breton to be precise, but the name changes-it is the decade of Alain Jézéquel. Some of the most popular Grand Soleils were born at this stage, starting with the
Grand Soleil 35
, built starting in 1981. At 11.10 meters long overall, this was a cruiser as seaworthy as it was fast, strong with sleek, streamlined lines characterized by a deep bow and a shallow stern. Conceived outside any IOR logic, it was an appreciated boat, strong in intelligent design approach and important quality standards.

1983 was the year of another great success of the Breton, the
Grand Soleil 39
, a milestone for the yard and a bestseller among Grand Soleils. 1984 saw the production of the Grand Soleil 46, the largest in the supply chain up to that time, another hull poised for no small success. But in ’85 came one of the brand’s gems, the
GS 343
, which was a great success with both the public and critics, soon earning the appellation “little big boat,” strong as it was with ingenious solutions capable of giving it standards and volumes usually found on hulls of far greater square footage.

A triptych signed German Frers

The late 1980s in the house of the Leopard saw the arrival of a design giant. Starting in 1987, in fact, three projects signed Frers were born, inaugurated by the first of these, the
Grand Soleil 52
(opening image). The largest boat in production at the shipyard. 1988 was the year of another major design by the Argentine, the Grand Soleil 45, followed by the
Grand Soleil 42
in 1989, another great shipyard classic produced in over 130 examples.

The 1990s and the Cantieri del Pardo

With the 1990s, Cantiere del Pardo took new directions with its Grand Soleil line, momentarily returning to Groupe Finot, which signed the Grand Soleil 38 in 1990, followed by Bruce Farr’s GS 64 Maxi One in 1992. In 1993, however, the first child of the collaboration with J&J was released, the
Grand Soleil 50
, which also bears the hand of Doug Peterson.

The Grand Soleil 50 was followed by the actual collaboration with J&J, creators of the Grand Soleil 37 andGrand Soleil 46.3 in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

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Cantieri del Pardo: the turning point of the 2000s

With the new millennium, Cantiere del Pardo directs Grand Soleil’s design philosophy toward a design that looks toward the pursuit of performance, strong in the lessons now taught by the IMS rulebook. The year 2000 thus saw the birth of the Grand Soleil 40, designed by Massimo Paperini and winner of both the European and IMS World Championships in Class C2.

Then, from 2004, the collaboration with Botin and Carkeek took hold, ending in 2013 after projects such as the Grand Soleil 37, 40 and 46. In 2007, meanwhile, Brenta designed instead the Grand Soleil 54, unveiled in Genoa and soon to be proclaimed Boat of the Year.

Starting in 2013, big names took turns and new lines were born, including the Long Cruise range, consisting of the Grand Soleil 46 LC, 52 LC, and 42 LC. At the same time, the shipyard’s new experiences in the motor world also open up. In 2016 Pardo Yachts was born, and in 2020 the Dutch brand Van Dutch was acquired.

Three “tidbits” about Classic Boats

• Want to learn more about the world of Classic Boats (1967-1998), the iconic boats of the period, the legendary designers, the stories and races of the “golden age” of sailing? Check out our section dedicated to Classic Boats!
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