What the fleet has seen
The Bavaria Yachts 606, as the fleet has seen it
Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.
The Bavaria Yachts 606 is a fractional sloop sailboat designed by Axel Mohnhaupt and built by Bavaria Yachtbau since 1982, featuring a fin keel with a transom-hung rudder. It measures 6.5 meters LOA, with a 2.4-meter beam, 1.3-meter draft, and displaces 898 kg; a centerboard version is also available. Aboard a 60-foot Bavaria named *Zingaro*, an Atlantic passage saw the boat average 7.8 knots overnight on a broad reach in 27 knots of true wind, though wind instruments failed twice due to mast vibration.2:20 The autopilot's course deviation alarm, identical to its power loss alarm, frequently sent the crew to the wheel in steep seas, and the watermaker cavitated at 9 knots, preventing its use underway.3:58 The self-tacking jib complicated heaving-to, requiring a crew member on the bow at night to backwind it, leading to the abandonment of the maneuver in favor of motoring.6:52 The Bimini frame, already bent, snapped and required lashing.9:02 Another Bavaria, poorly maintained, suffered hatch seal failures during Tropical Storm Alex, flooding the cabin and requiring bailing; the boat lost steerage after its single-reefed mainsail shredded and the engine failed, eventually drifting into VHF range of Bermuda for a Coast Guard tow.3:03
