Kitty and I had the pleasure of racing Snipe, the modified Seabird, manufactured by XS Marines for the JJ Trophy to Mandwa and back on the 18th / 19th March 2012. The boat is a delight to sail. As one steps into it one is immediately accosted by a spacious layout and apparently the boat seems to be larger ! This is due to the redesigning of the internal layout, by eliminating the bulkheads and repositioning the storage lockers under the side thwarts. The ease with which the boat handles and tacks is a distinct improvement on the older design.

“Snipe” can easily be handled by two experienced individuals. The fitting out is done in such a manner as to make this possible. Special mention must be made of the modified spinnaker rig which makes this large sail handling very easy and quick. The centre plate wedges is one more idea for which the XS yard should be complimented about. The deck and coaming is very smoothly moulded and this causes one to slip rather easily. It is recommended that some thought must be given to provide a non-slip surface at these places. All in all my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our weekend race in Snipe, with tindal Dinesh as additional crew.

Strongly recommend sailors interested in buying a new Seabird to contact XS Marines before deciding on placing an order for a new yacht.

– Jimmy Bandorawalla – Former Commodore, Colaba Sailing Club