An easily accessible sailboat
Manufactured by B2 Marine, which mainly offers transportable powerboats, the Blue Djinn is based on a lengthened Micro 5.5 hull. Its deck layout and interior fittings are rudimentary but highly functional, as confirmed by Manuel, who is based in Brittany:
" I bought my Blue Djinn in 2000. After testing the Marauder, which felt a bit cramped. I was looking for a boat that could be transported without having a large vehicle, and as a full dinghy. After hesitating over the First 210, I settled on a second-hand Blue Djinn, which had been sailed very little.
My program is based on day trips or coastal sailing for up to two weeks. My boat is based in Concarneau, Finistère. The classic outing, as many do here, is to Les Glénan. For longer cruises, we go down to Belle-île.
I'm really pleased with how easy it is to use and transport. Even if you don't know what you're doing, it's easy to make mistakes. But it's still a small boat, which can get wet quite quickly, so you have to keep an eye on the weather.
In terms of quality, this is a well-built boat that ages very well. When buying a second-hand model, attention should be paid to the centerboard, which requires regular maintenance. The rest is very well sampled, and few owners have had structural problems.
We also have to be careful about what we take on board, as space is limited on a 6m sailboat. When the kids were young, they used to come with us. Now that they've grown up, I mostly sail with my wife. For two, it's really the ideal boat."
A boat constantly improved by its skipper
In two decades of sailing, Manuel has regularly made improvements to his yacht.
"The deck layout has evolved quite a bit. Originally, my boat wasn't equipped with an automatic reefing system. It took a bit of cogitating to try and set up a new system, but the first-generation mainsail wasn't designed for it, so I went back to the original system. I also installed a lazy bag with lazy jack.
I have two original double blockers to which I've added small blockers. Only the genoa halyard remains at the mast foot. All other operations, including reefing, are carried out in the cockpit. For the headsail, I have a symmetrical spinnaker, which I don't use very often, and a gennaker, which I use more frequently. The gennaker sheets return to the rear cleats via winch blocks.
At the bow, I added a davit that didn't exist originally. We asked a boilermaker to make us a custom davit really adapted to the Blue Djinn's bow. I made a bowsprit from pieces of stainless steel tube.
I've also installed a windsock on the anchor locker, which communicates with the cabin through an original grille that looks vaguely like a dorado box, and which has never given me any problems with infiltration (but I haven't put the boat in the water yet!).
Inside, the cushions, which had been in one piece, were cut by separable seats. I built a small kitchen and installed electrical wiring.
I condemned a half-sleeper to store the folded dinghy.
Finally, I replaced the galvanized steel centreboard with a stainless steel model.
As for electricity, I've installed a 25W solar panel to power my navigation tablet and on-board electronics. That's more than enough. The biggest consumption item on board remains the charging of our two cell phones.
We have occasionally broken rudder spades. The rudder blade is made of aluminum and the head is made of wood. Some owners have added vertical reinforcements to avoid overworking the wooden part."
A association of dynamic owners
Manuel is a member of the Blue Djinn owners' association, aSPRO which brings together a beautiful fleet:
"I joined the ASPRO association almost at its inception. When I arrived, there were about fifty of us, and today we're going to reach 200 members. We organize an annual gathering of boats. It's a chance to get to know each other and exchange technical information. The bulk of the fleet is based in the Arcachon basin, or around the Ile de Ré and Southern Brittany. But we also have members based in Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Portugal"
And when asked about his desire for change after two decades of cruising on the same boat, Manuel doesn't hesitate for long:
" We did imagine upgrading to the next model up, the Djinn 7, which offers even greater habitability. But transport issues convinced us to keep our Blue Djinn, which gives us complete satisfaction.
