Philippe Briand has designed many of the excellent French modern sailing cruisers that we sail and love in the UK today. Whilst British boats were still being built in traditional manner on the lines of timber boats, with dull interiors, the French were properly utilizing modern materials and manufacturing processes. All of Briand's designs look good and sail very well. Such as the Gib'Sea 284 and Jouet 760. The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45 and Beneteau First 45 are some of his more recent contributions plus all the beautiful super yachts that he has designed that are out of us normal folks budgets. What I love about Philippe Briand's yachts is that they were drawn on paper by hand first, to ensure that they look right. Obvious to say but sadly many yacht today are designed by a computer programme and other so-called 'designers' simply crunch numbers and are computer CAD technicians straight out of college. As a surveyor, I often find that things don't fit because the computer drawing has not transpired into reality properly. For example, on a new German yacht I found that I could not reach the sail drive mounted engine coolant intake seacock. Not the case on Briand's yachts, as everything is worked out nicely and ergonomically. So, thank you on behalf of ordinary sailors. If Philippe Briand was British he would get a CBE for his services to yachting. We have a French yacht and love it. It looks good and sails well.

Philippe Briand has designed many of the excellent French modern sailing cruisers that we sail and love in the UK today. Whilst British boats were still being built in traditional manner on the lines of timber boats, with dull interiors, the French were properly utilizing modern materials and manufacturing processes. All of Briand's designs look good and sail very well. Such as the Gib'Sea 284 and Jouet 760. The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45 and Beneteau First 45 are some of his more recent contributions plus all the beautiful super yachts that he has designed that are out of us normal folks budgets. What I love about Philippe Briand's yachts is that they were drawn on paper by hand first, to ensure that they look right. Obvious to say but sadly many yacht today are designed by a computer programme and other so-called 'designers' simply crunch numbers and are computer CAD technicians straight out of college. As a surveyor, I often find that things don't fit because the computer drawing has not transpired into reality properly. For example, on a new German yacht I found that I could not reach the sail drive mounted engine coolant intake seacock. Not the case on Briand's yachts, as everything is worked out nicely and ergonomically. So, thank you on behalf of ordinary sailors. If Philippe Briand was British he would get a CBE for his services to yachting. We have a French yacht and love it. It looks good and sails well.

Philippe Briand has designed many of the excellent French modern sailing cruisers that we sail and love in the UK today. Whilst British boats were still being built in traditional manner on the lines of timber boats, with dull interiors, the French were properly utilizing modern materials and manufacturing processes. All of Briand's designs look good and sail very well. Such as the Gib'Sea 284 and Jouet 760. The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45 and Beneteau First 45 are some of his more recent contributions plus all the beautiful super yachts that he has designed that are out of us normal folks budgets. What I love about Philippe Briand's yachts is that they were drawn on paper by hand first, to ensure that they look right. Obvious to say but sadly many yacht today are designed by a computer programme and other so-called 'designers' simply crunch numbers and are computer CAD technicians straight out of college. As a surveyor, I often find that things don't fit because the computer drawing has not transpired into reality properly. For example, on a new German yacht I found that I could not reach the sail drive mounted engine coolant intake seacock. Not the case on Briand's yachts, as everything is worked out nicely and ergonomically. So, thank you on behalf of ordinary sailors. If Philippe Briand was British he would get a CBE for his services to yachting. We have a French yacht and love it. It looks good and sails well.