We recently completed a delivery aboard a Dufour 385 along the Australian coast as part of an owner relocation passage.
The Dufour 385 sits in a good middle ground for offshore cruising in Australia. Large enough to handle longer coastal passages comfortably, but still simple and manageable compared with many larger modern cruising yachts. The boat felt balanced underway and easy to manage offshore with straightforward sail handling and good visibility from the helm.
Conditions during the delivery were fairly typical for the QLD coast with a mix of comfortable sailing and some shorter coastal sea states further south. The Dufour handled it well throughout and settled into an easy offshore routine once underway.
One thing noticeable on the 385 is that it remains a genuinely practical cruising yacht without overly complicated systems onboard. That simplicity makes a difference during offshore deliveries where reliability and ease of management become more important than extra marina-focused features.
