best british sailing yachts

UK Sailboat Brands: The Top 21 Sailing Yachts and Brands of Britain

Published by sail on february 8, 2023 february 8, 2023.

The UK has a long history of excellence in shipbuilding and sailing, producing some of the most cutting-edge and stunning sailing ships in the world. There are several UK Sailboat Brands, each with a distinct specialty and set of talents. You can locate a firm in the UK that can match your needs whether you’re searching for a traditional wooden yacht, a contemporary GRP sailboat, or a custom-built power catamaran. The UK is a fantastic destination to find your next boat because of its rich nautical history, reputation for excellence, and commitment to innovation.

In this post, we’ll examine the top UK Sailboat Brands, each of which has distinctive characteristics and features.

One of Oyster Yachts’ flagship models, this magnificent yacht provides a roomy and opulent sailing experience. For discriminating sailors who appreciate comfort, style, and performance, the Oyster 885 is the ideal option thanks to its elegant lines, cutting-edge technology, and contemporary design.

A gorgeous sailing boa t from Spirit Yachts, the Spirit 100 offers a high-performance sailing experience with a dash of grace and beauty. This 100-foot yacht is perfect for sailing, racing, or just lounging on the water thanks to its lovely carbon-fiber hull and roomy deck.

Gunfleet 74

For individuals who desire the utmost in performance and luxury, Gunfleet Marine has created the exquisite Gunfleet 74 sailing yacht. The Gunfleet 74 is a top pick for sailors who desire the best of both worlds because of her svelte carbon-fiber hull, cutting-edge technology, and roomy living quarters.

A traditional sailing yacht by Rustler Yachts, the 44-foot Rustler provides a safe, pleasant, and traditional sailing experience. This 44-foot yacht has a stunning wooden hull, traditional lines, and cutting-edge technology, making it a great option for individuals who value sailing’s timeless beauty.

Discovery 67

A beautiful sailing yacht from Discovery Yachts, the Discovery 67 provides a roomy and comfortable sailing experience with a dash of innovation and ingenuity. This 67-foot sailing boat is the ideal option for individuals looking for a sailing yacht that stands out from the crowd thanks to its distinctive and inventive design, state-of-the-art technology, and roomy interior.

Arbor Yachts

The Arbor 26 is the company’s signature product, and Arbor Boats is a maker of wooden yachts. Another boat manufacturer in the UK is Blaxton Boats, which offers dayboats and yachts with sail and engine options. Modern GRP yachts between 35 and 48 feet in length are the focus of Bowman Yachts. The Parker 235 GRP daysailer, available from BP Sailboats, is ideal for individuals seeking a high-performance boat for day outings.

Bristol Classic Boat

Your boat will be distinctive and long-lasting thanks to the custom wooden boats and restoration services offered by Bristol Classic Boat Co. The 20-31 foot modern GRP yachts produced by British Hunter are well renowned for fusing traditional design with cutting-edge technology. Sailing and power catamarans are the company’s specialties, and they offer adaptable and sturdy boats for a variety of boating activities. Butler & Co. is a wooden boat builder that upholds the enduring beauty of wooden boats by providing traditional boatbuilding services.

If you want to have more details about UK sailboat brands then here you can find a comprehensive range of sailboat data for over 10000+ boats.

Cape Cutter

The CC19 traditional daysailer, a small and capable sailboat ideal for day voyages, is the focus of Cape Cutter, a UK Sailboat Brands boat manufacturer headquartered in the UK. Unique wooden yachts are created by Cockwells to the greatest standards and according to the requirements of their owners. A selection of GRP pilot-cutters and traditional-style GRP yachts, ranging in length from 17 to 43 feet, are available from Cornish Crabbers/Mystery. Wooden boats of the highest caliber that are both attractive and useful are made by David Moss.

Demon Yachts

Smaller yachts and keelboats are Demon Yachts’ specialty, and they are built to order to meet the individual requirements of their clients. Drascombe constructs traditional GRP yawls, offering vessels that fuse traditional design with contemporary engineering. Custom yacht builders Farrow & Chambers produce high-quality, long-lasting boats out of wood and epoxy. A variety of dinghies, dayboats, and kayaks are available from Fyne Boat Kits, making them ideal for individuals wishing to construct their own boats.

Gaffers & Luggers

The classic wooden working boats offered by Gaffers & Luggers range in length from 23 to 28 feet. The 43-foot modern GRP cruiser from Gunfleet Marine is ideal for individuals looking for a high-performance boat for longer voyages. With a focus on traditional GRP dayboats, Honnor Marine combines traditional design with cutting-edge engineering. Traditional wooden boat builder Ian B. Richardson upholds the enduring beauty of wooden boats.

British Hunter

The UK-based company British Hunter produces contemporary GRP yachts. Their boats, which range in length from 20 to 31 feet, are built for both comfort and efficiency. The newest materials and technology are used in the construction of British Hunter yachts to provide you with a comfortable and safe sailing experience. They are the ideal choice for individuals who want a boat that is simple to manage and that gives an exceptional sailing performance.

BroadBlue is also one of the UK Sailboat Brands. They offer catamarans for sailing and propulsion are their areas of expertise. In order to give you a safe and enjoyable sailing experience, their boats are made with the most up-to-date materials and technology and are designed to deliver exceptional performance and handling. Broadblue provides the ideal boat for your needs, whether you’re searching for a powerful and roomy power catamaran or a quick and maneuverable sailing catamaran.

Butler & Co

This specialized in making old-fashioned wooden boats. Their boats are created to the greatest levels of quality and craftsmanship, and they provide a variety of services, including new builds, restorations, and repairs. Butler & Co. can assist you in finding the ideal boat for your requirements, whether you’re looking for a historic boat that has been refurbished or a classic sailing yacht.

Blaxton Boats

A company called Blaxton Boats sells a variety of sail- and power-powered dayboats and yachts. You may be sure to discover a boat that meets your requirements and aesthetic preferences because they come in a range of sizes and types. In order to give you a safe and enjoyable sailing experience, their boats are made with the most up-to-date materials and technology and are designed to deliver exceptional performance and handling.

Bowman Yachts

Modern GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) boats are the focus of the UK-based company Bowman Yachts. Their boats, which range in length from 35 to 48 feet, are built for both comfort and efficiency. For individuals looking for a boat that combines historic style with contemporary technology and materials, Bowman Yachts are ideal, and their boats are constructed to the highest standards.

BP Sailboats

GRP daysailer boats are the company’s area of expertise. The Parker 235, a sleek and fashionable yacht ideal for day outings and weekend sailing excursions, is their most popular model. The Parker 235 is developed with the most up-to-date materials and technology to give you a pleasant and joyful sailing experience. It is designed to deliver exceptional performance and handling.

Stirling & Son

A UK-based business called Stirling & Son specializes in creating unique wooden ships. The company is dedicated to providing custom boats that satisfy each client’s particular demands and requirements, with a concentration on traditional designs and construction methods. They assist clients to realize their ideas by providing a full design and build service. One of the top wooden boat builders in the UK, Stirling & Son is renowned for its attention to detail and high-caliber craftsmanship.

Swallow Boats

This business specializes in the creation of Bay Cruisers. These boats include contemporary amenities and technologies while maintaining a timeless and traditional design. They are ideal for exploring the shoreline, inland waterways, or estuaries because they are built to be both functional and fashionable. Swallow Boats offers a variety of models, each with a distinctive style and set of characteristics, and can also build custom boats to satisfy certain needs.

Swallowtail Boatyard

There is yet another business that specialised in classic Norfolk Broads boats. They provide a variety of services, such as boat construction, maintenance, and rental. Because Swallowtail Boatyard is dedicated to upholding the history and customs of the Norfolk Broads, their boats are made in a manner that reflects this. Their boats are renowned for their fine craftsmanship and attention to detail, and they employ traditional methods and materials.

T. Nielsen & Company

This business specializes in the construction and repair of tall ships. They provide the whole spectrum of services, from the initial concept to the final building and launch. With years of expertise in building and renovating tall ships, T. Nielsen & Company’s team of talented craftsmen and engineers guarantees that every job is executed to the highest standards. They are dedicated to conserving the UK’s maritime legacy and have worked on a variety of projects, from major commercial vessels to tiny traditional sailing ships.

Voyaging Yachts

Custom sailing yacht design and construction are the focus of the UK-based business Voyaging Yachts. They provide a wide variety of services, including design, construction, and refitting, and their team of professionals can assist clients in realizing their ideas. With years of experience producing high-quality sailing yachts, Voyaging Yachts is dedicated to providing clients with custom boats that are tailored to their individual requirements. They are renowned for their attention to detail, superior craftsmanship, and creative designs, and sailors from all over the world like their yachts.

In conclusion, these UK Sailboat Brands are just a fraction of the amazing sailing ships built by Britain’s skilled shipbuilders. You’re sure to discover the ideal yacht among these high-caliber ships, whether you’re searching for performance, luxury, or just a gorgeous sailing experience. Why then wait? Start your next sailing journey right away to experience the finest Britain has to offer.

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10 Best Sailboat Brands (And Why)

‍ There's no denying that sailors are certainly a passionate bunch. We’re so passionate about our boats that we always try going for the best sailboats. To make it a lot easier for you, here are the best sailboat brands.

Owning a sailboat is an indulgence that many of us only dream about but very few ever have the privilege of sailing the seas in what they can actually call their own.

While there's nothing wrong with renting a sailboat, the honor of owning one is certain what many sailors dream of.

With a perfectly crafted sailboat as company, gliding through the water, waves, and wind brings some sort of unmatched comfort and peace.

Add this to the fact that sailing takes you far away from the daily hustles and bustles that we've become accustomed to in our daily lives and you'll see why the life of sailing is very appealing to the masses.

But without a proper sailboat, all this fun and the good life of sailing are thrown out of the window.

Contrary to the widespread opinion, owning a sailboat isn't beyond anyone's reach. It's something that we can all achieve. But before getting into that, it's important to know some of the best sailboat brands.

The best sailboat brands will make your life as a sailor a lot easier and more fun. The best sailboat brands have, for decades if not centuries, mastered the art of woodworking. They've dedicated their skills and immense amount of their time to designing and manufacturing nothing but the best quality of sailboats in the industry.

So if you've been looking for the best sailboat brands from all over the world, you've come to the right place. We'll discuss the best of the best, something that will give you a perfect getaway from your normal life.

Table of contents

‍ Must-Have Features for Your Sailboat

Before highlighting the best sailboat brands, it would be appropriate to jog your mind a little with some of the features that must be available in your sailboat.

Choosing a sailboat can sometimes be a matter of compromises. In other words, it's sometimes sensible to accept that a sailboat cannot have all the features that you desire.

As such, it's all about going with a sailboat that has the features that matter to you most.

For this reason, let's look at the most basic features that can make the difference in both safety and comfort while improving your sailing experience.

A Safe and Comfortable Sailing Cockpit

You'll most definitely be spending a huge amount of time in the cockpit. Whether you're keeping watch, trimming sails , helming, or just enjoying the scenery, there's no better place to do all these than from the cockpit. That being said, a good cockpit should have the following.

• Have a good depth for safety reasons and adequate drainage
• Should give you a quick and easy access to jammers, cleats, and other important parts of the winch system
• Should have a seat or seats that are about 35 cm high, 50 to 55 cm wide to provide ideal support
• The seats should be adjustable to offer maximum comfort and allow you to change your position

GPS Chartplotter

Use a GPS Chartplotter once and your sailing will never be the same without it. It not only allows you to map a course but is also a great way of ensuring that your sailboat exactly follows that course. It also gives you constant updates on ocean conditions, weather conditions , and potential hazards such as deadly currents and sandbars.

A GPS Chartplotter is also an important safety device that can help you in some very critical situations while out there on the water.

For instance, it has a man-overboard button that is essentially meant to allow you to receive coordinates of the exact location should someone fall off your boat.

Electric Winch System

This is an amazing addition to any sailboat. It allows you to sheet a jib even in high and strong winds with a simple press of a button. It also gives you the chance of trimming a mainsail easily while still carry out other essential tasks in the sailboat.

An electric winch system can be of great importance, especially if you're short on crew. This is because it can free up some crew members to carry other important tasks. In other words, it can make duties that would otherwise require more crew members a lot easier.

More importantly, an electric winch system can maintain safety even in the roughest of conditions, thereby preventing you and your crew from getting injured. In essence, an electric winch system will make your sailing a lot safer, less stressful, and more enjoyable.

Reverse Osmosis Watermaker

This is a very valuable accessory, especially if you're going on long sea voyages. You can spend days on end without drinking clean and safe water.

As the name suggests, you can use this accessory to turn seawater into purified drinking water. It uses the reverse osmosis method that's essential not only in removing bacteria and parasites from the water but also in turning the water into purified and safe drinking water.

Even though this device is pricey, it's a great way to mitigate the over-reliance on huge water tanks. All you have to do is to ensure that it's properly maintained and you'll have an endless streak of safe drinking water no matter where you are.

Wide and Clutter-free Deck

While the deck is often an overlooked feature of a sailboat, it can be the difference between a great sailing experience and a stressful one. In essence, the deck of a sailboat should be wide enough and clutter-free.

This is significant as it can enable you to quickly access different parts of your sailboat with hindrance or getting tangled. As you can see, this is particularly important in improving safety and reducing stress.

With that in mind, make sure that the deck is organized in such a way that you can have easy access to sails, masts, and winches.

You should, therefore, avoid sailboats with decks that are designed in such a way that you have to climb on top of the cabin just to access these features. Needless to say, this can be quite unstable and very dangerous especially when conditions are rough.

The Best Sailboat Brands and Why

1. hallberg-rassy.

Hallberg-Rassy is a Swedish yacht maker that's very well-known in the blue water cruising circles for making some of the highest quality and sturdiest sailboats. For many sailors, this is the number one sailboat brand as it offers absolute comfort, utmost safety, and good and easy handling.

This brand is not only synonymous with sturdy construction but you won't worry getting soaking wet while out there on the water. This is because it has a well-protected deck and cockpit, finished with nice woodwork, and has a powerful engine with a big tankage just to ensure that you can go on long voyages.

When designing its sailboats, this brand has made it a norm to add some features that stand out from the rest. For instance, the bowsprit is an integral feature that makes sailing a Hallberg-Rassy quite easy and much enjoyable. This is because it grants easy access to and from the deck. Its electric anchor winches facilitate smooth maneuvering. Even more, its large steering wheels makes it much easier to control the boat even in the roughest of conditions. In essence, this brand has features that provide good control and an extra sense of safety.

Although this brand has evolved over the years, you'll easily recognize it even from a distance. And why is this? A Hallberg-Rassy never goes out of style. This is a unique sailboat brand that has always stayed true to its principles and concept. No matter which part of the world you go, Hallberg-Rassy will remain the undisputed king of blue water cruising.

2. Nautor's Swan

For over 50 years, Nautor's Swan has endlessly raised the sailing levels by designing and manufacturing new sailboat models that not only push the boundaries but also meet that many requirements and demands of sailors across the world. Thanks to its wide range of seaworthy, timeless, elegant, and highly-performing sailboats, the Nautor's Swan remains one of the best if not the best sailboat makers in the world.

Based in Jakobstad, Finland, this brand has severally set the industry standard with its speedy and sleek models such as the Swan 48, Swan 65, Swan 98, Swan 78, and Swan 120. These models have one thing in common: they never compromise on safety. As a brand that puts safety first, it ensures that its models are made of foam-cored glass fiber and reinforced both with carbon-fiber and epoxy. In essence, Nautor's Swan is widely revered for its unmatched seafaring and safety records.

Additionally, Nautor's Swan models are incredibly responsive. You can easily tell this just by the feel of the wheel. This brand has models that will gracefully slice through the biggest of waves with ease. That's not all; the interior of these models that are very comfortable even when the going gets tough. This is, without a doubt, a brand that strives to create self-contained worlds with each model.

3. Beneteau

This is perhaps the most selling sailboat brand in the world. For over a century now, this brand has based its models in a combination of simplicity and performance. This is a brand that will serve you just right across all latitudes and in all circumstances. Whether you prefer the Oceanis Yacht 62 or the Figaro Beneteau 3, this brand will never let you down on all fronts.

This brand revolves around a simple concept of creating a link around the world. From the deck space to its design and light, this brand does everything possible not just to uniformly transform life at sea but also to open doors to new horizons in a very luxurious yet practical way. Its models are designed with clear deck plans, stable hulls, simplified maneuvering and interior materials and equipment that can be easily personalized.

Whether you're looking for a racing sailboat or something that's designed to explore and enjoy the world in the company of friends and family, Beneteau is a true combination of sensations and simplicity. This is a brand that brings to the seas fun, simplicity, smartness, toughness, safety, intuitiveness, as well as dazzling reinvention.

4. Amel Yachts

Based on the ethos of designing and manufacturing comfortable, robust, and easy-to-handle boats, this French brand has, for over five decades, offered sailors and other sailing enthusiasts the perfect opportunity to explore the seas with the utmost quality, comfort, and more importantly, safety.

Using 100% French know-how, this brand has brought to the sailing world some of the best boats such as the Santorini, the Mango, the Super Maramu, and the Maramu. We would be doing this brand total injustice if we said that they're distinctive. Truth be told, there's nothing comparable to an Amel model. Well Amel was and still is, the ultimate standard by which other sailboat models are measured.

From items such as electric winches and furling, to generators, Watermaker , and washing machine down to the simplest of items such as towels. Spare filters, bathrobes, deck brush, and a boat safe, the Amel is in reality with what the real life of a sailor is and should be.

Although some may say that Amel still has room for improvement in terms of specifications and personalization, it cannot be denied that the Amel is a serious brand that designs and manufactures complete boats. With this brand, you'll be guaranteed of a higher degree of reliability, safety, and an edge of fun while out there on the water.

5. Hinckley Yachts

Based in Maine, United States, Hinckley Yachts is a brand that has been building robust, luxury, and safe sailboats for more than 90 years now. In its sailboat class, you'll find several sailboats that have classic shapes, inner strength, dramatic lines, and features that are absolutely essential in dealing with the challenges of the North Atlantic.

This brand has been successful in integrating impeccable craftsmanship with new technologies to ensure that their models always stand out while articulating advanced sailing practices, timeless aesthetic, robust construction, and the utmost safety. Whether you choose the Bermuda 50, the Sou'wester 53 or any model for that matter, you'll never be short of advanced performance based on the best design and technology.

In terms of features, this brand provides sailboat models with modern performance hulls. These hulls are constructed with inner layers of carbon, outer layers of Kevlar, and are aligned with computer-designed load paths. Every feature is designed without compromising comfort.

To this end, this brand offers you a perfect combination of both fun and sail. This brand offers more than just sailing. Instead, it offers a unique sailing experience that's combined with the pure joys of sailing in the blue waters with an ease of ownership and maneuverability.

6. Oyster Yachts

If you've been looking for luxury more than anything else, Oyster Yachts provides you with numerous solutions. This British brand is widely known for manufacturing a wide range of luxury cruising sailing yachts. Its sailboats are among the finest in the world and are immensely capable of taking you to some of the far-flung places in the world without having to worry about high winds and hellish waves.

Whether you choose the iconic Oyster 565 or the immense Oyster 595 you never fall short of experiencing the new world like never before. These are models that will enable you to own your adventure, choose your destination, set your courses, pick your anchorage, and stay safe at all times. If you want to hold the wheel and pull the sail while feeling the tang of salt spray on your face, Oyster Yachts is the way to go.

This is, unquestionably, a brand that's meant for you if you want to explore the seas in comfort, luxury and utmost safety. From craftsmanship, sailboat design, to hull, deck, and keel configurations, everything is designed to allow you to circumnavigate the world in comfort, elegance, and style.

7. Tartan Yachts

Based in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, there's arguably no better to begin your sailing adventures than with a sailboat designed and manufactured by Tartan Yachts. With several award-winning designs and construction, this brand is widely known for providing easy handling, great performance, and an ultimately stable platform.

This brand always strives to deliver a unique and the best possible experience to every sailor. As a brand, Tartan fully understands that every sailor has his/her unique sailing needs. As such every component of their models is designed with engineering levels that guarantee optimum performance, excellent on-deck visibility, and luxurious interior.

From the Tartan 5300, the Tartan 4300, the Tartan 345 to the New 365 and the Fantail, this brand makes it a priority to ensure that its models are among the strongest, lightest, and more importantly, the safest in the sailing industry. In essence, this brand can be ideal if you appreciate performance. It has rewarding sailing features both in narrow water lines and wider passages. Add this to its easy handling and you'll have a top-notch performer in virtually every condition.

8. Catalina Yachts

As one of the most popular boat manufacturers in the world, this American brand is widely revered for building the sturdiest boats that can hold up perfectly well in real-world conditions. These are generally family-oriented boats that are intelligently designed to ensure that your entire family can have fun out there on the water.

Some of the models include the cruiser series such as the Catalina 315, the Catalina 385, the Catalina 425 while the sport series include the Catalina 12.5 Expo, the Catalina 16.5, and the Catalina 14.2 Expo. As the current winner of the "Boat of the Year" Cruising World, you'll rarely go wrong with a Catalina model.

It offers a wide range of sailboat sizes that suits your lifestyle. This brand makes it a priority to ensure that all their models are not only safe but offer the best ownership and sailing experience. If anything, this brand is widely known to have one of the most excellent resale values in the sailing industry.

9. Island Packet Yachts

From the IP 525, the IP 439 to the IP 379, the Island Packet Yachts is a brand that encourages its customers not to keep the world waiting. This brand is meant for sailors who want to explore the world in utmost comfort and safety.

The first thing you'll notice in an IP sailboat is its large aft deck. This is not only perfect for sunbathing but can also serve you well if you want an impromptu dinner with friends and family while out there on the water. The living space is also large enough to carry most of your belongings, which is an added advantage especially if you've been planning to spend longer periods in the seas.

With modern evolution and refinement, as well as proven features, this brand is known to offer sailors maximum comfort, luxury, and safety. You'll have better access to the cockpit, have enough space, and are excellently designed to provide superior seafaring and the best features to enable you to spend extended periods when cruising.

10. Sparkman & Stephens

For more than 90 years, Sparkman & Stephens has been at the forefront of the belief that sailboat excellence goes beyond hull lines and deck plans. Instead, this brand believes in excellent naval architecture, innovation, sophistication, and beauty. This is a brand that has laid the foundation of sailboat as a sport not just in America but all over the world.

These models have graced the world for decades and bring immense pleasure to their owners in terms of innovation, performance, and excellence. Though rooted in tradition, the brand has pushed sophistication, technology, and sailing experience to a whole new level. You'll be a proud owner of the Sparkman & Stephens model.

There you have it; these are the best sailboat brands in the world. Although there are several other sailboat brands to choose from, the-above described brands stand shoulder above others in terms of quality, safety, performances and luxury.

Hopefully, you're at a much better place when it comes to choosing a sailboat that suits your lifestyle, needs, and budget .

Happy sailing!

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Daniel Wade

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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The 8 Best New British Yachts on the Water, From Sunseeker to Fairline

Quality among the top u.k. builders is always a given. it's the range of yacht designs that may surprise you..

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As an island, boats have always been the lifeblood of Great Britain. And many British yacht builders continue to uphold the country’s proud naval and maritime traditions. While there are a handful of superyacht builders, the UK isn’t known for eye-wateringly huge megayachts or avant-garde design—though that has changed as its largest international brands compete with the style-obsessed Ferretti Group and Azimut brands.

But what you do find with the Brits is well engineered vessels with a high level of attention to detail in both the interior and exterior design. From semi-custom motoryacht builders like Princess and Sunseeker to the rarefied realm of a highly sought-after Pascoe limousine, there’s something here for nearly every yachtsman.

And thanks to enduring popularity, there is nearly always a British-built sailboat from the Oyster yard, somewhere just over the horizon. In fact, whether you’re cruising the waters of the Caribbean, New England, or the South of France, you’ll find U.K. brands along with the highest luxury offerings from Italy and Northern Europe.

Here are seven of Britain’s finest, newest, and most noteworthy vessels on the water.

Project Fox, Pendennis Shipyard

This 114-foot explorer yacht, overseen by project manager Burgess and in build at the Pendennis shipyard in Falmouth, was designed around the owner’s wishes. It has a rugged exterior that will be paired with a bright, contemporary interior by QLondon Design. The owner told Robb Report that he plans to cruise off-grid to remote areas like Norway for heli-skiing with his family and friends (thus necessitating five large staterooms). But he also wanted family-friendly features like a sun terrace, wine lobby, open-air barbecue, and DJ station. Of course, the real breakthrough here: The open stern, measuring more than 1,100 square feet can carry a large complement of toys and tenders, but also scientific equipment (the interior has space for a modular lab) for when the yacht is hosting research scientists. “Flexible cabins and connectivity are key,” said the owner.

The ubiquitous model of the Pearl lineup, the 72 received a creative new interior design earlier this year with the addition of a stateroom that gives it two master suites. The U.K. yard has always been high on haute design, offering different palettes by British interior designer Kelly Hoppen, but this double-master suite idea is a first for this size of motoryacht. The yard has recently won awards for the naval architecture of its 95, which approaches superyacht status, and it will be launching a new 85-foot flybridge next year.

Fairline Targa 40

Fairline is also among England’s internationally renowned yacht brands, famous for seaworthy hulls and top-tier creature comforts. It hasn’t built yachts as large as competitors Princess and Sunseeker but has been equally creative with the design. The new Targa 40’s cockpit is a case in point. It has an enticing exterior layout, with the cockpit featuring a foldout terrace to starboard and a U-shaped dining settee to port facing the rest of the deck, not to mention the two sun lounges on the stern. The 40 is effectively a dayboat, but with two staterooms, it also works as a family weekender. There’s a master in the forepeak and guest cabin amidships which is best suited for children. The galley below decks is also very functional. Top speed for the Targa is 36 knots with the optional Volvo Penta D6-380 upgrades.

Princess Y80

Along with Sunseeker, Princess Yachts is the other heavyweight of British yacht building. These cruisers and motoryachts have proven to be perennial favorites on both sides of the Atlantic. The Y80 debuting at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival looks to continue the tradition. The Y80 brings to the table an “infinity cockpit” with a glass transom and modular furniture for multiple setups. It also has a flybridge that spans about two-thirds of the yacht’s nearly 84-foot length, effectively creating a legitimate third deck. The Y80’s owner’s stateroom is amidships and full beam, while it has a VIP in the forepeak. Two other guest cabins are to port and starboard. The Y80 has an impressive top speed of 30 knots, but at 10 knots the range is an even more impressive 1,000 nautical miles.

Cockwells Duchy Sport

The 37-foot Duchy Sport from the Cockwells’ yard in Cornwall, famous internationally for its custom tenders, is designed for watersports enthusiasts. This Sport offers multiple towing points for waterskiing, wakeboarding, wakesurfing and tubing, with interior space for nine guests. Bow and cockpit sunpads will be popular spots for tanning, while a Bimini covers the amidships. Standout features include a wetbar, retractable swim ladder, bowthruster with joystick control, and of course ample water-toy stowage. The Duchy Sport comes with twin 370 hp Yanmar 8LVs which can get it up to a top speed of 42 knots—a speed befitting of this model’s name. Cockwells is also building a new Duchy 60, a stylized motoryacht that should rival Downeast offerings from U.S. builders Hinckley and Malaysian builder Grand Banks.

The Oyster 495 is a 52-foot, 8-inch sailing yacht that entered the U.S. market earlier this year. A new design from the keel up, the U.K. builder was thinking global circumnavigation, or at least serious offshore cruising, from the onset. The yacht is also meant to be able to be singlehanded by a capable sailor. The plumb bow and teak decks imbue the 495 with a definite saltiness with performance and aesthetics. The cabin is noteworthy for being both ergonomic and well-lit. Reported top speeds for the 495 crest the 10-knot mark under sail, while a 100 hp Yanmar diesel pushes it along happily at 9.5 knots.

Sunseeker Superhawk 55

Sunseeker is one of England’s brands that has a global following. For good reason. The Poole builder has a range of vessels that extend from 38 to 161 feet. Sunseeker is known for good oceangoing performance and creative design. The Superhawk 55 is a reimagining of the Superhawks that enjoyed popularity with performance enthusiasts in the 1990s and Aughts before being discontinued in 2009. Sunseeker introduced the Superhawk 38 in 2020, which had echoes of its go-fast past. This 55, however, is more of a performance cruiser than a day boat. With twin Volvo Penta IPS950s the new Superhawk has a very respectable top end of 38 knots and a feature even Miami Vice hot-boat aficionados will appreciate—slow-speed maneuverability offered by pod propulsion. An aggressively raked profile complemented by stiletto-sharp hullside windows augment the Superhawk’s sporty vibe.

Pascoe E-Limousine Electric Tender

Pascoe tenders reside in the garages of some of the world’s biggest and most glamorous superyachts, thanks to the yard’s dedication to customization. The E-Limousine is the builder’s first fully electric vessel, the result of six years of R&D. Top speed is reported to be an impressive 40 knots, with a range of 60 nautical miles at a fast cruise of 20 knots. The builder says not only is this boat greener than a traditional tender but will also offer a smoother, quieter ride thanks to the construction used to mitigate vibration.

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43 of the best bluewater sailboat designs of all time

• January 5, 2022

How do you choose the right yacht for you? We highlight the very best bluewater sailboat designs for every type of cruising

Which yacht is the best for bluewater boating? This question generates even more debate among sailors than questions about what’s the coolest yacht , or the best for racing. Whereas racing designs are measured against each other, cruising sailors get very limited opportunities to experience different yachts in real oceangoing conditions, so what is the best bluewater sailboat?

Here, we bring you our top choices from decades of designs and launches. Over the years, the Yachting World team has sailed these boats, tested them or judged them for European Yacht of the Year awards, and we have sifted through the many to curate a selection that we believe should be on your wishlist.

Making the right choice may come down to how you foresee your yacht being used after it has crossed an ocean or completed a passage: will you be living at anchor or cruising along the coast? If so, your guiding requirements will be space, cabin size, ease of launching a tender and anchoring closer to shore, and whether it can comfortably accommodate non-expert-sailor guests.

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All of these considerations have generated the inexorable rise of the bluewater catamaran – monohulls can’t easily compete on these points. We have a full separate feature on the best bluewater multihulls of all time and here we mostly focus on monohulls. The only exceptions to that rule are two multihulls which made it into our best bluewater sailboats of 2022 list.

As so much of making the right choice is selecting the right boat for the venture in mind, we have separated out our edit into categories: best for comfort; for families; for performance; and for expedition or high latitudes sailing .

Best bluewater sailboats of 2022

The new flagship Allures 51.9, for example, is a no-nonsense adventure cruising design built and finished to a high standard. It retains Allures’ niche of using aluminium hulls with glassfibre decks and superstructures, which, the yard maintains, gives the optimum combination of least maintenance and less weight higher up. Priorities for this design were a full beam aft cabin and a spacious, long cockpit. Both are excellent, with the latter, at 6m long, offering formidable social, sailing and aft deck zones.

It likes some breeze to come to life on the wheel, but I appreciate that it’s designed to take up to five tonnes payload. And I like the ease with which you can change gears using the furling headsails and the positioning of the powerful Andersen winches inboard. The arch is standard and comes with a textile sprayhood or hard bimini.

Below decks you’ll find abundant headroom and natural light, a deep U-shape galley and cavernous stowage. For those who like the layout of the Amel 50 but would prefer aluminium or shoal draught, look no further.

Allures 51.9 price: €766,000

The Ovni 370 is another cunning new aluminum centreboard offering, a true deck saloon cruiser for two. The designers say the biggest challenge was to create a Category A ocean going yacht at this size with a lifting keel, hence the hull had to be very stable.

Enjoyable to helm, it has a practical, deep cockpit behind a large sprayhood, which can link to the bimini on the arch. Many of its most appealing features lie in the bright, light, contemporary, clever, voluminous interior, which has good stowage and tankage allocation. There’s also a practical navstation, a large workroom and a vast separate shower. I particularly like the convertible saloom, which can double as a large secure daybed or pilot berth.

Potentially the least expensive Category A lift keel boat available, the Ovni will get you dreaming of remote places again.

Ovni 370 price: €282,080

There’s no shortage of spirit in the Windelo 50. We gave this a sustainability award after it’s founders spent two years researching environmentally-friendly composite materials, developing an eco-composite of basalt fibre and recycled PET foam so it could build boats that halve the environmental impact of standard glassfibre yachts.

The Windelo 50 is an intriguing package – from the styling, modular interior and novel layout to the solar field on the roof and the standard electric propulsion, it is completely fresh.

Windelo 50 price: €795,000

Best bluewater sailboat of 2022 – Outremer 55

I would argue that this is the most successful new production yacht on the market. Well over 50 have already sold (an equipped model typically costs €1.6m) – and I can understand why. After all, were money no object, I had this design earmarked as the new yacht I would most likely choose for a world trip.

Indeed 55 number one Sanya, was fully equipped for a family’s world cruise, and left during our stay for the Grand Large Odyssey tour. Whereas we sailed Magic Kili, which was tricked up with performance options, including foam-cored deckheads and supports, carbon crossbeam and bulkheads, and synthetic rigging.

At rest, these are enticing space ships. Taking one out to sea is another matter though. These are speed machines with the size, scale and loads to be rightly weary of. Last month Nikki Henderson wrote a feature for us about how to manage a new breed of performance cruising cats just like this and how she coaches new owners. I could not think of wiser money spent for those who do not have ample multihull sailing experience.

Under sail, the most fun was obviously reserved for the reaching leg under asymmetric, where we clocked between 11-16 knots in 15-16 knots wind. But it was the stability and of those sustained low teen speeds which really hit home  – passagemaking where you really cover miles.

Key features include the swing helms, which give you views from outboard, over the coachroof or from a protected position in the cockpit through the coachroof windows, and the vast island in the galley, which is key to an open plan main living area. It helps provide cavernous stowage and acts as the heart of the entertaining space as it would in a modern home. As Danish judge Morten Brandt-Rasmussen comments: “Apart from being the TGV of ocean passages the boat offers the most spacious, open and best integration of the cockpit and salon areas in the market.”

Outremer has done a top job in packing in the creature comforts, stowage space and payload capacity, while keeping it light enough to eat miles. Although a lot to absorb and handle, the 55 offers a formidable blend of speed and luxury cruising.

Outremer 55 price: €1.35m

Best bluewater sailboats for comfort

This is the successor to the legendary Super Maramu, a ketch design that for several decades defined easy downwind handling and fostered a cult following for the French yard. Nearly a decade old, the Amel 55 is the bridge between those world-girdling stalwarts and Amel’s more recent and totally re-imagined sloop designs, the Amel 50 and 60.

The 55 boasts all the serious features Amel aficionados loved and valued: a skeg-hung rudder, solidly built hull, watertight bulkheads, solid guardrails and rampart bulwarks. And, most noticeable, the solid doghouse in which the helmsman sits in perfect shelter at the wheel.

This is a design to live on comfortably for long periods and the list of standard features just goes on and on: passarelle; proper sea berths with lee cloths; electric furling main and genoa; and a multitude of practical items that go right down to a dishwasher and crockery.

There’s no getting around the fact these designs do look rather dated now, and through the development of easier sail handling systems the ketch rig has fallen out of fashion, but the Amel is nothing short of a phenomenon, and if you’ve never even peeked on board one, you really have missed a treat.

Photo: Sander van der Borch

Contest 50CS

A centre cockpit cruiser with true longevity, the Contest 50CS was launched by Conyplex back in 2003 and is still being built by the family-owned Dutch company, now in updated and restyled form.

With a fully balanced rudder, large wheel and modern underwater sections, the Contest 50CS is a surprisingly good performer for a boat that has a dry weight of 17.5 tonnes. Many were fitted with in-mast furling, which clearly curtails that performance, but even without, this boat is set up for a small crew.

Electric winches and mainsheet traveller are all easy to reach from the helm. On our test of the Contest 50CS, we saw for ourselves how two people can gybe downwind under spinnaker without undue drama. Upwind, a 105% genoa is so easy to tack it flatters even the weediest crewmember.

Down below, the finish level of the joinery work is up there among the best and the interior is full of clever touches, again updated and modernised since the early models. Never the cheapest bluewater sailing yacht around, the Contest 50CS has remained in demand as a brokerage buy. She is a reassuringly sure-footed, easily handled, very well built yacht that for all those reasons has stood the test of time.

This is a yacht that would be well capable of helping you extend your cruising grounds, almost without realising it.

Read more about the Contest 50CS and the new Contest 49CS

Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Hallberg-Rassy 48 Mk II

For many, the Swedish Hallberg-Rassy yard makes the quintessential bluewater cruiser for couples. With their distinctive blue cove line, these designs are famous for their seakindly behaviour, solid-as-a-rock build and beautifully finished, traditional interiors.

To some eyes, Hallberg-Rassys aren’t quite cool enough, but it’s been company owner Magnus Rassy’s confidence in the formula and belief in incremental ‘step-by-step’ evolution that has been such an exceptional guarantor of reliable quality, reputation and resale value.

The centre cockpit Hallberg-Rassy 48 epitomises the concept of comfort at sea and, like all the Frers-designed Hallberg-Rassys since the 1990s, is surprisingly fleet upwind as well as steady downwind. The 48 is perfectly able to be handled by a couple (as we found a few years back in the Pacific), and could with no great effort crack out 200-mile days.

The Hallberg-Rassy 48 was launched nearly a decade ago, but the Mk II from 2014 is our pick, updated with a more modern profile, larger windows and hull portlights that flood the saloon and aft cabin with light. With a large chart table, secure linear galley, heaps of stowage and space for bluewater extras such as machinery and gear, this yacht pretty much ticks all the boxes.

Discovery 55

First launched in 2000, the Discovery 55 has stood the test of time. Designed by Ron Holland, it hit a sweet spot in size that appealed to couples and families with world girdling plans.

Elegantly styled and well balanced, the 55 is also a practical design, with a deep and secure cockpit, comfortable seating, a self-tacking jib, dedicated stowage for the liferaft , a decent sugar scoop transom that’s useful for swimming or dinghy access, and very comfortable accommodation below. In short, it is a design that has been well thought out by those who’ve been there, got the bruises, stubbed their toes and vowed to change things in the future if they ever got the chance.

Throughout the accommodation there are plenty of examples of good detailing, from the proliferation of handholds and grabrails, to deep sinks in the galley offering immediate stowage when under way and the stand up/sit down showers. Stowage is good, too, with plenty of sensibly sized lockers in easily accessible positions.

The Discovery 55 has practical ideas and nifty details aplenty. She’s not, and never was, a breakthrough in modern luxury cruising but she is pretty, comfortable to sail and live on, and well mannered.

Photo: Latitudes Picture Library

You can’t get much more Cornish than a Rustler. The hulls of this Stephen Jones design are hand-moulded and fitted out in Falmouth – and few are more ruggedly built than this traditional, up-for-anything offshore cruiser.

She boasts an encapsulated lead keel, eliminating keel bolts and creating a sump for generous fuel and water tankage, while a chunky skeg protects the rudder. She is designed for good directional stability and load carrying ability. These are all features that lend this yacht confidence as it shoulders aside the rough stuff.

Most of those built have had a cutter rig, a flexible arrangement that makes sense for long passages in all sea and weather conditions. Down below, the galley and saloon berths are comfortable and sensible for living in port and at sea, with joinery that Rustler’s builders are rightly proud of.

As modern yachts have got wider, higher and fatter, the Rustler 42 is an exception. This is an exceptionally well-mannered seagoing yacht in the traditional vein, with elegant lines and pleasing overhangs, yet also surprisingly powerful. And although now over 20 years old, timeless looks and qualities mean this design makes her look ever more like a perennial, a modern classic.

The definitive crossover size, the point at which a yacht can be handled by a couple but is just large enough to have a professional skipper and be chartered, sits at around the 60ft mark. At 58ft 8in, the Oyster 575 fitted perfectly into this growing market when launched in 2010. It went on to be one of the most popular models from the yard, and is only now being superseded by the newer Rob Humphreys-designed Oyster 565 (just launched this spring).

Built in various configurations with either a deep keel, shoal draught keel or centreboard with twin rudders, owners could trade off better performance against easy access to shallower coves and anchorages. The deep-bodied hull, also by Rob Humphreys, is known for its easy motion at sea.

Some of the Oyster 575’s best features include its hallmark coachroof windows style and centre cockpit – almost everyone will know at first glance this is an Oyster – and superb interior finish. If she has a flaw, it is arguably the high cockpit, but the flip side is the galley headroom and passageway berth to the large aft stateroom.

This design also has a host of practical features for long-distance cruising, such as high guardrails, dedicated liferaft stowage, a vast lazarette for swallowing sails, tender, fenders etc, and a penthouse engine room.

Privilege Serie 5

A true luxury catamaran which, fully fitted out, will top €1m, this deserves to be seen alongside the likes of the Oyster 575, Gunfleet 58 and Hallberg-Rassy 55. It boasts a large cockpit and living area, and a light and spacious saloon with an emphasis on indoor-outdoor living, masses of refrigeration and a big galley.

Standout features are finish quality and solid build in a yacht designed to take a high payload, a secure walkaround deck and all-round views from the helm station. The new Privilege 510 that will replace this launches in February 2020.

Gunfleet 43

It was with this Tony Castro design that Richard Matthews, founder of Oyster Yachts, launched a brand new rival brand in 2012, the smallest of a range stretching to the flagship Gunfleet 74. The combination of short overhangs and centre cockpit at this size do make the Gunfleet 43 look modern if a little boxy, but time and subsequent design trends have been kind to her lines, and the build quality is excellent. The saloon, galley and aft cabin space is exceptional on a yacht of this size.

Photo: David Harding

Conceived as a belt-and-braces cruiser, the Kraken 50 launched last year. Its unique points lie underwater in the guise of a full skeg-hung rudder and so-called ‘Zero Keel’, an encapsulated long keel with lead ballast.

Kraken Yachts is the brainchild of British businessman and highly experienced cruiser Dick Beaumont, who is adamant that safety should be foremost in cruising yacht design and build. “There is no such thing as ‘one yacht for all purposes’… You cannot have the best of all worlds, whatever the salesman tells you,” he says.

Read our full review of the Kraken 50 .

Wauquiez Centurion 57

Few yachts can claim to be both an exciting Med-style design and a serious and practical northern European offshore cruiser, but the Wauquiez Centurion 57 tries to blend both. She slightly misses if you judge solely by either criterion, but is pretty and practical enough to suit her purpose.

A very pleasant, well-considered yacht, she is impressively built and finished with a warm and comfortable interior. More versatile than radical, she could be used for sailing across the Atlantic in comfort and raced with equal enjoyment at Antigua Sailing Week .

A modern classic if ever there was one. A medium to heavy displacement yacht, stiff and easily capable of standing up to her canvas. Pretty, traditional lines and layout below.

Photo: Voyage of Swell

Well-proven US legacy design dating back to the mid-1960s that once conquered the Transpac Race . Still admired as pretty, with slight spoon bow and overhanging transom.

Capable medium displacement cruiser, ideal size and good accommodation for couples or family cruising, and much less costly than similar luxury brands.

Photo: Peter Szamer

Swedish-built aft cockpit cruiser, smaller than many here, but a well-built and finished, super-durable pocket ocean cruiser.

Tartan 3700

Designed as a performance cruiser there are nimbler alternatives now, but this is still an extremely pretty yacht.

Broker ’ s choice

Discovery 55 Brizo

This yacht has already circumnavigated the globe and is ‘prepared for her next adventure,’ says broker Berthon. Price: £535,000 + VAT

Oyster 575 Ayesha

‘Stunning, and perfectly equipped for bluewater cruising,’ says broker Ancasta International. Price: £845,000 (tax not paid)

Oyster 575 Pearls of Nautilus

Nearly new and with a high spec, this Oyster Brokerage yacht features American white oak joinery and white leather upholstery and has a shoal draught keel. Price: $1.49m

Best bluewater yachts for performance

The Frers-designed Swan 54 may not be the newest hull shape but heralded Swan’s latest generation of displacement bluewater cruisers when launched four years ago. With raked stem, deep V hull form, lower freeboard and slight curve to the topsides she has a more timeless aesthetic than many modern slab-sided high volume yachts, and with that a seakindly motion in waves. If you plan to cover many miles to weather, this is probably the yacht you want to be on.

Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Besides Swan’s superlative build quality, the 54 brings many true bluewater features, including a dedicated sail locker. There’s also a cockpit locker that functions as a utility cabin, with potential to hold your generator and washing machine, or be a workshop space.

The sloping transom opens out to reveal a 2.5m bathing platform, and although the cabins are not huge there is copious stowage space. Down below the top-notch oak joinery is well thought through with deep fiddles, and there is a substantial nav station. But the Swan 54 wins for handling above all, with well laid-out sail controls that can be easily managed between a couple, while offering real sailing enjoyment to the helmsman.

Photo: Graham Snook

The Performance Cruiser winner at the 2019 European Yacht of the Year awards, the Arcona 435 is all about the sailing experience. She has genuine potential as a cruiser-racer, but her strengths are as an enjoyable cruiser rather than a full-blown liveaboard bluewater boat.

Build quality is excellent, there is the option of a carbon hull and deck, and elegant lines and a plumb bow give the Arcona 435 good looks as well as excellent performance in light airs. Besides slick sail handling systems, there are well thought-out features for cruising, such as ample built-in rope bins and an optional semi-closed stern with stowage and swim platform.

Outremer 51

If you want the space and stability of a cat but still prioritise sailing performance, Outremer has built a reputation on building catamarans with true bluewater characteristics that have cruised the planet for the past 30 years.

Lighter and slimmer-hulled than most cruising cats, the Outremer 51 is all about sailing at faster speeds, more easily. The lower volume hulls and higher bridgedeck make for a better motion in waves, while owners report that being able to maintain a decent pace even under reduced canvas makes for stress-free passages. Deep daggerboards also give good upwind performance.

With bucket seats and tiller steering options, the Outremer 51 rewards sailors who want to spend time steering, while they’re famously well set up for handling with one person on deck. The compromise comes with the interior space – even with a relatively minimalist style, there is less cabin space and stowage volume than on the bulkier cats, but the Outremer 51 still packs in plenty of practical features.

The Xc45 was the first cruising yacht X-Yachts ever built, and designed to give the same X-Yachts sailing experience for sailors who’d spent years racing 30/40-footer X- and IMX designs, but in a cruising package.

Launched over 10 years ago, the Xc45 has been revisited a few times to increase the stowage and modernise some of the styling, but the key features remain the same, including substantial tanks set low for a low centre of gravity, and X-Yachts’ trademark steel keel grid structure. She has fairly traditional styling and layout, matched with solid build quality.

A soft bilge and V-shaped hull gives a kindly motion in waves, and the cockpit is secure, if narrow by modern standards.

A three or four cabin catamaran that’s fleet of foot with high bridgedeck clearance for comfortable motion at sea. With tall daggerboards and carbon construction in some high load areas, Catana cats are light and quick to accelerate.

Sweden Yachts 45

An established bluewater design that also features in plenty of offshore races. Some examples are specced with carbon rig and retractable bowsprits. All have a self-tacking jib for ease. Expect sweeping areas of teak above decks and a traditionally wooded interior with hanging wet locker.

A vintage performer, first launched in 1981, the 51 was the first Frers-designed Swan and marked a new era of iconic cruiser-racers. Some 36 of the Swan 51 were built, many still actively racing and cruising nearly 40 years on. Classic lines and a split cockpit make this a boat for helming, not sunbathing.

Photo: Julien Girardot / EYOTY

The JPK 45 comes from a French racing stable, combining race-winning design heritage with cruising amenities. What you see is what you get – there are no superfluous headliners or floorboards, but there are plenty of ocean sailing details, like inboard winches for safe trimming. The JPK 45 also has a brilliantly designed cockpit with an optional doghouse creating all-weather shelter, twin wheels and superb clutch and rope bin arrangement.

Photo: Andreas Lindlahr

For sailors who don’t mind exchanging a few creature comforts for downwind planing performance, the Pogo 50 offers double-digit surfing speeds for exhilarating tradewind sailing. There’s an open transom, tiller steering and no backstay or runners. The Pogo 50 also has a swing keel, to nose into shallow anchorages.

Seawind 1600

Seawinds are relatively unknown in Europe, but these bluewater cats are very popular in Australia. As would be expected from a Reichel-Pugh design, this 52-footer combines striking good looks and high performance, with fine entry bows and comparatively low freeboard. Rudders are foam cored lifting designs in cassettes, which offer straightforward access in case of repairs, while daggerboards are housed under the deck.

Best bluewater sailboats for families

It’s unsurprising that, for many families, it’s a catamaran that meets their requirements best of increased space – both living space and separate cabins for privacy-seeking teenagers, additional crew or visiting family – as well as stable and predictable handling.

Photo: Nicholas Claris

Undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories has been the Lagoon 450, which, together with boats like the Fountaine Pajot 44, helped drive up the popularity of catamaran cruising by making it affordable and accessible. They have sold in huge numbers – over 1,000 Lagoon 450s have been built since its launch in 2010.

The VPLP-designed 450 was originally launched with a flybridge with a near central helming position and upper level lounging areas (450F). The later ‘sport top’ option (450S) offered a starboard helm station and lower boom (and hence lower centre of gravity for reduced pitching). The 450S also gained a hull chine to create additional volume above the waterline. The Lagoon features forward lounging and aft cockpit areas for additional outdoor living space.

Besides being a big hit among charter operators, Lagoons have proven themselves over thousands of bluewater miles – there were seven Lagoon 450s in last year’s ARC alone. In what remains a competitive sector of the market, Lagoon has recently launched a new 46, with a larger self-tacking jib and mast moved aft, and more lounging areas.

Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Fountaine Pajot Helia 44

The FP Helia 44 is lighter, lower volume, and has a lower freeboard than the Lagoon, weighing in at 10.8 tonnes unloaded (compared to 15 for the 450). The helm station is on a mezzanine level two steps up from the bridgedeck, with a bench seat behind. A later ‘Evolution’ version was designed for liveaboard cruisers, featuring beefed up dinghy davits and an improved saloon space.

Available in three or four cabin layouts, the Helia 44 was also popular with charter owners as well as families. The new 45 promises additional volume, and an optional hydraulically lowered ‘beach club’ swim platform.

Photo: Arnaud De Buyzer / graphikup.com

The French RM 1370 might be less well known than the big brand names, but offers something a little bit different for anyone who wants a relatively voluminous cruising yacht. Designed by Marc Lombard, and beautifully built from plywood/epoxy, the RM is stiff and responsive, and sails superbly.

The RM yachts have a more individual look – in part down to the painted finish, which encourages many owners to personalise their yachts, but also thanks to their distinctive lines with reverse sheer and dreadnought bow. The cockpit is well laid out with the primary winches inboard for a secure trimming position. The interior is light, airy and modern, although the open transom won’t appeal to everyone.

For those wanting a monohull, the Hanse 575 hits a similar sweet spot to the popular multis, maximising accommodation for a realistic price, yet with responsive performance.

The Hanse offers a vast amount of living space thanks to the ‘loft design’ concept of having all the living areas on a single level, which gives a real feeling of spaciousness with no raised saloon or steps to accommodation. The trade-off for such lofty head height is a substantial freeboard – it towers above the pontoon, while, below, a stepladder is provided to reach some hatches.

Galley options include drawer fridge-freezers, microwave and coffee machine, and the full size nav station can double up as an office or study space.

But while the Hanse 575 is a seriously large boat, its popularity is also down to the fact that it is genuinely able to be handled by a couple. It was innovative in its deck layout: with a self-tacking jib and mainsheet winches immediately to hand next to the helm, one person could both steer and trim.

Direct steering gives a feeling of control and some tangible sailing fun, while the waterline length makes for rapid passage times. In 2016 the German yard launched the newer Hanse 588 model, having already sold 175 of the 575s in just four years.

Photo: Bertel Kolthof

Jeanneau 54

Jeanneau leads the way among production builders for versatile all-rounder yachts that balance sail performance and handling, ergonomics, liveaboard functionality and good looks. The Jeanneau 54 , part of the range designed by Philippe Briand with interior by Andrew Winch, melds the best of the larger and smaller models and is available in a vast array of layout options from two cabins/two heads right up to five cabins and three heads.

We’ve tested the Jeanneau 54 in a gale and very light winds, and it acquitted itself handsomely in both extremes. The primary and mainsheet winches are to hand next to the wheel, and the cockpit is spacious, protected and child-friendly. An electric folding swim and sun deck makes for quick fun in the water.

Nautitech Open 46

This was the first Nautitech catamaran to be built under the ownership of Bavaria, designed with an open-plan bridgedeck and cockpit for free-flowing living space. But with good pace for eating up bluewater miles, and aft twin helms rather than a flybridge, the Nautitech Open 46 also appeals to monohull sailors who prefer a more direct sailing experience.

Made by Robertson and Caine, who produce catamarans under a dual identity as both Leopard and the Sunsail/Moorings charter cats, the Leopard 45 is set to be another big seller. Reflecting its charter DNA, the Leopard 45 is voluminous, with stepped hulls for reduced waterline, and a separate forward cockpit.

Built in South Africa, they are robustly tested off the Cape and constructed ruggedly enough to handle heavy weather sailing as well as the demands of chartering.

Photo: Olivier Blanchet

If space is king then three hulls might be even better than two. The Neel 51 is rare as a cruising trimaran with enough space for proper liveaboard sailing. The galley and saloon are in the large central hull, together with an owner’s cabin on one level for a unique sensation of living above the water. Guest or family cabins lie in the outer hulls for privacy and there is a cavernous full height engine room under the cabin sole.

Performance is notably higher than an equivalent cruising cat, particularly in light winds, with a single rudder giving a truly direct feel in the helm, although manoeuvring a 50ft trimaran may daunt many sailors.

Beneteau Oceanis 46.1

A brilliant new model from Beneteau, this Finot Conq design has a modern stepped hull, which offers exhilarating and confidence-inspiring handling in big breezes, and slippery performance in lighter winds.

The Beneteau Oceanis 46.1 was the standout performer at this year’s European Yacht of the Year awards, and, in replacing the popular Oceanis 45, looks set to be another bestseller. Interior space is well used with a double island berth in the forepeak. An additional inboard unit creates a secure galley area, but tank capacity is moderate for long periods aboard.

Beneteau Oceanis 473

A popular model that offers beam and height in a functional layout, although, as with many boats of this age (she was launched in 2002), the mainsheet is not within reach of the helmsman.

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49

The Philippe Briand-designed Sun Odyssey range has a solid reputation as family production cruisers. Like the 473, the Sun Odyssey 49 was popular for charter so there are plenty of four-cabin models on the market.

Nautitech 441

The hull design dates back to 1995, but was relaunched in 2012. Though the saloon interior has dated, the 441 has solid practical features, such as a rainwater run-off collection gutter around the coachroof.

Atlantic 42

Chris White-designed cats feature a pilothouse and forward waist-high working cockpit with helm position, as well as an inside wheel at the nav station. The Atlantic 42 offers limited accommodation by modern cat standards but a very different sailing experience.

Best bluewater sailing yachts for expeditions

Bestevaer 56.

All of the yachts in our ‘expedition’ category are aluminium-hulled designs suitable for high latitude sailing, and all are exceptional yachts. But the Bestevaer 56 is a spectacular amount of boat to take on a true adventure. Each Bestevaer is a near-custom build with plenty of bespoke options for owners to customise the layout and where they fall on the scale of rugged off-grid adventurer to 4×4-style luxury fit out.

The Bestevaer range began when renowned naval architect Gerard Dijkstra chose to design his own personal yacht for liveaboard adventure cruising, a 53-footer. The concept drew plenty of interest from bluewater sailors wanting to make longer expeditions and Bestevaers are now available in a range of sizes, with the 56-footer proving a popular mid-range length.

The well-known Bestevaer 56 Tranquilo  (pictured above) has a deep, secure cockpit, voluminous tanks (700lt water and over 1,100lt fuel) and a lifting keel plus water ballast, with classically styled teak clad decks and pilot house. Other owners have opted for functional bare aluminium hull and deck, some choose a doghouse and others a pilothouse.

Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

The Boreal 52 also offers Land Rover-esque practicality, with utilitarian bare aluminium hulls and a distinctive double-level doghouse/coachroof arrangement for added protection in all weathers. The cockpit is clean and uncluttered, thanks to the mainsheet position on top of the doghouse, although for visibility in close manoeuvring the helmsman will want to step up onto the aft deck.

Twin daggerboards, a lifting centreboard and long skeg on which she can settle make this a true go-anywhere expedition yacht. The metres of chain required for adventurous anchoring is stowed in a special locker by the mast to keep the weight central. Down below has been thought through with equally practical touches, including plenty of bracing points and lighting that switches on to red light first to protect your night vision.

Photo: Morris Adant / Garcia Yachts

Garcia Exploration 45

The Garcia Exploration 45 comes with real experience behind her – she was created in association with Jimmy Cornell, based on his many hundreds of thousands of miles of bluewater cruising, to go anywhere from high latitudes to the tropics.

Arguably less of a looker than the Bestevaer, the Garcia Exploration 45 features a rounded aluminium hull, centreboard with deep skeg and twin daggerboards. The considerable anchor chain weight has again been brought aft, this time via a special conduit to a watertight locker in front of the centreboard.

This is a yacht designed to be lived on for extended periods with ample storage, and panoramic portlights to give a near 360° view of whichever extraordinary landscape you are exploring. Safety features include a watertight companionway door to keep extreme weather out and through-hull fittings placed above the waterline. When former Vendée Globe skipper Pete Goss went cruising , this was the boat he chose to do it in.

Photo: svnaima.com

A truly well-proven expedition design, some 1,500 Ovnis have been built and many sailed to some of the most far-flung corners of the world. (Jimmy Cornell sailed his Aventura some 30,000 miles, including two Drake Passage crossings, one in 50 knots of wind).

Futuna Exploration 54

Another aluminium design with a swinging centreboard and a solid enclosed pilothouse with protected cockpit area. There’s a chunky bowsprit and substantial transom arch to house all manner of electronics and power generation.

Previous boats have been spec’d for North West Passage crossings with additional heating and engine power, although there’s a carbon rig option for those that want a touch of the black stuff. The tanks are capacious, with 1,000lt capability for both fresh water and fuel.

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10 of the best British superyachts

Britain has a strong boatbuilding heritage, launching some beautiful and historically important yachts. Today, British superyacht building is unassuming in its dominance – you might be surprised to learn Britain holds the number four ranking on the 2015 Global Order Book , claiming 2,216 metres of yachts more than 24 metres LOA in build.

One of the best British superyachts launched in recent years was also one of the most secretive, and  Boat International  is the only magazine to have featured her. At 96 metres, Vava II is the largest on this list. Designed by Redman Whiteley Dixon with interior styling Remi Tessier , she was built by Devonport , which was acquired and renamed Pendennis Plus.

More about this yacht

The sixth largest classic yacht in the world, Nahlin was designed by GL Watson and built by Brown J in the UK in 1930 for the British aristocrat Lady Yule. She’s certainly earned her best British superyacht badge, having ferried none other than Britain’s King Edward VIII with his American mistress and soon wife-to-be Wallis Simpson before his abdication from the throne.

Perhaps this British-built yacht should be know as the first superyacht support vessel. Sir Thomas Sopwith commissioned the 80 metre  Philante , later re-named  Norge , to be a support yacht to his America’s Cup Challenger, the J Class yacht Endeavour ( currently for sale ). Launched by Camper & Nicholsons in 1937,  Norge  – one of the best British superyachts of all time – ferried the sailing yacht’s rig across the Atlantic for racing. She was named Norge after WWII, when she became the royal yacht of Norway.

First launched by Vosper Thornycraft in 2004, M5 emerged from an extensive refit at Pendennis last year sporting a brand new backside and carbon fibre rigging. Her original designer, Ron Holland , oversaw the refit of the 78 metre sailing superyacht, which is widely regarded as one of the best British superyachts, whilst UK firm Redman, Whiteley, Dixon refreshed her interior.

The iconic Shemara was reborn after a recent refit that restored her to her former glory , putting this classic beauty on the list of best British superyachts. Originally launched by JL Thornycroft  in 1938, a loving, seven-year restoration breathed new life into Shemara . The refit maintained her character while updating the yacht with all necessary modern conveniences.

Another British classic revived – Malahne ’s 30-month refit has been called one of the most ambitious of all time. The hard work paid off, as she easily grabs a spot on the list of best British superyachts after Malahne was painstakingly refitted to look as if she had been in service since her launch in 1937. Built by Camper & Nicholsons, Malahne ’s epic history includes service in WWII.

Yachts for charter

Launched in 2014, the newest on this list of best British luxury yachts is Sunseeker's  Blush , owned by former F1 team principal Eddie Jordan. Blush stands out with her trendy light blue hull colour and recognisable Sunseeker styling. The Sunseeker 155 is also the largest yacht to emerge from the yard, that is until the new flagship, the  Sunseeker 168 , launches.

Imperial Princess

In 2012, semi-custom builder Princess entered the custom yacht market with its M Class yacht, Imperial Princess , and hasn’t looked back. After the Princess 40M, Princess introduced its 30M, 32M and 35M as well. Built for an existing Princess owner, the first of the pack, award-winning Imperial Princess , earns a spot on the best British superyachts list.

Yachts for sale

Built by Camper & Nicholsons in 1930, the legendary Shamrock V is the only wooden J Class yacht in existence. The 36 metre sailing yacht Shamrock V is currently for sale , allowing an owner to scoop her up in time for the J Class regatta during the America’s Cup in 2017.

Another yacht currently owned by Eddie Jordan  to earn a space in this list of the best of British-built yachts list is 27 metre Lush . The Oyster yacht is nimble on the water and an adept racer. A popular charter yacht, Lush was chased by whales during the St Barths Bucket this year, as Eddie Jordan recounted . Sailing yacht  Lush is currently for sale .

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Great British craftsmanship

Oyster craftsmanship began in Norfolk in 1973. Oyster drew on the experience and craftsmanship of Landamores, who had been building wooden sailing yachts since 1923. They were soon joined by another Norfolk boat builder with an equally fine pedigree, Windboats, founded in 1920 by Graham Bunn – a master craftsman and yacht designer.

Merge and conquer

This team was responsible for building more than 700 Oyster yachts until Oyster took over Landamore’s new facility and brought the build in-house combining the workforce from both companies.

We have four main yacht construction centres: in Norfolk, there is Oyster Yachts Wroxham which is close to our new composite technology facility in Ashmanhaugh. The Oyster 565 and 595 are all brought to life here by our skilled teams. Our other construction centres are located in Southampton, where our Oyster 495 and larger models – the Oyster 675, 745 and 885 – are built and finished by hand to the highest standards. Our head quarters are at Saxon Wharf, Southampton and our newest construction centre at Hythe Marine Park is a state-of-the-art production facility where the new Oyster 495 is built.

British yacht builders

Everything about our boats and build process is focused on creating the world’s finest bluewater British yachts, from the quality of the materials to the exceptional skills of our craftsmen and women and precise project management. We believe a key part of owning an Oyster is understanding the craftsmanship and attention to detail that go into her. Passing down these time-honoured craft skills to the next generation of great British boatbuilders is a priority for Oyster – it is the reason we set up the Oyster Academy, where our apprentices learn from the very best.

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Best 30 foot boats: Seaworthy British cruisers available for under £30k

• Peter Poland
• June 15, 2022

Peter Poland shares his expertise on British-built second-hand yachts costing less than £30,000, which are comfortable and seaworthy...

You might think £30,000 sounds like a lot of money for a ‘starter boat’. But tracking down a comfortable and seaworthy yacht that’s 30 foot long, less than around 40 years old and capable of taking a crew on coastal cruising trips costing less than £30,000 on the second-hand market can be a challenging project.

It’s stating the obvious, but sailors who are happy with smaller yachts have far more to choose from. In the days before the ‘smallest’ new starter boat became a costly 30-plus footer, many builders used to offer popular ranges stretching from 20ft to 32ft.

But if you are looking for the best 30 foot boats within a £30,000 budget, you will have to start delving into the realms of older yachts.

14 of the best 30 foot boats

The Westerly Centaur White Lady

Westerly Centaur

Those looking for smaller GRP starter boats – myself included – often settled on the ground-breaking 26ft Westerly Centaur. Between 1969 and the early 1980s, 2,444 were built; outselling any other British production cruiser.

To a large degree its success stemmed from the exceptional space, headroom and comfort that it offered in its day. Three layout options were available and – more by luck than judgement – I bought the most popular.

It had a twin berth forepeak, enclosed heads compartment, L-shaped saloon settee with drop-down table, linear galley to starboard and twin quarter berths aft. Thanks to designer Laurent Giles’s thorough tank testing, the Centaur’s twin keels also broke new ground.

The Westerly Centaur Viento Seco

These tests showed a substantial loss in efficiency when keels were aligned exactly fore and aft. So the LG team settled on splayed and identical (as opposed to asymmetric) keels with a 2° toe-in.

I bought my second-hand Centaur as a floating cottage from which to follow and photograph the successes of our Hunter Sonata and Impala 28 One Design classes in the late 1970s.

The Centaur did a great job. It sailed adequately, motored well and provided excellent overnight accommodation. And it still will today; especially if you find a tidy example with refurbished headlining panels and a recent engine.

A Nicholson 32 beating through the Sound of Mull, Inner Hebrides. Photo: Genevieve Leaper/Alamy

Nicholson 32

Going back to 1963, the evergreen Nicholson 32 is another candidate for a seaworthy and comfortable cruiser that just keeps going. Peter Nicholson sketched out his ideas for an all GRP Camper & Nicholsons fast cruiser that he hoped would become the new ‘people’s boat’.

He envisaged a quick and seaworthy hull, a distinctive two level coachroof (featuring a raised doghouse aft) and a spacious and nicely fitted out interior.

His father, CE Nicholson, drew the lines and Halmatic was signed up to mould the boat. Peter Nicholson planned the marketing and prepared the brochure: which was probably the first GRP yacht brochure produced in the UK. Jeremy Lines took on the day to day running of the project and the Nicholson 32 hit the sailing scene in 1963.

Success was instant. The Mark 1 version sold at £4,900. This may not sound much, but apply about 60 years worth of inflation and this comes to around £109,000 (+VAT) in today’s money. Which was a lot for a 32-footer.

Article continues below…

Coming of age: the 1970s yacht designs that have stood the test of time

Sailing in the 1970s was characterised by innovation, enthusiasm, mass participation and home boatbuilding. Rupert Holmes reports

Best cruising boats under 30 feet: Is this the ideal size for a yacht?

Cruising boats of around 30ft can often become a ‘boat for life’. Having graduated from dinghies to small cruisers, many…

But it’s as one would expect for a high quality yacht with a lead keel. Interestingly, the LWL had been fixed at 24ft – the holy grail for offshore racers – because this was the minimum permitted length for RORC events.

The first 32 produced, aptly named Forerunner, did well in Solent racing with Charles and Peter Nicholson on board. Then the young Claire Francis made the headlines by sailing her Nicholson 32 Gulliver single-handed across the Atlantic .

And the success story just ran and ran. Jeremy Lines continued to mastermind sales, control changes and liaise with Halmatic until the final couple of years, when Halmatic took over the whole project with the Mark X and Xl versions.

From 1963 to 1981, the 32 was in continuous production and including a few built under licence in Australia, around 400 were built. Peter Nicholson summed up the 32’s success by saying: “I think the most important thing about the 32 was that owners felt very safe in her in really bad weather.

“We had numerous letters and comments about this from people who had been caught out.”

Nicholson 32 Mark X and Mark XI

Over the years no fewer than eleven new ‘Marks’ of the 32 were introduced, incorporating numerous changes. Many of these related to small details but some were more significant, such as scrapping the pilot berth and pushing the saloon settees further out to make space for an occasional double berth.

The Mark X (introduced in 1972) and Mark Xl featured an all-new deck moulding and raised hull topsides, resulting in major changes and a completely new look. With extra headroom and space provided by the raised topsides, the ‘dog-house’ part of the coachroof became longer and lower.

At the same time the cockpit changed dramatically (it could now accommodate a wheel) and the companionway moved from its unusual but practical offset position to the centreline.

Down below, the galley and chart table changed sides, the chart table changed orientation, the saloon became more spacious and the amidships heads area got a bit bigger. While many liked the new Mark X look, others preferred the more traditional profile of earlier models. You pays your money (usually more for a Mark X or XI) and you takes your choice.

‘The evergreen Nicholson 32 is a seaworthy and comfortable cruiser that just keeps going’

From a personal perspective, I like the Raymond Wall designed deck and coachroof on the Mark X and Xl. But I’ve always admired Wall’s designs, especially such beauties as the Nicholson 35, 43 and 55. And after an enjoyable test aboard a 1969 Mark 8 version, I concluded that: “A ‘classic’ such as a Nicholson 32 will not suit everyone.

But if you want a boat with character, a boat that will look after you, a boat that just feels so good (whether sailing or relaxing down below) and a boat that will turn heads wherever she goes, then take a look. A Nicholson 32 is not just a boat; it is more a love affair and a way of life.”

To give an idea of prices today, I came across a couple of Mk 8 versions (1971 and 1972) asking £9,000 and £9,500 and two Mk Xs (1972 and 1974) asking £12,950 and £24,500.

Prices vary a lot depending on condition, spec and engine age etc, and a professional survey is advisable – as is the case when considering the purchase of any elderly boat. A visit to the Nicholson 32 website and becoming an associate member (£15) also gives access to a prodigious amount of information.

The restored Contessa 32 Bugler of Hor (PBO, December 2018)

Contessa 32

As the 1960s slid into the 70s, a new British-designed and built 32ft contender – the Contessa 32 – hit the market in 1972. And, like the Nicholson, it has become a popular classic.

However, having been launched eight years later, several new design features gave this 32-footer a very different look. The 1970s ushered in a new generation of yacht design.

The most obvious changes are beneath the waterline. Instead of a traditional long keel, the Contessa followed the new trend of fin keel (albeit a long one by modern standards) and separate skeg-hung rudder.

From a performance point of view, drag is reduced and manoeuvrability increases. But the Contessa’s vital statistics are surprisingly similar to the Nicholson’s, with the same LWL (that magical RORC minimum of 24ft again) and 5ft 6in draught. And her beam is only 3in more.

But when it comes to weight, there’s a substantial drop from the Nicholson’s hefty 6,198kg to 4,309kg. Yet the ballast ratio remains around 50%.

The Contessa’s finer ends and reduced underwater body explain the overall reduction in weight and mean that she is smaller down below – and quicker that the Nicholson. The 1972-designed Contessa 32 soon became a top seller with a reputation for seaworthiness, performance and classic good looks.

‘Synonymous with the word “safe”, many Contessa 32s have girdled the globe’

Around 700 Contessa 32s were built and she’s still in demand today. Photo: Carolyn Jenkins/Alamy

Around 700 were built and she’s still in demand today. Prices range from £14,000 (a 1972 example with original engine) to £27,000 (with newer engine) to £36,000 (a later example with newer engine) to ‘six figures’ for a recent boat. Jeremy Rogers Ltd still builds new 32s.

The word ‘safe’ has become synonymous with the Contessa 32. Many have girdled the globe. Others have raced across the Atlantic, a recent example being Amelie of Dart built by Jeremy Rogers’s new company.

Stephen Gratton entered her in the 2005 Amateur Single Handed Transatlantic race and raised over £50,000 for an MS charity. Jeremy Rogers told me: “He took 30 days to do the crossing, which was an extremely rough and testing one.”

But perhaps the most famous Contessa 32 is Willy Ker’s Assent . She shot to fame as the smallest yacht to complete the storm-tossed 1979 Fastnet Race , when many larger yachts had to retire.

Then Ker took to the ice and Assent completed successful cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic oceans. Contessa 32s, it seems, can take their crews anywhere.

The Contessa 32’s layout is similar to the earlier Nicholson 32 design, albeit slightly less voluminous. In the saloon, the main U-shaped settee converts into a double berth, thanks to a slide out panel.

The chart table is full sized and forward facing, with a secure quarter berth aft. The galley is a seagoing wrap-around U-shape that provides plenty of work-surface.

Contessa 32 Class racing during Cowes Week in the Solent, off the Isle of Wight. Photo: Peter Titmuss/Alamy

“Cooking and navigating at sea are safe and simple”, one owner told me; “You don’t get thrown around too much if it gets rough. She has a gentle motion at sea. She doesn’t bounce around and catch you off balance.”

Like the Nicholson 32 and other cruisers of this era, the Contessa’s heads compartment is amidships, between the saloon and the forepeak.

This isn’t as palatial as the aft heads compartments on beamy contemporary cruisers but when the heads are forward, valuable saloon space aft at the widest part of the yacht is not sacrificed.

Andrew Gardener’s Rival 32’s comfortable cockpit, wide side decks and moderate width bow and stern. Photo: Andrew Gardener

Rival 32 and Rival 34

At much the same time, the Rival 32 (1971: 200 built) and Rival 34 (1972: 174 built) hit the scene and also made their names as reliable and capable offshore cruisers. Designed By Peter Brett, the Rival 34 was an extended version of the already successful Rival 32, having a slightly deeper afterbody and longer overhangs to give steadiness in a seaway.

There were two basic hull versions, one with a deep keel at 5ft 10in and a shallow one with 4ft 8in draught. The Rival 34’s prowess in offshore sailing was soon put to the test. Four Rivals (a 31, two 32s and the first 34) entered the inaugural AZAB race (Azores and back – around 2,500 miles).

Then Brett lent his own deep keel Rival 34 Wild Rival to a young naval officer, Geoff Hales, to enter the 1976 OSTAR (Observer single-handed transatlantic race). Hales told me that it was one of the roughest OSTARs ever. “Out of 126 entries, only 76 finished. Wild Rival took it all in her stride and we finished 23rd… and we won overall on handicap.”

Rival 34 Wild Rival competing in a Round the Île de Bréhat Race in the Classic Channel Regatta. Photo: Peter Poland

Hales said that the 34 was so well balanced that she often sailed herself (with the Aries self-steering disconnected) and that the high bow proved its worth in the heavy head seas.

The only damage was a split mainsail, caused by a knock down when Wild Rival was hit by a rogue wave during a storm when winds touched 60 knots. “Needless to say,” Hales added, “ Wild Rival was straight back on her feet!” What’s more Wild Rival is still racing today and a regular competitor in The Classic Channel Regatta.

I’ve crewed on a Twister twice in this splendid event and admired Wild Rival racing round the Île de Bréhat … and she’s already entered for 2022. To get a professional opinion on how the Rival 34 has stood the test of time, I contacted Scottish yacht designer and surveyor Ian Nicolson.

When I heard he’d changed his championship winning Sigma 33 for a Rival 34, I was keen to hear his opinions on his latest and less sporty steed.

Ian said: “Restoration of my Rival 34 was a middle of the road job. I worked on her over three and a half winters and now she’s more comfortable, but these boats tend to be basically safe and not a lot was needed structurally. I’m pleased with the new book-case which has a traditional teak grating front!”

‘The most obvious changes of the 1970s’ new era of yacht design are beneath the waterline’

And what about her handling and performance? Ian added: “When I get our Rival into a tight marina berth with half a gale on the beam, I wish she had the short keel of the Sigma 3 for swift, tight turning.

“But when I am out alone and have not linked up the autohelm, the Rival’s steady plod in one predetermined direction is an asset. In squally conditions the Sigma needed firm handling and we won races by keeping the boat on its feet, while others were broaching.

“There is none of this problem with the Rival. If I had a choice for Scotland I would go for the deep draught version.”

Many other Rivals have gone on to cruise long distances. The design has a distinctive sheerline, and the interior, although smaller than some modern 34-footers, is particularly well fitted out for serious seagoing. On the second-hand market, I found 1978 and 1979 32s on offer at £16,000 and £17,500 (with a replacement Beta 25) and a 34 at £29,000.

The more modern Sadler profile is perhaps more functional than the Contessa’s classic look. But the Sadler 32 will be a dryer boat to sail as a result of this. Photo: Tim Woodcock/Alamy

The Sadler 32 is also worth considering. Designed by David Sadler, around 300 were built between 1979 and 1989. It’s interesting to compare dimensions with Sadler’s previous Contessa 32 design. At 31ft 6in overall the Sadler 32 is slightly shorter.

But her LWL is the same: namely the old RORC minimum 24ft for offshore races. Fin keel draught is also the same at 5ft 6in (shoal draught and twin keels were also offered), but beam is a foot broader at 10ft 6in.

Displacement is similar at 4,309kg but the ballast ratio is a slightly lower 44.2%. However the Sadler’s extra beam and form stability compensate for this. The Sadler’s masthead rig is also a similar size to the Contessa’s.

The Sadler 32 is a more spacious boat than the Contessa 32. Photo: Adrian Muttitt/Alamy

So what does this all add up to? Being a more modern design, the Sadler’s increased beam, higher freeboard, cambered side decks and straightened sheer definitely pay dividends down below.

The Sadler is a more spacious boat than the Contessa. Her fin keel is also a bit shorter, so there’s a small saving on wetted surface. This was borne out by early successes on the IOR racing scene.

I recall Cowes Week dices in our Impala 28 against the Sadler 32. We tended to edge ahead when off the wind (especially in a blow) but were hard pressed to hang on to the Sadler beating to windward in a stiff breeze.

Martin Sadler also sailed a 32 in the 1979 Fastnet and came through it with flying colours. Unlike the Contessa 32 Assent that completed the course, Martin decided to rest his crew and retire to Cork after surviving the ferocious front unscathed.

When it comes to looks, you enter the realms of personal taste. The more modern Sadler profile is perhaps marginally more functional than the Contessa’s sweeping and classic look.

But the Sadler 32 will be a dryer boat to sail as a result of this. Typical asking prices vary from £15,000 to £24,000 subject to boat and engine age.

Westerly Longbow and Westerly Renown

In 1972, Westerly asked Laurent Giles for a new 31-footer. And in its various guises, this makes a very popular first cruiser. It started life with a fin keel, as opposed to the ubiquitous and successful twin keels that had helped establish the Westerly brand.

The Westerly Longbow is a powerful performer, especially in a breeze. Photo: SailingScenes.com

So in 1972 the Westerly Longbow hit the scene, to be followed a year later by its ketch rigged centre cockpit sister, the Westerly Renown.

These two models have the Centaur’s signature knuckle in the bow and small ‘step’ in the roof line; but the extra five feet in length gives a generally sleeker appearance. They also took performance to a higher level.

The Longbow in particular is a powerful performer. She can surprise more modern cruisers in club handicap races – especially in a breeze – after which her crew can lie back and relax in traditional Westerly comfort.

The Longbow’s accommodation is spacious, featuring an L-shaped saloon settee arranged around a table to port. Two alternative galley positions were offered; one forward in the saloon and one aft. And a decent sized heads is amidships.

All in all, it’s an extremely practical and pleasing sea-going interior with plenty of wood to enhance the ambience. The centre cockpit, with wheel steering and optional ketch rig, Renown added a separate twin berth stern cabin to the equation.

Of course this is small compared to the palatial pads found in the wide sterns of many of today’s broad beam cruisers, but it is genuinely ‘separate’ and accessed via its own companionway at the back of the cockpit.

The Renown’s saloon is slightly shorter than in the aft cockpit Longbow, but remains a cosy and welcoming lair, with the galley aft to starboard and chart table to port.

Sales of these two fin keel cruisers level pegged, with the Longbow chalking up 265 compared to the Renown’s 273.

The centre-cockpit Westerly Pentland. Photo: SailingScenes.com

Westerly Berwick and Westerly Pentland

But customer demand for twin keels won out in the end, and a couple of years later Westerly launched the Berwick (aft cockpit) and the Pentland (centre cockpit) sisters.

Their efficient twin keels reduced the draught by around a foot – enabling upwardly mobile Centaur owners to retain their drying moorings and to continue creek crawling as they graduated from 26 to 31ft.

And, like their fin keel sisters, the Berwick and Pentland had sensible seagoing interiors. Sales between aft cockpit and central cockpit versions were also similar, with the aft cockpit Berwick winning at 309 to 241.

As sales continued to boom, the interior layouts of these successful 31-footers were occasionally tweaked. And towards the end of the run – as with other Westerly models nearing their sell by date – the fibreglass furniture mouldings gave way to an attractive (and more costly to build) all wood look.

Interestingly, the final total of these 31-footers built is evenly split between fin and twin keelers at around 540 of each. And that’s a lot of 31-footers. Today’s second-hand prices vary between around £10,000 to £18,000; depending on age and condition of boat and engine.

Excellent Westerly build quality as found in the 33ft Discus. Photo:

Westerly 33/Discus

One of the last classic Laurent Giles cruising yachts designed for the Westerly range was the Westerly 33/Discus, produced between 1977 and 1984.

Many regard this 33ft hull – with its well-proportioned keel (giving a 40% ballast ratio), generous displacement (6,848kg), and sensible beam (providing ample comfortable space below) – to be the best of the lot.

As usual, there are choices of keel (fin or twin), rig (sloop or ketch) and cockpit position (central or aft).

But it is the accumulated experience of thousands of Giles-designed Westerlys that makes these 33-footers a cut above the norm – with desirable small details such as backrests that move to become solid lee cloths for sleeping at sea.

Around 300 were built and asking prices vary from around £20,000 to £25,000.

Westerly Fulmar 32

In 1979, perhaps influenced by the success of racier cruisers imported from France, Westerly decided to step up a gear in the performance stakes and go for a new look and a new designer.

Out went Laurent Giles and in came the young Ed Dubois. It was a bold move, but Westerly pushed ahead in 1980 with a replacement for the popular 31ft Longbow family.

Excellent performance and handling qualities in both fin and twin keel formats from the Westerly Fulmar. Photo: SailingScenes.com

The result was one of Westerly’s most popular and enduring models; the Fulmar 32 (1979 to 1992: 437 built). Like her 26ft sister the Griffon Mk I and Mk ll (1979-1989, 329 built), Dubois’s Fulmar 32 enjoys excellent performance and handling qualities in both fin and twin keel formats.

And, being 6ft longer than the Griffon, she has classier and more elegant lines. Westerly gambled that extra performance would not deter its existing customer base, but rather boost existing brand loyalty while attracting new converts to the marque.

With fin or twin keels, the Fulmar took off. She also became a favourite with sailing schools requiring a spacious, seaworthy and stable floating classroom. The Fulmar’s seagoing interior layout, long cockpit and ability to take heavy weather in her stride make her the ideal workhorse.

With a sail area of around 560ft2, beam of 10ft 11in and ballast ratio of around 42% she offers a fine balance between cruising comfort and good performance.

Despite her long cockpit, the Fulmar’s interior volume is extensive. Her traditional layout – with twin berth forepeak, amidships heads, straight-sided saloon settees, big galley, sensible chart table and aft quarter berth – works well at sea.

It is not dissimilar to the Contessa 32’s accommodation, but more spacious. And many reckon that a well-sailed Fulmar will see off a Contessa 32 under sail in many conditions.

An impressive 437 were built and current prices vary between around £21,000 and £35,000 depending on age, condition and whether they have a replacement engine.

A Moody 27 in Plymouth Sound. Photo: Graham Snook/Yachting Monthly

Best 30 foot Moody boats

Many Moodys can also fit under the £30,000 ceiling, including earlier Primrose designs (Moody 33, 30, 36, 33S, 29, 333) and early Dixon designs (Moody 27, 31, 28). Most of these were offered with fin or twin keels.

There are far too many to go into detail here, but the excellent Moody Owners Association (moodyowners.org) contains information galore.

Best 30 foot boats: Yacht broker favourites

To get an experienced yacht broker’s view, I asked Andy Cunningham of Michael Schmidt and Partner (based at Hamble Point) for his favourite boats selling at under £30,000.

He listed the Westerly Konsort , Sadler 29 , Vancouver 27, as well as the Hunter Channel 27 and Ranger 245 twin-keelers.

He also mentioned the Victoria 30, Westerly Fulmar and Hunter Channel 32 twin-keeler – with the proviso that the last three can sell for more than £30,000 when in top condition.

Sharing Andy’s bias towards David Thomas twin keel designs, I would also mention the Hunter Horizon 232 twin-keeler as owned by 82-year-old Murdoch McGregor who won the British Yachting Awards 2021 Sailor of the Year accolade for his epic solo round Britain trip.

And its later, larger sister the Ranger 245 found almost unprecedented approval from the testers at PBO. David Harding wrote: ‘There was a lot to like about this spirited little ship back in 1996 when she had just been launched as the Ranger 245.’

Andrew Simpson, PBO’s associate editor at the time and not one to lavish praise on a boat unless it was well earned, concluded his test in 1997 with the words ‘a cracking little winner if ever I saw one’. The choice is far wider when looking for a small yacht priced under £30,000. So it’s impossible to list all the likely candidates.

Buying a 30 foot boat: Top tips

As a rule of thumb, it’s important to seek out a model with the backing of an active owners association. Rallies and social gatherings are fun and of course there’s extensive valuable information available.

A pre-purchase survey is also important; as are any recent invoices for major items such as engine and standing rigging replacement to show insurers.

Regarding standing rigging some insurers stipulate inspections on change of ownership, further inspections thereafter and rectification of faults found. So it’s sensible to check this with your insurer first.

Navigators & General, which has been insuring yachts since 1921, states on its website: ‘We will generally require surveys on boats greater than 23ft which are over 20 years in age. Once satisfactorily completed we will not ask for another for at least five years.’

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Sailing around Britain and Ireland: All you need to know

• Miranda Delmar-Morgan
• May 17, 2022

Whichever way you go, and however long you take, sailing around Britain and Ireland is always rewarding, says Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Sailing around Britain and Ireland and into its nooks and crannies is always an interesting endeavour. You get to know it from the seaward perspective and as sailors we get a privileged view of the UK’s many beautiful coastlines.

Want to learn more about sailing the British Isles? Get Yachting Monthly’s Sail The British Isles book from Amazon .

The Jurassic Coast never fails to lift my spirits; Northumberland has long sweeping beaches with vast castles, and the Aberdeen coast is a vibrant colour combination of dark red cliffs with a green clothing of vegetation.

The west coast of Scotland has deep inlets with a backdrop of spectacular hills and all the coasts of Ireland and Northern Ireland have beautiful scenery with distant hills.

As a passing visitor you get acquainted with areas you never normally visit and observe the change in people’s speech and mannerisms. You can do this trip several times and it will always be different.

There are so many beautiful places it is impossible to list them all. Harwich is quaint and other-worldly, Wells-next-the-Sea is wonderful, Whitby, home to Captain James Cook and inspiration for Dracula, is vibrant. Anchoring at Lindisfarne and listening to the seals grumbling all night is an other-worldly experience.

The hills and inlets of Scotland contrast the beaches of Northumberland and the cliffs of the Jurassic Coast. All are stunning destinations. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

The wildlife gets better and better the further north you go and there are several large gannetries and bird reserves. The off-lying islands, such as the Farne Islands, Holy Island, the Shetlands, Orkney, St Kilda, Rathlin, Skomer, Iona, Staffa, the Shiant Islands, the Scottish sea lochs and all of the Hebrides provide so much interest that you can’t possibly hope to visit them all in a single season.

The question of east or westabout is also difficult to answer. Westerlies will make rounding the Lizard and Land’s End from the east difficult and the Longships a lee shore. There is no port of refuge until Milford Haven or Newlyn, though you can anchor below St Ives and below Stepper Point off Padstow if there is no northing in the wind.

Much will depend on what the weather is doing on the day you want to leave. If the weather is set against you for the next week, whichever coast you start from, you must accept that you will either have to wait, or that you must start in the other direction.

Anchored in Loch Scavaig with Seal Rock visible. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

The eastern side of Ireland and Northern Ireland provides sheltered sailing in westerlies and once you are north of Rathlin Island the Inner Hebrides provide countless sheltered anchorages. If you have gone westabout you might never make it up to Cape Wrath and beyond because you have tarried too long en route.

The east coast is very different, but many of the towns there are well worth visiting, the entrance to Berwick Upon Tweed with the three bridges and a thousand swans is spectacular.

Miranda on the helm on passage. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Whilst there are many inlets providing shelter on all sides of the UK, when you look closely you start to realise that the number of genuine all-weather harbours with 24- hour access are few and far between, and deep water inlets like the Dart, or the Scottish sea lochs or the embracing enclosure of Plymouth Sound are a rarity.

There are considerable stretches of our coasts with no safe havens. Many destinations have sand bars, and marinas have sills or locks. You need to be mindful of them and aware of not only the boltholes but also the traps. A woman we met in Port Ellen on Islay one year had been stuck in Clew Bay on the west coast of Ireland for 10 days. Her crew demanded to be rowed ashore, and she got very low on food and water before she could escape.

Sail to your limitations

All those aspects will have a bearing on your passages. When Edward and I did extensive trips on our Three-Quarter tonner, Polar Bear , we would sometimes arrive quite tired after a 12-hour, 60-mile passage, and needed a day to recover.

The wild shores of Loch Scavaig are home to numerous seal colonies. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

In our Najad 390 we can cover 80 miles in 12 hours and be fresh enough to be able to carry on the next day. The heavier boat has an easier motion, and we can liven things up with the spinnaker in the right conditions.

So your boat’s size and weight not only have a bearing on how fast or slowly you travel but also on how fresh or tired you are on arrival.

It is possible to get from the bottom of the country to the top in a fairly short time (3 or 4 days) if you are well crewed up. It is a different challenge if you are only double or singlehanded and you want a decent night’s rest in sheltered havens so that you are fit for the next day.

Most cruising sailors want to enjoy the delights ashore because that is the point of cruising. Whilst we usually reckon on one long or overnight passage on each side of England it is possible to do the whole thing whilst day sailing on long summer days if you want to.

You need to assess the weather, tides and time, and exercise your judgement all the time. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

A good planning exercise would be to decide which destinations you particularly want to visit and those which will provide a safe haven if suddenly needed, with some idea of the distances between them. Your primary consideration is not so much ‘what time will you leave?’ but ‘what time do you want to arrive?’ and, more to the point, what will the tide be doing when you get there?

If there is a sand bar, a sill, or a lock to negotiate you will need your height of tide calculations to hand and be confident that you can await a rise of tide safely in the approaches. A delay en route from entanglement with a lobster pot for instance might well mean you miss the entry to your destination and you will need an alternative safe haven.

The tide plays a major role in this and you need to note any tidal gates, slack tide, and the time the tide will turn foul.

You also need to assess stopovers which could become a trap. We were charmed by Wells-next-the Sea last year, but in onshore winds the entrance with its shifting sands is dangerous. Having got safely in you could well get stuck there if strong northerlies suddenly piped up in the North Sea.

Stunning weather is not guaranteed but there is plenty of it in the summer months. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Consider the weather sailing around Britain and Ireland

This leads me on to discuss the weather. Apart from the Met Office we have a plethora of sailing apps available. The advantage of forecasts from the Met Office is that the data has been assessed and interpreted by a meteorologist.

The apps, wonderful though they are, have quite often not had human input and they can err by a whole wind force. The answer is to draw your own conclusions from all the information available and don’t just depend on one source.

When the Met Office issues a forecast they are covering a full 24-hour period. So whilst you might see a shipping area smothered in red ink and think you shouldn’t leave port, there may well be a weather window for a passage before a strong wind actually arrives.

Alarmed by the red ink you sit tight only to find the whole day is quiet before that weather materialises and you have missed a passage opportunity. To give the Met Office their due, they will usually offer Imminent, (within 6 hours,) Soon (between 6-12 hours) or Later (after 12 hours) to give you some indication as to timing.

Windfarms are an increasingly common sight, especially in the North Sea, and continue to expand. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

The clock starts ticking from the start time of the period for their prediction, and not when you heard it repeated some time later on the VHF.

Sea states can get very lumpy in wind over tide conditions, particularly at pinch points. The Dover Strait, North Channel and St George’s Channel can be violent and chaotic.

The Minch can be dangerous and the Pentland Firth is a notorious no-go area much of the time. However, they all have brief periods of slack when it is possible to cross them without mishap.

You need to assess the weather, tides and time and exercise your judgement all the time; no wonder we arrived tired! Headlands such as Portland Bill need a good offing if you are to get clear outside the race whose position will shift to the east or west depending on the direction of the tide.

Tied up on the trots in Cornwall’s Mevagissey. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Cape Wrath is dangerous in wind over tide conditions, and needs a wide berth, but when calm it is possible to pass inside Duslic Rock.

Tides around Britain and Ireland

On the south coast, the tide ebbs west to Land’s End and floods east to Dover. Across the Thames Estuary it ebbs NE and floods SW. The tide splits at Dover, and as the Channel ebb turns west, it also ebbs N/NE into the North Sea.

Going eastwards you can take a full flood to Dover, and then the new ebb starting north eastwards from North Foreland, giving you another fair, but falling, tide to take you north across the Thames Estuary. Once clear of the Estuary the ebbing tide swings around the Norfolk coast and meets a counterflow at The Wash, making the timing of an entry into Wells with an adequate rise of tide quite tricky to get right.

Land’s End is a critical turning point. The tides run hard, and, just as at Dover, a well-timed northbound passage with a departure from Newlyn can give you a prolonged favourable tide as you catch the new flood at Land’s End running towards the Bristol Channel, but beware of an inshore counter current.

An inshore passage can be used inside Longships, leaving Kettle’s Bottom Rock to the west in calm conditions.

Pelonia moored near the oil rigs moored in Cromarty. They are often uncharted. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Passages between Ireland and England are dictated to some extent by the traffic separation schemes at Land’s End, the Tuskar Rock off Rosslare, and The Smalls. Crossing the St George’s Channel from Arklow to Fishguard or Milford Haven avoids the TSS schemes.

The tides inside the Arklow Banks run phenomenally hard and give you a terrific lift but don’t be late at Wicklow Head for entering Wicklow, nor at Carnsore Point if you want to get into the charming Kilmore Quay. You may have to leave early and ‘push’ the last of a foul tide in order not to be late at the other end of the day.

In the Irish Sea the tide floods north to Dublin.

At the same time it may be ebbing out of the Bristol Channel. Meanwhile, north of the Isle of Man it ebbs north as the water chooses its route north or south of the island to get to the Atlantic, so it is complicated!

Crossing the Thames Estuary

There are entire books about the multitude of passages, which can’t be abbreviated here. Reeds Nautical Almanac has some excellent passage making notes. The Imray C1 chart gives you a clear overview which a chart plotter can’t match.

Some general advice is that you should obviously avoid shortcuts in shallow waters, such as the Medusa Channel south of the Orwell River, in strong onshore winds.

Miranda’s husband Edward at the helm. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

When heading north or south you will invariably have to cross the tides at certain points, and care is needed if you are not to get set onto the banks. You need up-to-date charts and to watch the buoyage carefully. The buoys get moved as and when the sand bars shift and won’t necessarily pop into view exactly where you or your chartplotter expect them.

You need a general feel of the channel you are in and a mental image of the ground beneath you. Knowing where the deeper water lies is useful when you find a buoy has been moved. You should then be confident that your course adjustment will have you passing it on the right side.

Favour the deep water channels if you are new to the area, even if they mean a longer passage. Whilst it is preferable to try and cross on a rising tide that isn’t going to work if you are heading north as a favourable tide will be ebbing.

How to deal with obstacles sailing around Britain and Ireland

Windfarms are an obstacle but they are patrolled by safety boats who will intervene if they are not happy with your course. You can also expect to encounter high-speed craft running service engineers back and forth, particularly from Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.

Further north there are oil and gas platforms to add to the mix. Some are in build and not even fully charted. There are also thousands of lobster pots, notably off Arbroath and Gourdon. They are a major hazard all around the UK, particularly when they are not flagged and they get towed under by a strong tide. It only takes one to ruin your day, your cutlass bearing, or even your engine mounts!

The Orkney and Shetland islands are cruising grounds in their own right. They have ancient archaeological sites, and were the centres of huge naval activity during both world wars. They are low lying though, with less shelter, and are subject to much stronger winds.

Wildlife is always a highlight of any voyage around the UK. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

The Broch of Mousa and the Out Skerries are well worth a visit, and Stromness, Kirkwall and Lerwick are all charming little towns. If you want to claim you have truly circumnavigated the UK you will have to leave not only Muckle Flugga but also the off-lying Out Stack, north of Unst, to the south and the spectacular St Kilda to the east.

Across the top of Scotland the Kyle of Tongue and Loch Eriboll can provide shelter before or after rounding Cape Wrath. If the weather has been unsettled then the divert option of the Caledonian Canal is a useful and interesting alternative for getting between the Scottish east and west coasts, but strong winds funnel down it.

The further north you go the more self-sufficient you need to be, with adequate ground tackle, but a well-found boat with a competent crew can spend many happy weeks cruising around our amazingly varied coastline. You can return home with scenic photographs, a great sense of achievement and a promise to yourselves to do it all over again next year.

Planning your sail around Britain and Ireland

Choosing harbours.

The main ports and harbours on our chart have been selected for offering all-weather, 24-hour deep-water access for small craft and some yacht facilities. There are many others that could be included, though many may not be safe at LW or in strong onshore winds and are not included on the chart.

On the Forth, Edinburgh has no facility for visiting yachts at all, and Port Edgar Marina is very shoal, though the mud is very soft. Fife’s East Neuk has no deep water harbours and the Tay is short of good yacht facilities. Yachts are actively discouraged from entering Aberdeen.

The entrances to Wick and Whitehills (North Scotland) both have 90º turns to port, and Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, has a turn of 180º. All are dangerous in strong onshore winds.

Wildlife gets better the further north you go. Photo: Miranda Delmar-Morgan

Wicklow, Irish Sea, is safe to enter but has no pontoons; you can lie on the wall. Arklow, also in the Irish Sea, can be dangerous in onshore winds; the marina is tiny. There is a long pontoon outside but turning is constrained by yachts on trots. The first marina to port is full of local yachts but might accommodate you on the wall in extremis.

Harbours on the Isle of Man are constrained by locks.

Weather sites, Apps and info

• PassageWeather.com – seven-day predictions, global coverage
• XCWeather ( iOS and Android )
• Windguru.cz is useful for comparing predictions for all the relevant weather models in your area, giving you some confidence if they all agree in their predictions
• Predictwind.com is for inshore and coastal use on any device. The Offshore version is for ocean crossings and has satellite communications
• iGrib (iOS) only for Grib files (GRidded Binary) for downloading Grib files for specific areas
• Met Office . Its Inshore Waters forecasts are particularly useful for coastal-hopping
• yr.no is hosted by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in collaboration with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, and covers the Shetlands very well
• Savvy-navvy.com has charts, tides, wind and weather information
• Windy.app (the blue version) only available on iOS and watch OS
• Marinecall by telephone: +44(0)845 610 1800 to talk to a weathercaster
• www.met.ie the Irish met office. Useful sources of information
• Captains’ Mate App , CA
• Imray Explore App
• Royal Cruising Club
• Pilotage Foundation
• Noonsite.com
• Reeds Nautical Almanac

Passage-Making

• Reeds Nautical Almanac (Bloomsbury) for useful passage notes
• Crossing the Thames Estuary , Roger Gaspar (Imray)
• UK and Ireland Circumnavigator’s Guide , Sam Steele (Adlard Coles)

Paper Charts

• Imray offers the most useful set for yachtsmen, but you’ll need individual charts as the chart packs do not cover the whole coast
• For an overview of the entire British Isles use Admiralty Chart INT 160
• Admiralty Leisure Craft Folios cover everywhere except the west coast of Ireland, the Orkneys, Shetlands and the Sutherland and Caithness coasts

Electronic Charts

• Antares charts – created by and personally surveyed by Bob Bradfield, these highly detailed large-scale charts are for the nooks and crannies of the west coast of Scotland
• Navionics Boating App (UK, Ireland and Holland)
• Easytide.admiralty.co.uk
• Imray Tides Planner
• Navionics boating app

Wifi coverage

Sources of data with different providers are useful in filling in each other’s blank spots. I have O2 on my mobile phone and an EE Sim card in a 4G mobile data unit and between them we had good coverage around the UK.

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Catamaran Elysian

• Availability & Rates

7-Night Charter Rates

Catamaran Elysian Overview

The Bali 5.4 is a "Multihull of the Year" award-winning catamaran. The design was new to the market in 2019 and provided a fresh approach to sailing. It is revolutionary in how space is accessed, with deliberate attention to flow and open space and it succeeds in producing a scale that feels less like a boat, and more like an upscale floating condominium. Bali catamarans are known and appreciated for their unparalleled success in blending luxury, space, and performance; producing a sailing experience that is unparalleled. This new design further capitalizes on that reputation with the advent of the "Bali garage door" that is the centerpiece of the yacht. It allows for the aft wall of the yacht to simply disappear, opening up the back of the yacht to an unobstructed view of paradise. This also affords indoor/outdoor dining options and gives the ever-present Caribbean breeze ample opportunity to make its way through the yacht with ease. With her solid foredeck gone are the forward trampolines, replaced by a large relaxing lounge area complete with cushions for sunbathing. A full-sized door provides access directly from the lounge area into the salon, allowing free movement through the yacht. A walk up to the flybridge unveils a seating area perfect for cocktails and taking in sunsets. There is also another area for sunbathing on the flybridge where you can take in the sights of the islands from the highest vantage point on the yacht. The Bali open space design is further complimented by the superior outfit and aftermarket items available on Elysian. No detail has been left unnoticed from the fine linens, pillows and throws to the wine glasses, serving and flatware that make every day feel luxurious. She has been stocked full with every appliance and kitchen accessory to allow the chef to fully showcase the mastery of their art. And the water toys abound, allowing guests to fully experience all the Caribbean has to offer, both in and out of the water. Elysian will accommodate 8 charter guests in 3 spacious queen cabins and 1 sprawling master cabin for those who desire more space. She is a 2021 sailing catamaran with solar panels, air conditioning, water maker, ice maker, full sized refrigerator, a fully customizable menu, Caribbean made ecofriendly and reef safe toiletries, a bar stocked to guest preference, coffee/espresso machine, rendezvous scuba diving, snorkeling gear, 2 underwater scooters, subwing, wakeboard, 2 stand up paddle boards, 10 ft. floating dock, towable tube, pool noodles, fishing gear, board and card games, television in the salon, Fusion 3 Bluetooth enabled sound system and Elysian giveaways.

Green Initiative

Purified drinking water made on board. Reusable water bottles available for use on board.

Meet the Crew

Born and raised in Colorado, Jonah grew up skiing rather than sailing. But a deep love for travel & adventure was inspired by his grandparents - who retired, bought a boat, and circumnavigated the globe, completely self-taught, at the ages of 60 & 65. Over those 10 years, Jonah was able to visit the boat several times where he learned the ropes' but he had never seriously considered a career on the water.

After an engineering degree and 5 years in commercial design-build construction, Jonah took a sailing trip in Croatia in 2017 that inspired a major pivot. He quit his job, sold everything, and flew to Spain for a liveaboard Yachtmaster course. Years later, he's a seasoned sailor, having captained private charters throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean, French Polynesia, and New Zealand.

At the beginning of the 2021 season, Jonah met a chef from California... himself and Nicole have been together ever since, working as a Captain/Chef duo around the world. Jonah proposed just this past March, where else other than on the bow of a sailboat. Jonah loves sharing the wonders of the Caribbean with people from all walks of life and is a wealth of knowledge, laughs, and "fun-facts". He also enjoys teaching the ins and outs of sailing to those that are eager to learn. ..read more

CERTIFICATES

RYA Yachtmaster (Commercially Endorsed)

RYA VHF Radio

RYA First aid

Nicole Hall

Originally from the sunny shores of California, Nicole's love for the sea and culinary arts runs deep. She spent her childhood sailing with her grandfather, a renowned Tall Ship Captain and Sailing Instructor. These early years fostered her passion for exploration, hospitality, and cooking— skills she has seamlessly combined in her career as a yacht chef.

Nicole's professional journey began in the classroom, where she spent seven years as a teacher in Seattle. However, her love for travel and the desire to share her culinary creations eventually led her to a new path. Swapping her classroom for the galley, Nicole began working as a charter chef in Croatia in 2021 where she met her fiancé Jonah and the rest is history...

Nicole's approach to cooking is deeply influenced by her travels, and she prides herself on creating dishes that celebrate fresh local flavors from around the world. Always up for a challenge, she loves crafting bespoke menus tailored to her guests' preferences - whether that means upscale dining, themed culinary experiences, or kid-friendly options!

Outside of the galley, Nicole loves facilitating a good dance party, enjoying a paddleboard at sunrise, and hiking local trails with Jonah. Together, they can't wait to welcome you aboard Elysian for the trip of a lifetime!

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene

Quarterdeck Host Academy

Availability calendar for Elysian:

Listed below are any confirmed reservations or unavailability, as well as current holds / options. Note: this calendar is not always 100% current. Please contact us for more information about available dates aboard this yacht.

Hours required between charters: 48

7-night Charter Rates by Group Size

Contact us for rates and current availability or to book a charter aboard Elysian!

Full Specifications for Elysian

Specifications

Accommodation

Water Sports

Entertainment

   Sample Menu

SAMPLE MENU

All breakfasts are accompanied with a daily assortment of fresh fruit, pastries or granola and yogurt, smoothie or juice.

Halloumi Breakfast Croissant

Eggs Benedict

Huevos Rancheros

‘Banana Fosters’ French Toast

Brunch Bagel Board

Tropical Acai Bowl

Mediterranean Skirt Steak with Lemon Herb Orzo

Crabcakes with Garlic Citrus Aioli

Tune Poke Stack

Vietnamese Bahn-Mi Burger

New England Lobster Roll

Shrimp Rangoons

Peruvian Style Ceviche

Proscuitto & Fig Flatbread

Summer Crudite Platter

Thai Curry Chicken Skewers

Brown Butter Seared Scallops

Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb

Blackended Mahi Mahi

Slow Braised Beef Ragu

Sushi Feast

Thai Green Curry

Sirloin Steak

Chocolate Orange Pavlova

Passionfruit Raspberry Cheesecake

Matche White Chocolate Cannoli

Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee

Dark Chocolate Tarte

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BVI or USVI Sailing: Where to Book Your Next Caribbean Yacht Adventure

You’ve made up your mind: your next sailing adventure will be in the Caribbean. The gorgeous waters, gentle trade winds, and sun-drenched islands are calling your name. 

But now comes the real challenge – BVI or USVI? Just how are you supposed to decide between the British Virgin Islands (BVI) or the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI)?

While we don’t believe you have to choose ( see here for our argument for combining the two ), it’s true that picking BVI or USVI means you can get a deeper experience when you pick just one.

We’re here to help you better understand the difference between the two, and help you make the choice. Among the team of Waypoints Yacht Charters Specialists, we’ve sailed these waters countless times, dropped anchor in hidden coves, and toasted sunsets from every angle. 

Before you set sail on your next yachting adventure, let’s dive into what sets these destinations apart, from the sailing conditions and culture to the natural offerings. Our goal? To help you decide which Virgin Islands – British or U.S. – is the right fit for your next Caribbean sailing escape. 

British Virgin Islands (BVI) Sailing

The British Virgin Islands are renowned for their exceptional sailing conditions, making them a favorite among seasoned sailors and newcomers alike. 

The archipelago’s layout creates a sailor’s playground, with short passages between islands and abundant sheltered anchorages.

Popular destinations in the BVI include the famous Baths of Virgin Gorda, where massive granite boulders create a labyrinth of grottoes and pools. 

The atmosphere of Jost Van Dyke draws visitors to its legendary beach bars, while Norman Island’s caves inspire tales of buried treasure.

Thanks to its history, the BVI offers a unique blend of British and Caribbean culture. Must-experience attractions include:

• Legendary Painkiller at Soggy Dollar Bar – Sail into White Bay on Jost Van Dyke and swim or dinghy ashore to this iconic beach bar. Sip the original Painkiller cocktail, a blend of rum, coconut, pineapple, and orange juices, while your toes sink into powdery white sand. The bar’s laid-back atmosphere and stunning views make it the quintessential Caribbean experience.
• Virgin Gorda Copper Mine Ruins – Flip the calendar back to the 19th century as you explore these atmospheric ruins perched on Virgin Gorda’s rocky southern tip. Wander among the stone walls and rusted machinery, imagining the bustling activity of Cornish miners who once sought their fortunes here. The site offers breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea, perfect for a sunset photo opportunity.
• Trellis Bay Full Moon Party – Time your visit to coincide with this celebration of art, music, and fire on Beef Island. As night falls, massive metal sculptures crafted by local artists burst into flame, illuminating the bay. Dance to live music on the beach, sample local cuisine from food stalls, and join fellow sailors in a night of unforgettable island revelry.

For those seeking the perfect anchorage, popular spots include:

• The Bight at Norman Island – Drop anchor in this sheltered bay, rumored to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” Spend the day snorkeling the nearby caves, teeming with colorful fish and coral formations. As evening approaches, swim or dinghy to the famous Willy T floating bar and restaurant for a night of pirate-themed merriment.
• White Bay on Jost Van Dyke – Sail into this postcard-perfect bay, where a crescent of soft white sand is fringed by swaying palms. The calm, crystal-clear waters make for excellent swimming and snorkeling. Ashore, a string of casual beach bars offers the perfect spot to watch the sun dip below the horizon, rum cocktail in hand.

Hidden gems worth discovering:

• Manchioneel Bay on Cooper Island – Escape the crowds at this quiet anchorage on Cooper Island’s northern shore. The bay’s protected waters are ideal for paddleboarding or kayaking along the mangrove-lined coast. Ashore, visit the eco-friendly Cooper Island Beach Club for craft beer from their microbrewery and rum tasting sessions featuring over 100 Caribbean rums.
• Diamond Cay National Park – Make your way to this pristine marine protected area near Jost Van Dyke. Anchor off the tiny islet and dinghy ashore to hike the short trail to the Bubbly Pool, a natural jacuzzi formed by waves crashing through a rocky crevice. Snorkel in the crystal-clear waters around the cay, keeping an eye out for sea turtles and tropical fish darting among the coral reefs.

If you’ve been thinking about getting to the BVI, now’s the time to start planning for 2025 .

U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Sailing

The U.S. Virgin Islands provide a different yet equally special sailing experience. With three main islands – St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix – the USVI offers a mix of developed areas and unspoiled natural beauty.

Sailing conditions in the USVI can be more challenging than the BVI, with longer passages between islands and more exposure to open water. 

This makes it an excellent choice for those looking to sharpen their sailing skills. The USVI’s cultural highlights blend American influences with Caribbean traditions. 

Must-visit islands and hotspots include

• Magens Bay, St. Thomas – Come explore this horseshoe-shaped bay, often hailed as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches (we see you, Travel + Leisure ). As you approach, you’ll be struck by the mile-long stretch of powdery white sand framed by verdant hills. For the adventurous, hike the nature trail to the hilltop for a breathtaking panoramic view of the bay and surrounding islands.
• Virgin Islands National Park, St. John – See for yourself why this island is often called the crown jewel of the Caribbean. With two-thirds of St. John protected as a national park, you’ll find an unspoiled paradise of lush forests, hidden coves, and pristine beaches. Sail into Trunk Bay to snorkel the underwater trail, spotting colorful fish and coral formations. 
• Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix – Set a course for this uninhabited island off St. Croix’s northeast coast for a world-class snorkeling experience. The crystal-clear waters reveal an underwater wonderland of elkhorn coral barriers, vibrant reef fish, and even sea turtles. Follow another underwater trail of plaques that guide you through this living museum. After snorkeling, relax on the pristine white sand of Turtle Beach, keeping an eye out for brown pelicans diving for their lunch offshore.

In addition to the main attraction islands, these are a few of our favorite experiences: 

• Historic Charlotte Amalie – Wander through cobblestone alleyways lined with Danish colonial architecture, local markets, and duty-free shops. Climb the famous 99 Steps for a panoramic view of the harbor, then cool off with a tropical cocktail.
• Quelbe Music Experience – Enjoy the soul-stirring rhythms of the USVI’s official musical style. Attend a live performance at a local festival or beachside bar, where the infectious blend of African, European, and Caribbean influences will have you moving to the beat of centuries-old traditions.
• Annaberg Sugar Plantation Ruins – Step back in time as you explore the haunting beauty of this 18th-century sugar plantation on St. John. Walk among the weathered stone structures, imagining the bustle of colonial life while taking in sweeping views of Leinster Bay and the British Virgin Islands beyond.

For your sailing itinerary, popular routes include:

• St. Thomas to Cruz Bay Crossing – Set sail from Charlotte Amalie harbor, watching the urban landscape give way to lush green hills as you navigate the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Approach St. John’s Cruz Bay, where colorful buildings and swaying palms welcome you to this more laid-back island paradise.
• East End Cays Adventure – Chart a course around St. Thomas’ eastern tip, where a string of captivating cays awaits. Drop anchor at Cas Cay to snorkel in crystal-clear waters teeming with tropical fish, then enjoy a sunset barbecue on the powder-soft sands of Water Island.

Off-the-beaten-path gems:

• Water Island Serenity – Discover the tranquil charms of the “fourth” Virgin Island, just a short sail from St. Thomas. Anchor in Honeymoon Beach’s turquoise waters and spend the day lounging on uncrowded shores, snorkeling reefs, or hiking to World War II-era Fort Segarra for panoramic views of the surrounding islands.
• Salt River Bay Expedition – Venture to St. Croix’s north shore to explore this unique ecological and historical treasure. Kayak through mangrove forests in the only known site where Christopher Columbus landed in what is now U.S. territory. Dive or snorkel the underwater canyon, home to rare bioluminescent organisms that create a magical night time display.

For more on sailing in the USVI, we’ve got a list of our favorite hot spots and hidden gems here .

Comparing BVI and USVI Sailing Experiences

While both destinations offer Caribbean charm and excellent sailing, key differences set them apart. The BVI tends to have more consistent winds and calmer seas, ideal for leisurely island-hopping. The USVI, with its longer passages, caters to those seeking a bit more adventure in their sailing.

Culturally, the BVI retains a stronger British influence, evident in its customs and traditions. 

The USVI, as an American territory, offers a unique blend of Caribbean and U.S. cultures. 

For instance, you’ll find cricket matches in the BVI, while American sports are common in the USVI.

The BVI is known for its numerous uninhabited islands and cays, perfect for those seeking seclusion. 

In contrast, the USVI offers a mix of bustling ports and untouched natural areas, providing a more varied experience.

Planning Your Caribbean Yacht Adventure With Waypoints Yacht Charters

The most popular time to visit both the BVI and USVI is during the dry season, from December to April. However, sailing is enjoyable year-round, with the shoulder seasons offering fewer crowds and lower prices. For more on traveling during this period, check out our more extensive article here .

When booking with Waypoints Yacht Charters, you’ll benefit from our expertise in both destinations. 

Our team can help you choose between the BVI and USVI based on your sailing experience, desire for cultural experiences, and preference for developed or more secluded areas. Not only that, but we have charter bases in each. Read on to see what you can enjoy at each.

The Waypoints Yacht Charters Experience in USVI

The Waypoints USVI base is located at Frenchtown Marina in St. Thomas, just a 10-minute cab ride from Cyril E. King International Airport (STT). This prime location allows for easy access to the surrounding islands and a quick start to your USVI sailing adventure.

Embarkation begins at noon on the first day of your charter, with sleep aboard options available from 4:00 p.m. The Waypoints team provides comprehensive online briefings prior to your arrival, followed by an in-person review and chart briefing at the base.

Rae Ann A. shares her experience with Waypoints USVI:

“We have been chartering catamarans, both bareboat and crewed, for many years and from many charter companies – in the VI, the Bahamas and Europe. Our bareboat charter experience with Waypoints was the best we’ve ever had, from the initial call with the sales office all the way through to checking back in at the end of our journey. The staff at Waypoints is very professional and also very relaxed and friendly. Everyone went out of their way to give us a great experience.”

Why You’ll Love The BVI Waypoints Yacht Charters Base

The Waypoints BVI base is situated at Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola, providing an excellent starting point for your BVI adventure. Located on the south side of the island, about 3 miles west of Road Town, the base offers easy access to the surrounding islands.

Embarkation begins at noon on the first day of your charter, with sleep aboard options available from 5:00 p.m. The knowledgeable staff conducts thorough yacht briefings, typically lasting 45-90 minutes depending on the vessel size.

Getting to the base is convenient whether you fly into Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS) on Tortola or Cyril E. King International Airport (STT) on St. Thomas. From St. Thomas, you can take a ferry to Tortola, with private water taxi options available for a more personalized transfer.

Solomon G., a satisfied customer, wrote:

“We had an amazing experience on an 8-day bareboat charter with Waypoints Yacht Charters BVI. I can honestly say this was the best experience I have ever had with a bareboat charter company. Saying this boat was in pristine condition is an understatement. Anthony and his team are absolutely amazing.”

Another client, Peter F., said:

“Just completed a 10-day bareboat sail on Tupelo Honey and had a spectacular time. I cannot say enough praise for this ‘young/new’ company which is run by very experienced professionals who clearly know how to cater to every need for the charter sailor. The equipment is new and clearly well-maintained by very helpful and friendly staff all in a classic BVI setting of the well-positioned full service Nanny Cay Marina. There is no doubt we will be back.”

Why Choose Waypoints Yacht Charters?

Whether you choose the British Virgin Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands, a Caribbean sailing adventure promises plenty of unforgettable experiences. The BVI offers easier sailing and a more laid-back atmosphere, while the USVI provides a mix of American comforts and Caribbean charm. 

Whichever you choose, Waypoints Yacht Charters is here to help facilitate your journey with our boutique approach and unparalleled local knowledge. Contact our Waypoints Yacht Charter Specialists today to start planning your Caribbean sailing escape in the BVI or USVI.

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