The Yachting Year 2018

34 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2018

owner has not opted to have the yacht shipped, but has

instead opted to deliver the yacht in the traditional style by

actually sailing her, so she’ll be well tried and tested by the

time she gets here.  e 66 will be followed o the

production line by a 50 and a 58.

Speaking of blue water cruisers, the next year will also

be a fascinating one for Discovery Group, which recently

acquired Southerly Yachts.  e popular manufacturer of

top end blue water cruisers has added another string to its

bow with the addition of Southerly’s hugely successful

swing keel range of yachts. We wish the company well as it

looks to expand its range.

I’m also excited to see the  rst of Oyster Yachts new G6

range, with the new 565 being of particular interest.

Another exciting development when it comes to new

boats in recent years has been the introduction of the

supersized weekender.  ese are yachts in the 30-40

bracket that have bags of style, sparkling performance and

a smattering of home comforts yet are neither out and out

racer or cruiser. Last year the To nou 10 was a big hit and

I fully expect Sa er’s new SE37 lounge to o er a similarly

seductive cocktail of sharp looks, blistering performance

and a certain inde nable style all of its own. Beyond that,

Hanse’s revamp of its range continues apace with several

new models making their debut this year including the

532. Meanwhile, the multihull world remains as proli c as
     ever, with Lagoon leading the charge of new models with
     its smart new 40 and 50 models.
     In the annual Sailing Today Awards we celebrate new
     launches like these and hand out prizes to those boats
     voted for by our readers.  e ceremony takes place at the
     Southampton Boat Show and is a snapshot of the
     boatbuilding industry today, an industry that any observer
     would say is looking very healthy.

LEARN TO SAIL

One of the other great joys of sailing are those small

personal landmarks that the yachting year can throw up: I

hope you don’t mind me including a very personal choice

S A F F I E R S E 3 7

for the year ahead, but the fact that a good friend of mine

is about to become a Yachtmaster is of some excitement to

me. Having been very much a crewing sailor just a year

ago, she  nally got sick of me droning on with misty eyes

about my days as a charter skipper in Greece and Croatia,

and did what any right-minded person would - she gave

up her job and signed on for a course at UKSA in Cowes.

She has loved the course and with several thousand

miles under her belt, including many miles sailing o shore

deliveries, as I write she is about to graduate. She has

already got a job on a superyacht based in Palma, but I’ve

told her that her quali cations mean when she comes

sailing on my boat, I get to sit back and eat crisps, while

she does the skippery bit. Now, that is something to look

forward to.

I guess that is the thing about yacht cruising; everyone’s

year is an intensely personal experience. We build our own

narrative, write our own stories with every mile that

disappears in our wake. Our journeys are o en gloriously

unstructured; shaped by the vagaries of wind and tide, yet

littered with our own personal landmarks. Yacht cruising

is more than a simple pursuit; every journey is a voyage of

self discovery and one that provides a veritable cornucopia

of memories to mull over and treasure at leisure during

the winter months.  e only question is really where your

voyage of discovery will take you over the upcoming

season? Personally, I’m raring to get out there, set my eyes

to the wind and disappear o over the distant horizon.

Kraken and Sa er

have interesting

launches aimed at

cruising sailors

Sailing courses are

available for all levels

of experience

K R A K E N Y A C H T S

L E A R N T O S A I L

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