The Yachting Year 2018

(Kiana) #1

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


  1. 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


TYY4 Year ahead Sailing Today.indd 34 04/12/2017 15:04

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