Stand-out designs are often the result of a succession of well-informed evolutions rather than a revolution that turns existing thinking on its head. The J/40 is born out of a…
Toby Hodges
Best Yachts of 2025: European Yacht of the Year 2025 Winners
The European Yacht of the Year 2025 winners were announced this evening, Saturday 18 January 2025 on the first night of the Dusseldorf Boat Show. Dubbed the ‘oscars of yachting’…
Boot Dusseldorf 2025 preview: the yachts you need to see
Boot Dusseldorf, the world’s largest yacht and watersports fair, is expected to attract over 200,000 visitors over nine days from 18 January. Exhibitors at Boot Dusseldorf 2025 will comprise all…
Heyman 42PPH: Handsome new decksaloon cruiser packed with ideas and space
Think about it relative to houses, and it makes more sense. After all, who would choose to put their kitchens and living rooms in the cellar or basement? Especially if…
Beneteau’s new planing First 30: A step change for the French giant
The First 30 was Beneteau’s first sailing yacht when it launched in 1977 and it has since built nearly 3,000 in its various guises. So this is a special model…
Solaris 74RS first look: Alluring style with some substance below decks
I was taken with the layout and interior design of the Solaris 74RS, with its stylish, performance-cruising raised coachroof design. The first three examples have owner cabins forward with galley…
Contest 63CS first look: New superyacht quality 63 footer
What a beauty! This Judel Vrolijk shape is now familiar to the range from the Dutch family-run yard. This first hull is tricked up with an optional deeper 3.4m keel…
YYachts Y8 Calabash review: Sailing this semi-custom, designer cruiser
This new generation YYachts Y8 is the Griefswald yard’s third version of this 80ft size. The original, which helped launch the brand in 2015, was a Lorenzo Argento and David…
Grand Soleil 52P first look: The ‘P’ is for Performance
Matteo Polli continues to collaborate beautifully with his fellow Italian style masters at Nauta Design to create a standout Grand Soleil lineup. This Grand Soleil 52P is positioned between the…
Swan 88 review: At the very top of this semi-custom yacht scene
Swan’s CEO Giovanni Pomatti describes this as ‘an extraordinary year’, which sees the revered yard launch three new models including this Swan 88. As a clue to the scale of…
ERYD 40 XSM first look: catchily-titled 40ft racer
This Emanuele Rossi design builds on the success of the EYRD 30 of 2015 and the more recent EYRD 32, but is a more performance-oriented yacht with longer legs that…
CNB 78 One Review: ‘It was beautiful sailing… an engaging experience’
Sailing the CNB 78 One contrasts a little over 10 years ago when we had a memorable sail trial on the original CNB 76, a two-day return voyage from Palma.…
Why the Kiwis will win the 37th America’s Cup (spoiler – it’s nothing to do with their boat!)
Walking through the labyrinth of super-narrow streets that make up Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter on the opening weekend of the 37th America’s Cup finals, I slowed behind a family wearing red…
Linjett 36 first look: embodying timeless qualities
One of the standout recent new yachts is the Linjett 39, which won the family cruiser category in the 2023 European Yacht of the Year awards. The long established family-owned…
ClubSwan 43 First Look: A Spicy and Seriously Appealing Cruiser-Racer
What does a genuine cruiser-racer look like today? Spicy and seriously appealing if we take Swan’s latest model as an example. Granted, the dark brown water surrounding the ClubSwan 43…
Grand Soleil 65LC review: One of the most stunning new designs
Granted, the sight of Grand Soleil’s president Gigi Servidati sailing the beautiful Grand Soleil 65LC off Portofino arm in arm with his partner, tanned and clad in white linen, screams…
More details of the hotly-anticipated XR 41
Since we showed it in June, X-Yachts has released more details and images of its forthcoming 41ft raceboat, the yard’s first pure racer for many years. These show a contemporary…
The coolest Watersports Toys of 2024: From inflatable foilers to motorised Paddle Boards
Hydrofoils have had a transformational impact on most things that float in recent years, from kite, wing and prone surf foiling to the powered e-foil boards (a couple of which…
Lago 26 Speedster first look: lightweight flyer
This detuned version of the Austrian Lago 26 joins three other variants including a full foiling option. A key difference is the addition of a keel instead of a centreboard…
Extraordinary boats: Cape Cod 767 is 25ft of fresh thinking
Granted, it’s a novel-looking shape, but why all the fuss I wondered as a crowd formed around the transom of the Cape Cod 767 in La Rochelle? And then as…