Envisage a flow chart for choosing a new cruising yacht. As well as establishing fundamental decisions – such as monohull or catamaran? Glassfibre or aluminium? – it also asks if…
Boat tests
Pure 42 review: Why this alloy cruiser is the new benchmark for bluewater cruising
It has got busy lately in the explorer segment. While some of the traditional brands like Ovni, Garcia and Bestevaer are still trucking along steadily, new ones have complemented this…
Best Luxury Yachts 2026: The definitive guide to this year’s best!
The definition of the best luxury yacht will differ according to personal opinion and from boat to boat. This year’s nominees in the luxury yacht category of the European Yacht…
Seawind 1170 review: Nimble Aussie catamaran comes to Europe
Nearly 800 Seawind catamarans have launched since the brand’s creation in 1983. These were at first all from Australia, before founder Richard Ward took over the Corsair Trimaran factory and…
Excess 13 review: A great ride and much more
We may think we want that performance multihull, a 50ft+ daggerboard catamaran with the legs to average double figures and outrun weather systems. But for cruising and family sailing do…
Swan 51 review: A new generation of performance cruising
In 1981, Nautor launched its first German Frers design, a Swan 51 that sparked one of the most successful designer/builder relations in yachting. Yet today’s version (by the same team)…
Boreal 56 review: Aluminium explorer yacht with a scow-influenced shape
When it’s blowing a gale and it’s hard to even see outside for the horizontal rain or, worse, sand being whipped off the nearby beach, there’s little appeal in going…
Dufour 48 review: How does this latest big cruiser perform in strong winds?
Today’s cruising monohulls tend to have full forward sections and rather bluff bows that markedly increase interior volumes forward. But how do these new hull shapes handle stronger winds? We…
Vaan R5 review: The 50ft electric multihull pushing sustainable sailing
Vaan is an emerging Dutch brand creating a new generation of markedly different catamarans. Travel 20 miles from the historic city centre of Rotterdam, on through Europe’s largest commercial port,…
Beneteau First 30 review: The affordable planing cruiser that’s fun and fast
When you consider how you got into sailing and how the next generation might do so, it prompts some searching questions. Is sailing dying as a sport and a pastime?…
Dragonfly 36 review: Probably the most fun boat ever!
Tuesday 12 May 2025 in Skaerbaek, Denmark, was a special day, a defining moment in my sailing career. I’m normally deliberately objective when testing, but I admit to really falling…
Double catamaran review: Fountaine Pajot 41 and Fountaine Pajot 44 tested
Continued development and refinement are key drivers behind the ever-increasing popularity of cruising catamarans. The scale of the rate of change in these boats was brought home to me when…
Saare 47 review: A proper, take you anywhere cruiser
The afternoon sunlight had that sharp clarity of spring in the Baltic; warm and golden, but with cold shadows in which the world felt suspended, undecided at winter’s retreat. Silently,…
Pogo RC Review: Planing performance for shorthanded sailors
Having raced tens of thousands of miles on 33-36ft yachts optimised for IRC racing, I’ve long been frustrated by the perception that only relatively heavy designs can be competitive offshore.…
Wallyrocket 51 review: Is this the world’s fastest new raceboat (on handicap)?
You have to admire the ambition. A goal to create the fastest race boat in the world (on corrected time) is no small feat, and a particularly punchy thing to…
Magic Carpet-e review: Sailing the first fully electric racing Maxi to be launched
Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones didn’t want a new boat, yet today not only has he a shiny new state of the art 100-footer, but a machine described by some as the…
Saffier SL46 review: A true turn-key performance yacht
Conjure an image of a contemporary performance monohull, and it’ll likely be a Swan, Grand Soleil, X-Yacht or something similar (the original Solaris 50 from 2015 springs to my mind).…
Lagoon 43 review: Will this voluminous new cat be the world’s most popular multihull?
Replacing a very successful model is a huge challenge for any boatbuilder. Is it best to take a conservative approach, opting for a similar design to the original with only…
Moody DS48 review: Ambitious cruising plans? Look no further
Many new launches these days aim to be lighter, faster and more open. Not so the Moody DS48. From the moment you scale the boarding ladder (via steps which fold…
Wallywind 110 review: ‘I’ve never ticked off stretches of coastline so effortlessly’
There are very few times I feel the need to video the scene from a day on the water simply to brag to my friends. But standing in the master…