Yachting Monthly

01/02/2025

The custom Bestevaer 54 MicMac invited adventure at boot Dusseldorf. In contrast to the glossy hulls around it, MicMac's appropriately distressed exterior promised to endure harsh conditions.

As a boat made using recycled aluminium, MicMac suits scientific and environmentally friendly missions to the Arctic. It is based on the Dutch yard’s popular and rugged go-anywhere Dykstra Bestevaer design but with some of its family-friendly Stadtship features incorporated, too, such as a large pilothouse, spacious cockpit, and luxurious interior.

Functionality and comfort combine inside to blend the boat's dual purpose as a home and a floating office for scientific work; in contrast to the plush and cosy saloon, the pared-back heads and bunk room signal that this boat is more about work than play. Nonetheless, there is beauty in the efficiently designed facilities.

A particular highlight is a pair of built-in curved seats, equivalent to a snug or reading nook for downtime away from the more open saloon. Curved wood hugs the back of the chairs, providing a friendly space to safely nestle into without having to worry about avoiding sharp edges and lurching seas.

Bestevaer 54 MicMac Specifications:
- LOA: 16.85m
- Beam: 4.59m
- Displacement: 20 T
- Ballast: 5.3 T in centreboard
- Engine: Yanmar 80hp
- Material: Recycled aluminium
- Rig: Cutter rig
- Designer: Dystra Naval Architects
- Yard: KM Yachtbuilders

01/02/2025

The Beneteau First 30 has a deliberately simple layout to keep the cockpit clear. At boot Düsseldorf, the First 30 was on editors' lips, and many others at the show were interested in looking around it.

The large forward cabin and galley modules come from Beneteau’s larger 36 model. The design has a sleek feel and a cosiness that lends itself to family cruising.
On deck, the backstay is retained, and the mainsheet is on an A-frame, German sheeted. The jib sheets are used on the coachroof with floating tacks, while a racing version adds a mainsheet traveller and twin tail sheets.

With less and less demand for racing or cruiser-racers, Beneteau is increasingly looking at the fast, fun cruising sector: “We feel the new sailing category is planing cruising,” announced Yann Masselot, chief sales officer of sail, at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Beneteau wants to get beginners comfortable with planing sailing.

First 30 Specifications:
- LOA: 10.33m 33ft 11in
- LWL: 9.35m 30ft 8in
- Beam: 2.95m 9ft 8in
- Draught: 1.98m 6ft 6in
- Displacement: 3,150kg 6,945lb
- Ballast: 1,070kg 2,360lb
- Price: from €100,000 ex VAT

31/01/2025

Transiting the Panama Canal was an epic milestone for Andy and Julie Pag. It required practical seamanship, bureaucratic navigation and help from onboard guests.

Read more at the link in the comments below.

30/01/2025

At boot Düsseldorf the J/40 was buzzing with people exploring this new yacht.

The design was recently awarded the Best Performance Cruiser 2025 at the European Yacht of the Year Awards (EYOTY). Yachting World Test Editor and EYOTY judge Toby Hodges tested the J/40, saying it's 'One of the most rewarding yachts I’ve sailed in light winds. 'The J/40 won the jury’s plaudits for its looks and handling. Offering something more timeless than the current voluminous trend, this is a pure J/Boats style fast cruiser, a refined evolution.'

Below deck, the saloon space with seats facing one another allows for socialising in comfort.

'Overall, it’s a thoroughly workable layout that should prove ergonomic both at sea and in harbour, including generous saloon with seaberths, an excellent galley and navstation with a dedicated forward-facing seat. The large galley will certainly find favour with cruising owners. This has a 1.5 bowl sink, a large top-loading fridge, lots of worktop space and plenty of stowage.'

J/40 Specifications:
- LOA: 12.47m 40ft 11in
- Hull length: 11.70m 38ft 5in
- LWL: 11.26m 37ft 0in
- Beam: 3.86m 12ft 8in
- Draught: 2.2m 7ft 3in
- Displacement: 7,665kg 16,900lb
- Air draught: 19.45m 63ft 10in
- Engine: Volvo 50hp
- Fuel tank: 150lt 33gal
- Water tank (std): 230lt 51gal
- Sail area/displacement ratio: 24.7
- Displacement/LWL ratio: 150
- Price as tested: approx €500,000 ex VAT

30/01/2025

When does a popular location tip the scales from 'popular' to 'too busy', and how many charter yachts can fit in one popular spot? Lu Heikell considers overcrowding of anchorages.

Read more at the link in the comments below.

29/01/2025

For a 25-footer, the Vertue has a considerable reputation and has conquered every ocean. So what makes this little boat quite such an enduring success? Nic Compton finds out.

Read more at the link in the comments below.

24/01/2025

Justin Morton says chartplotters are a fantastic aid, but if not used with caution, they can detract from real-world pilotage.

Read more at the link in the comments below.

23/01/2025

When David Richards and his grandson Henry went out racing from Fowey, they didn’t expect their sail to end with a lifeboat rescue...

Read more at the link in the comments below.

21/01/2025

Your boat is trapped in the middle of a raft and there are no crew on board. What do you do?

Your boat is trapped in the middle of a raft and there are no crew on board. What do you do? James Stevens answers your Questions of Seamanship

21/01/2025

How well would a high-volume cruiser designed for warmer waters handle the tough conditions found off Scotland?

Sunshine isn’t what most people sail to Scotland for, but Theo Stocker finds the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45DS is well suited to West Coast cruising

21/01/2025

Once you’ve experienced the beauty and peace of sailing in the Arctic, you’ll want to return again and again. Andrew Wilkes explains how to make the dream a reality...

Once you’ve experienced the beauty and peace of sailing in the Arctic, you’ll want to return again and again. We reveal how to make the dream a reality

21/01/2025

East winds give Ken Endean a chance to explore unfrequented parts of one of Britain’s prettiest archipelagos - the Isles of Scilly.

East winds give Ken Endean a chance to explore unfrequented parts of one of Britain’s prettiest archipelagos - the Isles of Scilly

21/01/2025

At boot Düsseldorf, this appealing new Grand Soleil Blue is the first recyclable serial production boat built in Italy – a 10m fast and cool weekender.

Designed by Matteo Polli and built with the engineering help of NL Comp, the GS Blue is made from thermoplastic resin. Unlike traditional thermoset resins, thermoplastic resin can be separated from the glass or carbon fibres and reused at the end of its life.

All interior materials are also recyclable; even the sails are made from thermoplastic materials. At the show, the cool tones provided a restful feel and the enclosed saloon went a long way to block out the hubbub of the boat show. For all the Grand Soleil Blue's sophistication, the open-plan layout offers a wonderfully playful space, too.

The 33ft 3.3-tonne craft is described as ‘a daysailer with extended range’, an easy-to-use boat with a large stern deck area. It has a 36m2 main and can fly a 100m2 gennaker.

21/01/2025

At boot Düsseldorf, its the world premiere of X-Yachts' first pure racer for many years. And there has been quite the buzz around it.

The XR41 is a contemporary shape that includes considerable flare above the waterline aft to reduce wetted surface area in light airs. The size was chosen to make it the fastest boat, capable of getting the best possible results on corrected time, in Class B of the ORC rating system.

It has a comfortable interior for fast cruising, including a spacious owner's cabin forward and a full galley. The spaces lend themselves to socialising, with the beamy cockpit area ideal for multiple people to enjoy racing, perhaps with a couple of chilled drinks.

Also on the Danish yard's stand are the X4º, an Xc47 and an X49 mkII.

20/01/2025

Brand new at boot Düsseldorf - the Dragonfly 36 in all its glory, complete with a heated helm seat for chilly cruising.

Built with couples in mind, the Danish fast cruising trimaran experts have spent two and a half years working up this new 36. "It's a scaled-down 40, but with some new ideas," designer Jens Quorning explains. These include a new swing-wing folding system to reduce beam to 3.7m, and a reverse bow on the main hull, which brings more volume, buoyancy and speed.

This trimaran has many neatly thought-through design features for comfort. Among these are a fold-out saloon table with footrest, electric winches with the option for manual, and large storage lockers in the wings that were described on the stand as equivalent to a garden shed for your outside gear.

Inside, there's a homely feel, a cosy interior where light plays off grooves in the sliding cabinet doors. The engine is under the aft deck, which frees up space for a wide aft berth and allows for easy engine maintenance. Technically, the curved entrance to the forward berth ensures an opening with enough strength to support the wings.

Test Editor Toby Hodges explained, 'It is offered as a cruising version with self-tacking jib or a performance version with taller rig. With its two double cabins, the Dragonfly 36 presents a versatile package, from fast shorthanded cruising to offshore racing.'

Dragonfly trimarans UK

20/01/2025

‘I flew across the boat and landed headfirst’

Jenny Rorrison describes the series of events leading up to her brain operation following a knockdown at sea

19/01/2025

'A rare combination of elegance, excitement and the sea-keeping ability of a much larger boat'

H-Boat – Yachting Monthly review

19/01/2025

'Dufour’s new models are impressive examples of their type. Having tested the 37 (YM Feb 24) and 41 (YM Summer 24) I have found them to be cleverly designed. The Dufour 44, first shown at Düsseldorf in January 2024, is the next model up, building on the experience gained by her designers and builders with her smaller siblings.

'Like them, she has full bow sections to help balance the broad stern and provide a far larger forecabin than you would find on older boats of similar length. Multiple chines run the full length of the high-volume hull, for hydrodynamic reasons, to maximise space down below and to help disguise the height of the towering topsides, set into which are large windows.'

David Harding reviews the new Dufour 44, finding it has set a high bar for a roomy, competitively-priced cruiser in this size range.

'Another way in which Dufour and the designer, Umberto Felci, have tried to make life more comfortable is by designing the hull in such a way that it stiffens up at around 18° of heel, partly thanks to the strategically positioned lower chines that become immersed to give a good measure of form stability.'

'You simply walk up and down the companionway steps as though they’re a stairway. The sole is level throughout and there’s no need to duck through doorways. You have a choice of layouts: anything from four cabins and four heads to three cabins, two heads and two dedicated shower rooms. It’s vast, light and extremely modern.

Dufour 44 Specifications:
- LOA: 13.10m (43ft 0in)
-With the new Dufour 44, Dufour has set a high bar for a roomy, competitively-priced cruiser in this size range LWL: 12.23 (40ft 1in)
- Beam: 4.45m (14ft 7in)
- Draught: (standard fin) 2.20m (7ft 3in (shallow fin) 1.75m (5ft 9in)
- Displacement: 10,200kg (22,487 lb)
- Ballast: 2,850kg (6,283 lb)
- Ballast ratio: 28%
- Displacement/length: 156
- Sail area: (main & 100% foretriangle) 97.36sq m (1,048sq ft)
- SA/D ratio: 21.0
- Diesel: 250l (55 gal)
- Engine: Volvo 50hp
- Transmission: Saildrive
- RCD: Category A
- Designer: Umberto Felci
-LWL: 12.23 (40ft 1in)

Image credits: David Harding