There seems to be a consensus that all new cruising yachts look the same, but I would defy anyone to say that about the GT325. That’s because she is different…
Boat test
X-Yachts X43 review: fast passage making in comfort
You know the stars have aligned when you get Force 4-5 and bright sunshine, as well as a boat, crew, photographer and RIB all in the right place at the…
Neel 43 review: re-birth of the cruising trimaran
For anyone who doesn’t follow the world of multihulls, it might be easy to imagine that catamarans are for cruising and trimarans are for racing. After all, two hulls offer…
Westerly Konsort review: a re-purchase 40 years on
When fellow sailing instructor Liz Le Mare invited me aboard her recently acquired boat, I didn’t need much persuading. She’d recently married a fiercely competitive dinghy sailor, Richard, and their…
Parker 325 review: a plethora of benefits at low cost
Sometimes you find sailors who seem so well suited to their boat that it’s hard to imagine them owning anything else. Take Barry and Orla Tiernan with Sulito, their Parker…
Scanmar 40 review – Scandinavian appeal
All too often it’s easy to think of today’s mainstream production cruisers as being designed for mass appeal and built to a strict (or sometimes restrictive) budget. While such commercial…
Arcona 345 review: 24 hours onboard Arcona’s latest
Bigger isn’t always better. Yes, the longer the boat the faster you go, theoretically, and the more space you get on board, but the bills go up exponentially, and the…
Sigma 38 review: a sheep in wolf’s clothing?
The Sigma 38 plays tricks on me. No matter how long I look, I can’t decide whether it’s a sharp-nosed racer or a gently curved cruiser. Seen from the bow…
Dehler 46SQ review: improvements all round
Powering to windward in one of the breeziest starts to a winter I can remember, it was hard to tell what was rain and what was spray. Sunshine and a…
Astus 22.5 review: sporty little trimaran for the weekend?
Small multihulls like the Astus 22.5 can be remarkable boats in which you can do remarkable things. Like Richard and Lilian Woods: each sailing one of their own Woods-designed Strider…