If you are into sailboats, then the Southampton Boat Show is the place to be from the 11th to 20th September 2015 at Mayflower Park. Here are some of the boats you will be able to view during an extraordinary 10 days of nautical events. Many of them are having their world debut at this event.
Marlow-Legend 31
The latest of Legend’s off-shore cruising sailboats
With a length of 32ft 4ins and a beam of 11ft 10ins, she can compete well with most other boats of comparable size in terms of volume below, spacious cockpit, performance and large sail plan. Below decks her luxurious fit and finish are handcrafted using teak furniture and floors.
She is easy to sail, with excellent accommodation and three different keel configurations.
The Marlow- Legend 40 – a yacht celebrating Legend’s 40th anniversary of boat building.
With an overall length of 41ft 3ins and beam of 13ft 2ins, she comes with dual helm control, fold-down transom, chined hull and dual heads. Like the newer 31 she has a hand crafted interior which is functional as well as beautiful.
Spirit 46
A glamorous, contemporary wooden yacht.
Her looks are reminiscent of the meter yachts of the 1930’s but they belie the technical success of her construction. She is capable of planing at speeds up to 18 knots and with all controls led aft to the cockpit she is well suited to short-handed or single-handed sailing.
With a length of 46ft 3ins and a beam of 9ft 3ins she has accommodation for up to 5 people and her dimensions allow her to be easily and economically transported by road or sea. She is one of the most desirable and dynamic smaller yachts available today.
Swallow GRP Bay Cruiser 26
A small yacht offering performance potential and great accommodation.
Her design has been centred around great sailing performance, keeping her stable and secure in heavy weather, but fun and fast in light winds, thanks to her water ballast system. Her light weight enables her to be towed by many estate cars. Her distinctive cabin shape gives great accommodation potential, with large windows and headroom, but she is equally suitable to be cruised single-handed.
Key Yachting’s J / 11S
Making her world debut.
This is the new 36ft, double –handed, offshore boat designed to compete in the double-handed IRC circuit in Europe. Most boats of this genre focus on off wind sailing in windy conditions but the J/11S is suited to widely varied wind and sea conditions where both upwind and downwind performance is important.
Gunfleet 43
Another world debut.
She combines sparkling performance with spacious interior and is light and positive to helm, quick and easy to tack and fast to accelerate. The cockpit and deck layout have been designed for easy, short-handed sailing, with sheets and traveller within easy reach of the helmsman. With a length of 44ft 1inch she has a spacious, airy saloon and 2 cabins, both with ensuite facilities.
These are just a few of the stunning boats on view at the show and don’t forget the “Try-a-Boat” sessions and the RYA Active Marina Experience.
Author - Dee White