Carlo Borlenghi/Spirit Yachts
The Spirit 35(F), an electric foiler recently launched by the English boatbuilders Spirit Yachts, is taken through its paces on Lake Maggiore in Italy. Thanks to state-of-the-art foiling technology developed for the AMERICA’s Cup, the boat is capable of up to 32 knots and has a range of 100 miles at 20 knots. Her owner wanted her as a tender to his two Spirit sailing yachts, one 52′ and the other 111′ long.
Cowes, England, might like to think of itself as the birthplace of yachting, but nowadays most of the boats filling its marinas are of the modern, plastic variety. For one week every year, however, the marina Cowes Yacht Haven (CYH) is transformed into a mecca of wooden boats. The occasion is Cowes Classics Week in July, during which the CYH docks are lined with venerable old craft as well as a fair few new-builds. The 2023 highlights included the 58′ Laurent Giles yawl LUTINE OF HELFORD and the William Fife 12-Meter MIQUETTE, both looking spectacular after their recent rebuilds. There was the usual fleet of Spirit Yachts modern classics, along with a 26′ Stella (a Folkboat derivative), a 1967 One-Ton Cup racer, and a handful of vintage motoryachts.
But the yacht that really stood out at this year’s event wasn’t old, wasn’t a sailboat, and wasn’t even racing. It was a 35′ speedboat with a long, pointy bow and sloping reverse stern reminiscent of an English slipper launch. The whole boat was varnished above the load waterline, with an inlaid stripe of pale wood between its curvaceous foredeck and its equally curvaceous hull. The cockpit was luxuriously fitted out with cream-colored upholstery, varnished trim, and retro-looking analog instruments. Moored alongside the float, it looked like the essence of 1920s style, and it was a pleasure just to look at those carefree curves and the fine craftsmanship that made them possible.