Motor Boat & Yachting October 2021

Boating can be a world of extremes and in this issue I was lucky enough to experience both ends of it. At the start of the month I managed to sneak off for a very spoily long weekend on Boats.co.uk’s new Princess 88 charter yacht in Mallorca. It was, predictably enough, a sensational experience, helped by a fabulous crew who ensured we made the most of every minute on board. At the other end of the scale, I spent an equally fascinating and arguably even more inspiring day in the company of a Fairline Corniche owner called Ross Barrett. He bought this classic but very dated 1980s flybridge cruiser for a whisker over £30,000 then spent the best part of a year refashioning it into a reliable, comfortable, contemporary, light-filled floating…

THE EDITOR’S VIEW… Finally, the wait is over and the Southampton Boat Show beckons once again. After a two-year hiatus, there’s a bumper crop of new models to catch up with and plenty of Guinness to be drunk. I can’t understand why we have to take a lateral flow test to get in but if that’s what it takes, so be it. 1 SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW IS BACK The Southampton International Boat Show opens its gates again this month and promises to be bigger and better than ever. After being cancelled at short notice last year due to the pandemic, the 52nd edition of Britain’s biggest boating festival is going ahead this year but with a few crucial differences. Here are the details you need to know to enjoy a great day out. Where? The…

Buying my new home has proven to be one of my very best decisions, I absolutely love it! Sat at my desk recently, I spotted a nice boat in the bay. A glance through a telescope confirmed that it was a Sunseeker Portofino 40 cruising gently past. Imagine that – sat in my office watching a Sunseeker go by! And the balcony on a summer’s evening with a cool drink as dusk gathers and the lights come on around the bay is heavenly. But there’s another rather more prosaic reason why I bought this house. It’s because money in the bank is going backwards! While interest rates languish at almost zero, everything else is going up. Surely I’m better off putting it into something I can benefit from, rather than just…

NO 7 BISTRO AND WINE BAR TORQUAY Those of you who remember Fawlty Towers might be forgiven for tarring all hotels and restaurants on the English Riviera with the same disastrous brush… But as your restaurant reviewer, I am here to assure you that’s most certainly not the case. This month’s restaurant was recommended by MBY forum member, Terry Moss, who believes No 7 Bistro and Wine Bar in Torquay is well worth going out of your way for. “We make a trip to the West Country every year and always plan a visit to Torquay just to go to No. 7 – it really is that good,” says Terry. “The attention to detail, the ambience, the food; we can’t fault it. We usually visit on our last evening and like to go…

If you haven’t been to a boat show in a while – and let’s face it, few of us have – then this is your chance to view the broadest range of new boats you’ll ever see at a British boat show. To help make the most of your day we’ve picked out 16 of the most interesting new motor boats making their UK debuts at the show. From the stunning new Sunseeker 65 Sport Yacht and rarely seen Sanlorenzo SX88 to more affordable fare like the exhilarating Saxdor 320 GTO and Yamarin 88 Day Cruiser there is something for everybody to get excited about. I hope to see you there. VISITORS’ GUIDE WHEN: 10-19 September WHERE: Mayflower Park, Southampton OPENING TIMES: 09:30am-6:30pm (6:00pm on Sunday 19) TICKETS: Monday-Thursday: £21.00 Friday-Sunday: £25.50 Children 15 and…

Sunseeker has quite the line-up at the 2021 show, including the Predator 55 EVO, S Manhattan 55 and Predator 74 XPS but we’re going to focus on the 65 Sport Yacht because it has one of the coolest upper helms we’ve ever seen. Fitted with a pair of low-slung carbon fibre bucket seats, the steering wheel sprouts out towards the skipper on an extended column that lifts to an upright position so the IPS joystick can be used while standing for close-quarters manoeuvring. With the column lowered you recline in a go-kart-like position, the steering wheel the centre of attention with the throttles mounted on the aircraft style module between the two helm seats. As standard the 65 comes with a sundeck up top but it would be criminal not…