Motor Boat & Yachting April 2022

For a man whose grasp of biology is limited to what I learnt as a teenager from various top-shelf publications, I am peculiarly obsessed by the biological workings of antifoul coatings. The science of how to keep slime, weed and barnacles at bay now holds far more allure to my middle-aged brain than the facts of life. But the truth is that antifouling is important stuff, especially (but not exclusively) if you’re a boat owner. Even a small amount of fouling can make a huge difference to a boat or ship’s speed and efficiency. That doesn’t just push up fuel bills, it also means more CO2 emissions, not to mention higher prices for all those goods being shipped around the world. And yet ever tightening restrictions on the use of biocides is…

SEE MORE mby.com/bigpic The cancellation of the Düsseldorf Boat Show was a blow for manufacturers and punters alike but it also gave the former the opportunity to display their boats in ways they haven’t done before. For the launch of the X80 and V50 Princess looked close to home for a spot to host an event and struck gold with the basin at Royal William Yard. Constructed between 1825 and 1831, the yard is made up of the largest collection of Grade 1 Listed military buildings in Europe and today has a blend of residential and commercial space, not to mention a small but perfectly formed marina at its centre. It made for a spectacular backdrop to Princess’s event. You can read more about the X80 on p27 and watch deputy…

1 FAIRLINE GIVES YOU WINGS Fairline has released details of a brand new Squadron 58 that will replace the outgoing Squadron 53 later this year. And in a first for the British yard it will feature fold-down aft terraces and an extensive beach club. The renderings reveal a clean, elegant profile with all the usual Fairline design cues, including the signature triple styling bars on the superstructure and a sleek forward-raked flybridge hardtop. However, it’s the outside spaces that really set this new Squadron apart. As well as the full-length flybridge and foredeck terrace, it features a versatile aft cockpit with an eye-opening array of different options. Traditionalists can still opt for a built-in transom sofa and either a fixed or hi-lo platform large enough to take a Williams 345 jet tender. But there’s…

Just 25 hours. That’s all the engine hours we managed in 2021. The first year we had it, we ran 100 hours between launch and lift. The reasons are clear, moving house, getting Covid-19 and Marianne’s lovely cottage in Ireland were all bona fide distractions, but my business has also become considerably busier since I bought the boat. The flip side is that, with considerably more black ink on the balance sheet, the boat becomes easier to justify. But it has also created another possibility. This whole boating malarkey started back in 2013 because I noticed Torbay Council were building a new marina in the inner harbour. The council already had an outer harbour marina. Facilities were decidedly more Bates Motel than Savoy, but the cost reflected it. As a result…

THE WATERFRONT ANSTRUTHER There’s a good reason why the Scottish Fisheries Museum is based in Anstruther on the East Neuk of Fife, for this picturesque coastal port once landed, processed and traded more fish than anywhere else in Scotland. While fishing is still important to the town, Anstruther has today developed into a destination attracting holidaymakers and boaters from far and wide. With 400 metres of pier-side berthing and 100 pontoon berths available, the harbour is a busy and bustling place throughout the season. Accordingly, the area offers a number of attractive dining options, many of which offer a selection of freshly caught, local fish. Our choice for lunch was The Waterfront, a quayside eatery with pole position views over the harbour. Modest in appearance from the outside, inside the restaurant is warm…

The hotly anticipated Düsseldorf launch of the X80 didn’t quite go to plan but quick thinking at Princess HQ led to a hometown launch at Royal William Yard in Plymouth, where MBY was fortunate enough to be the first magazine in the world to step on board. Helpfully, the X80 was moored alongside the first and largest model in the X Class range, the X95, whose wide body ‘superfly’ design has been neatly scaled down to create this all-new model. To our eyes, the exterior of the X80 is better proportioned than the flagship’s and if anything the sky lounge feels all the more luxurious on a boat of around 80ft. The X80 is different beneath the waterline, too, where there is no wave piercing section à la X95 but a more…