“The three boat tests that stood out the most for me this year.”

Gunboat 68

Arriving on the island of Porquerolles in a fast tender, I discovered the elegance of this exceptional catamaran. From a distance, she seemed smaller than her 20 meters (65’): the magic of proportions! Aboard this truly beautiful craft, the crew is going to experience sensations of the highest level, with the comfort of the nautical equivalent of a Bugatti.

Dragonfly 32 Evolution

The Evolution version of the very successful DF32 (which I tried when it was launched, in the splendid setting of the Skaerbek Islands, southern Denmark) allows this superb multihull to push the boundaries, both downwind and upwind in a breeze. The sensations under gennaker in medium airs really are quite addictive. The new floats bring a more real feeling. Life begin at 15 knots!

Libertist 853

This little red muscle-car of a boat won me over on the pontoons at this year’s International Multihull Show at La Grande Motte in the South of France. Her assertive, sporty look hides a surprisingly cozy interior volume for a trimaran of this size. Under way, Eric Lerouge's skillful design, the superb construction and the high-performance sail-plan make her one of the most exciting multihulls of recent years. Fast in all weathers, the performance in a breeze is exceptional for a unit of less than 30 feet in length. Helming pleasure is absolute, the vertical thrust generated by the fixed foils gives this reasonably sized trimaran the safety of a larger multihull. An outstanding success in a world of usually much bigger boats.