Da Vinci

Most yachts of this length trade speed for volume. Da Vinci does the opposite. She is a Mangusta 165E from the Overmarine yard, a planing hull pushed by four MTU engines, and she reaches 38 knots flat out. Her normal cruising pace is roughly what many displacement yachts manage at full throttle. In practical terms, Porto Cervo to Calvi becomes a morning's run rather than a full day at sea, and a week can include Corsica, Sardinia and the Riviera without anyone feeling rushed.

Stefano Righini penned her low, sporty lines, and in 2018 the jury of the International Yacht & Aviation Awards picked her as the best yacht above 40 metres. Inside, Overmarine's own team worked with Maxine Tissenbaum on a glossy look: marble from Italy, chrome with a mirror polish and oak floorboards bleached almost white. The main deck is one open space with a marble bar facing the water and a dining table lit from skylights above, and the aft deck sofas are where people gather for coffee while she runs.

Every guest sleeps on the lower deck. The owner's cabin runs from side to side with glass on both flanks and a bathroom clad in marble; next come a VIP, a pair of doubles, one twin and one single, the last handy for a nanny or an extra teenager. A crew of nine keeps things moving. She draws less than two metres, so the captain can tuck her into shallow bays that deeper yachts have to admire from outside.

The flip side of speed is range. At around 600 nautical miles she is a coastal yacht, built for short, fast legs between harbours and anchorages, not for long crossings. She was refitted in 2021.

She is the right choice for an active group of friends or a family with teenagers who want a different beach every day and a lively dinner ashore at night. She is less suited to guests who feel uneasy at high speed, to anyone who wants a spa, a large indoor saloon or main-deck cabins, or to a slow week spent at one anchorage.