Hemisphere

Hemisphere came out of the British Pendennis yard with lines by VPLP, the French multihull specialists behind the catamaran that won the 33rd America's Cup. Pendennis describes her as the largest privately owned sailing catamaran in the world. What that means on board is simple: two aluminium hulls, a wide, level platform and no heeling, so a glass left on a table stays where it was, and guests who would never set foot on a monohull under sail are comfortable from the first hour.

Her real speciality is underwater. The port hull holds a dive centre with air and nitrox fills, the yacht is a PADI training centre, and two of the crew are dive instructors, so complete beginners can qualify during the week and experienced divers can go deeper with the right gas. The starboard hull is the watersports locker. Between the two, VPLP's gull-wing cross-deck hides a twelve-person tender behind bomb-bay doors. Anglers are also looked after: a 16.4-metre sport-fishing boat comes with her, although Greek rules do not allow its use in Greek waters.

Michael Leach designed the interior, which won the ShowBoats awards for interior design and layout in 2012. The two VIP cabins are on the main deck with access to a forward terrace, rather than down in a hull, and there is a Jacuzzi on the sun deck and another on the flybridge. Steps down both hulls make getting into the sea easy.

She has sailed around the globe and spent long periods in the Pacific, which shows in how she is set up: a self-contained base for days far from a marina. She is a strong choice for a family of divers in Croatia or the Caribbean, or a group mixing fishing, swimming and a little sailing.

Look elsewhere if the group wants a sleek motor yacht that docks stern-to in Portofino every night, or a purist sailing experience on a lean, heeling hull. Hemisphere is about space, stability and the sea underneath.