Ohana

Ohana is a yacht meant to be sailed hard, not motored. Fitzroy Yachts started on her in New Plymouth, New Zealand, in June 2010 as Project G50 for a European owner and put her in the water in October 2012. The design, inside the hull and out, came from Dubois Naval Architects; Fitzroy had already built seven of their boats before this one. Her racing debut came only months after handover, at the NZ Millennium Cup, where she took third place on overall results, and in 2013 both the World Superyacht Awards and the ShowBoats Design Awards put her on their shortlists.

The numbers explain the character. A 63-metre Southern Spars mast carries a 636-square-metre main, and once the 1,600-square-metre gennaker is up the total sail area passes 4,000 square metres. In a good breeze she can make 18 knots without the engine. Hull and superstructure are aluminium, the keel is a fixed bulb and she draws 5.6 metres, so the captain picks anchorages with that depth in mind. She is easy to spot from another boat: a grey hull with yellow touches, the same colour as that gennaker.

The owner shaped the interior personally, and it shows in its restraint: whitewashed oak, pale fabrics, and a saloon and dining area on the main deck wrapped in glass, so the sea stays in view from the table. Up on the flybridge there are two steering positions, so guests can see the crew trim and steer at arm's length. Aft on the lower deck, the owner sleeps in a cabin with its own small teak terrace just above the waterline, plus a desk and a wardrobe built to measure; the four guest cabins sit amidships, and both twins add a pullman berth.

The water sports lean towards sailing rather than speed: a dinghy, windsurfers, water-skis, a wakeboard and paddleboards, plus dive kit with a compressor on board. One of the eight crew teaches windsurfing and dinghy sailing, and an 11-metre Magazzù chase tender handles beach runs and transfers.

Ohana suits families with teenagers who want to learn to sail, and friends who would rather spend an afternoon reaching between two islands than a whole day at anchor. Anyone who needs a Jacuzzi, a beach club or a fleet of jet skis, or who would rather not feel the deck heel, will be happier on a motor yacht.