Europe’s finest
When the technical and boat testing teams of nine of Europe’s principal yachting magazines pool their resources and ideas on Europe’s top yachts, you have a formidable array of talent and experience. Just to reach the shortlist for European Yacht of the Year, boats are submitted to an exhaustive selection process before going out on the water for six days of intensive sailing trials.
The winners have truly earned their accolades, and to find out who they are, make sure you see the March issue of Yachting World

Patience is . . .
. . . a virtue, virtue is a grace and Grace is an engineless 23-footer which Patrick Reilly cruised to Iceland and needed plenty of patience in getting there. He recounts his charming story, which is a reminder of just how simple cruising can be – and, indeed, used to be

Carbon cruising
Just five years ago the idea of an all carbon cruising boat would have been unimaginable, both in terms of concept and of cost. Then, two years ago, Slovenian builder Seaway introduced the Shipman 53, a carbon cruiser at a not outrageous price, and the boat went on to win the coveted European Yacht of the Year Award.
Now they have a 63-footer which we look at next month, along with a more modest (also all carbon and Slovenian-built) Westerly 35 which stopped the crowds in their tracks at last year’s Southampton Boat Show.

PLUS
*All the new boats and gear from London
*Great Seamanship tells the story of a daring escape from Cold War Russia by yacht *We report on the classic Sydney-Hobart race