CARPE DIEM

OYSTER’S LATEST LAUNCH IS ITS FASTEST SELLING MODEL OF ALL TIME AS OWNERS FLOCK TO ‘SEIZE THE DAY’. AN OVERNIGHT TEST PROVES THE IDEAL CHANCE TO FIND OUT WHY

- TOBY HODGES

Your world becomes a very small place when the ease and convenience of travel is lost, a notion that has really hit home in the last couple of years. The pandemic has also forced us to look at our lives introspectively and what we want to get out of them. That’s perhaps no bad thing for most sailors, particularly if it brings the realisation that we have the skills and desire to see more of this world in the best way possible – under sail. It seems for many it has forced the question, ‘why delay casting off’?

It’s evident that an increasing number of owners are not only impatient to set off, but they want to do so in the most comfort possible. That 16 deposits were placed on this £2.5m yacht before the first build was even finished is quite staggering. The new 595 is the fastest selling Oyster model to date and the British brand has clearly unveiled the right product at the right time.

Yet Oyster is not alone and, having heard similar sales results from other competitor yards recently, I’m convinced we’re seeing a new trend. Carpe diem is the theme of a new breed of wealthy sailors who want to set off bluewater cruising but in utmost comfort – whether that means a spacious multihull or a top end monohull.

The explosion in remote working together with the increased reliability of communications afloat has also helped here, in that this is not a total cut and run decision for some, who can now continue to work from on board.