SNOW PRINCESS

Charter company Lumi Yachts is named after the Finnish word for snow, but a few days on board its brand new Princess Y80 is enough to melt anyone's heart

- Hugo Andreae

What would be your ideal holiday if you lived in a country so cold it had 40 different words for snow? How about sunbathing on the deck of a brand new Princess Y80 while a smiling crew member topped up your gin and tonic? It would certainly be very near the top of my list and I am guessing it's the same for the two Finnish businessmen who bought the very first Princess Y80 off the production line, set it up as a charter business and called it Lumi - one of the many native words for, you guessed it, snow.

Sitting on its home berth in Cala d'Or marina, Mallorca, Lumi certainly looks as clean, white and sparkling as freshly fallen snow but the sun warming our backs at the tail end of October tells a very different story. We're here to spend a few days on board so we can experience what it's like to be a charter guest on this very special boat. It's rare enough to spend any length of time aboard an 80ft motor yacht but three days and nights on a brand new model we haven't even sea trialled yet is next-level lucky.

Skipper Paul Askew and stewardess Liz Jepson are on hand to greet us, chilled champagne at the ready to help erase the memories of our Ryanair flight most guests opt for a rather more exclusive means of arrival! I've met Paul before when he was working as a charter skipper for Boats.co.uk so we know we're in safe hands and Liz seems equally happy to meet us.