Sign of the Times

I recently saw a 2 page (inside front cover) advert for a Jeanneau 64 monohull. So an expensive ad for an expensive boat built by one of the worlds biggest boatbuilders. This was the text of the advert in full:

"Born from a close collaboration between Philippe Briand and Andrew Winch, the new Jeanneau 64 is a true yacht with its elegant lines, classic proportions and  contemporary styling

Because so much of daily-life occurs on deck, great attention has been paid to the ergonomics around relaxing, reading, cooking, dining, swimming and lounging in the sun.

Down below you will find meticulous attention to detail by interior designer Andrew Winch

Every space has been carefully considered for comfortable living with plenty of light to make living below warm and inviting.

Above all, the Jeanneau 64 has been engineered for choice, offering a variety of combinations of fabrics, woods, leathers and interior and exterior layouts. The Jeanneau 64 is truly a semi-custom yacht and worthy of being the new flagship of the Jeanneau range"

The advert photos show the boat at anchor plus 4 interior photos, no deck or sailing shots.So - is it a sailing boat? or a houseboat?
Ironically the magazine was Sailing Feb 2015 which has the byline "the beauty of sail"

I got equally bemused by the 2015 Multihull Buyers Guide. There were 3 pages listing boats under 40ft, but 19 pages for those over 40ft. Most of those were clearly designed to make a fashion statement rather than be a practical, sensible live aboard cruiser or a fast race boat. It seems incredible to me that so many people buy huge boats simply to day sail. If I had that much money I'd own several smaller boats and keep them in different areas of the world. Or maybe that is exactly what these buyers do...

And certainly such big boats are not as seaworthy (in the fullest sense of the word), if sailed shorthanded, than a smaller boat. Too much to handle, too much to go wrong. Too dangerous when things break or fail.

Maybe I am old fashioned, maybe I've sailed too much. But I strongly recommend that you get "the smallest boat you need, not the biggest you want" a refrain you'll see I use time and again on my website