SAILING WORLD: THE CARIBBEAN MULTIHULL CHALLENGE IN ST MARTIN IS GROWING BIGGER BY THE YEAR
Sailing World Magazine’s annual Boat of the Year tests are conducted in Annapolis, Maryland, following the US Sailboat Show. With independent judges exhaustively inspecting the boats on land and putting them through their paces on the water, this year’s fleet of new performance-sailing boats spanned from small dinghies to high-tech bluewater catamarans. Here’s the best of the best from our 2023 Boat of the Year nominees.
The Power of Three
- Neel 43 2023 Best Multihull
- Stated purpose: Family cruising, casual pursuit racing
- Crew: Two to four
- Praise for: Easily handling, open interior layout, overall positive sailing experience
- Est. price as sailed: $600,000
In the sea of slab-sided catamarans that make up “multihull alley” in the US Sailboat Show, there’s a homogeneity that makes it almost impossible for one cat sailing condo to stand out among the others. (Gunboat and HH Catamarans being the high-ticket exceptions.)
Unique and mixed in among them, however, is the Neel 43 trimaran. From the dock perspective, it’s a big and imposing vessel. It’s also a proven bluewater performer that’s already won its share of hardware. While previous French-built Neel performance cruising tris have been overlooked by the racing set, that’s starting to change, as are opinions of multihulls. Ask the Texans in Galveston how many performance cruising multis are now doing their annual Harvest Moon Regatta—more than ever. And the Caribbean Multihull Challenge in St. Martin? It’s growing bigger by the year, and that’s because boats like the Neel 43 can be one heck of a ride and capable of being first to finish in a coastal overnighter.
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