Few yachts for charter carry the provenance of JAVELIN. Designed in 1896 by Arthur Payne, a naval architect spoken of in the same breath as Fife and Watson, and launched the following year, she is a gaff ketch from the golden age of yachting that is still sailing, and still inviting guests aboard. A careful restoration, most recently updated in 2024, has kept her honest: varnished mahogany topsides, handmade teak decks and the quiet confidence of a hull that has been doing this for well over a century.
She is a yacht for people who actually want to sail. At 22.35 metres on deck she is a manageable, responsive classic that comes alive in a breeze, equally at home on a relaxed coastal passage or lining up on a regatta start among her peers. The bowsprit and foredeck netting are a direct link to her racing heritage, and under a full press of canvas she cuts the kind of silhouette that turns heads in any anchorage on the classic circuit. Her long keel and generous sail plan reward a crew who enjoy working the boat, yet she is forgiving enough for guests who simply want to take a turn on the helm and feel what a yacht of this pedigree can do. Every passage aboard her is a small lesson in how sailing used to be, and in many ways still should be.
Life on deck is open and uncomplicated. Amidships, a shaded alfresco dining area is the social heart of the day, set for long lunches between tacks and dinners once the sails are stowed. The teak expanses fore and aft give guests room to spread out, trim a sheet or simply watch the coast slide by. There is no sun deck gadgetry here and none is missed. The pleasure is the sailing itself, and the way a wooden boat moves through the water.
Below, JAVELIN is warm and intimate. Rich wood panelling, polished joinery and period detailing create an atmosphere that feels genuinely historic rather than themed. A snug saloon sits at the centre of the accommodation, with a separate dining space and a working navigation and radio station that speaks to her seagoing character. Daylight filters through traditional deck prisms, and the whole interior carries the patina of a yacht that has been loved and used.
Accommodation is intimate by design. JAVELIN sleeps five guests across two cabins, served by classic washroom facilities, with a crew of two who know her rig and her moods. This is not a yacht chasing guest numbers; it is one offering a particular kind of trip, close to the water and close to the history of the sport.
She cruises the western Mediterranean and is currently based on the Tuscan coast, perfectly placed for the Italian islands, the Ligurian riviera and the classic regatta season that runs from Argentario to the Cote d’Azur. For keen sailors, for lovers of design and craftsmanship, and for anyone who understands that the best boats are the ones still being sailed, JAVELIN is a rare and rewarding charter. She is the sort of yacht people remember long after the trip.
