ANTARES is a forty metre Westport from 2008, refreshed in a 2019 refit, one of the most accomplished composite tri deck motor yachts to come out of the American yard. She looks after ten guests across five cabins with a crew of seven, and her appeal is clear: a light filled, beautifully built yacht with full height galley windows, a relaxed skylounge and the volume to spread a group out in real comfort. For a family or a group of friends who want space, easy flow between the decks and the reassurance of a well engineered American motor yacht, she reads as calm, capable and genuinely welcoming through a long week aboard.
Her point of difference is the Westport pedigree. The yard built its name on composite tri deck yachts of real quality, and ANTARES carries that character throughout, with a Gregory Marshall exterior over a GRP hull and superstructure and a warm, considered interior by Pacific Custom Interiors. Full height windows run the length of the galley, drawing light deep into the yacht and keeping the sea close whether under way or at anchor. Five cabins for ten guests is generous for her size, and the layout moves people easily between the salon, the skylounge and the water across the three decks.
Life in the open air spreads across the yacht. The foredeck opens into a run of bow seating and sun pads for lying out over the water away from the party, the aft decks set out shaded corners a few paces from the sea for long lunches and evening drinks, and the skylounge carries the social life up a level with its own soft seating and a clear outlook across the anchorage. A sea level swim platform gives easy access to the water with the tender and a full spread of toys close at hand for a day of swimming and exploring the coast, and the broad decks mean there is always a quiet corner to be found.
Inside, the main deck is warm and composed. The main salon gathers around an L shaped sofa with three swivel chairs and a low table, a bright, inviting room finished in rich timber with the sea drawn in through large windows. Forward, a formal dining area seats the full party beneath soft light, close to the galley and the crew, while the skylounge above offers a second, quieter sitting room with its own view across the water. The finish is timeless throughout, honey toned joinery against pale upholstery, a look that feels bright by day and soft in the evening, carried from room to room.
Accommodation is arranged over five cabins for ten guests. The master takes a private, full beam position on the main deck with a wide bed, panoramic windows, a seating area and its own bathroom, while a pair of twin cabins and further double guest cabins, each quiet and comfortable with their own facilities, look after the rest of the party below. It is a flexible plan that suits a family or a group of friends, the twins with their single beds ready for children or younger guests sharing, and every cabin finished to the same warm standard as the main deck.
Under way she is exactly what a Westport should be, a planted, composed yacht that holds an easy cruise and settles calmly at anchor. Capable of twenty five knots from her twin MTU engines and a comfortable nineteen knot cruise, she travels quickly between destinations. Her natural ground is the American east coast, New England through the summer and the Bahamas and the wider Caribbean across the winter, the clear water of the Virgin Islands and Florida all within comfortable reach. Beautifully built and attentively crewed, ANTARES is a relaxed and capable way to charter for a group that values space and comfort.
