DIAMOND SEAS is a thirty metre Horizon from 2014, refreshed in a 2016 refit, a flybridge motor yacht that brings the yard’s reputation for space and value to the clear water of the Caribbean and the American east coast. She looks after eight guests across four cabins with a crew of four, and her appeal is immediate: generous volume for her length, a bright open plan main deck wrapped in glass and a sociable flybridge that carries the party up into the sun. For a family or a group of friends who want comfortable space, easy living and a well kept yacht at a sensible price, she is a relaxed and welcoming choice through a long week aboard.
Her point of difference is the Horizon platform. The yard built its name on roomy, well engineered motor yachts that deliver far more interior and deck space than their length suggests, and DIAMOND SEAS shows that character throughout, with a light filled main deck, a full flybridge and a layout that keeps a group together or lets them spread out as the day calls. A 2016 refit refreshed the finishes and the systems, so a charter aboard her feels current and cared for, while the twin Caterpillar engines underneath deliver a confident, comfortable cruise with genuine range between anchorages.
Life in the open air centres on the flybridge. Open to the sky with a sofa, a coffee table and a shaded helm, it is the natural gathering point for a long lunch and for drinks as the light drops over the bay, with further seating and a table aft for dining in the breeze. A deck below, the aft deck sets out a shaded seating and dining corner a few paces from the sea, the bow opens into a run of sun pads for lying out over the water, and a large swim platform aft 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.
Inside, the main deck is bright and open, wrapped in glass from the salon to the dining area. The main salon gathers around soft sofas with the sea drawn in on both sides and a television for quiet evenings, while an upper salon offers a second, calmer sitting room away from the main deck. Forward, a dining area seats the full party beneath soft light close to the galley and the crew. The finish is warm and welcoming throughout, rich timber against pale upholstery, a settled look that feels bright by day and soft after dark.
Accommodation is arranged over four cabins for eight guests, two doubles and two twins. The master suite takes a private, well lit position with a wide bed, generous storage and its own bathroom, while a VIP stateroom and the further cabins, each quiet and comfortable with their own facilities, look after the rest of the party below. It is a flexible, even handed plan that suits a family or a group of friends, the twins ready for children or younger guests sharing, every cabin finished to the same warm standard as the main deck.
Under way she is calm and assured, holding a comfortable cruise of fifteen knots and a top end of twenty two from her twin Caterpillar engines. Her natural ground is the Caribbean, the clear water and quiet anchorages of the Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands through the winter, with the American east coast and New England within reach for the summer and the Bahamas and Florida a short run away. Comfortable, spacious and sensibly priced, DIAMOND SEAS is an easy and family friendly way to charter with the whole party kept close.
