DRUMBEAT is a 53-metre sailing ketch built by the New Zealand shipyard Alloy Yachts and delivered in 2002, with naval architecture and exterior design by Dubois Naval Architects and interior styling by George Spencer Design. She was refitted comprehensively in 2019 and updated again in 2022, and is in excellent condition for a yacht with one of the most impressive offshore track records currently on the charter market.
DRUMBEAT has circumnavigated the globe twice. She won the 2005 Rolex Transatlantic Challenge. She has cruised off the beaten path to destinations that most charter yachts of her size could not reach, and her crew regard truly ambitious itineraries as business as usual rather than a special arrangement. If there is a theme to DRUMBEAT’s character, it is that she was built for exactly this: to sail far, sail well and do it in genuine comfort.
George Spencer Design’s interior provides that comfort in a quiet, considered way: cream furnishings contrasting with wooded cabinetry, multiple salon areas for relaxed social gathering, a large-screen TV with Bose surround sound and a library of films. What is unusual about DRUMBEAT’s layout is its single-level flow from cockpit through salon and dining area to the forward wheelhouse, a configuration that creates a genuinely open, sociable space where guests, navigation and meals all happen in the same orbit.
On deck, the flybridge is a particular strength: a generous sunbathing area with 360-degree views and a separate al fresco dining space, giving guests a quiet upper vantage point away from the social energy of the cockpit below. The transom converts to a swim platform for easy water access, with Topaz sailing dinghies, wakeboards, waterskis, a windsurfer, kayaks, Sea-Doo underwater scooters and full snorkelling and diving gear for guests who want to explore beneath the surface (rendezvous diving only).
Accommodation sleeps 11 guests across five staterooms: a full-beam owner’s stateroom with a king-sized bed, Jacuzzi bath and walk-in closet, two identical double cabins and two twin cabins, one with a Pullman bunk for children. Managed through Edmiston with a crew of ten, DRUMBEAT has a 8,000 nautical mile range and cruises comfortably at 10 knots under sail, making her one of the most genuinely capable bluewater charter yachts at this length.
With two circumnavigations and the 2005 Rolex Transatlantic Challenge to her credit, DRUMBEAT is one of the most genuinely proven bluewater charter yachts afloat.
Cream furnishings and wooded cabinetry create a classic, considered interior suited to long-range cruising, with Bose surround sound and a large-screen TV for evenings in.
A king-sized bed, Jacuzzi bath, walk-in closet and private study make the full-beam owner’s suite one of the most impressive at this size.
A one-level flow from cockpit through salon to wheelhouse creates an unusually open, sociable space where every part of the yacht feels connected.
The salon, dining area, cockpit and wheelhouse all occupy the same level, creating an unusually connected social experience on passage and at anchor.
Two identical double cabins offer comfortable accommodation for additional guests, each with en-suite bathrooms and their own seating areas.
