FLYER OF LORNE

The Hanse 400 belongs to that useful family of sailing yachts that ask you to choose nothing: clean, purposeful lines above the water, a hull shape with genuine racing lineage below it. Club racers on holiday will recognise the feel of the helm; those who simply want to cover ground between islands under sail will appreciate how little effort she demands to do it well. Her cruising ground is Greece — the Cyclades, the Ionian, the Saronic, whichever suits the season and the wind. This is a yacht that rewards a route planned around the meltemi rather than against it, and long afternoons on a beam reach with the coastline sliding by. Below, three cabins each have a double bed, sleeping two apiece, for a charter party of up to eight guests. It is a straightforward, sociable layout — the kind that works for two or three couples sharing a week, or a family that wants everyone aboard the same yacht rather than spread across two. Service is discreet and hands-on, calibrated to a yacht of this size: help with the sailing when you want it, out of the way when you would rather trim the sheets yourself.