FIRST RIDE

The Sun Odyssey 490 reads like a considered evolution rather than a reinvention: the qualities that define the Sun Odyssey line, carried a step further. She sails from Croatia, and that pairing makes sense — a yacht built around easy, unforced comfort, set loose among islands that reward unhurried days. Below deck, accommodation is arranged across six cabins for up to twelve guests. Five of them are fitted with a double bed; a sixth offers a single berth. It is a layout that suits a large family group or a gathering of friends who want their own corner of the yacht at the end of the day, without ceremony. What stays with you aboard a 490 is the absence of fuss. The living spaces invite you in rather than impress you — the kind of interior where wet swimsuits, a chart on the table and a long lunch coexist naturally. Life on board settles into its own rhythm quickly. The crew handles the sailing, the anchorages and the timing, leaving you to decide only how long to stay in each bay. In Croatia, where a morning under sail can end with a swim off the stern in water clear enough to read the seabed, that is very much the point.