AIZU

Aizu is a 30-metre sailing yacht built by the French yard Trehard Marine, with exterior lines by Gilles Vaton and interiors signed by the Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune — a pairing that explains a good deal about how she feels underway and at anchor. Vaton's hand shows in a hull that carries her sailplan with genuine purpose rather than for appearance, while the interior reads as restrained Scandinavian modernism: natural wood, quiet whites and creams, and a great deal of daylight. A refit completed in 2023 keeps her presentation current. Her season divides naturally between the Greek islands and the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy, and she is well suited to both — long passages under sail between anchorages, then days spent stationary in a bay with the tender in the water. Life aboard tends to organise itself around the cockpit, which serves as the arrival point for a first drink and the setting for most alfresco meals. A few steps below, the salon offers a cooler, more sheltered alternative for the middle of the afternoon or the end of a long evening. Forward, the cushioned area on the foredeck is where guests gravitate after swimming, with the sails themselves providing welcome shade when the sun is at its most insistent. Accommodation comprises four cabins for a maximum of eight guests. Each has its own ensuite bathroom, generous wardrobe space, air conditioning, a flat-screen television with DVD player, and Wi-Fi throughout. Detailed bed configuration is available on request, and the layout can be discussed against the composition of your group before booking. The galley is fully equipped, and the chef's cooking is one of the pleasures of a week aboard — straightforward, seasonal, matched to a chilled white and eaten in the cockpit as the light goes. The crew are experienced and notably attentive without hovering, and they handle the practical side of a charter so completely that guests rarely think about it. For time in the water, Aizu carries a flyboard, waterskis, a wakeboard, three stand-up paddleboards, an inflatable sailing dinghy and a towing ring — enough variety to occupy mixed-age groups for days. A drone is also aboard for those who want a record of the week that looks like more than phone footage. A sound choice for families and groups of friends who want real sailing without giving up comfort.