Mayflower: World’s coolest yachts

Yachting World has been asking top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our times, and round the world racer Pete Goss nominated the Mayflower. Here’s the report:

The Mayflower is certainly the most unusual nomination to date for a world’s coolest yacht! It came to Yachting World from Pete Goss, on the 400th anniversary of the famous Pilgrims’ voyage from Plymouth to the New World.

“We’ve loved our time in the US,” says Pete Goss of the extended cruise he and his wife, Tracey, had been doing in their Garcia Exploration 45 Pearl.

“So the Mayflower is the boat for me, because it carried the seed that grew into a great nation.”

The Mayflower left Plymouth in September 1620 carrying 102 passengers, 40 of whom were Protestant separatists who intended to start a new church in the New World.

A merchant ship of around 100ft capable of carrying 180 tons of cargo, Mayflower was a square-rigged three-master with two large castle style structures at bow and stern that was typical of ships of this period.

The aft ‘castle’ was 30ft high and the design was not very weatherly or comfortable – the voyage to Cape Cod took more than two months.

For Yachting World’s list of cool boats, click here.