Cadet dinghy: 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 Simon Fisher nominated the Cadet dinghy. Here’s the report:

“I’ve been lucky enough to sail on a good selection of the ‘coolest’ yachts and I remember the excitement of the first time sailing each of them as I’m something of a fan boy when it comes to cool boats. The MOD70, VO70, Comanche, or a foiling IMOCA already rightfully hold a place on this list, as do the TP52, IACC class, and J-Class.

“So I’m going to the other end of the spectrum and nominating a junior class that gave me so much joy growing up. The International Cadet dinghy isn’t fast by modern standards, or very technologically advanced, but it was the boat that really cultivated my passion for sailing, whether racing at the weekends or tinkering with it on the driveway after school.

“It’s cool to see many boats from my era are still competitive today. Due to the Cadet’s small size, as you got bigger you needed a smaller and smaller crew, which meant older kids sailed with younger kids resulting in a mentorship that was quite special and doesn’t exist in many other junior classes.

“I got a rush of nostalgia seeing them sailing at my home club a few weeks ago.”

Cadet dinghy stats rating
Top speed: 9 knots
LOA: 3.22m/10.5ft
Launched: 1947
Berths: 0
Price: £7,800
Adrenalin factor: 40%

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