Wind & Water

Amid a fleet that has grown ever larger and ever more powered, the performance sailing yacht is enjoying a quiet renaissance on the Côte d'Azur. Owners who have done the motor-yacht season are returning to wind — to the discipline and the silence of it.

A modern sailing yacht is a paradox resolved in carbon: as technically advanced as any motor vessel, yet built around a fundamentally older pleasure. The trade is engagement for ease, and a growing number of seasoned owners are deciding the trade is worth it.

Our brokers report the strongest interest in vessels that balance regatta-grade performance with genuine cruising comfort — boats that can be raced on Wednesday and lived aboard on Thursday. The Riviera, with its mistral mornings and glassy evenings, remains their natural theatre.