Some boats are built to be looked at. The VanDutch 55 is built to be lived in. The largest of the range, she has become a familiar silhouette along the Riviera, low and clean against the water, unmistakable from the shore. Step aboard and the cockpit opens up around you, generous enough to gather everyone yet arranged so no one feels crowded. There is a lounge just forward of the sunbathing area, a place to stretch out with a book or drift into an afternoon conversation. Drop anchor in the bay of Eze and the day slows to its own pace. The swimming step sits close to the water, an easy invitation to slip in for a swim before lunch and climb back up without ceremony. Below, two cabins accommodate four guests overnight, while up to twelve can share the day at sea. With a top speed of forty-one knots, the run between coves takes minutes rather than hours, leaving more time for the part that matters, the anchoring and the swimming and the long lunch that follows. She handles the coast with the ease of a boat that knows it well. Snorkelling gear is aboard for anyone drawn to the clear water below. This is not a yacht that asks for attention. It simply offers a good day and lets you fill it as you please. The hardest choice may be which bay to call your own.
