MALÖ 46
If you want to tell us why you love your boat, get in touch by email yachtingmonthly@futurenet.com or by post Yachting Monthly, Future PLC, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, London, W2 6JR, UK
Rachael Sprot, former director of Rubicon 3, is a Yachtmaster Instructor with an impressive number of sea miles logged, from Lofoten to St Lucia and beyond.
You can tell a lot about a boat from its midships cleat: does it have a good lead, is it as substantial as the bow cleats, does it even have one? When photographer Nic Compton stepped on board Malö 46, Wimsey, for the photoshoot in Dartmouth, it was the first thing he remarked upon: ‘Nice midships cleat. You’ll want a photo of that, won’t you?’ We both agreed, this boat means business.
It wasn’t the only thing that helped her make a good first impression though: there’s a removable inner forestay, proper dorade vents with protective grab rails and a stainless-capped rubbing streak to name but a few. The Malö 46 initiates a predictable reaction from cruising sailors. ‘Ooh,’ they inhale, ‘lovely boat,’ they exhale, followed by a starry-eyed silence as the atolls of the Tuamotus come to mind. There’s no doubting she’s a lovely boat, but at the price of a small house, she’d better be, hadn’t she? And if you spend two years living on
