Pearl combines top-of-the-line equipment and big-name designers to compete with more established builders. Kate Lardy steps on board the 72 to discover brawn and beauty
I've been on a lot of sea trials off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, and on most days the ocean obliges with seas of less than one-metre nothing that even begins to test the efficacy of the stabilisers. When it gets any rougher than that, captains tend to shy away front exiting Port Everglades, turning my sea trial into a dull Intracoastal Waterway cruise.
Not on the Pearl 72. The builder invites me on board while the remnants of Hurricane Nicole are still stirring up the wind and waves. It's blowing 25 knots,
