The 38 is the smallest boat Lagoon currently builds, and the argument for it is simple: everything is within reach. A self-tacking jib means tacking is one winch and no scramble, and at just under 40 feet she still fits berths and yards that turn bigger cats away. For a couple who want to sail rather than manage a crew, this is where the range starts.

The 38 is the smallest sailing catamaran Lagoon currently builds, and the first new boat at that size since the 380 went out of production. The authorship is the usual three-way split: VPLP Design for the naval architecture, Patrick le Quément for the exterior and Nauta Design for the interior. The hull is 11.38m, 13.12m overall once the bowsprit and davits are counted, on a 6.65m beam and 10.2 tonnes light. The move that matters inside is the fully retractable glass door between saloon and cockpit, carried down from the bigger boats; with the transoms extended aft she moves and boards like something rather longer than the numbers suggest.

Under sail she carries 77.7m² upwind, from a 50m² full-batten mainsail and a 23m² self-tacking jib. That is restrained for ten tonnes, so if you sail regularly in under ten knots — which in these islands you will — budget for the optional square-top main and the Code 0. The self-tacker is the whole point of the deck layout: tacking asks nothing of a headsail winch, which matters to a couple and to guests who are not sailors. Standard power is twin 29hp diesels with 400 litres of fuel, sized for coastal work rather than long motoring passages. CE category A for eight.