Where Lagoon came from

Lagoon began in 1984 as the multihull division of Jeanneau. The first boat, the Lagoon 55, was drawn by the naval architects VPLP and launched in 1987; nineteen were built. The division was later sold to Construction Navale Bordeaux, which Beneteau bought in 1995, and Lagoon has been part of Groupe Beneteau ever since.

That partnership with VPLP has now run for four decades and close to forty models — an unusually long relationship between a yard and its architects, and the reason the boats have a recognisable family logic rather than being redesigned from scratch each generation. In 2013, with the Lagoon 39, the automotive designer Patrick le Quément joined the team and brought the sculptural hull-and-deck treatment the range is known for.

Is Lagoon really the number one catamaran?

By volume, yes. Lagoon states it has built over 7,000 catamarans since 1984, which makes it the largest cruising catamaran builder in the world. That figure is Lagoon’s own, published by the yard — we quote it rather than audit it. What we can tell you from the dock is that the fleet is deep, parts are available, and resale in the Caribbean is stronger for a Lagoon than for almost anything else.

The single most-produced model is the Lagoon 380. In the current range, the 42 has passed a thousand hulls.

What sailing ownership is like here

In the Virgin Islands you are rarely more than a couple of hours from the next anchorage, and the trades do most of the work. A sailing catamaran suits owners who want the passage itself to be part of it, who are comfortable with a rig, and who like the idea of moving without burning fuel. The trade-off against power is average speed and the learning curve; the reward is range, quiet, and running costs that do not track the price of diesel.