Our judging team for Cruising World’s 2025 Boat of the Year contest found an immaculate yacht as we stepped aboard the aluminum, French-built Allures 51.9 this past fall at the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, to conduct dockside inspections. It looked to be a fresh-out-of-the-shipyard cutter called Castella, and it had journeyed to the States by a rather unorthodox track.
Swiss owners Markus Tanner and Marianne Daetwyler had just completed what they called “the Viking route,” an intrepid high-latitude voyage to the East Coast via Scotland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and the Canadian Maritimes.
Remarkably, Castella looked like they could grab some groceries, fuel up and immediately run it back in the opposite direction. Clearly, it was going to be a treat to get to know a bit more about the yacht and the company that built it, as well as the couple who’d chosen and outfitted it.
Let’s begin with the owners. A lifelong professional mariner, Tanner started his career as a deckhand and rigger, went on to skipper a four-masted bark and several contemporary boats, and owned a sailing school and charter company. Today, he works as an independent yacht consultant. Daetwyler did stints running a dive center, travel agency and sheep farm. She fell in love with sailing after buying her first boat, a J/88. The couple met a decade ago at a regatta on Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne, and together purchased a Hallberg-Rassy 44 to explore European waters. To tackle the Viking route, they wanted something larger and more substantial.
Which brings us to the French brand responsible for Castella: Allures Yachting.
The company was founded two decades ago by a pair of friends, Stéphan Constance and Xavier Desmarest, who were looking for a robust bluewater-cruising boat, one they couldn’t find in the existing marketplace. Specifically, they wanted an aluminum hull for strength and safety, composite decks and superstructure for ease of maintenance and weight savings, and a centerboard to optimize cruising range by increasing windward performance when lowered and reducing draft when raised. Over the years, they’ve built some 200 boats in four models starting at 40 feet.
They currently offer a 45-footer and the 51.9, their most recent addition and the Allures flagship. Grand Large Yachting, the parent consortium that includes Allures, has expanded as well, and now incorporates a half-dozen different brands, including Outremer, Garcia Yachts and Gunboat.
From the moment we boarded Castella (“Our castle,” Tanner said), we could easily see that it was not only an extremely robust oceangoing platform, but also a cozy, comfortable home.
Personally, I’m extremely fond of metal boats, especially for high-latitude work, and have sailed a steel, home-built Bruce Roberts design through the Northwest Passage, around Cape Horn, and into the Chilean channels of Patagonia. But that boat, called Ocean Watch, was a rather utilitarian workboat; the handsome, seamless Castella is anything but.
It sports a triple-headsail rig with a staysail, genoa and code zero set off Furlex furlers, the latter tacked to a prominent, integrated aluminum bowsprit that also is home to the mighty Ultra anchor. Castella employs an in-mast furling mainsail, though a traditional main is an option. A half-dozen windows in the tall freeboard of the striking blue hull provide visual relief as well as interior light. The coachroof is low and understated with a prominent arch that anchors the double-ended mainsheet and traveler (that whole shooting match includes a Walder boom brake for easy jibing, another personal favorite). The arch also frames the pronounced windshield that protects the cockpit and offers the helmsman clear sight lines forward.
A set of split cockpit tables flanks a pair of long settees (you can’t beat an inviting space to stretch out on long watches). There are twin helms with comfortable seatbacks, as well as dual rudders. Far aft is another shorter arch with solar panels mounted. A Bimini top provides plenty of cockpit shade. There’s an open transom with a nifty drop-down boarding/swim platform. The attractive deck, at first glance, looks like teak, but is in fact cork from a company called MarineCork. The material is amazingly grippy and simple to maintain. The wide, accessible side decks are bordered by a stainless-steel railing with triple lifelines, accented by teak toe rails. At the mast is a set of sissy bars for security when working forward. This is all a pretty, purposeful setup.
The construction is straightforward, with an insulated aluminum hull and metal arches, the latter chosen for their ability to sustain heavy rigging loads. The deck and coachroof are glass and composite foam-cored laminates, a combination that addresses several items: They’re lighter than metal, easier to mold and shape, and do not require painting—always a plus on an aluminum boat. The 24-volt system utilizes an 800-amp lithium-ion battery bank that’s boosted by 500 watts of solar panels, with a Mastervolt charging system that manages the inverters, converters and chargers.
Additionally, a Fischer Panda 8000i generator provides power to the watermaker and air-conditioning and heating systems. Bow and stern thrusters make docking and maneuvers a snap. A walk-in engine room for the Volvo Penta 110 hp diesel (a 150 hp engine is an option) provides workspace for regular and routine maintenance.
The interior, joinery and accommodations are rendered in light, inviting oak and are, in a word, sumptuous. The salon is bathed in natural light via the coachroof windows. To port, there’s a U-shaped galley just abaft a fine navigation station with seats on either side. The floor plan is open, with a central dining table to starboard flanked by settees. Going forward, there’s a stateroom to starboard with bunk-style berths that have good lee cloths, and far forward is the “princess suite” with a V-berth that has excellent side access and stowage underneath. Likewise, the aft stateroom includes a double berth with an en suite head and shower. Owners and guests will be living in style no matter the destination.
Which brings us to the getting-there part. We test-sailed the boat on an ideal Chesapeake Bay morning with 14 to 16 knots of pumping, fresh northerly breeze. Setting sail is a push-button operation from the helm; all the running rigging is led below deck and handled by first-rate kit, including Lewmar winches and Spinlock clutches. We started off with the code zero on a beam reach, making better than 8 delightful, effortless knots. The wheel was firm, the steering tight and the motion gentle, even stately. It was particularly lovely steering from leeward, leaning into the cushioned backrest.
We swapped the big headsail for the compact staysail, set up the running backstays, and put Castella hard on the breeze, making better than 6 knots in 2- to 3-foot choppy seas, which the boat muscled through easily. I hopped down below and watched the water rushing past through the hull windows, which was mesmerizing. Even more impressive, thanks to that insulated hull, was the silence—not a creak or moan to be heard. It occurred to me that I could do this for quite some time.
The final act in Castella’s Viking adventure to Annapolis was a winning one, as we unanimously named the Allures 51.9 the Best Full-Size Cruiser Over 45 Feet for 2025. This summer, Castella is expected to head north to cruise up the Atlantic Seaboard and back into Canadian waters. If you’re headed that way yourself, keep your eyes open. There’s no mistaking this Viking ship. And it’s always fun to wave at a winner.
CW editor-at-large Herb McCormick was a 2025 Boat of the Year judge.
Finding Fellow Vikings
During this past fall’s US Sailboat Show, Markus Tanner and Marianne Daetwyler conducted a seminar on their North Atlantic travels. It included a section on searching for crew to help share the duties and joys. For cruisers thinking about a similar approach to voyaging, especially heading for high-latitude destinations, the Castella criteria is useful information. Here are a few of their tips:
Long passages to the north can be demanding, and four crew is ideal—not only for chores, but also for standing watches. Sailing experience is great, but so are other skills, including medical, mechanical, electronics and cooking. Look for team players, and if they have a sense of humor, all the better.
Be physically and mentally healthy. Warm clothing is crucial; supply potential crew with a packing list. Ski goggles are great for sensitive eyes, and have extra thermal suits available on the boat. Depending on special interests, bring the equipment required for landside expeditions. —HM
