ON A WHIM III

Lagoon has built more cruising catamarans than any other yard, and the 46 is one of the boats that earned them the reputation. ON A WHIM III is a 2024 example, based in the British Virgin Islands and set up for six guests across three en-suite cabins with a crew of two. The forward cockpit and raised helm station are the details that make the 46 feel bigger than her fourteen metres suggest.

The three cabins each have their own bathroom, and the accommodation sits low and level across both hulls, so the boat stays quiet and steady at anchor. The main deck opens straight out to the aft cockpit through a full-width glass door, which keeps the saloon and the shaded outdoor dining as one connected space. A shallow draft of a metre and a half lets her work the beach anchorages and reef-fringed cuts that make the Virgin Islands worth the trip.

The water sports kit keeps things simple: two paddleboards for the shoreline, snorkel gear for the reefs, fishing tackle for the deeper water, and a set of beach games for the sandbars. The dinghy runs guests ashore to Jost Van Dyke, the Baths, and the beach bars that give the BVI their reputation. She cruises at seven knots under sail, in no hurry to be anywhere.