BOAT REPORT


it’s the first time the yard has included the double cabin arrangement on a model of this size. So as this is something of a special occasion for Botnia, we thought


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we ought to do something more than take it for a spin off Poole, home of UK dealer Wessex Marine. No – a trip was in order, the type of trip that your typical Targa owner will do rain or shine and when most other boats are tucked up in their berths. Poole to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight? That sounds about right. Okay, it’s not exactly Shackleton levels of adventure, but it’s a decent romp and there promised to be a


he 30.1 is the first brand new Targa for around four years, though unless you’re a paid-up member of the Targa Appreciation Society you would struggle to tell. We all know that every Targa looks pretty much identical, some are just longer than others, but the 30.1 is a genuinely fresh model with a new hull and


very good crab sandwich at the other end. With a Targa 32 alongside the 30.1 as a chase boat, we headed for the East Looe Channel and Bournemouth Bay. A stiff easterly pouring across from the island was plucking up peaks and dashing them with white foam. I glance over at Guy from Wessex Marine from the helm who looks up and says, “Targa weather.” He’s not wrong – this is what the Targa is made for, and sure


enough, there are very few boats treading a similar path to us except for a couple of yachts using the breeze to travel the other way. I start off tentatively, easing the boat up to 18 knots, but it doesn’t take long to remember that the freakishly competent Targa hull prefers a bit of speed. So up to 27 knots we go, and that’s where we stay. The twin Volvo Penta D4 300s are lazily pulling 2,700rpm and we’re making the sort of progress that many boats twice this size would be struggling to achieve so comfortably.


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