Continuing the Cannes Yachting Festival-series with boats I found interesting at this year´s opening for the new sales season 2025/26, I want to share a boat that took me literal three days to discover. It´s a bit of a lucky coincidence and strange circumstance. I am talking about the Bluewater 56. You´ve never heard of that boat? Neither did you know the shipyard, well, welcome to the club! And at the very premises it was even harder to just discover the boat, as it was cramped in between the mighty display of Contest yachts and the big Wauquiez 55.
I walked by the boat many, many times without noticing. And my brain did not process properly that it was there – maybe almost the same “invisible boat”-effect that I experienced with the Omega 42 we showcased during our first boat show in May this year? Maybe. Anyways, at the fourth day, however, something triggered my brain and I stopped. I wondered. And then I turned my head, focused and begin to process. What had I seen? A classic, and I mean classic!, stern section, lots of chrome plated parts and lines like beamed into our present time from decades ago. In the best sense of the word.
Bluewater Yachts, showing their Bluewater 56 in Cannes. I´ve read the display. Never ever heard of them, yet, the lines of the boat seemed to look familiar. A very friendly man greeted me, American accent, welcomed me to his booth and invited me to step aboard. Keen to see what this was all about, I followed his invitation and stepped aboard. Believe me, this was one of the most profoundly inspiring walkthroughs of the whole shows. Lots of premature praise? Deserved, wait for it!
An overstressed term, but …
… “classic” very much applies to what the Bluewater 56 sailing yacht really is. By talking with the owner couple, very sympathetic Canadian sailors, I finally understood what my subconscious wanted to tell me all the time: This wasn´t a new boat, following the idea of offering a retro-styled modern-day cruising yacht, this indeed was a classic! The Bluewater 56 is a German Frers design from 2011, at that time made for Hylas Yachts.
As I was told, the company acquired the molds and are now building these fine yachts under the name Bluewater Yachts. The boats are made in China, which will later – and at the end – will reveal the maybe most impressive detail about these yachts. As the story goes, the people behind Bluewater Yachts are somehow affiliated with Hylas but have now independently started their own business. On the website there´s two boats available now: The Bluewater 56 as seen in this article and an future Bluewater 50, which is also a Frers-design but from 2024. More on this boat maybe later.
That said, the Bluewater 56 is a very beautiful offshore yacht, measuring 17 meters overall including bow sprit and davits, with a waterline length of 15.4 meters. She is 4.90 meters wide but appears much slimmer as her hull follows a classic, tapered towards the stern shape. It really is a very overstressed term to speak of “classic” lines for yachts, but if it not applies to this boat, to which will it? Stepping aboard is like entering a past time, a yacht that seems to be fallen out of history. In the best sense of the word, I might add: In the midst of all these flat, wide sterned modern wannabe-planing cruising yachts, it is a really inspiring and refreshing sight. We could argue about the fixed dodger though (which I wouldn´t fit on my boat if I was the owner), but the rest? Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful! Let´s see more of it!
Made for the serious bluewater cruising
As this boat has been conceived by German Frers for Hylas previously, you can be sure that she is very capable of going on to the big circle any time. The version shown in Cannes displays a large fixed dodger as well that it surely made to withstand the harshest spray and weather conditions. The basic/standard version of this boat comes with a normal sprayhood, which looks much better in my opinion, but sprayhoods, dodgers and biminis is a rich source for debate, as usual.
You can easily spot further indicators for her long haul purpose: Look at these massive railings. That is something you usually only see on Garcias or other high latitude-dedicated boats. The mast is stepped the “old fashioned” way without any fancy spreader sweep. Guard rails to grab a firm hold onto are mounted all along the deck and the Bluewater 56 comes with massive deck hatches – no modern flush skylights but rugged, heavy quality.
As the website of Bluewater Yachts clearly states, the owners of the shipyard “loved the Hylas 60 so much, that they had to go on producing” it. I am standing in the cockpit, talking to the owner, who is an active road bike cyclist (sporting the same Canadian bike brand I fancied during my active times too, which makes it even better) and she confirms the superb sailing capabilities of the yacht whilst offering the largest amount of comfort imaginable.
Small center cockpit layout
Looking around, I get a sense for what sailing this boat is like. The cockpit is very small, almost on ethird of it is occupied by the steering post with the single wheel. This is connected to a single rudder which itself is protected by a skeg (60 %). For the hull, the producing shipyard comes up with something special (and somethig unheard of up until now). They call it “Twaron”. It´s a mixture of carbon aramid fibers which are alternatingly laid up with glassfiber, hardened by vinylester. No core material whatsoever, which is interesting. The boat weighs in at 22.7 tons.
That´s not as hefty as you may think: Considering other 56 footers, like the (more recent) Swan 55 which is also done by Frers, she is 22.4 tons, the Hallberg-Rassy 57 has 28 tons of displacement and the Oyster 595 comes it at 27.6 tons. So the numbers aren´t bad, don´t you think? The Bluewater 56 sports 170 square meters of upwind sails area with its 135 % overlapping Genoa, which is also not a bad feat. What I also can see upon the first glimpse is that there is no cheap plastic or even mid-quality fittings used: Everything is top shelf.
There´s chrome plated Antal everywhere you look. Big winches able to carry the loads of the strongest winds, push button and electrified of course. Nothing about the cockpit on the Bluewater 56 is made to appease the “usual suspects” of vacation seeking occasional sailor. This boat is so focused on long haul sailing, so meticulously fitted to being able to accomplish the best possible offshore experience, that there is simply no space or room left to accommodate your latest fancy cruising gadgets: No plancha grills, no huge bathing platforms, no frills. Instead, a sailing-focused layout made for serious sailors. I really like it. In fact, I am thrilled, seeing such a boat among all these the luxury yachts. Amazing!
She is truly designed to fit the sailing couple. 56 feet might be a bit too large for two persons, but out on the ocean perspectives quickly become different, right? The boat is equipped with just the minimum required electronic stuff, like a single chart plotter, one secondary display unit (autopilot I suggest) and electronic engine throttle gauge. A very simple yet complete and “no frills” setup. Love it! And it gets even better: Upon going down below, my excitement knows no boundaries anymore …
Time traveling
The Bluewater 56 is a boat unlike any other currently available on the market. For sure. Why? Because nobody is making boats like this anymore. And I do not refer to the shape or maybe a bit “outdated” concept, I mean the scope of material choice and quality. This is just awesome! My jaw drops as I step down the companionway ladder, which is nicely steep, saving space underneath. Again, no bow to “modern” concessions, like low-angle inclined comfort-companionways, this is made for sailors.
Down below – and this goes for any corner and place aboard – there is not a single square of bare GRP visible. Everything is nicely veneered or covered by massive wooden joinery and fittings. It´s an atmosphere you cannot really describe, you have to see it with your own eyes. The quality of the material utilized is heavy.
Cpming down the entryway brings you directly into the midship section of the boat. This means, both the cockpit up on deck and the most crucial areas down below, like galley, navigator´s place with chart table and the saloon with a large 2/3-seater sofa facing each other are on top of the keel. Which of course is the central, pivoting point of the yacht. Meaning that even in the heaviest of seas, it´s the most stable and calmest area of the yacht. Another details on the offshore-capability list, if there is one.
There´s an abundance of natural light down here. The saloon´s coachroof windows are the likes of a raised saloon. From the outside she sports the nice “cateye”-windows, a bit edgy and not as elegantly shaped as it would be for the Oyster, but also very nicely done. Those windows literally flood the saloon with light and make it very pleasant to be down here. And it really feels like being “down below” in the literal sense of the word, which is nothing bad in case of the Bluewater 56.
Imagining being the captain aboard
I briefly mentioned the chart table and nav station of this boat, let´s take a closer look. Apart from the wonderfully done full Teak interior of the yacht, this is truly a great place for any skipper to inherit. A nice, large, L-shaped tabletop which is bigger than my working desk at home will take on any charts, pilot books and working materials for captain imaginable. A pivoting, rigid stool will make for a comfy sitting position. From here, the skipper has full control over the yacht.
A large secondary chart plotter and display unit are fitted, as well as the huge main switch panel which gives access to any important circuit breaker needed to run the yacht. VHF-unit and other control pads are also mounted here. The location is perfect both in terms of reachability (it´s just down the ladder on the left hand side) and a kind of “cocoon”-effect, because I can imagine sometimes a skipper needs to focus and concentrate. Role model nav station!
A proper long cruise capable galley
Vis-à-vis the second most important crew member, the ship´s cook, will find his working area. The kitchen of the Bluewater 56 is exemplary. It measures no less than 10 feet in length and reaches from below the entryway ladder back to the stern area up until the entrance door to the owner´s cabin. A single large Corian block or nicely CNC-milled worktop is located underneath the entryway ladder, a clever use of space.
Here, a large sink and a kind of stowage or prepping space is provided. Underneath of which loads of stowage can be utilized. Going around to starboard side into the large, long longitudinal galley area, the first impression is very clean and neat. It´s just a 3 meters long Corian worktop, nicely done, and a full big front of cupboards and cabinets. Truly, here you will be able to stow away any cutlery, crockery, provisions and stuff you´ll need for the very long trip!
Roughly one half of the galley´s length is occupied by fridges. The boat is customizable so I guess you can play around with the configuration here as you want, but the boat shown sported no less then four bit Vitrifrigo drawers which, as I understand, can be either used as fridges or as freezers. This inherently brings up the question of electric current and power generation aboard. The yacht´s specs don´t reveal the true capacity, but doing a little research it is stated that the domestic battery capacity often exceeds 1.000 and even 1.300 amp hours, which is huge.
The space for the kitchen is both huge and impressive – but also seaworthy in terms of safety in heavy swell. As maintained throughout the whole boat, you never need more then an armlength to grab onto a guard rail or handle for safe hold. The galley can be utilized fully on either tack, which is also not common sense for all boat galleys I´ve seen so far. Again, as with the captain´s area, the whole layout is exemplary. I mean, it´s German Frers, guys, this man knows what a real boat needs to be looking like, right?
Heavy gear and massive woodworks
As I make my way back to the owner´s suite, I appreciate the building details and fittings of the Bluewater 56. It´s a stark contrast to production boats, where clearly the lowermost price dictates the quality and kind of fittings utilized. Here, the only gauge that might have been used to decide which fitting to be used was seaworthiness, ruggedness and durability. I mean, look at this porthole:
It´s not just the classy look or simple style of operating it, it´s the heavy quality, the fine material and even the detail of all screws face the same direction … beautifully done and clearly made to last. As the owner of the shipyard tells me, they are making no more than 3-5 units annually of this yacht. Mass unit production is clearly not the aim, nor is maximum profit by adding the savings on fittings. This is a classic “last boat of my life”, if I could call it this way: Anyone going for this yacht surely knows what he wants. And much more important, knows what he does not want anymore.
Same goes for the joinery: The quality of the handcraft as well as the material utilized is spotless. I am German. And my “inner Monk” is very well alive and kicking, I can tell you! My eye certainly instantaneously will spot any irregularity or slapdash work. None of which is apparent in this yacht. The clearance between every single part is exactly the same! Where possible, continuous grain is maintained in the veneers, nice carpentry and breathtakingly beautiful surfaces. It´s a wow-boat, for sure.
Owner´s delight
In yachts like these, a very special focus may be placed on designing the owner´s cabins. Usually it´s a sailing couple, in boats like these, a sailing couple without time restrictions. So, naturally, the owners will spend a lot of time at anchor or in marinas. This means, their area should be as luxurious as possible.
For owners travelling the world, in my opinion, the single aft-cabin configuration is the best possible design to go for. This is the reason why Hallberg-Rassy or Oyster, among other high grade brands, are in favor of this design. And I am too: Up on deck the center cockpit will convey much more seaworthiness and seakindness when sailing, down below, the stern area is much less prone to boat movement as the bow area, hence placing the owner´s cabins here makes a lot more sense.
Apart from the fact, that there is much, much more volume back here! This applies as well to the Bluewater 56 owner´s suite in the back. Even in the face of the fact that the hull shape of this yacht is “classy” in a way that the maximum width of the boat is not carried through all the way to the transom, thus making the stern section wider. Even with a stern section tapered, there´s still much more than enough volume back here to create a very spacious, luxurious interior appearance. A very nice King-Size island bed, a little sofa for getting dressed/undressed and a decent amount of skylights and portlights for natural light and ventilation. Ah, nice! But the true highlight is this:
The bathroom! It is roomy, light suffused and very welcoming. You would not expect such a nice bathroom on a boat. The floor is covered with mini-tiling, there´s even a Greek-style mosaic display on the floor of the shower. I personally would have gone for a slightly more modern sink and tap though, but that´s personal taste. As for the space, the practicality and atmosphere, this is one of the most beautifully done boat heads I´ve ever seen!
Quick dash up on deck, standing at the stern looking onto the deck above the owner´s suite. You can clearly see the mainsheet traveler to fine trim the main. Two large dorade ventilation systems for the owner´s suite providing large amounts of fresh air whilst being protected against water ingress. Nice detail: I like the “granny bar”-style protection of the vents, someone clearly thought this through. Fast forward, down below again:
I fully appreciate the ship´s carpenter´s work down here. Again, fully Teak fittings, nicely done with continuous grain where possible. Lots of cupboards and shelves to put away your stuff, reading- and atmo-lights, ventilators and various 12 V-plugs. Yep, I definitely could envision myself spending many, many, many nights in this cabin at anchor … could you?
Practical and multi-facetted
The same attention to details, the same demand for high quality fittings, practical solutions and nice choice of materials is applied to the other cabins as well. The Bluewater 56 comes in a classy 3-cabin layout. Owner´s suite in the back, VIP-guests in the front. Here, your usual half-island bed is fitted. The shipyard owner flips up open one half of the bed, revealing a washing/dryer-machine underneath. There´s also the controls of the watermaker. The boat can carry up to 1.200 liters of fresh water, each black water holding tank of the bathrooms can have 120 liters.
The crew- or kids-cabin to port side comes with a Pulman configuration. As this might be the least utilized cabin, the whole area is also fitted with clever stowage solutions, as I am shown, and maybe could be turned into an entirely different cabin: Boat office or workshop-only. Again, the level of attention to details even here is stunning, the number of practical solutions and even “hidden” details would need another article for sure. As with the owner´s cabin, the guest- and daybath of the Bluewater 56 is exemplary:
Mini-tiles on the floor, a large separated shower, high class electric WC and much more. Again, it´s just the shape of the sink and style of taps I´d change for “my” boat, but otherwise, it´s a role model bathroom. Think of my previous articles about the world premieres of the new Oceanis: One of the (few) critics I had to apply was their bathrooms. Bare, cold, cheap looking GRP and not even a simple grating on the floor.
I go back into the saloon and take a seat. The cushions of the sofa are extra thick, extra cozy. Could you imagine lying here in your off-watch, listening to the sound of the waves and the wind in the rigging, whilst you try to catch a bit of sleep? Yes, I can! This boat seems to have all you´d seek in your “last” yacht: She is a bold, tested, oceangoing sailing yacht, surely capable of riding out storms and tackling the harshest of conditions. But she is also luxurious, wonderfully crafted and welcoming, instilling a nice “at home”-atmosphere that is surely making you feel like you´ve taken your home with you.
Let´s take a step back
Let´s take while to think why we are sailing. There is a yacht for every use-case, I am sure. And I am also sure that it should be your use-case dictating the choices you are making regarding the purchase of a new boat. So, what is it you are planning to do? Your occasional coastal cruising with your family, the one or two 2, 3-week long vacations per year? Well, go for a nice production cruiser. Save on all of the offshore, stuff, invest it into sun-lounges, BBQ and other amenities.
Are you planning to see the world? You want to spend a couple of months at a time aboard? Maybe you want to traverse long distances and cross the vastness of the oceans? Is it a second home, floating the seas, you are seeking? I think, a production cruiser won´t make you happy. You need more. More sturdiness, more ruggedness – and more luxury, real luxury. If you´d like to add some more style and class, well: Consider this classic as you next boat for sure! She is a modern yacht through and through, sporting the cloths of a true iconic classic sailboat.
She might not be as fancy and modern looking, might never plane or win a race, but that´s more than secondary for the long haul cruising couple. I can really relate to this concept: My new boat is an iconic sailing yacht as well, designed more than 40 years ago. She is beautiful, a boat for active sailors, not equipped with most of the stuff you´ll find in your ordinary plastic cruiser nowadays. But, there´s some serious eye candy involved as well as true sailing. Same here: The Bluewater 56 is a proven concept, a yacht masterly designed by a proper, experienced artist of yacht design. Surely not something wrong to acquire.
Could this be the ultimate bluewater cruiser?
Well, this is a serious question and of course there is no definitive answer to that. What´s fitting my needs and crosses off all items on my bucket list must not necessarily mean that it fulfills all of your needs as well. But I would say that the Bluewater 56 ticks many, many boxes of many skippers and sailing couples aiming to go on the very long loop for sure.
The yacht´s specifications are very sailing-centralized and focused on conveying the fact that if you buy one these, you´ll get a real “sail ready” yacht. More than that, every single option stated on this list re-assures you of acquiring the best equipment for the job possible. No cheap stuff, no brands masking lower quality: Everything is top shelf, no corners cut. You can literally see this on the boat itself.
I don´t know if I had the desire to clean and polish this huge amount of chrome plated parts of which the Bluewater 56 is brimming with, but that´s the only thing. I also think that if this is the only catch with the yacht, you should consider yourself lucky. If I were to go for a Bluewater 56, I´d change the Pulman cabin into a workshop/bureau, take down a notch the bling of the chrome parts and remove the hard dodger. Dream yacht for me.
Bluewater Yachts is offering a 50-footer on their website, “coming soon”. This boat will also be designed by German Frers. If this is a proprietary design made for the shipyard itself, I don´t know. This boat may fit the general demands size-wise better, looks much more modern (resembles the currently so modern and fancied 42-footers by Pure Yachts or Heyman Yachts) and once finished, is definitely a boat worth taking a thorough look onto as well.
Save the best for last
Yes, you will be rewarded for having read through the whole article now. It´s like a wow-bomb going off. At least for me, when I heard it the first time. Usually I do not emphasis on price tags writing about yachts because I assume we all know and agree upon that yachts, no matter the size, are luxury objects costing a lot of money. Well, this time I make an exception. How much do you think is a Bluewater 56? What´s the budget you´d be willing to invest in a yacht made this way? For handcrafted quality, highest standard equipment and fittings like these? Well, buckle up …
The price range is around 1.5 Million US-Dollars. Could you believe? A 56-footer of this quality for just that amount of money? I was speechless when I had been told. Well, the reason for this is not because the shipyard saves on equipment and quality. It is because the boat is built in China. Not in a cheap no-name shipyard, that would be wrong to assume. Just like with HH Catamarans, which make the arguably best catamaran to date, Bluewater Yachts manages to go for the best quality-for-price ratio. To sum it up: With all I´v e seen with my own eyes, they succeeded. This is truly a remarkable yacht – and a remarkable offer! I´d love to see the 50 though …
Articles of interest which might as well be checked out:
Talking to German Frers
My absolute favorite yacht-concept of all times: The classic Cigale
What´s the perfect yacht for long haul cruising?