The classic yachts had style and a timeless beauty, but their comfort and convenience were limited by design concepts and hull proportions that offered less useful space. Flush decks with no more superstructure than a small dog house put further constraints on the interior layout.

Styling was influenced by a preconceived scheme featuring panelled bulkheads and varnished trim so that a yacht never looked anything but a yacht. The idea of "going below” down steep companionway ladders was so accepted that reaching the interior was like going down a mineshaft into a dimly lit cave. This was not by choice. Wooden hatch frames, even small ones, were more difficult to keep watertight than the precise aluminium extrusions which ensure that today's interiors rarely leak and are well lit.

Nowadays it is normal for big yachts to be heated and air conditioned. I believe also that it should be possible to open up a yacht, particularly one with a pilot house, to natural ventilation and light. Many of my boats sail to the most exotic places in the world and unless those on board can see and enjoy their surroundings, they might just as well have stayed in air conditioned isolation at the dockside.

The whole approach to designing and finishing sailing yachts between decks has changed considerably during the last few years. However, it has been a slow transition, with many established designers and builders refusing to let go of their traditional control over every aspect of the design. The advent of specialist interior designers applying their skills to sailing yachts has played a major part in the number of large sailing yachts now being launched. Clients who might automatically have chosen a motor yacht can now enjoy similar levels of comfort and convenience