A 23.75ft trimaran that top speeds to around 25 knots sounds like a machine for hardcore racers. Swiss ocean sailor Ollie Heer — fresh from finishing 29th in the 2024 Vendée Globe — disagrees. Asked by Yachting World to pick the coolest yacht of recent times, he nominated the Diam 24, and his reasons are surprisingly domestic: he sails his on Lake Zurich with his wife and their dog riding the trampoline.
The Diam 24 is a one-design trimaran from designers VPLP, launched in 2014. It earned its racing credentials as the class boat for five editions of the Tour de France à la Voile, and active fleets now race it at major events across Europe and the Caribbean. Three or four crew handle it on the course, and — a big practical plus — it can be disassembled for easy transport. New boats sit around the €40,000 mark.
Heer's pitch is that it's an accessible fast boat rather than an expensive handful. It doesn't need much wind, much crew or deep experience to deliver: even in a light breeze you'll outsail the wind speed. Top out around 20 knots in reasonable conditions and you have a genuine adrenaline machine that stays manageable. And when the wind dies entirely, the stable mesh trampoline doubles as a swim platform — there are no berths aboard, so this is strictly a day boat, hence its 'ultimate fun toy' reputation.
For travellers, the story is less about buying one than about where to see or sail these boats. The Tour de France à la Voile events put the class on the French coast each summer, and Caribbean regattas add a winter option. Swiss lake sailing shows another side: big alpine lakes like Zurich offer charter and sailing-school scenes where lightweight sport boats are common. Even if you never touch a tiller, a Diam 24 race start — several of these multihulls carving across a line together — is worth timing a trip around.
Who's this for? Keen dinghy or cat sailors eyeing a step up, families who want speed without a crewing headache, and holidaymakers who like their beach destinations to come with a regatta attached. It's a reminder that the most appealing boats aren't always the grandest — sometimes cool means a dog on a trampoline doing 20 knots.
