Aquila Catamarans is using the Cannes Yachting Festival 2026 for the world debut of the Aquila 45 Sail, the second model in its new sailing range. The 14.38-metre catamaran is on display at Port Canto as Aquila expands beyond its established power-catamaran portfolio with a cruising design aimed at private owners and charter use.
With a beam of 7.77 metres, the 45 Sail is built around the volume and circulation available on a wide multihull platform rather than simply adding accommodation below deck. Aquila offers three- and four-cabin layouts, while the deck plan combines a fixed forward cockpit, flybridge and direct bridge-to-bow access intended to make movement around the yacht simpler underway and at anchor.
Fixed bow cockpit changes the deck circulation
The most distinctive feature is the fixed bow cockpit, which creates a permanent forward social area for lounging and entertaining rather than treating the foredeck mainly as working space. Stairs connect the flybridge directly with this forward cockpit, giving guests and crew a route between the upper helm and bow without first returning to the aft deck.
Aft, the cockpit provides the principal outdoor dining and gathering area, while the flybridge keeps the helm connected with a separate guest lounge. Inside, panoramic glazing surrounds the saloon and galley, and Aquila specifies domestic-scale refrigeration as part of an interior intended to support longer stays aboard rather than short day sailing alone.
Three or four cabins with private companionways
Owners can choose three or four cabins, with three or four heads and showers depending on configuration. Aquila says each cabin has its own companionway rather than opening from a shared central corridor, allowing more of the hull volume to be used inside the cabins and giving each sleeping area a greater degree of separation.
The builder states that the available layouts can sleep up to 12 people, although the yacht's published preliminary certification figures distinguish overnight accommodation from maximum passenger capacity. The model specification lists up to 30 people in Category D conditions, with lower limits applying as the intended operating category becomes more demanding.
A 125.6-square-metre upwind sail plan
The standard sail plan combines a 78-square-metre pin-top mainsail with a 47.58-square-metre furling genoa, giving a published total upwind area of 125.6 square metres. A two-spreader mast is used, while halyards, sheets and reefing lines are led back towards the helm so sail handling can be concentrated in one working area.
Auxiliary propulsion comes from two 50hp Volvo Penta diesel saildrives, and the fuel capacity is 620 litres. Draft is listed at 1.56 metres depending on load, while mast height above the waterline at light load is 21.55 metres; Aquila's preliminary CE figures include Category A for 12 people and Category B for 12.
Composite construction and a growing sail range
Aquila developed the sailing range in collaboration with J&J Design, extending a relationship that has already covered multiple models for the brand. The builder describes its catamarans as single-mould, vinylester-infused composite structures over closed-cell PVC foam cores, with no wood used in structural components and watertight bulkheads fore and aft.
The 45 Sail is being shown at Aquila's dedicated sailing-catamaran display at Port Canto, Stand SAIL 150, during the Cannes festival from September 8 to 13. After its world debut in France, Aquila has scheduled the model's Americas debut for the Annapolis Sailboat Show from October 15 to 18, giving the new 45 a second major public appearance shortly after Cannes.