Nearly 30 youth sailors got a rare treat sailing around Hamilton Harbour on the one-design M32 catamaran at the weekend.

The eager and enthusiastic youngsters took up an invitation from Mark Watson, the Argo Group president, to sail on the high-performance racing yacht that will be the featured boat at all World Match Racing Tour events next year.

“We had a number of youth sailors out on the M32 and we let all of them drive the boat and it was really fun,” Watson, who sailed on the winning boat in this year’s Transatlantic Race, said.

“The breeze came up a couple of times and the hulls started flying and I think that the sailors had a great time.”

Sailed by a crew of four of five, the M32 is made of carbon fibre and is a speed machine that does not require a jib which would create drag and reduce both speed and manoeuvrability.

The boat’s asymmetrical foils create the perfect amount of lift and stability, making the hulls skim the surface.

Local sailing enthusiasts will get to see multiple M32s, which will be used on the World Match RFacing Tour next year, in action when Bermuda hosts the 2016 M32 Winter Series.

The first event will be held from January 8 to 10, the second February 26 to 28 and the third March 11 to 13.

The opportunity for the young sailors to sail on the M32 at the weekend went some way towards compensating for the absence of the Festival of Sail at this year’s Argo Group Gold Cup.

“This is actually the first year we haven’t had the Festival of Sail which is a little disappointing,” Watson, a multiple Newport to Bermuda Race campaigner, added.

“At the time that we started the Festival of Sail it was to raise community awareness about how much fun sailing is for families and also what a great thing it is for children.

“It teaches them independence and it’s also a pretty good athletic sport.”

Argo Group has been the title sponsor for the Gold Cup, the oldest match racing trophy for competition involving one-design yachts, for the past several years.

“The reason we sponsor the sailing event isn’t because I like yacht racing, it’s so that we can raise the awareness of our brand and a really strong part of our brand is giving back to the community.”