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ACAIA, bringing the pleasure of sailing back to charter

Built by Southern Wind and refitted in 2023, ACAIA welcomes eight guests to a charter experience where comfort, the sea and sailing remain part of the same journey

ACAIA is a 30.2-metre Southern Wind sailing yacht bringing genuine sailing into the charter experience, with four cabins, generous outdoor spaces and a 1,800-nautical-mile range

On ACAIA, the charter experience does not begin when the yacht drops anchor in front of a beautiful bay. It starts much earlier, as the coastline begins to disappear and the passage itself becomes part of the day.

This 30.2-metre sailing yacht built by Southern Wind belongs to a category in which travelling from one destination to another is far more than an interval between stops. She was created to sail, cover long distances and at the same time provide enough space for eight guests to enjoy life on board in comfort.

Following an extensive refit completed in 2023, ACAIA is now available for charter, operating in the Mediterranean during the summer season.

A 30-metre yacht designed to sail

ACAIA is part of Southern Wind’s SW 100 DS series. Her exterior design is by Bruce Farr, while Nauta created the interiors.

Those names immediately give some indication of the yacht’s character. ACAIA was not conceived as a floating hospitality platform with a sailing rig added later: she remains first and foremost a sailing yacht, with proportions, weight distribution and deck organisation shaped around navigation.

She measures 30.2 metres overall, with a beam of 6.7 metres and a draft of 3.9 metres. Her composite construction further reflects this sailing-oriented approach.

The journey becomes part of the holiday

Contemporary charter is often described through destinations: a secluded cove, an island or a restaurant reached from the sea. On a sailing yacht such as ACAIA, however, the passage required to get there takes on a different importance.

Fraser lists a cruising speed of 10 knots, a maximum speed of 12 knots and a declared range of 1,800 nautical miles. These figures describe a yacht genuinely designed to move between destinations rather than simply undertake short transfers.

In the Mediterranean, this opens the possibility of itineraries where sailing itself becomes part of the experience: crossing towards Corsica, leaving Sardinia astern, travelling between Greek islands or choosing a longer route rather than simply heading for the next bay.

Eight guests without filling the yacht with cabins

ACAIA accommodates eight guests in four cabins. The layout includes a full-beam Master suite, a large VIP cabin and two twin cabins.

It is an arrangement that gives priority to comfortable living spaces rather than maximising the number of berths. On a yacht of this size, particularly during a multi-day charter, genuinely usable cabins become an important part of the overall experience.

A crew of four manages the yacht while preserving separation between operational areas and guest spaces.

Natural light follows you inside

The salon is one of the spaces that best illustrates ACAIA’s character. Large windows bring abundant natural light inside while preserving views of the surroundings even when guests choose to leave the deck.

That connection is especially important on a sailing yacht, where the experience of the sea should not end simply because someone moves indoors.

Nauta’s approach therefore avoids creating a hard division between exterior and interior life. The sea remains present through panoramic views, while the salon provides a more protected environment during the hottest part of the day or on cooler evenings.

A deck designed for time at anchor

Once the sails come down and ACAIA reaches an anchorage, life naturally moves outside.

The deck provides several areas for relaxation and sunbathing, while the central cockpit creates a more intimate place for guests to spend time together. The arrangement allows social spaces and quieter areas to coexist without concentrating everyone in the same part of the yacht.

At the stern, a platform provides straightforward access to the water. It is a relatively simple feature, yet an essential one for Mediterranean charter, where a substantial part of the day can be spent moving between yacht and sea.

A morning swim, returning aboard after time in the water or stopping in a bay during a passage therefore become natural parts of the day rather than separate activities.

A refit updates the present without erasing the original design

Built in 2008, ACAIA underwent an extensive refit during the winter of 2022/23.

For a yacht operating on the charter market, this is particularly relevant. Updating spaces, systems and overall condition makes it possible to offer contemporary comfort while preserving the qualities that made the original design interesting.

Fraser now presents the yacht following this work as ready for a new phase of operation. The foundation remains that of a Southern Wind created for global cruising, while the refit brings the guest experience closer to current expectations.

The Mediterranean under sail

During the summer season, ACAIA is offered for charter in the Mediterranean, with Fraser listing weekly rates from €55,000 in low season and €62,000 in high season.

Yet reducing a charter of this kind to cabins, services and destinations would miss much of its appeal.

The difference offered by a sailing yacht becomes most apparent in the moments between destinations: when the engine is switched off, the wind takes over and the rhythm of the day changes. Not necessarily slower, simply different.

This is where ACAIA can offer something a motor yacht cannot reproduce in quite the same way: the feeling that the journey itself is part of the destination.

For those who choose a holiday at sea not only to reach beautiful places, but also to rediscover the pleasure of sailing between them, that may be the real luxury.

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Fraser Yachts, ACAIA

10 September 2026
© MED Yachting Editorial Team
ACAIA, bringing the pleasure of sailing back to charter
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The information in this article has been sourced from and adapted from official sources and/or press releases, in accordance with our editorial code of ethics.