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M5 is 78m LOA after the Pendennis extension programme, with a 90m carbon mast and roughly 1,800 square metres of sail upwind. She is the largest single-mast sloop on the charter market as of May 2026, and she is the answer to "I want a 70m-plus sailing yacht and I want a sloop, not a schooner." Asking is in the M5 weekly rate as of May 2026, often cited €500K to €700K per week range, peak Mediterranean, plus 30 to 35 percent APA and VAT. Twelve guests in 6 cabins. Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth, Cornwall is the refit yard of record.
This piece covers the spec, the rebuild history, the 2026 calendar, the rate, what to negotiate, and the punch list of what we would change before a charter week. M5 is the rare yacht where the rebuild story is part of the charter case, so we cover it in proportion.
Specs that matter
78m LOA after the 2017 Pendennis extension (originally 75m as Mirabella V), 14.8m beam, retractable centreboard giving a draft of 4m board-up and 10m board-down, around 1,400 GT. Composite hull built originally at Vosper Thornycroft, Southampton. The carbon mast is 90m above the waterline. Mainsail area is in the range, with a jib, a staysail, and a Code Zero in the inventory. The centreboard is part of the spec sheet that matters for itinerary planning: at 10m board-down she does not enter shallow Mediterranean anchorages without raising the board.
Propulsion is a single 1,500 hp running to a feathering propeller that reduces drag under sail. Top speed under engine is around 14 to 15 knots. Top speed under sail with the right breeze is in the high teens, with passage speeds in the 12 to 14 knot range. Range under engine is. The yacht is MCA-coded for commercial charter and operates under.
Guest layout is 12 in 6 cabins. A full-beam master,. Service spaces include a main saloon with the rig load running through the structure, a separate dining area, and a sky lounge. The beach club is aft, with the tender garage and the water-toy load. The toy and tender inventory is, and like every charter yacht in this tier, this is the spec sheet question that matters more than it should because the published list and the delivered list sometimes differ.
The Mirabella V to M5 story
M5 is the only large sailing yacht on the open charter market with a true rebuild history. The yacht launched in 2004 as Mirabella V, commissioned by Joe Vittoria and built by Vosper Thornycroft in Southampton to a Ron Holland design. At 75m LOA she was the largest single-mast sloop in the world at launch and held that record by a wide margin.
In 2009 the yacht was sold and renamed M5. The new owner commissioned a major refit at Pendennis. In 2017 Pendennis completed a more extensive programme that included a hull extension to 78m, a new interior, updated rig hardware, and a system overhaul. The yacht has been on commercial charter since the rebuild completed, with the calendar shifting between owners' use, brokered availability, and shoulder repositioning.
What this means for a charter party. The yacht you board in 2026 is not a 2004 yacht. The structural elements forward of the stern extension are original, the rig hardware is post-2017, and the interior was reworked in the Pendennis programme. The sail inventory has cycled through multiple refresh windows. A charter yacht is the version of itself in front of you on the day, and on M5 the version in front of you is closer to a late-2010s build than a mid-2000s build. This is unusual for a sailing yacht of her age and it matters for the price-to-value comparison against newer builds.
The 2026 calendar
As of May 2026 the calendar pattern looks like this. The yacht is. Confirmed peak-summer Mediterranean weeks run, with shoulder availability in early June and late September. The transatlantic crossing is structured as a delivery passage in November, closed to standard charter but occasionally offered as a one-way passage at a different rate. Caribbean season runs December through April with peak Christmas and New Year reserved long in advance.
Repositioning weeks come up at a discount and are the value proposition for a flexible charter party. We have written on the broader pattern in repositioning weeks on charter.
The dates that hold up best aboard M5 in our read are the Western Mediterranean weeks in June and mid-September, and the Caribbean weeks in February. The Eastern Mediterranean is not the strongest fit for the yacht because the deep keel limits anchorage flexibility in the Cyclades and southern Croatia.
Rate, APA, and what to negotiate
Asking is in the M5 weekly rate band as of May 2026, commonly cited €500K to €700K per week range for peak Mediterranean, plus 30 to 35 percent APA and country-specific VAT. Caribbean winter pricing is in the same band in dollars. Crew gratuity is 5 to 15 percent at trip end, in line with crew tipping norms by region.
Negotiable: shoulder dates have flex in the rate. A confirmed two-week booking on adjacent shoulder weeks often comes in 8 to 12 percent better than two single shoulder weeks priced separately. APA on a coastal itinerary that does not include long deliveries can come down 2 to 3 points. The tender and water-toy supplement on a family charter with kids can sometimes be folded into APA rather than added as an extra.
Not negotiable: peak summer Mediterranean rates, the 12-guest cap, the carbon-rig running-cost contribution that is built into the base rate. We would not push on the things the yacht is best at, because the broker has no room there and the relationship matters for the rest of the booking.
Crew and service
Crew complement is around 13 to 15. The captain is. Chief stewardess is. Chef is. The senior deck team on M5 are sailing-yacht professionals who understand the rig, and on a charter week they are the operational asset. A 78m sloop with a 90m mast is not a casual operation, and the crew structure reflects that.
Service is the part where M5 is closer to a motor-yacht standard than the rig would suggest. The interior team coverage with 13 to 15 total crew across 12 guests is similar to a 70m-plus motor yacht. The variability between weeks tracks who is in the chief-stew chair and the chef position. We would ask the broker for the names of the current interior team and the dates they came aboard. A 24-month interior team tenure reads differently than a 4-month one for a yacht running back-to-back charter weeks.
What we would change
Three items, in order.
First, the keel-down anchorage limitation. With 10m draft board-down the yacht cannot enter several of the standard Mediterranean charter anchorages without lifting the centreboard. The board is functional and the captain manages this routinely, but a charter party that wants a specific list of Cyclades bays or Hvar anchorages should walk the captain through the list before signing. We have flagged this for shallow-water destinations including Formentera permits and the Hvar buoy field.
Second, the helipad situation. M5 is not helipad-equipped, certified or otherwise. For most sailing-yacht clients this is not a deal-breaker. For a charter party that plans helicopter transfers as a normal part of the week, the absence is a different conversation than it would be on a 70m motor yacht. We covered the distinction in helicopter charter pricing.
Third, the at-anchor stabilisation question. On a sloop of this size with a centreboard the at-anchor stabiliser system is a specific spec sheet line that should be confirmed.. For Mediterranean charter weeks that include long stops in exposed anchorages in August, this is a question to ask, not assume.
What we have passed on
We have passed on the interior design palette, which has changed across refits and is interesting for a design audience but not the reason to charter. We have passed on the Ron Holland design-philosophy history, which is well covered elsewhere and not relevant to a charter week. We have passed on the build-cost speculation that surrounds Mirabella V's original construction at Vosper Thornycroft, because no number is publicly confirmed.
Comparable sailing alternatives
If M5 is unavailable for your dates or the centreboard does not fit your itinerary, the comparables for a 70m-plus sailing charter brief are these.
The first is Sea Eagle II, the 81m Royal Huisman three-masted aluminium schooner. Sea Eagle II is on open charter, runs a normal Med and Caribbean calendar, and has lower draft thanks to a different keel configuration. Schooner rig, not sloop, so the sailing experience aboard is different.
The second is Maltese Falcon, the 88m Perini Navi DynaRig. Three rotating masts, distinctive technology, older interior. The yacht is a different category of sailing experience and the rig itself is the product.
The third is Athena, the 90m Royal Huisman schooner from 2004. Smaller guest capacity at 10 in 5 cabins. Her charter calendar is selective and her 2026 availability is.
The fourth is Mirabella V as the historical entry. Mirabella V and M5 share hull lineage. The Mirabella V entry exists for buyers researching the yacht's pre-rebuild history and the original Vosper Thornycroft engineering, not as a current charter option.
Verdict
M5 is the answer if you want a 78m single-mast sloop and you accept the centreboard-draft tradeoff. The yacht is post-refit, the crew structure is mature, and the rate band is competitive for what she is. We would book her for a Western Mediterranean week in June or a Caribbean week in February, ask the centreboard and helipad questions upfront, and walk the broker through the specific anchorage list before signing.
If your trip plan includes time ashore in St Barths during Caribbean regatta season, the team at HotelsForKings has the St Barths list for the days you are not aboard.
Last updated
May 2026. We update this page when the rate, calendar, central agent, or crew status changes materially.
FAQ
Where is M5 in May 2026?. The pattern is Mediterranean April to October, Caribbean December to April, with delivery passages in November and April.
Can M5 do an Atlantic crossing as part of a charter? Yes. The November and April crossings are occasionally offered as charter weeks, usually at a different rate structure. Crossings take roughly under sail and engine combined.
Is M5 the same yacht as Mirabella V? Yes and no. M5 is the rebuilt and extended Mirabella V hull. The structural elements forward of the stern extension are original; the rig hardware, the interior, the systems, and the stern section are post-rebuild. For practical charter purposes she is a late-2010s yacht with mid-2000s hull provenance.
Is M5 MCA-coded for commercial charter? Yes, the yacht is MCA-compliant and operates under. The coding sets minimum crew standards and equipment.
What tender does she carry?. The tender garage is in the beach club aft. Water-toy inventory includes.