Blue Leopard was without question the most successful combination of sailing yacht, fast twin screw motor yacht and comfortable home and was certainly the most famous and innovative design from Jack Giles’ hand.

The rig may look small for a vessel of nearly 34 metres but appearances are deceptive, the waterline length and displacement figures are characteristic of a much smaller vessel. The very long overhangs which account for part of Blue Leopard’s charm tend to dwarf the yawl rig; with a speed of 15 knots she was as fast under sail as when under power from her twin Rolls Royce diesels.

She was not built to Class but Blue Leopard was conceived to be built using very light materials and scantlings, a masterpiece of lightweight engineering. Original data give an estimated lightship displacement of 48.57 tonnes. In fact the Architect’s estimate proved to be somewhat optimistic; freeboards recorded during sailing trials indicated a half load displacement of approximately 52.5 tonnes.