38m Columbus Atlantique PRINCIPESSA CAPRICCIOSA Debuts at Cannes 2026

Columbus Yachts has brought the 38-metre Atlantique PRINCIPESSA CAPRICCIOSA to the Cannes Yachting Festival 2026, giving the most compact member of the Atlantique family its official show debut. The yacht arrives in Cannes after her March launch and a detailed summer reveal, with the builder positioning the model as a sub-40-metre interpretation of the same low-slung, sea-focused design language used across the larger Atlantique range.

At 299 GT, PRINCIPESSA CAPRICCIOSA sits just below the 300 GT threshold while retaining a full five-cabin guest layout, extensive exterior areas and an all-aluminium structure. The combination is intended to give owners the visual presence and onboard volume of a larger yacht while keeping crew requirements, operating complexity and displacement under tighter control.

A 38-metre Atlantique built around contact with the sea

The yacht’s exterior and interior design are by Hot Lab, while naval architecture was developed by Columbus Yachts with Names by Francesco Rogantin. Columbus describes the profile as a contemporary interpretation of classic sailing-yacht proportions, with clean surfaces and a restrained sporting character rather than the heavier visual mass associated with some yachts of comparable volume.

The most distinctive element is the stern. Columbus places the recessed aft platform only about 50 centimetres above the water, creating a strong visual and physical link with the sea and making the after part of the yacht function less like a conventional transom and more like a waterside terrace. That approach has become a recurring theme across the Atlantique family and is particularly noticeable on a yacht of this length.

The 8-metre beam is substantial for a 38-metre yacht and supports the wide interior circulation and exterior living areas without pushing gross tonnage beyond 299 GT. Columbus says the project was deliberately shaped around this balance, allowing a high degree of customisation while preserving a practical technical and accommodation plan.

Five cabins and an owner-focused main deck

PRINCIPESSA CAPRICCIOSA accommodates guests across five cabins. Four double guest cabins with en-suite bathrooms are arranged on the lower deck, while the owner’s suite occupies the forward part of the main deck and includes a walk-in wardrobe, two bathrooms divided by a central shower and access to a private terrace.

Columbus’s current fleet information lists accommodation for 10 guests, while its launch material notes capacity for up to 12 people depending on configuration. The crew arrangement is based around four lower-deck cabins for six crew plus the captain, giving the yacht a conventional service structure despite the emphasis on efficient operation.

The garage is positioned aft to starboard and is sized for a five-metre tender and a personal watercraft. A separate storage compartment beneath the staircase between the beach area and aft lounge provides space for Seabobs, keeping watersports equipment close to the point of use without absorbing the main guest spaces.

All-aluminium construction and semi-planing performance

Hull and superstructure are both aluminium. Columbus’s current technical information lists twin MAN V12-2000 engines, a semi-planing hull and a top speed around 20 knots, with the latest fleet page giving a 1,900-nautical-mile range at 12 knots. The builder’s earlier launch release quoted slightly higher maximum and cruising figures, illustrating how published performance numbers can evolve as a new yacht progresses from launch data to final fleet specification.

The important point for the model is not outright speed alone. The Atlantique 38 is intended to combine faster Mediterranean cruising with the space and comfort normally associated with fuller displacement yachts, while its 299 GT envelope keeps the yacht within a comparatively compact operational package.

For owners moving up from large production yachts, that balance is significant. The yacht offers a purpose-built crew area, separate tender storage, a main-deck owner’s suite and long-range capability without moving into the higher gross-tonnage category occupied by many 40-metre-plus custom yachts.

The current Columbus fleet specification gives a cruising range of 1,900 nautical miles at 12 knots, a figure that places the yacht firmly in Mediterranean and regional cruising territory while still allowing longer repositioning passages without constant fuel stops. Combined with the wide beam and comparatively low gross tonnage, that range supports the builder’s argument that the Atlantique 38 is designed around usable capability rather than a single headline dimension.

The design also shows how far the sub-40-metre custom market has moved toward features once associated with significantly larger yachts. A main-deck owner’s terrace, broad beach area, separate water-toy storage and a full crew arrangement are now expected by buyers at this level, which means the challenge for builders is increasingly one of packaging and proportion rather than simply adding more volume.

Columbus is using aluminium throughout the hull and superstructure to help manage weight while retaining the semi-planing performance profile. That construction choice also supports the yacht’s large openings and sculpted aft geometry, where keeping structural weight under control is important if the design is to deliver both visual lightness and the speed expected from the Atlantique range.

Cannes gives the Atlantique 38 its first major public platform

Columbus confirmed before the show that PRINCIPESSA CAPRICCIOSA would make her official debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2026 before continuing to the Monaco Yacht Show later in September. Cannes therefore gives brokers, owners and prospective clients their first major opportunity to assess how the Atlantique design language translates to the smaller 38-metre platform.

The model also broadens the lower end of Columbus’s current portfolio. PRINCIPESSA CAPRICCIOSA follows two Atlantique 43 yachts and the 47-metre ACQUA CHIARA, extending a family that has increasingly become central to the Columbus Yachts identity while providing an entry point below 40 metres.

Her appearance in Cannes also places the design directly beside a large group of competing new models in the 25-to-45-metre range. In that context, Columbus is making a clear case for a yacht defined less by maximum enclosed volume and more by proportion, direct access to the water and the operating efficiencies associated with remaining under 300 GT.

PRINCIPESSA CAPRICCIOSA is therefore more than a scaled-down Atlantique. She demonstrates how Columbus is adapting a recognisable design language to a size at which owners may still expect custom detailing, meaningful range and full superyacht service while seeking a yacht that remains comparatively manageable in crew, harbour access and day-to-day operation.