It was a brisk autumn day, which also meant there was wind. That isn’t always the case on the Chesapeake Bay, and I was looking forward to sailing in the best conditions I’d seen all week. The days following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, are the perfect time to catch up with the new boats making their U.S. debuts, and I was excited to put the sleek Solaris 44 through its paces on the blustery bay.

Solaris Yachts has been building boats in the historic Italian town of Aquileia at the top of the Adriatic Sea since 1974. Through the IOR days with racers designed by S&S and performance cruisers designed by Doug Peterson to IMS boats from Bruce Farr and Bill Tripp, the company has relied on the work of the best yacht designers in collaboration with its in-house design team. The company’s latest models are from the drafting board of Javier Soto Acebal, whose designs run the gamut from his Soto racers to Wally super yachts.

This sleek and powerful Italian design esthetic is the hallmark of the company’s line of boats that range from its newly launched 40-footer to its semi-custom 111-footer. Since the 44 was launched in 2018, many owners have had successes on the race course, made ocean crossings and competed in the ARC. The Solaris 44 made its U.S. debut last fall with hull No. 45.

With a low-slung cabinhouse, flush decks and large cockpit, the 44 exudes speed. And the high freeboard makes room for an open and bright interior. The hull and deck are built with an Airex core and E-glass vacuum sandwich, making it strong and light.

On deck

Solaris goes to great lengths to keep the deck flush, and if hardware and equipment can be recessed it is, with a high level of elegance and functionality. All sail control lines are led aft under the deck to a set of stoppers recessed into the coamings on each side of the companionway. The dodger also folds away into the deck until needed.