Interesting queiry Queenie and your first emotional expression of "Love at First Sight" adds a whole new dimension to it.
Your vivid description of the yacht certainly evokes a beautiful picture of what every Dad would love to do and that is " Go sailing with my kids."
So a Dad with three kids and it is flat topper sloop with a "goldy" looking main sail suggests that it is a high performance classic in one of the metre classes that could possibly be 10 metres long.
I only say "could" because as we all know the fairer sex usually lacks spatial vision and as you have not revealed your gender I have to take 10 metres with a grain of salt.
Crewed by a Dad and three kids as criteria it could be any thing in length from 20 feet to 100 feet with the right Dad and kids.
Then you describe a white hull with what looks like an aluminium round gunwale rail. Was it shiny? If so it is not going to be ally. Stainless or chromed bronze.
Best guess, an International 9 metre.
