Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones didn’t want a new boat, yet today not only has he a shiny new state of the art 100-footer, but a machine described by some as the most advanced Maxi to be launched in more than a decade. And at the new boat’s first competitive outing on the first day of racing at this year’s PalmaVela regatta Magic Carpet-e won the first two races.

To say that her build happened by accident would be an exaggeration, yet the genesis of what has turned out to be such an advanced and promising new Maxi didn’t start with a set of clear objectives and well-defined goals.

Having been built pretty much in secret by Persico Marine in Italy and pre-launched discretely last autumn, (before being taken back into the shed to be completed for a re-launch this spring), the new Carpet is in flight and the details of this new design are now being revealed.

On the face of it, while she may look like a sleeker, leaner version of others in her class, the basic data has her standing out from the off.

Here the displacement is the headline figure. At 37 tonnes she’s a staggering 10 tonnes lighter than the previous Magic Carpet, a Wally Cento Maxi that herself was never considered to be overweight.

The new Carpet also sets an impressive amount of sail on a rig that looks more IMOCA 60 than Maxi, while below the waterline she sports what must surely be the most sophisticated appendage package of any current Maxi.

The flush deck and minimalist appearance of a cockpit that has just six winches, belies the advanced technology and sophistication which lies below. Photo: Francesco Ferri

And then there’s her power plant. While she does have a comparatively small and potentially removable generator for delivery trips, this is the first fully electric racing Maxi to be launched, armed with technology that has its roots in high end motorsport and that could prove to be a catalyst for development across broad areas of sailing, both for racing and cruising.

In simple terms, she has the equivalent of three Golf GTIs below deck delivering a stream of silent power that is available at the touch of a button for the crew on deck.

The bottom line is that right from the start, and despite just a cursory look at her headline features, Magic Carpet-e is far more than just another new race boat. Which begs one simple question to start: how did Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones end up with such an advanced new boat when he didn’t want one?

Photo: Francesco Ferri

Taking the next step

Having raced and cruised Magic Carpet Cubed, as she was nicknamed, for 12 years, the rhythm of his boat ownership suggested that it might be time for an upgrade. The trouble was, that as a hands-on owner who’d always enjoyed the process of developing a new boat as much as the racing and cruising, he couldn’t really see where to go next.

“You hesitate before you start any new build of this size – it’s a long and expensive process,” he explained. “Over the years as we moved from Magic Carpet one to two and three, we’ve always had new objectives in mind. Not long after launching Magic Carpet Cubed, I was already thinking of what the next step was going to be and while we kept improving and refining, I could see what we could do slightly better, but not much better.

“And then somebody introduced me to designer Guillaume Verdier who said he could do a boat like mine 10 tonnes lighter and that it would ‘go like a rocket.’

“I thought it was worth a try and so we started talking.”

As the chief architect behind some of the world’s fastest and most radical racing designs it was a given that Verdier’s ideas would be ‘out there’.

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“When Sir Lindsay gave me the first brief he told me to draw what I wanted within 100ft,” said the French designer. “So, my first design looked at foiling and while Sir Lindsay liked the idea of taking performance onto another level, he said there were some key objectives in addition to being competitive in the Maxi class, which meant that this was too extreme for him. Instead, he wanted to be able to sail with friends, plus the boat needed to be capable and comfortable for cruising short-handed.”

Living in St Tropez, Sir Lindsay’s racing and cruising has always been primarily in Europe. And with the Maxi racing scene both growing and focussing more on this area, a yacht concentrated on Mediterranean conditions ticked many of the boxes on the competitive front. This, in turn, led to a target optimum wind speed range of 8-12 knots. And from here the first key design objective was to be the fastest Maxi in these conditions.

“When the goal is to perform well in 8-12 knots of wind, the reality is that you have to be very good in 7-8 knots,” said Verdier. “To sail in light conditions, boats need to be able to perform in much lighter winds. At critical periods when you slow down through manoeuvres like tacks and gybes it’ll be hard to accelerate, especially if you have a lot of wetted surface area. So, the performance objectives are actually more demanding if you’re focussing on good performance in 8-12 knots of breeze. This was one of the factors that drove us towards the high aspect ratio rig.”

‘This is the first fully electric racing Maxi to be launched’. Photo: Francesco Ferri

The result is a sail plan that towers 46m above the waterline and sits well back in the boat. This achieves a long foot length (J measurement) for the biggest headsail, and provides scope for a range of furling headsail systems.

Stepping the mast on deck, rather than on the keel, meant the rig could not only create a large foretriangle, but also set it over the canard and just in front of the keel to achieve better balance.

Remarkable appendages

A large, efficient sail plan and a low wetted surface area provided by slender waterlines were important, as was generating high amounts of righting moment – which led to a canting keel that swings to 45° on either side.

But this is a canting keel with a big difference.

Getting into favourite harbours and anchorages, including Magic Carpet’s home in St Tropez, was essential, which meant a lifting keel was required. But the design team knew that lifting a fin and bulb keel to reduce draught from 7.1m to 4.6m vertically in the established way would result in a heavy structure and a vertical centre of gravity that would be higher than they’d like.

Canting keel and canard can be clearly seen here. Photo: Francesco Ferri

The solution was to reduce draught by raking the keel 60° aft like a dinghy centreboard, but where the keel bulb would remain parallel to the water as it was swung aft.

The engineering is not just fascinating in a system that can reduce its draught in just two minutes, but is a thing of beauty down below. So much so that the primary keel support structure, which has been milled out of two giant billets of titanium, has been not so much enclosed, but displayed in a wet box that looks more like a museum showcase complete with lights.

“It certainly was a big deal building this system,” explained project manager Ed Bell. “We had to pre-order the titanium billet before any work started on building the boat.”

Under sail, with the keel out to one side, and in contrast to IMOCAs and many other canting keel boats, Magic Carpet generates her hydrodynamic side force using a single canard mounted on the centreline. The reason is simple, one foil is lighter than two, but that’s the only part that is simple.

Like a museum display. Canting keel support also allows the fin and bulb to retract like a centreboard. Photo: Francesco Ferri

The foil is a symmetrical section, rotates to generate lateral lift and can be raised or lowered. What’s different is that this canard also cants to allow the foil to run as close to vertical as possible when the boat is heeled.

Like all canards and lifting surfaces, get the settings right and they can be powerful devices, get the settings wrong and it’s easy to put the handbrake on too. So, to have a foil that lifts, rotates and cants while generating the side force for a 37-tonne beast of a boat is an engineering challenge; it’s not that surprising that the team are rather coy when it comes to revealing how they actually achieve and control this.

But when it comes to their innovative twin rudder system they’re more open. Verdier was initially keen to have kick-up rudders to allow the windward one to be lifted to reduce drag, especially upwind, but this was not considered practical aboard a boat that will spend plenty of time moored stern-to. Instead, Magic Carpet-e has daggerboard-style rudders mounted in rotating barrels. When they lift they come through the cockpit sole.

Aside from the reduced drag of this configuration (which I’m led to believe was originally developed 30 years ago and patented by Kullmann Design as the VarioRudder), one of the key advantages is providing a robust and watertight arrangement when compared to a conventional rudder stock and bearing system.

Twin rudders operate in rotating cassettes where the blades can be raised and lowered hydraulically. Photo: Francesco Ferri

The real innovation

Meanwhile, in parallel to the development of this super slippery Maxi another idea became a central and highly innovative feature of the boat, that took Sir Lindsay and his team far deeper into a new world of Maxis than any of them had originally expected – electric power.

The system allows the boat to be raced all day, including leaving and returning to the dock, on electric power alone. This might not sound like a huge challenge, but when you’re talking about a 100-footer designed for round-the-cans racing, where hoists and drops happen faster than on a fully crewed 40-footer and the line speeds in the pit are up to 5m/second, that’s a lot of power!

Indeed, race aboard any of the current Maxis with their diesel generators that provide electric and hydraulic power for sail control areas and you are left in no doubt as to the power that is required to get them around the course. Take a windward mark rounding. As a typical modern Maxi bears away the engine revs increase in an instant as if someone has floored the throttle at the Santa Pod drag strip.

Given this is a race boat primarily, the main saloon and entire accommodation is striking. Photo: Francesco Ferri

Magic Carpet-e is different. While there’s a whining of hydraulic controls and whirring of winches, that’s it. But creating an all-electric boat, (or hybrid as they describe it), wasn’t the original goal.

“A few years before this project started, Ed Bell, (who has been involved in previous Magic Carpets) and I were driving and I’d spoken to someone on the phone who’d just seen an amazing electric motor which was tiny,” explained Magic Carpet skipper of 30 years, Danny Gallichan.

“We were chatting in the car about how good it could be if you could use them with the hydraulics and the thought stayed in both of our minds.

“Sir Lindsay is very interested in technology and has been involved in motorsport for many years and during the early development of this boat he encouraged us to take the idea further.”

This led the team to Williams Advanced Engineering, now Fortescue, who helped analyse what was needed in terms of power, energy use, and duration while also calculating how much such a system would weigh.

“We started by looking back at how many hoists, drops, tacks and gybes we’d done during various regattas over a number of years,” said Bell. “We looked at how long we had motored the boat for, along with other power demands.

“We also worked closely with hydraulics experts Cariboni to assess how much power we needed to operate the hydraulic systems through some of the most extreme scenarios and the longest days on the water. We then delivered this information to Fortescue who calculated the power we’d need to go electric.

The navigation station sits on the centreline and incorporates a Hermes-designed seat. Photo: Francesco Ferri

“It was also crucially important the system was no heavier than a conventional diesel generator and preferably lighter. The results from Fortescue gave us the answer we needed to go ahead.”

When it came to creating the system, the team worked with electric motor specialists Helix to produce a battery that provides power for all the onboard systems from the winches, the propulsion system through to the air conditioning.

In short, Magic Carpet has three electric drives, two for the hydraulic system and one for propulsion.

“One of the key stages was opting for a direct drive in order to achieve the quietest operation,” said Helix’s chief innovation officer Andrew Cross. “Because these motors operate at relatively low rpm we needed a lot of torque – the hydraulic pump machines were each around 1,000Nm and the propulsion motor achieved almost 2,000Nm.

“The motors are driven by our ultra-lightweight, high-efficiency silicon-carbide inverters. Broadly speaking the motors are at similar power levels to those we supply to Formula E, but four to five times more torque. It’s like having three Golf GTIs on board.”

Not only are the oval apertures better structurally, they make for a lighter structure and look impressive. Photo: Francesco Ferri

On deck and underway

So, you’d think you would hear at least one of these GTIs when you left the dock. Instead, our departure from the quay in St Tropez was so quiet that we were halfway along the entrance to the harbour before I realised we had left. This is a Maxi that ghosts along.

The second surprise came when the mainsail was raised in under one minute.

But even this was tame compared to her performance under sail. On a glassy looking sea, where the 7 knots of breeze at the top of the mast had barely made its way down to the surface, we were trucking along at 10.3 knots upwind.

As conditions built to 8-12 knots of breeze we were slicing along at 12 knots upwind and up to 17 on a reach.

The owner’s cabin forward. Photo: Francesco Ferri

On the helm she felt completely neutral. Like many modern high-performance boats, to get into the groove you need to know the targets. But even then, just as you think you’re getting the hang of it, a change of canard angle sends the bow careering off in either direction. Even in modest conditions it’s clear how powerful this foil is.

Also impressive is the speed with which Magic Carpet can turn corners. With furling headsails on units that are recessed into the deck to allow a proper end plate effect on the headsails, big manoeuvres easily match those aboard boats half her size.

This is made all the more impressive when you consider that she has just six winches. Even her most up-to-date competitors in the Maxi scene with their hydraulic ram trim systems have eight.

“A pair of winches weighs around 120kg,” said Bell. “So, in collaboration with Cariboni and Rigging Projects we have developed a system where the running backstays can be operated mainly by hydraulic rams, dispensing with the need for dedicated runner winches.”

That’s a bold call aboard a boat with a deck-stepped mast that relies on its fore and aft support from the runners. But among the long list of advanced technology aboard this boat there is one area that is easier to admire, her looks below decks.

One of two guest cabins. Photo: Francesco Ferri

Cruising comforts

Cruising has always been an important part of Sir Lindsay’s season and while some Maxis claim to have been designed to allow their owner and friends to go cruising, the result is often a spartan affair.

Not so on Magic Carpet. This design was configured to be sailed short-handed, in comfort and style for the owner and guests.

“The big challenge was that we had a weight budget of just two tonnes for the entire accommodation,” said designer Axel de Beaufort. “We worked really hard to keep the weight down and used some of the natural features of the boat to accentuate the unique feel below decks.”

One example is how the wood veneer is attached directly to the inside face of the hull, emphasising the tumblehome in the topsides. Another is the use of oval cutouts in the bulkheads. These are not only structurally more efficient by reducing the stress-raising corners of square openings, but look rocket retro stylish too.

Be it tumblehome or the position of the mast, some details are more IMOCA than maxi. Photo: Francesco Ferri

The custom woven fabric used for the headliners and the cube-like lockers is another area where the team worked hard to combine looks with light weight in an interior that can be easily reconfigured for racing.

And then there’s the Hermes navigation station.

This may be a race boat most of the time but Magic Carpet-e oozes style below decks.

And that’s what makes this new Maxi stand out. The combination of innovation above and below the waterline, along with groundbreaking technology in her power system aboard a sleek looking beast of a boat is what has led several industry experts to claim that Magic Carpet-e is currently the most advanced Maxi out there.

All she has to do now is to prove it.

The high aspect ratio sail plan is optimised for Mediterranean conditions. Photo: Francesco Ferri

Final thoughts

To describe Magic Carpet-e as an impressive proof of concept does little justice to an eye-wateringly expensive 100ft Maxi. But the reality is that for all of her stunning looks, the detail and innovation that has gone into her design, construction and sail handling systems to name but a few of the key areas, the electric side of this boat could well become the aspect that has the most influence.

There are plenty of meaningful projects looking to become greener propositions, but the reality is that neither the sailing industry nor the majority of owners have deep enough pockets to invest in research on this scale.

The ability to deliver sufficient power and recharge overnight from the dock is surely a step forward that will provide lessons that will filter down.

The Magic Carpet-e project didn’t set out to be a green affair but found its way there during a quest to improve performance. It’s not often that development works like that but when it does it can be highly effective.

In the meantime, the real test will be on the race course where the Maxi scene is getting more competitive by the season. She made a very promising start with two bullets in PalmaVela until damage to her standing rigging in a pre-start incident on the second forced her to sit out the rest of the event. If she proves as quick as some suggest, there’s nothing quite as motivating as a fast, high-profile boat when it comes to inspiring a design revolution.

Magic Carpet-e specifications

LOA: 30.48m / 100ft
Beam: 7.20m / 23ft 7in
Draught: 7.10m-4.60m / 3ft 2in-15ft 1in
Keel cant: 45° from vertical
Displacement: 37 tonnes
Mast height: 46m above waterline
Design: Guillaume Verdier
Builder: Persico Marine
Launched: 2024

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The world of superyachts is continually pushing boundaries, blending unparalleled luxury with cutting-edge design and impressive performance. As we look ahead, a new fleet of ambitious projects and unveiled designs promises to redefine what’s possible on the water, catering to owners who demand both exquisite comfort and serious sailing capability.

From versatile bluewater cruisers offering bespoke options for shallow-water access, to groundbreaking eco-conscious catamarans and sleek, high-performance sloops designed for ultimate efficiency, these upcoming superyachts showcase a thrilling evolution. They embody the pinnacle of naval architecture and interior design, offering a glimpse into the future of luxury sailing.

Oyster 805

Oyster Yachts proudly unveiled this contemporary new design at its annual private view event in St Katharine Docks, London, in early May, with a model which bridges the yard’s semi-custom speciality with that of the supersailing world.

It describes the 805 as a ‘superyacht-inspired bluewater cruiser’, one which features plenty of custom choices, including the option for a shoal keel which draws just 2.67m (8ft 9in) to allow access to shallow anchorages normally off limits to many big yachts.

The 805 continues the British yard’s long-standing partnership with Lymington-based Humphreys Yacht Design, a collaboration which has already resulted in more than 100 circumnavigations completed by Humphreys designed Oysters.

The new addition to the range sits between Oyster’s 745 and 885 series II, and maintains the style of the modern Oyster fleet, particularly the distinctive vertical seascape hull windows.

Three sets of three of these hull portlights (used for the master and guest cabins and saloon) give the 805 a strong identity, and judging from the renders alone, the resultant views all those large panes of glass provide look to be nothing short of spectacular.

There are plenty of comfort choices, including day bed and day bar options in the saloon. The layout includes four en-suite guest cabins and an option for a home office, a library/snug or even a compact gym.

There is also plenty of relaxation space on deck too, including a new day bed design in the cockpit, while the foredeck tender well can convert into sunken seating. An optional fixed ‘Starlight Bimini’ provides sun protection for the centre cockpit, an area which should suit al-fresco dining, while the huge bathing platform features twin stairwells.

The first hull is expected to be ready in 2027.

Oyster 805 specifications

LOA: 25.28m / 82ft 9in
LWL: 22.71m / 74ft 9in
Beam: 6.35m / 20ft 10in
Displacement: 64,700kg / 142,639lb
Builder: oysteryachts.com

Southern Wind SW123

Southern Wind has revealed plans for its largest yacht yet, which is already in build at its Cape Town facility. Farr is responsible for the naval architecture of the SW123, creating a design to deliver fast beating in low-wind Mediterranean conditions as well as good offshore stability.

A comparatively light displacement of 105 tonnes and narrow hull shape (albeit with volume in the forward sections), together with low wetted surface area and high righting moment, should all help ensure it is rapid under sail. Indeed, a glance at the projected polars confirm this spirited performance potential, including 8.4 knots upwind in just 6 knots true and over 14 knots reaching in 12 knots wind. “So when everyone else is at anchor you can sail past at over 8 knots!” quips CCO Andrea Micheli.

There are many options, in line with Southern Wind’s ‘Smart Custom’ concept. Owners can define their own coachroof profile, for example, depending on how much space they want in the raised saloon, and choose a transom configuration.

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The first yacht features the sleekly curved GT style. Nauta has given this an elegant, uncluttered look. The large cockpit is sunken into the deck, which helps afford some protection to the forward end of the guest zone, but otherwise the surface is flush from bow to stern.

It’s the same story for the interior, which is a very similar plan to the SW108 (see page 76 for full feature). The standard layout puts the owner’s cabin right forward with two guest cabins amidships and one fore, but anything is possible within the bulkhead positioning.

“We offer a couple of mood boards, but then act like the elephant, with small mouth and big ears,” adds Micheli on the yard’s philosophy.

The launch of hull number one is projected for spring 2027.

Southern Wind SW123 specifications

LOA: 37.46m / 122ft 10in
Beam: 8.18m / 26ft 10in
Draught: 3.8m / 12ft 6in to 5.9m / 19ft 4in
Sail area: 740m2 / 7,965ft2
Builder: sws-yachts.com

Maverick

Dixon Yacht Design’s latest radical sailing concept is a twin-masted Dynarig yacht capable of operating without burning fossil fuels. The 60m design has a long, low-slung coachroof with inverted windows that give it the looks of a go-anywhere explorer yacht.

Maverick is a collaboration with Lateral Naval Architects, which has optimised the hybrid electric propulsion. The boat is a technical marvel, with the ability to motor silently without generators at 8 knots for up to seven hours.

At sailing speeds above 12 knots, Maverick can regenerate enough power to run hotel systems and start recharging the battery, creating the prospect of oceanic passages without burning any fuel. Build is suggested to be in partially recycled aluminium alloy.

As with any yacht of this size, the interior is a matter of the owner’s taste.

Maverick specifications

LOA: 59.50m / 195ft
Beam: 11.00m / 36ft
Draught: 4.00m / 13ft to 6.25m / 20ft 6in
Builder: dixonyachtdesign.com

Sunreef 35 Eco

Polish catamaran builder Sunreef has announced the sale of its first 35m Eco sailing yacht. Built in composite at the brand’s new Ras al-Khaimah yard in the United Arab Emirates, the boat is part of the Sunreef’s recently announced superyacht range.

Key details are still under wraps, so the performance of the yacht is unclear, but Sunreefs are really all about the living space. This first owner has opted for four guest cabins below and a huge master cabin at the front of the superstructure on the main deck. Here, it benefits from the full 14.70m beam with space for a super kingsized bed and a his ‘n’ hers bathroom complete with bath tub.

Lots of glazing makes the interior bright, while the owner’s cabin has its own access to the foredeck lounge.

Outdoor space is also impressive, with a 100m2 flybridge, complete with plunge pool and bar, plus a huge ‘ocean lounge’ with fold-down bulwarks aft.

Like many Sunreefs, the yacht is studded with solar panels to charge a huge lithium battery bank. Together with twin regenerating electric drives, this gives the yacht silent operation and potentially unlimited range in favourable conditions.

Sunreef 35 Eco specifications

LOA: 35.00m / 114ft 10in
Beam: 14.70m / 48ft 2in
Draught: unknown
Builder: sunreef-superyachts.com

Baltic 33m cat

This is a multihull first for Baltic Yachts and a rare sailing catamaran that breaks the 100ft barrier – in recent years, this has been the almost exclusive preserve of Sunreef. Design for this bluewater ‘explorer’ yacht is by Berret-Racoupeau, who has drawn a fairly conventional-looking shape with a low-profile flybridge and a full-beam bathing platform.

Hull moulding is currently underway with advanced lay-up in carbon Corecell.

The renderings show twin furling headsails and a bowsprit with an integrated roller at the tip designed for flying big loose-luffed downwind or reaching sails. All sail controls are brought back to the twin helm stations on the flybridge.

Other notable features include pivoting centreboards that swing up to slash the draught to just 1.70m so the boat can explore shallow waters. Noise levels will be very low in guest areas and Baltic also says the boat will operate with a low environmental footprint – she will be fitted with regenerative hybrid propulsion systems, and power consumption at anchor will be very low.

Interior design is by Jamie Bush who has gone for modern styling, wrapped in a classic palette of warm woods, crisp whites with ‘pops’ of sporty colour. “She’ll be very much an explorer yacht with exceptionally high levels of comfort, beauty and reliability, as well as some groundbreaking developments in efficiency,” predicts Baltic Yachts sales director Kenneth Nyfelt.

Baltic 33m cat specifications

LOA: 32.90m / 107ft 11in
Beam: 13.00m / 42ft 7in
Draught: 1.70m / 5ft 5in to 5.00m / 16ft 5in
Builder: balticyachts.fi

53m Panamax sloop

No stranger to the superyacht world, Dixon Design regularly produces sailing concepts – often with two masts or even Dynarigs (see previous page). But the latest is for an achingly sleek 53m aluminium sloop designed with a towering 61m carbon mast that will just squeeze under the Bridge of the Americas.

She can carry an estimated 1,250m2 of upwind sail, including a giant square-top main, for plenty of power and running backstays. Set against that is a lifting keel system that gives up to 6.75m of draught.

Key features include an elongated coachroof and a sizable aft deck for storing a ‘decent’ tender. There are also fold-down bulwarks to enlarge the relaxing area and under-deck stowage for jetskis.

The massively glazed deck saloon is filled with natural light, and provides dining for up to 10, plus sofas, a TV area and a bar.

Guest cabins are all in the aft section of the boat, with four double/twin berths all ensuite. The owner’s suite runs the full beam of the boat, and includes a dressing room and direct access to the aft deck through the bathroom.

The coachroof is set with 80m2 of solar panels for 20kW of power to keep the hotel systems running without firing up the generator. The boat is also equipped with a regenerating prop system from Hundested which could make it entirely energy autonomous for an extended cruise. However, Dixon says the design has been optimised for charter use.

53m Panamax sloop specifications

LOA: 53.00m / 173ft 10in
Beam: 11.00m / 36ft 0in
Draught: 4.50m / 14ft 7in to 6.75m / 22ft 2in
Sail area: 1,250m2 / 13,455ft2
Builder: dixonyachtdesign.com

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post 6 boundary-pushing and innovative superyachts revealed in 2025 appeared first on Yachting World.

When it’s on, it’s on. There’s no delaying showtime. Exactly 20 hours after leaving my UK home, while still hopelessly trying to rub the jetlag out of my eyes like an overtired infant, we were docking out of Cape Town and I was handed the keys to this souped-up super-cruiser. This was better than any caffeine hit.

The opportunity to sail a Southern Wind from its South African yard is one I’d craved for many years, but would a quick sea trial of the new award-winning SW108 during its commissioning phase, and before the yacht was even handed over to its owner, actually be possible?

More than that, how about a sail trial that allows you to move through the gears in response to the changing conditions, get fully powered up and steer this brand new yacht pedal to the floor at late teen speeds? Yes, in Cape Town, it seems it is!

The photos paint the scene well, but try also to picture being aboard. The feeling of helming this near 80-tonne beauty as it smoked along, planing offwind under the auspicious watch of Table Mountain, is formidable, and one I shan’t forget.

As someone who has spent his life in or on the water or plotting how to do so next, I have a heightened respect for any aqua-based activity around the ‘Cape of storms’. It’s wild. Indeed, later that evening, and for the following 48 hours of my visit, the wind swung offshore and really howled.

an iconic Cape Town backdrop to sail from, as Kiboko 4 slices to weather. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

Watching the swell breaking off the trendy beachfront of Camps Bay, I witnessed with awe as the merciless Cape Doctor rifled down the mountainous backdrop, ripping through the wave crests, while tourists struggled to hold their phones still enough to get their Insta sunset shots.

Yes, when you’re on the Cape, you feel at the end of the world. And those building boats here face the many challenges that presents, topmost of which the craft launched from its shores need to be up to the significant task of taking on that wild weather. Southern Wind has built its reputation on that over 30 years, its roots burnished in its entirely appropriate brand name.

One look at the sporty lines, flush decks, and shallow cockpit lead you to presume the SW108, and indeed the modern Southern Wind style, is not so fitting for such gnarly prospects. Granted, the Italian styling and lack of shelter is designed more for light wind Mediterranean glory sailing than Cape bashing.

But, and it’s a big but, they are built to take on the weather typical of these parts, both during the commissioning and sea trial phases, and of course for their shakedown voyage which is typically thousands of miles to the Med. I can now say this with confidence, having done a full tour of the yard following the trial.

A prime feature of the SW108 is the large tender garage and bathing platform space. Kiboko 4 has a twin set of steps leading down to this. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

Kiboko 4 is the second SW108 to launch, the second Kiboko I’ve trialled, and the fourth for this owner and skipper. It represents an evolution that really is in tune with that of the brand itself – larger, faster, smarter-built yachts on a semi-custom platform basis. Southern Wind is now building its largest model yet, in the SW123.

Tension mounts

Back to our trial, a big day for the yard too. We have the CEO, COO and technical manager aboard as well as the commissioning team, a select few wide-eyed media, and the pro crew. Their window to fine-tune is running out, with handover and worsening weather looming. When a stackpack fitting fails during the mainsail hoist, the intense pressure which comes at the culmination of a 20-month build becomes palpable.

With the main and genoa hoisted, we lean over onto a fetch and instantly match the early double-digit windspeeds off Cape Town’s waterfront.

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The power on tap from K4’s sail area is phenomenal. I note the readouts show six tonnes on the backstay and 12 tonnes of headstay load, the structured luff of the genoa helping absorb and distribute this load – all while Kiboko is still easing into her stride. But that’s in the comparative shelter. The commissioning team know what’s coming, they can see the swell wrapping around the point, the white caps offshore.

We switch down from genoa to staysail, a straightforward operation thanks to powered furlers, as the wind builds steadily through the mid-teens to the early 20s true. We’ve now got full heel on and K4’s averaging 10.5-11 knots at 31-33° to the apparent wind (50° True), slicing through the swell surging across our bow. And it points well too, thanks in part to the effective transverse jib tracks. These use hydraulic cylinders hidden under deck to control height and sheet lead angle.

From the rail or side decks you get a keen sense of heel angle, with 7.5m of midships beam presenting a long view downhill. Guests look for best places to sit or grip on. There are grab rails between and behind helms, but additional handholds would be prudent. At least the low cockpit makes for an easy cross during tacks.

Long timber coamings create a sleek look, provide a helmsman seat and integrates the coachroof. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

Remembering our spirited sail on Kiboko 3 in Palma, I’m pleased to see the long sheet tail lockers reinstated here, which really help to keep the cockpit sole tidy under sail.

It’s a reminder this SW108 is designed to suit light wind power sailing.

“Two important design features of Kiboko 4 are generous sail area for the potential not only to effectively race in light winds but for the manoeuvrability and acceleration to excel in those conditions along with high stability,” Farr Yacht Design’s VP Jim Schmicker points out. Indeed, Southern Wind builds in carbon for that benefit of enjoyable sailing while others have to motor (the SW108 polars show 8.4 knots boat speed is achievable in just 6 knots wind).

Smiles and grins gradually replace any of that aforementioned crew tension as we ease into long-stride sailing. I’m stoked to be handed the helm, instantly appreciating what a powerful yet sporty twin rudder design this is, and what a considerable amount of sail area it has.

K4 is definitely happier now under staysail, more balanced and settled and less loaded. It’s also playful. The carbon hull, deck, and bulkheads produce a comparatively light and stiff build, which you really feel, while in K4’s case, a tall, high modulus mast, carbon rigging, and a deep lifting keel bolster performance. It’s reactive sailing.

A powerful performer with high aspect twin rudders for a sporty feel while maintaining control. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

Although we have the crew and numbers aboard to trim from the winches, I also appreciate just how rewarding it is to play with sail settings from the helm. Having a single joystick control for captive mainsheet and traveller makes it so easy to depower the huge main.

Similarly, the hydraulic controls for Cunningham, vang, backstay and outhaul, are all on push buttons on both pedestals too.

The mainsheet is on a captive reel by the mast base, a ‘Harken Air captive’ which, like the Air winches, has hollowed-out sections to save weight.

Elsewhere, hardware including cleats, fairleads and stanchions is in titanium.

This is a mile-muncher, I note, as we continue to consistently clock double figures upwind. But once we free-off onto a reach Kiboko really locks into mid teen speeds with effortless ease.

And there it is, Table Mountain ahead, as we point our bows back towards Cape Town – what an iconic scene! The breeze is into the mid 20s now and we are really ripping along. Flocks of seabirds take flight from the windswept waves as K4’s bows thunder towards them.

Fine lines. Southern Winds may provide a pretty silhouette at anchor and perform in the light breeze, but are also known for sailing good distances and doing multiple ocean crossings. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

We’re averaging over 15 knots in 23 at 55° to the apparent wind. My brain tries to process it all, the data readouts and numbers, the feelings and emotions. Then we nudge over 18 knots in 27-28 knots going across and slightly with a wave. Wow! This is pure power and glamour stuff.

It feels like a bit of a blur after that, like a come down from a high speed adrenaline ride, but I take a moment to digest it while motoring back into port. Sailing this boat in these conditions is a special experience, in particular one that shows this yard’s confidence in its product.

Split level main saloon, with eight person dining table to port and large sofa daybed opposite, with steps leading down to TV snug/lounge. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

Pedigree breed

Kiboko 4 is the second SW108 following Gelliceaux, which won the St Barths Bucket in its maiden season last year. Chief differences are that the first hull includes a hybrid propulsion system, which resulted in a bit more weight and slightly higher mast, while K4 has a full-height lift keel from APM. This is housed in a carbon trunk, and reduces draught from 6.2m-4m. Kiboko is also trialling a novel alternative to teak on its deck, a heat-treated maple, sourced from sustainable forests.

You may well wonder why an owner would choose to upgrade from a SW105 – and you’ll be surprised to hear the main difference the SW108 offers: the tender garage! Overall, the slightly larger model offers more everywhere… more righting moment, loads, length, beam, weight etc.

And the geometry has changed with a refreshed coachroof design and beamier aft sections. Those aft lines play into this garage space gain, without reducing the crew area.
“Clients want bigger tenders,” confirms technical manager Yann Dabbadie, who took me through the boat. And it’s a significant step up, from the 4.35m on the SW105 to a 5.05m Williams Jet tender on the SW108.

Crew mess and area with navstation ideally placed at the foot of the crew companionway. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

A clever carriage system has been developed for shipping this RIB, using tracks which slot it neatly into the garage.

A ‘magic transom’ also now forms a huge beach club, double the size of that on the SW105. Kiboko has grand, dual stairways down to this terrace, an example of Southern Wind’s semi-custom ‘Smart Custom’ approach, while the third hull is different again, with toy space aft, yet the tender in a foredeck well.

Aboard Kiboko (and most modern Southern Winds), this foredeck locker is shallower and makes for a useful staysail or Code sail locker. Then there’s the real sail locker, which is a superb, extra-deep space. It has a partitioned section to one side for stowing the Code 0, a roller by the hatch for hoisting it, and the jib Cunningham cylinder in here, upgraded to take 8-tonnes load. It also provides access to the submarine anchor further forward. This design helps to bring weight aft, away from the bowsprit, and can be monitored from an underwater camera.

I later saw this whole bow section in the yard and was impressed with the thorough construction approach, namely the angled laminated area around the forefoot, a crashbox, and this watertight box for the anchor (all before you get to the main forward watertight bulkhead).

Pale fabrics and lots of natural light in the modest owner’s suite forward. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

Style tricks

Seen from the side, the SW108 is a sleek machine, where volume and glazing is disguised masterfully (a Nauta Design speciality).

A step down into the guest cockpit reduces the coachroof and coaming line by around 15cm, while the darker hull colour helps conceal huge hull windows. Indeed, when you first descend the main companionway you’re struck by the amount of natural light coming through these portlights and the long skylight above the saloon. Nauta’s Massimo Gino says Kiboko was specifically designed to encourage the most natural light. The incorporation of traditional-style deck prisms to bring natural light into the passageways below decks is another nice touch.

The design brings the numerous benefits of a raised saloon format without adding aesthetic bulk. So it provides the space and views, with the machinery space all contained below, and a natural division between owner and crew ends of the yacht.

Identical aft guest cabins with twin beds (can be doubles, triples, Pullmans etc too). Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

The crew area aft is an ideal layout for up to six crew in three cabins. It includes a large, light galley adjoining a mess, an ensuite captain’s cabin and large navstation at the foot of the direct access companionway.

Skipper Ramon, who has run all the previous Kibokos and spent a year on this build, wanted the most serviceable engine room possible, so removed everything that wasn’t loud or vibrating. The result is a low but beamy and well organised space. There’s also plenty of juice for the hydraulics available: with PTOs on the gensets and two DC powerpacks, almost 80kW’s worth at full power, all running efficiently at 48V.

“The owner’s brief called for a contemporary, functional, marine-inspired interior: fresh, warm, and welcoming,” Gino explains. “This is achieved through the use of bright light oak veneer paired with subtle touches of walnut.” It has a summer feel, with handwoven Mallorcan fabrics used for the upholstery. Yet beneath this joinery, and even the hand-made resin marble effect used in the guest bathrooms, are foam-cored panels.

The tricky part is being both light in build and durable for repeat builds. During the yard tour we saw how these honeycomb and foam panels need hard points within them to screw any fittings into. This is done at design stage, triggering a CNC file before the joiners start edging all the panels. It’s an impressive amount of forethought and results in a furniture construction booklet for every part, fiddle design, drawer etc.

The numerous deck and sunpad cushions really help enhance cockpit comfort and are kept in place using neat bolt-rope slides built into the coamings. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

Elsewhere, the yard’s Smart Custom approach offers good layout flexibility, particularly around the forward accommodation spaces. K4 really is an evolutionary yacht, which shows Southern Wind’s custom philosophy perfectly.

At the heart of this is an ethos to build upon knowledge gained in a good way – and to not expose clients to unnecessary complication, as CCO Andrea Micheli puts it.

This owner’s fourth Kiboko is, he says, primarily a family yacht for Med summers, and he dreams of taking it to the Caribbean and Maine.

But whether it’s crossing oceans, racing in superyacht regattas, or island cruising the SW108 is a yacht that has been finely-tuned to offer the most to its owners. Fittingly, it just won ‘Sailing Yacht of the Year’ at the World Superyacht Awards.

Multiple furling headsails. There’s also a double padeye for a storm jib on a 2:1 halyard, and a padeye for the Code 0, – during deliveries multiple sails are left rigged and ready. Photo: Oriol Esteve/Photonautic

Southern Wind 108 specifications

LOA: 32.87m 107ft 10in
LWL: 29.78m 97ft 8in
Beam (max): 7.51m 24ft 8in
Draught: 4.0m-6.2m 13ft 1in-20ft 5in
Displacement (lightship): 76,000kg 167,550lb
Ballast: 26,700kg 26,700lb
Sail area (100% foretriangle): 586.6m2 6,314ft2
Engine: Cummins 305hp + 2x 19Kw generators
Water: 3,000lt 660gal
Fuel: 4,600lt 1,012gal
Design: Nauta and Farr Yacht Design

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The hull of the 183ft/56m Perini Navi Bayesian, which sank after capsizing off Sicily with the loss of seven lives, has been raised from the seabed today, Friday 20 June.

The lifting of the intact hull of the superyacht is a major milestone in what has been an exceptionally complex and challenging salvage operation to recover the yacht from approximately 50m depth in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Bayesian was knocked down during a sudden violent storm whilst at anchor off the Northern coast of Sicily, and sank rapidly, resulting in the deaths of seven people in the early hours of 19 August 2024.

The raising of the Bayesian. Photo courtesy of Superyacht News/The Yacht Report.

Bayesian hull raised

TMC Marine, the specialist British company is leading the salvage operation, reported that – after weeks of preparation – the vessel has been slowly brought to the surface over the past three days.

In a statement released this afternoon, TMC reported: “Over the past three days the hull has been eased, or parbuckled, into an upright position, which gave access to the previously inaccessible starboard side that had been laying directly on the seabed, 50 metres below the surface of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Mediterranean.

The raising of the Bayesian. Photo courtesy of Superyacht News/The Yacht Report.

“During this time the vessel has been gradually lifted off the seabed so that additional lifting straps could be placed under the keel.

“The hull has been continually supported by eight steel lifting straps – four under each of the bow and stern sections – and which are part of a specially designed steel wire lifting arrangement.”

This lifting structure is attached to the enormous 5,695-grose-tonne floating heavy lifting crane, the Hebo Lift 10 – one of the biggest and most powerful marine cranes in Europe, which held the yacht securely on the seabed, before raising it.

The lifting of the superyacht has attracted considerable attention, with local and specialist channels live-streaming the salvage operation from Italy, such as superyacht channel The Yacht Report.

The boom of the Bayesian on the HEBO LIFT 2 salvage platform. Photo: TMC Marine

The hull is expected to remain in its current position until tomorrow, when it will be lifted clear of the water. Sea water will be pumped out of the hull as it is raised. It will then be held in a raised position over the weekend before – weather allowing – the Hebo Lift 10 will transport it to the Sicilian port of Termini Imerese, some 10 miles away,

Once in port, the Bayesian will be lifted onto a specially manufactured steel cradle that has been constructed on the quayside. That is scheduled to take place on Monday 23 June.

Bayesian salvage operation

The salvage operation has been complex and highly technical, with the specialist teams of around 70 people involved including the Dutch crane company HEBO, SMIT Salvage, and support from Italian specialists.. Besides Hebo Lift 10, a second giant vessel, the Hebo Lift 2 has also been deployed. This multi-purpose barge has 700sq m of deck space as well as an integrated crane.

HEBO LIFT 10 alongside sister-vessel-HEBO LIFT 2 in Termini-Imerese ahead of the Bayesian salvage operation. Photo: TMC Marine

The operation has increasingly been using remote-controlled tools following the tragic death of a salvage diver working for the Dutch SMIT Salvage team on May 9. Operations were halted for a period after the fatal incident.

Since May the yacht’s boom, mainsail and furling gear were recovered. A remote-controlled submersible was also deployed to cut one of Bayesian’s anchor chains, enabling the recovery of both the anchor and chain from the seabed.

On Tuesday, June 17 the yacht’s 72-metre mast was cut free using a remote-controlled diamond wire cutting tool and recovered onto the floating crane platform The mast was then lowered to the seabed to be recovered at a later stage. Removing the rig allowed the process of rotating the hull to begin, until the yacht was in a near-vertical position ready for lifting.

Throughout this salvage operation, the recovery team has been monitoring for pollution, and a precautionary oil boom is currently in place.

The cradle structure constructed to receive the salvaged Bayesian hull. Photo: TMC Marine

Investigation underway

Marcus Cave, Head of Naval Architecture and a Director of TMC Marine, said: “The salvage team has made very substantive progress in the last 10 days. They are now preparing for the final, complex and delicate lifting operation, to bring Bayesian to the surface and ultimately into port.

“This is a challenging programme of activity, that will be progressed in a measured and systematic way. While there is enormous interest in this project, we continue to ask that media and other spectators adhere to the security perimeter, which is in place to help protect the safety of everyone on site.”

The fatal sinking of the Bayesian is subject to a criminal investigation in Italy, while the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its interim report into the tragedy, which resulted in seven deaths, including that of the yacht’s owner Mike Lynch, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

A strict security cordon is in place around the yacht, of 1 nautical mile by air and 650m by sea around the working site.

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The UK-based Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report, released today, is the first official report into the sinking of the Bayesian which resulted in seven deaths off Sicily, including that of the yacht’s owner Mike Lynch, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

MAIB investigators have pieced together the sequence of events, the movements of the 10 crew and 12 guests onboard, and the rapid timeline of the sudden tragedy.

On 18 August, the Bayesian – a 183ft/56m Perini Navi superyacht launched in 2008 – was anchored at Cefalù, on the northern coast of Sicily, but with the wind increasing, it was decided to motor to Porticello, 25nm to the west, for the night – both for shelter from the forecast weather and to easily disembark guests the following day.

The report notes: “At 2124 Bayesian anchored to the east of the main breakwater. The centreboard [or swing keel] was in the raised position. Another yacht, the Sir Robert Baden Powell was also at anchor nearby.

“The seas were calm and there was a very light wind from the north-west. Thunderstorms had been forecast, and those on board Bayesian could see occasional flashes of lightning away to the west. Bayesian’s skipper left instructions to be woken by the overnight watchkeepers if the wind speed increased above 20 knots  or if there were signs that Bayesian was dragging anchor. Having checked the latest weather forecast, the skipper then went to bed.”

As the last guest went to bed, the first deckhand and evening steward stood an anchor watch. At 0100, a second deckhand took over. The wind was no more than 8kts, and there were no signs of Bayesian dragging anchor.

The Bayesian yacht at anchor on the night of the tragedy. Photo by Karsten Borner, skipper of Sir Robert Baden Powell

Approaching storm

At 0300, the second deckhand noted that although the wind was still 8kt from the west, the thunderclouds and lightning seemed to be getting closer. At around 0355, they videoed the advancing storm and posted it on social media, and went on deck to close the forward hatches and cockpit windows to keep the rain out.

The wind picked up to 30kts, hitting Bayesian broad on the port bow. The yacht began listing to starboard and the deckhand thought it had started dragging its anchor. The MAIB investigation confirms that, at around 0357, both Bayesian and Sir Robert Baden Powell began dragging their anchors in the rapidly worsening weather.

A few minutes later, around 0400, the deckhand woke skipper James Cutfield. At the same time the chief engineer woke up and headed to the engine control room to prepare the yacht for manoeuvring – firing up three generators, and also starting the steering pumps and hydraulic pumps for the yacht’s controllable pitch propeller.

Other crew, including the chief officer, chief steward, chef and stewards had been woken by the yacht’s change of motion – by this time the Bayesian was estimated to be listing between 10°-20° to starboard. The skipper gave orders that the rest of the crew should also be woken up as the anchor was dragging.

Crew were told to secure any loose items and standby for further orders – yacht chef Recaldo Thomas was reported to be in the galley stowing pans and shouted, “Good morning!” to the chief officer and stewards.

The MAIB reports that: “Bayesian was lying with the wind about 60° off the port bow and moving at 1.8kts south-south-east of its original position. Sir Robert Baden Powell was also dragging its anchor at a similar rate in a similar direction.”

Two guests with a young baby had also woken as Bayesian began to list; they headed to the saloon.

The location and tracks for Bayesian and Sir Robert Baden Powell as they dragged anchor on 19 August 2024. Image courtesy of MAIB

Knocked down in 15 seconds

The Chief Officer, Chief Engineer and Skipper confirmed that the engines and pumps were started, and that the Bayesian was ready to move.

The report notes: “As the skipper prepared to manoeuvre Bayesian up into the wind from their position on the flying bridge, the wind suddenly increased to more than 70kts. The awning over the flying bridge ripped from port to starboard.

“At 0406, Bayesian violently heeled over to 90° to starboard, taking less than 15 seconds to do so. People, furniture, and loose items fell across the deck. The generators shut down immediately and battery-supplied emergency lighting came on.”

In the dark and chaos, the skipper, one of the parents of the baby, owner (Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares), the bosun and a steward were all injured, either by falling or from things falling on them. The second deckhand was thrown into the sea from their position by the helm on the flying bridge.

Meanwhile, in their cabin, two guests used drawers that had slid out of furniture as an improvised ladder to climb out, climbing along walls to escape into the saloon area.

Two crew, including the first deckhand, also climbed up the walls to get out of the crew mess via a forward staircase. The report notes: “There was no indication of flooding inside Bayesian until water came in over the starboard rails and, within seconds, entered the internal spaces down the stairwells.”

A plan view of the deck of the Perini Navi Bayesian, which sank in 2024. Image courtesy of MAIB

Escape from flooded Bayesian

As water flooded the yacht, the Chief Engineer managed to escape through the port forward wheelhouse door, then helped the first deckhand out before heading aft to launch one of the two EPIRBs on board.

The first deckhand lifted two stewards out through an open door, forward and to port in the wheelhouse, onto the upper deck. The three then made their way aft – and, by this point, into the sea.

The report adds: “Separately, the Chief Officer had found the owner and pushed them through the cascading water up to the skipper on the flying bridge.” The Chief Officer and skipper managed to evacuate the baby and one of its parents by the same route.

The bosun and second deckhand climbed down into the wheelhouse and lifted two guests into the flying bridge, assisted by the Chief Officer and skipper. But as the Bayesian rotated to starboard and began sinking, the Chief Steward, bosun and second deckhand then found themselves trapped in an air pocket by a closed door to the port forward wheelhouse. With the assistance of a guest (who had also been injured), on the outside, they were able to open the door and escape.

An interior plan of the Bayesian Perini Navi super yacht. Image courtesy of MAIB

In one of the most dramatic descriptions, the report notes that the “Chief Officer, who had been swept to the back of the saloon and into another air pocket, dived down to open the sliding doors at the aft end of the saloon and managed to swim clear of the vessel.

“The skipper organised the abandonment from the flying bridge and instructed the guests and crew present there to swim clear of the mast and boom as the vessel was sinking.”

Launching the liferafts

By 0422, the Chief Engineer had launched the EPIRB and was sitting on the hull of the Bayesian, near the rudder. Having heard shouts from the skipper, they jumped into the sea and swam towards the gathering survivors. A deckhand improvised a tourniquet for the guest with a gashed arm, while the baby was placed on a cushion as a flotation device. Some survivors were treading water while others held on to some cushions that had floated free from the yacht.

The skipper and a deckhand swam back to the Bayesian and tried – but failed – to release the port aft liferaft. The Chief Officer then swam back to the yacht, and released the port forward liferaft from the sinking vessel. The crew towed the liferaft to the survivors.

At approximately 0424, the liferaft was inflated and boarded. The Chief Steward told investigators that from the liferaft they saw the bows of Bayesian rise up and then sink below the surface. Their skipper of Sir Robert Baden Powell also reported briefly seeing a dark triangular shape descending into the water, later believing this to be Bayesian’s bow sinking.

After 10 minutes and two attempts, a parachute flare was fired from the liferaft that was seen by the crew of Sir Robert Baden Powell, who dispatched its tender to recover those on the liferaft, before returning to search for other survivors. However, no further survivors were found, and the bodies of six guests and one crew member were subsequently recovered by the local authorities.

New facts may emerge

An MAIB safety investigation is not designed to apportion blame or liability. As there is also a criminal investigation being conducted by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Sicily, the MAIB investigation has had limited access to the wreck of the Bayesian and other key evidence.

The MAIB notes that the circumstances depicted in its interim report may change, if more evidence held by the Italian authorities is released, or following examination of the wreck.

Salvage of the wreck is due to restart today, Thursday 15 May, after initial work was halted following the tragic death of a diver at the site.

However, the MAIB also investigated the design and stability, operation and emergency procedures of the Bayesian, as well as the forecast weather and conditions experienced.

The Bayesian superyacht, which sank off the coast of Sicily, anchored on a previous occasion. Photo by Shutterstock

Storm that sank the Bayesian

The MAIB report notes that: “Early Italian weather forecasts ahead of the accident predicted intense and persistent rain, mainly in the form of showers or thunderstorms…[with] storms [being] accompanied by strong wind gusts.

The MAIB investigation commissioned the Met Office to analyse conditions north of Sicily on 19 August 2024. The Met Office study noted that local data suggested a large amount of convective available potential energy (known as the ‘CAPE’ index) in the atmosphere, which combined with wind shear created conditions that were ‘borderline for the development of supercells’.

Supercells are defined by the MAIB as an “isolated mesocyclonic storm that… produce damaging winds and hail and can produce tornados, or tornadic waterspouts. The thunderstorms have associated updrafts and downdrafts. Updraft associated winds can be tornadic in character and can be associated with winds from 56kts to over 175kts. A downdraft is where precipitation and wind “falls” from the storm. Downdraft associated winds can be intense and cause damage when they reach the ground.”

Radar image, showing the passage of rain across the Bay of Palermo on 19 August 2024, shortly before the Bayesian super yacht sank. Image courtesy of MAIB

63.4 knots to capsize the Bayesian

The MAIB also commissioned a detailed study of the Bayesian’s stability – analysing the information in the yacht’s Stability Information Book and the angles of vanishing stability for the yacht at three states of ‘load’ – ie how full the tanks were at the time.

The study was conducted by the Wolfson Unit in Southampton, and is complex – we will follow up with expert analysis of the available data in further detail.

Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator, told the Press Association: “You have the wind pushing the vessel over and then you have the stability of the vessel trying to push the vessel back up right again. And what our studies found was that they show that the Bayesian may have been vulnerable to high winds and that these winds were likely to have been evident at the time of the accident.”

Yacht vulnerabilities ‘not known to crew’

The report states that: “The study indicated that if the wind was blowing directly onto Bayesian’s beam and the yacht was in the ‘motoring’ condition, a gusting wind speed in excess of 63.4kts would likely result in the vessel capsizing.”

It adds that, in the state of load that the yacht was in at the time “once Bayesian heeled over to an angle greater than 70.6° (the angle of vanishing stability) there was no chance of a return to an even keel.

The report adds: “These vulnerabilities (when in the motoring condition with sails lowered, the centreboard raised and 10% consumables on board) were not identified in the stability information book carried on board. Consequently, these vulnerabilities were also unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian.”

We’ll update with more information as it becomes available.

The post What happened to the Bayesian? First official report reveals events on night of fatal sinking appeared first on Yachting World.

Boiling down the experience of building almost 40 yachts around 100ft, Southern Wind has revealed a project to build the ultimate in the genre. Due for delivery late this year, the Southern Wind 100X is described as a ‘crossover’ – an all-seas fast carbon cruiser that finds the balance between performance and comfort.

Farr Design has developed a hull that aims to reduce wetted surface to the minimum, arguing that this requires a smaller rig, lighter sailplan and lower ballast in a virtual circle that leads ultimately to a smaller engine and lower fuel consumption.

A telescopic keel is a key element of this approach. The boat has been developed for smart hybrid propulsion with a variable-pitch prop for regeneration under sail.

Nauta’s deck design features a large, protected cockpit and a 20m2 seating area aft, which has been dubbed the ‘seaside lounge’, with access to a gigantic fold-down bathing platform.

Hidden underneath the lounge is a versatile storage space capable of garaging a Williams SportJet 435 or even a small vehicle. Sustainable maple decking is used instead of teak.

Southern Wind 100X specifications

LOA: 30.53m
Beam: 7.32m
Draught: 4.00m
Sail area: n/a
Guests: 8 + 4 crew
Builder: sws-yachts.com

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The post Southern Wind 100X first look: Performance and comfort combined appeared first on Yachting World.

There are very few times I feel the need to video the scene from a day on the water simply to brag to my friends. But standing in the master cabin of the stealthy Wallywhy 200, watching the foiling AC75s Ineos Britannia and Emirates Team New Zealand streak past while warming up for America’s Cup battle, was a moment to savour – and one that had me reaching for my phone camera.

Why am I talking about the Why – it’s a motoryacht? Yes, the Wallywhy 200 is another revolutionary, achingly hip Wally. To experience that view from a master cabin – a sumptuously furnished one with near 360° surround vision – within the motoryacht’s snub-nosed plumb bow was mind-boggling. As was watching the day’s Cup matches over lunch from the covered flybridge. But after racing the experience was over: we just motored back to port. All of which helped me realise just how special its sailing yacht counterpart is.

The following day we watched the next round of match races from this first new Wallywind 110, Galma. While it may have lacked the auto stabilisation and positioning of the Wallywhy, comfort levels were similarly resplendent on deck – if not more so.

And despite the excitement of being so close to the live America’s Cup racing, it is the sailing experience afterwards which remains so much more memorable. Taking the wheel of this formidable 70-tonne pinup, when it’s heeled, loaded and scything upwind in double digits, was sublime.

This is more than simply a sail/power preference.

Both boats are the height of style in their respective fields, both are new Wally models of similar size (90ft and 110ft) which prove Wally is still a pioneer of carbon craft, and both days were exclusive experiences. But while the other support and spectator boats returned to dock after racing, we went sailing on Galma – an experience which even transcended achieving a lifetime dream of watching the America’s Cup from the water.

‘Galma prioritises the experience of being on the helm’. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Wally vision

The slogan of the cult Italian design brand is ‘20 years ahead’, which feels far fetched until you see an example: in Barcelona the 19-year-old 143ft Esense still looked contemporary as it stole the dockside limelight near the Kiwis’ base. Wally has prided itself on innovation over its three decades, notably with carbon fibre hulls with lifting keels, push-button short-handed sailing, and transoms offering a ‘terrace-on-the-sea’.

For me, it is that ability for one person to easily sail and trim such a large high-speed vessel which remains so impressive today. In the photos here, the white-haired Wally founder Luca Bassani is still doing it, at the helm by himself, a beacon of Italian cool.

As I was to discover in Barcelona, Galma prioritises that experience of being on the helm to an elevated level. But it also brings plenty more to the party (a glance at the cockpit will show you that it can literally host a party). Which brings us to why Bassani calls this the “best Wally ever delivered”. When you look back over 30 years of trendsetters such as Wallygator, WallyB, Tiketitan, Magic Carpet, the Wallynano, Esense – even the now much-imitated Wallytender – why is this the best?

Galma has the sailpower and performance to offer something truly special for those on the wheel. She has already clocked speeds in the early 20-knots with upwind sails. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

“For the design and performance mix over 30 years of learning… this is the best compromise between cruising and performance.

“This has always been my goal with Wally,” Bassani continues. “To produce boats which are fast or fun for the owner but also comfortable for going cruising.”

Wallywind 110 first impressions

Galma is the first of Wally’s new semi-custom series of 110-150ft Wallywind performance cruisers, launched under its parent Ferretti brand. The metallic blue hull is a Judel/Vrolijk design moulded from carbon fibre composite. Initially on the renders I admit to not fully appreciating the look – is it special enough, the sceptic in me wondered? But then I saw it in the flesh, sailed it and my mind changed dramatically.

The high bulwarks, bare carbon and curved teak styling are all very Wally. But the reverse sheer aft is a striking feature which helps you to feel safe within the boat, all while reducing freeboard height. This muscly but low silhouette is important, the bulwarks helping to disguise a proper raised saloon coachroof and the cockpit depth, cloaking its size when seen from the side.

The drawback is it means there’s not enough headroom to offer a master cabin aft. However the layout is arguably the optimum for crew/owner separation at this size, and once this decision was made the conception of the vast cockpit could germinate properly.

‘At a glance the cockpit will show you that it can literally host a party’. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

And this is the real game-changing aspect of the Wallywind: deck comfort. Galma offers 80m2 lounging space, including tables, sofas and sunpads with a flush level guest cockpit completely separated from the sailing systems.

Then there’s the sea terrace, another much-imitated feature that Wally pioneered, which is palatial here.

To transfer a guest while we were under sail, Galma’s Wallytender simply nosed up to the transom so that he could step off.

Bassani explains that the design of the wide, overhanging transom also helps bring speed gains. They realised this potential after lengthening the Wallycento Hamilton, which then became 0.5 knot quicker upwind, he says. So rather than building a new mould for the Wallywind 110, the mould for the previous Wally, the custom-built 101ft cruiser-racer Y3K, was extended with overhangs aft.

Shore power, mooring winches, deck wash etc are all hidden away under the wide bulwark coamings. Note the outboard facing sofas. Photos: Gilles Martin-Raget

Galma is potently rigged, with a 1.5m taller mast than Y3K. The owner wanted a high-performance package, opting for a telescopic keel and square-top mainsail (although Bassani feels the self-tacking jib is a little
under specced as it’s a furling model with soft battens).

Not just pretty

Not long after the Kiwis had gone 4-0 up in the Cup, and the support fleet had dispersed into port, Galma quickly changed from hosting to thrill mode. We were treated to ideal, flat water conditions, and from when the sails were hoisted, unfurled and trimmed to shipped again, we never seemed to drop below double figures.

“What we can call the cockpit on this boat is like a cockpit on a big motoryacht – 80m2 with no steps,” says Luca Bassani. Photos: Gilles Martin-Raget

It was a pure demonstration of big yacht performance. This powerful, beamy hull matched the 11-14 knot breeze on a fetch, comfortably in cruise mode with numerous guests aboard.

Bassani then invited me to helm first. Wow! This is a commanding machine fully powered up. Again we consistently matched the 12-13 knot wind strength sailing close hauled at 25° to the apparent. Once the sails are trimmed and balanced, it’s just two fingers on the wheel and feeling this slippery machine cutting to weather leaving no wake.

Bear away to a fetch and you really feel the power. The twin rudders give plenty of grip but at the helm you gain a reassuring degree of weatherhelm, while speeds rise into the early teens.

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The overriding impression is the ease and enjoyment of sailing such a big boat solo. For the helmsman to feel the carbon hull move through the water and be able to trim to each puff as if on a large daysailer is special. Again, it’s a Wally speciality.

The use of Magic Trim rams below deck to make trimming a push-button affair was another Wally first, which it introduced with hydraulic specialists Cariboni on the Wally 88 Tiketitan in 1998. Aboard Galma there’s a technical locker below the helm area to access these rams, as well as the two carbon quadrants.

While sitting out to weather demonstrating the windward helm position, Bassani points out that there’s 12 of us on board, yet we aren’t even using the guest cockpit. It’s at this point I notice something unusual.

Toby on the helm sailing off Barcelona

I’ve sailed many large yachts and the majority of performance-focussed ones in latter years have been very beamy with near flush decks. When they heel, they can look almost comical, as guests scramble for places to hold on and invariably end up resting against the windward side of the coachroof (if there is one) or sitting on the weather rail as if race crew. It’s hardly glamorous.

Not so here. The cockpit has high backrests and can seat plenty, but there are multiple other comfortable positions, particularly the seats which face outboard from the cockpit – I soon found myself wondering why these are not a standard feature on many larger yachts. Meanwhile the high bulwarks and wind-protected sea terrace provide more options to leeward.

There are a total of 52 cushions on deck, so to prevent the need to stow them at heel or risk losing any overboard, they are securely attached with pins into deck sockets. The majority of the cockpit can also be sun-shaded with a sprayhood and bimini. With plenty to hold onto and ample spaces to sit in comfort, it’s refreshingly at odds with many large performance yachts these days.

The impressive owner’s cabin. Photo: Toni Meneguzzo

I’ve sailed off Barcelona plenty of times but have never ticked off stretches of its coastline quite so effortlessly. Twin blade rudders help control the near 700m2 of upwind sail area, while Galma’s pointing ability is aided by its telescopic keel. As standard this would be a 4.5m fixed keel, where this can lower another 2.3m deeper.

Screens lift out of the bulwark to allow you to see the numbers clearly while on the helm. There are also repeaters on the rear side of the guest cockpit chairs, which I found handy with the sprayhood raised as that can hinder the view to the main mast base instruments.

Skipper Miguel ran the Frers designed Wally 94 before (the former Y3K), the owner’s second of three Wallys, and comments on just how different this Galma is. The tech space and engine room are so much better, he says. He admits to having been nervous of the increased loads – it’s a much, much bigger boat, but the accurate load cells and the reliability of the systems have brought peace of mind. Indeed he is now trying to convince his owner to race.

The benefit of using that full beam aft to prioritise deck space over accommodation is also felt in the vast garage below the aft deck. As is common for Wally clients, Galma’s owner uses an independently-operated Wallytender to flank the mothership, so this garage is more a of a well appointed lazarette. It houses a deflated 3.5m crew dinghy, and has space for all fenders, extra refrigeration, bimini storage and numerous toys, with a watertight bulkhead sealing it from the accommodation.

Light interior, with light oak and soft fabrics. Galma features a table for eight in its saloon, with deep sofas opposite and a well-stocked bar forward. Photo: Toni Meneguzzo

Privacy and quiet

With such a cockpit, the saloon becomes less relevant, yet plenty of that 7.6m beam is still felt in the raised saloon. Wally’s design team developed the deck and interior with the Santa Maria Magnolfi studio, bringing a feeling of style continuity.

The layout below decks is a tried and tested format for a performance superyacht of this size, with an owner’s cabin forward, and galley and crew area with its own access aft. It’s an arrangement that’s most practical for the crew, gives maximum segregation to the owners, who are kept away from noise especially when Med-mooring, and works particularly well here with the deck cockpit and layout already described.

Two or three guest cabins can be chosen. Galma has the latter, which sees a guest cabin forward of the saloon too, leaving a relatively modest en-suite master cabin. Otherwise, the semi-custom format of the Wallywind 110 offers the chance to extend that owner cabin, replacing the fourth cabin with extra en-suite space.

There is also a multipurpose area, which can be office or TV snug, or, in Galma’s case, a sumptuously stocked bar. It’s something more fitting of Barcelona’s famous Sips or Paradiso cocktail bars than a high-performance yacht, but when you commission a boat out of as much carbon as possible, I guess you get to choose a few displacement concessions.

One of three guest cabins. Photo: Toni Meneguzzo

In terms of finish, the light veneers, fabric and upholstery featured on the Wallywind 110 are modest and tasteful, neutral and natural, contrasting with more strident black carbon soles and detailing. These clear-coat soles may look slick, but were already showing numerous dents. The carbon door stops meanwhile – which operate hands-free by popping up when you press them with your toe – are genius!

The crew area works hard, with its long, narrow mess and practical U-shaped galley. Galma runs with four permanent crew, taking on an extra hand when guests are aboard. The separate crew companionway aft leads from the sailing systems straight to a chart table at its foot.

I also appreciated how the area has been well thought out for multipurpose use – the mess table can be used for ironing, while the navstation stool adjoins the mess when the extra crewmember is aboard. The large electrics panels opposite are well organised for accessing, monitoring and troubleshooting the 24V systems and fuses, and the bilges offer deep and plentiful dry goods stowage spaces.

A prime benefit of a raised saloon is the ability to house the majority of the machinery below, which then frees up accommodation space. The engine room is seated headroom only but enjoys near full beam. Here, a 425hp Cummins engine is flanked by 27kW gensets each side, both with PTOs (power take offs) to deliver power to the hotel loads or hydraulics. A 125lt hydraulic oil tank feeds the winches, keel, and Magic Trim systems. The engineer pointed out how they’ve deliberately doubled up on all the major systems for redundancy.

Galma is powerfully rigged with a Hall Spars mast, ECsix rigging and a North wardrobe that includes square-top main, storm jib, code 0 and A-sail. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Forward thinking

The second Wallywind 110 is due to launch this summer, while the Wallyrocket 51ft raceboat is already sailing. So what do the next 20 years ahead look like, I ask Bassani?

“The next thing is to apply the concept of this boat on different sizes,” by which he refers to the Wallywind’s deck layout and cockpit comfort which is comparable to a motoryacht.

I think back to when the first Wally yachts started to emerge in the glitzy Med harbours in the late 1990s. I was working on a superyacht, and had never seen anything like it. They literally redefined cool – quite literally, when you consider what was for English-speakers a dorky slang term.

To have also continually brought big new ideas to the superyacht world, while remaining at the forefront of style for three decades, is unique.

Sailing upwind on Galma in cruise mode with bimini up – still a thrill and easy to trim and enjoy with a small crew. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Galma may not be the fastest racer or most finely-built cruiser but, like many from the Wally stable, it offers a fiendishly enticing mix. Is the Wallywind 110 the best Wally ever? I’ll leave that for the man who has conceived them to call. But it certainly allows me to unashamedly keep calling Wally the coolest brand in our sport.

Wallywind 110 specifications

LOA: 33.40m / 109ft 7in
Beam: 7.60m / 24ft 11in
Draught (fixed keel): 4.50m / 14ft 9in
Displacement (light): 71,900kg / 158,511lb
Sail area: 635m2 / 6,385ft2
Design: Judel/Vrolijk, Wally, Santa Maria Magnolfi

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The post Wallywind 110 review: ‘I’ve never ticked off stretches of coastline so effortlessly’ appeared first on Yachting World.

This new generation YYachts Y8 is the Griefswald yard’s third version of this 80ft size. The original, which helped launch the brand in 2015, was a Lorenzo Argento and David Copperfield design. Surge Projects’ Javier Jaudenes, designer of WinWin and the recent Baltic Café Racer series, then drew the replacement that launched two years ago, which he has now updated again including a new deck, structure and interior.

The deck design and ergonomics had key input from a lead designer at Apple, who is also a Y7 owner. Having a top product designer fine-tune the details was enlightening.

“The thinking is completely different from previous models – a different interpretation of the coachroof and the cockpit created by a design icon leader and a YYachts customer,” founder Michael Schmidt explains.

A wide, flat spacious deck. Photo: Nico Martinez

Minimalism

Schmidt owns this first new YYachts Y8, Calabash, which has a very different interior, deliberately minimalist in the vast saloon to help emphasise the volumes. And in common with his recent new models, it has a Scandinavian architectural feel, this time thanks to renowned Danish designer David Thulstrup.

The significant interior volume, which is 20% greater than its predecessor, helped the design team to offer a large variety of layouts, including owner’s accommodation fore or aft. Jaudenes admits this was a challenge: “to conceive an aesthetically pleasing vessel capable of accommodating four distinct layouts while maintaining essential structural elements.”

He has taken the max beam right aft to the transom, “with flared sides ensuring substantial hull stability and a generous garage space to accommodate a sizeable tender plus ample storage.”

With the bimini fitted over the guest cockpit. Photo: Nico Martinez

Calabash is the first Y-series without a lifting aft deck hatch over the garage (the helms are further aft which prevents this), however the garage can still house a Williams 4.95m jet tender. Also gone are the twin engines in favour of a single block below the saloon – this huge soleboard section is now a showpiece that lifts on rams.

Where the Y7 is designed to be able to sail by an owner-driver (perhaps with a skipper to help occasionally), the YYachts Y8 is managed by two permanent crew, so there is increased separation between them and the owner’s area.

“We need to make our boats acceptable, understandable and appreciable to motorboat owners,” says managing director Tijl Hetterschijt, who was aboard for our sail trial. He likens this mentality to that of electric car owners – “keeping it uncomplicated is key” and says it’s therefore a more similar setup to the YYachts Y7 than the YYachts Y9.

Article continues below…

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That said, for the deck layout, YYachts wanted the feel of an 85-footer, which it certainly gives. You can now walk all around the deck and deckhouse, while the use of 30° spreaders negates the need for a backstay, a feat that seems to defy physics. (Calabash has runners for the square-top mainsail but these are not deemed necessary).

Easy speed

For our trials we had an ideal thermal afternoon breeze of 13 to 16 knots in the Bay of Palma, which allowed us to clock double figures. We nudged 10.5 knots at 40-45° to the apparent wind, but that induced a fair amount of heel and load – you get a good sense of this on the wheel through direct steering and there’s plenty of grip from the twin rudders. However, by nosing up to 30-35° we found a more comfortable heel angle with the log still averaging 9-9.5 knots under white sails.

Serious sailpower from Doyle: square-top mainsail combines with gennaker for fast reaching in light airs. Photo: Nico Martinez

As has long been commonplace for Michael Schmidt’s yachts, a self-tacking jib comes as standard to make handling easier. This is a good size as the foretriangle has been increased to offer optimal driving forces, says Jaudenes. Calabash also had extra grunt provided by the square-top main.

This sailpower combines with the powerful, wide hull shape yet comparatively lightweight displacement of her carbon composite build for lively performance.

To put that in perspective, the YYachts Y8 is the same length as the CNB 78 yet is 10 tonnes lighter. It can also be fitted with a shallow draught lifting or telescopic keel.

“The sail plan configuration strikes a balance between delivering substantial driving forces and mitigating heeling moments, delaying reefing until wind speeds of 18 knots,” Jaudenes continues.

Wide lower saloon includes an extendable dining table. Photo: Willem Keuppens / www.willemkeuppens.com

YYachts gives different options for the mainsheet: the mainsheet winch plinth we had; a bimini with single-point; a Magic Trim system within the boom; or a fixed bimini roof with the mainsheet track on top.

The huge, wide open aft deck presents quite the dance floor to try and negotiate at heel. I’ve mentioned this with past YYachts designs and it’s something owners and guests will need to be wary of. While the helmsman and trimmers have some bracing points to help negotiate tacks, there are no handholds or bracing for crew/guests… grippy shoes are needed.

The aft guardrail is also very low. And despite an excellent bimini sheltering the guest cockpit, the deck is very flat elsewhere with little comfort. Even the mooring winches are hidden inside aft quarter lockers. Such a form-over-function approach will create mixed reactions.

Open space is emphasised by freestanding chairs and sofa. Photo: Willem Keuppens / www.willemkeuppens.com

Plenty will comment on how unsuitable it is for sailing offshore, but they need to remember most owners of this type of craft are daysailing from chic Med marinas and anchorages. It should also be emphasised that these are semi-custom yachts and owners can choose where they want to install crash bars and handrails.
Scandi minimalism
Like many of Schmidt’s boats, there’s a proper wow factor on stepping below decks, thanks to an ultra-clean architectural style.

YYachts describes this first YYachts Y8 interior as “a sophisticated blend of modern and Scandinavian influences”. There is plenty of wood trim and in this case the Danish designer pushed for the uncommon choice of mahogany trim (and soles) which adds some warmth and elegance.

Four layout options, four different timber veneer choices, and a range of predesigned furniture colour choices mean each owner can tailor-make their interior.

Forward of here on Calabash is the owner’s cabin. Photo: Irina Boersma

The style takes influence from the luxury furniture industry – the free-standing furniture is particularly bold in the saloon, and stands out for its minimalism. Aboard Calabash, the semi-raised saloon simply features just these two chairs and a small sofa, deliberately done to emphasise the space (so YYacht’s novel sliding handrail system is needed at heel!). The mast base has pride of place, like a totem pole in the centre of the saloon.

The majority of the saloon sole lifts on rams to reveal the engine and genset, while the entire forward section of the saloon sole will lift like this on the second YYachts Y8 to access the watermaker and batteries.

The four-cabin version has a more traditional saloon with a third guest cabin forward and a versatile office area. There are also two reverse layouts offered, with the owner cabin aft switching with the crew/galley aft.

Forward of Calabash’s saloon, the large table has extensions at each end to make a long dining table, designed so they don’t normally encroach on access to the twin entrances of the forward cabin.

Saloon sole lifts on rams to reveal engine and genset. Photo: Irina Boersma

Another neat touch is the hidden locking system for the large crockery and glass drawers and lockers each side – push a button and these will lock electronically when you go sailing. A similar system is used for the lockers in the master cabin, while large hatches below the berth can butterfly open for stowage.

Such is the headroom height in the identical twin en-suite guest cabins aft, you can’t even reach the headlining or open the hatch in the heads. Moving through the central corridor aft leads through the passageway-style galley and into the crew’s domain, mess and crew cabin with direct access to the aft deck.

All together this is a generous area with good separation from the owner’s living areas. The mess table can be used as a bed but with no navstation, chartwork or navigation will also need to be done here.

Lively performance has helped YYachts’s popularity – particularly for easy Med day sailing. Photo: Nico Martinez

Following the Palma show and our sail trial, Schmidt was gearing his yacht up for its first race at the Superyacht Cup Palma.

“For me, this new YYachts Y8 is a very special design – after all, I founded the shipyard with the first Y8,” he comments.

I sailed that boat (Cool Breeze) with him 10 years ago, so it was interesting to see it in Palma for sale this year, still looking fresh in its peppermint green livery – and to note that the style, down to the leather door latches and sliding handrails, remains contemporary today.

I wondered back then how well these minimalist designs would be received and how big the market would be for these large, semi-custom, fast composite yachts.

But clearly the veteran boatbuilder knows his stuff. YYachts has grown to become one of the most – if not the most –successful yards in this niche sector. It has now sold 10 YYachts Y8s altogether, plus 23 Y7s, two custom yachts and the fourth Y9 is in construction!

YYachts Y8 specifications

LOA: 23.99m / 78ft 9in
LOA (including bowsprit): 25.99m / 85ft 3in
LWL: 22.40m / 73ft 6in
Beam: 6.58m / 21ft 7in
Displacement (light): 38,800kg / 85,538lb
Draught: 4.30m / 14ft 1in (or 2.80-4.30m / 9ft 2in-14ft 1in)
Sail area total upwind: 343.43m2 / 3,696ft2
Sail area total downwind: 724.69m2 / 7,800ft2
Ballast (fixed keel): 13,300kg / 29,321lb
Fuel: 1,300lt / 286gal
Water: 1,300lt / 286gal
Price: €4m or €5m ex VAT fully equipped
Design: Surge-Projects/David Thulstrup
Builder: yyachts.de

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The post YYachts Y8 Calabash review: Sailing this semi-custom, designer cruiser appeared first on Yachting World.

Update Tuesday 20 August: Specialist divers have, this morning launched a fresh search for the six people missing off the coast of Sicily. The missing individuals have been named as Mike Lynch, a British tech entrepreneur, Hannah Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, Chris Morvillo, a lawyer who represented Lynch during a trial, and his wife Neda Morvillo, as well as Jonathan Bloomer, the chair of Morgan Stanley International bank, and his wife Judy Bloomer, a charity trustee.

The yacht Bayesian is a Perini Navi, launched in 2008 under the name Salute, and had 22 people onboard with 10 crew and 12 passengers. Those onboard included British, American and Canadian nationals.

The yacht left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Wednesday 14 August, and AIS data shows the yacht last transmitted its position off Palermo around 0400 local time.

Italian press are reporting that the yacht was at anchor 300 meters from the Porticello harbour, near Palermo when it was hit by severe and sudden weather, and sank rapidly. It is not clear what caused the sinking, but some eyewitness accounts suggest it may have been suddenly dismasted.

The sudden storm is being reported as tornado-like conditions, or a waterspout.

Those onboard were assisted by other sailing vessels in the harbour, as well as emergency services, and 15 were rescued, including a one-year-old child and their parents.

Six are believed to still be missing, and search and rescue operations are still ongoing with divers on the scene. The yacht is understood to have sunk in around 50 meters of water. One body has been recovered by emergency services.

The yacht is British flagged and managed by Camper and Nicholsons International. It is the last of the 56m Perini Navi series, designed in collaboration with Ron Holland and built of aluminium, with a sloop rig 75m mast.

We’ll update more when we have further information.

The post Breaking news: One dead, six missing after sailing superyacht sinks off Sicily appeared first on Yachting World.

Sailors make a beeline for the tiny Caribbean island of St Barth every March to join one of the most hotly anticipated events in the superyacht racing calendar. The Bucket Regatta is legendary for its sailing and socialising, but imagine taking part on a boat you’d actually drawn yourself. Well, for the renowned yacht designer Malcolm Mckeon, this is no mere fantasy.

“I think I’ve been going to the Bucket Regatta for almost 20 years,” he told us. “Sailing conditions are ideal for racing superyachts with interesting courses around the outlying islands. For most of those Buckets, I’ve had the pleasure to race on yachts I designed. I’m quite often invited on the newly launched yachts as I’ve already built up a relationship with the client.”

This year was no exception, as Mckeon was invited back by the proud new owner of 110ft Zemi, delivered by Baltic Yachts late last summer. It was only the second outing on the racecourse for a high-performance bluewater cruiser that Mckeon had conceived with a marked turn of speed and a full carbon fibre layup. And like many of the big yachts on the Caribbean circuit, she’d participated in the Superyacht Challenge in Antigua just one week earlier.

“I’d have already been aboard for the final sail trials – so it’s not as if I haven’t been on the boat before,” says Mckeon. “Joining a client aboard their yacht after delivery is more a social thing, really. But it’s nice to see how the boats compete on the racetrack and how well they are sailed.

fully powered up on a reaching leg. The Bucket is a prime chance to see what new superyachts are capable of when pushed in tradewinds. Photo: Michael Kurtz

“You certainly get a much better feel for how the boat performs than on sail trials – I suppose the sail trials are more about making sure that, within reason, the boat performs as per the design and as intended. But once you start racing, it’s more about fine-tuning performance.”

Mckeon was more of a guest than a member of the race crew, invited, he says, to advise and accompany an owner who is himself an experienced sailor. “I tend to avoid getting involved in any manoeuvres nowadays,” the designer says. “I used to run forward and help get the kite down, but I feel I’m getting in the way now – these guys are so much bigger and stronger! But if I see something that’s snagged or a line that needs coiling, of course I’ll help.”

Getting involved

But that didn’t mean he was sitting quietly among Zemi’s afterguard sipping tea. In fact, Mckeon admits he found it hard not to speak up at times.

“You don’t want to get involved with questioning the boat or the navigators and how they’re choosing to sail the boat tactically. You don’t want to step on their toes. But certainly, with regards to how the boat is being sailed in terms of sail trim and weight, moving the weight around on the boat, and even the more technical aspect of rudder angles, heel angles, etc, it’s hard not to comment. I only want to help – everyone has their own way and method!”

Mckeon was quite clear that the mainsail could be trimmed in a way that better suited Zemi’s design. And he improved the fore-and-aft trim of the boat by placing the crew in optimum locations according to the weather conditions. Whether his advice made the difference or not, at her Antigua debut, Zemi came 3rd of three in her class, while at St Barth, she was 3rd out of five.

Malcolm Mckeon at the helm of Zemi, a yacht from his own drawing board.

“The boat performed as expected and I was happy with the result – we came in behind the two J-Class yachts and ahead of the two other 34m to 35m modern sloops,” he says. “I don’t think we could have done any better, really, against the boats in our class. We also received a lot of comments about the elegant look of the boat and how well she sailed. To me that’s always important.”

Zemi sets a prodigious quantity of sail: 360m2 for the pinhead main, 276m2 for the blade jib – both in North Sails moulded 3Di composite – and an epic 1,110m2 for the big A2 gennaker. Set against that is the righting moment from a 28-tonne telescopic keel that can extend the draught to 5.8m. In sea trials last year, the yacht achieved sailing speeds in excess of 25 knots – pretty hair-raising for a monohull. But despite her highly technical lay-up in carbon composite, Mckeon says the brief was always for a cruising boat.

Cruising first

“While the owner wanted to partake in regattas, racing was never the priority,” he says. “The intention was to cruise for three years or so and join some regattas after that. Thinking ahead, however, the boat has been designed to carry a square-top main and bigger sails for racing. Their entry into the Antigua Superyacht Challenge was a bit of a last-minute decision, but they enjoyed it so much that they decided to join the Bucket too.

“With regatta participation, you push the boat a little bit more than you would do when you’re cruising, so actually I think it’s really good for the crew to have had the opportunity to test the boat in this way – to do something like this, ahead of a world cruise, can be a big confidence builder, both with regard to their ability and the boat’s. When Zemi returns to regatta competition, with racing sails, I expect to see even better performance.”

And rest! The more elegant and inviting cruising mode of Zemi at anchor

This year’s Bucket saw optimum weather conditions for the big boats, Mckeon says. “At previous Buckets I’ve raced in, it’s got quite windy at times, quite gusty and with a lumpy sea. But this year was perfect – 12 to 16 knots, which is ideal for superyacht racing, with reasonably flat water. We didn’t use any heavier-air sails, but we used the Code 65, gennaker, blade jib, the main and our staysail. In summary, that’s the whole sail inventory!”

The racing was measured, with consistent results. Following the usual pattern of staggered starts with the slowest-rated yachts first, Zemi crossed the line at the end of the pack for the two round-the-island races, and around the middle for the downwind start of the “Not So Wiggley” race on day two. Though out-performed by the Js Velsheda and Hanuman, she was faster than the 34m Dykstra yacht Aurelius and the 40m Baltic Perseverance, taking 3rd place in the first two races.

But it all changed with the closing race on day three. “In the final race, there were some big wind shifts around the back of the island which made for some close tacking duals with other yachts in our class and a close run to the finish line,” Mckeon recalls. Unfortunately, it also made for an infringement on the race course for Zemi with a 30% penalty, and she came in last for the race.

She still took 3rd overall in her class, and the mishap didn’t dent the atmosphere of excitement aboard – particularly not for the proud owner. “He helmed every practice day and every race,” says Mckeon. “He loved racing his own boat. He did a great job and after the prizegiving, we all went out for a crew dinner where he said how delighted he was with Zemi’s performance and how much he loved it. He is chuffed to bits with her.”

Teak decks gently overlapping the transom is now signature Mckeon. Note the steps below. Photo: Michael Kurtz

Nordic chic

The owner is Swedish, so naturally enough Zemi showcases an achingly cool interior design from Stockholm-based Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter. Filled with light, it’s the sort of styling often described as Nordic chic – all natural materials in muted tones and without excessive decoration or ornament. I ask Mckeon what he made of it.

“When you’re in ‘race mode’ all the interior luxuries, the cushions, everything’s off the boat,” he says a touch regretfully, “so you don’t really get the impression of how nice it is when it’s set up for cruising.”

Natural materials and muted tones styling by Stockholm-based Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter, often described as Nordic chic

Nevertheless, Zemi has been conceived as a formidable bluewater yacht, with four guest cabins, a stern tender garage and a multifunction beach club aft. Under the skin, she has been engineered to cope with high latitudes and the tropics in line with her owner’s three-year cruising plan, which has already taken her up to the Svalbard archipelago at 80°N, and is setting sights on the Pacific islands next.

Power capabilities include a powerful 247kW Danfoss electric motor powered by a pair of 129kW gensets, and the ability to regenerate power under sail for zero-emissions cruising. The tender garage door opens in two sections to minimise slamming in higher seas, and the bimini and foldable dodger can withstand 50 knots of wind.

Dining with a view. Photo: Kristofer Johnsson

From the dock, Zemi offers a dazzling spectacle with her metallic bronze topsides and a low coachroof with curved vertical glass windows. More striking still is Mckeon’s flowing teak decking, which follows the sculptured lines of the boat from the coachroof down into the cockpit and on to the transom. Not for nothing has this been called ‘teak as an artform’.

“Obviously, I like the look of the boat!” answers Mckeon when I ask him what elements he’s proudest of. “I think Zemi looks quite contemporary; different from other boats we have designed. I was very pleased with the performance, too. I also like the open plan design, and I think it works well for racing and cruising.”

Mckeon has a busy year ahead, working on a flurry of motoryacht designs signed late last year. His Apex 850 concept with Royal Huisman for the world’s biggest sloop (it would have a 107m rig) remains on the drawing board, but he has just signed a client for an 81m Huisman-built sloop (see above). And there are still prospects circling his sailing supercat designs, from the jaw-dropping MM751 to the 30m Blackcat.

Soft luxury below. Photo: Kristofer Johnsson

Contemplating a year when no new Malcolm Mckeon sailing boats are due to be delivered, the designer’s mind is turning to some of his previous projects and the possibility of a reunion at next year’s Bucket (13-16 March). “The older boats I designed like the Kokomo’s, and the Mondango’s – the original owners have all moved on now,” he says. “These are second, sometimes third owners, so I don’t have that relationship with them. But I’d love to step back aboard and see how my earlier work is holding up!”

Zemi specifications

LOA: 33.50m 109ft 11in
LWL: 31.20 m 102ft 4in
Beam: 7.60m 24ft 11in
Draught (lifting keel): 3.80-5.80m 12ft 6in-19ft 0in
Displacement: 95 tonnes
Ballast: 28 tonnes
Design: Malcolm Mckeon / Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter
Builder: Baltic Yachts 2023

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Palma is arguably the greatest place to arrange a sailing event in Europe. Why? Reliability. It boasts a wonderfully consistent warm seabreeze in the summer and there is easy access from the city’s big marinas onto the Bay of Palma, so you can be sailing in minutes. It also has a well-served airport hub, from which it’s only a 20-minute journey into these marinas.

And then, post sailing, you’re in the heart of a beautiful old city with its abundance of tapas bars and restaurants, where a quick sundowner can often lead to a memorable night.

Small wonder sailors return there to cruise or race every year and why it’s grown to become the superyacht mecca over the last couple of decades with its famed refit services surrounding the port. For sailing events, such as PalmaVela, one-design championships and the burgeoning Palma Yacht show, it’s ideal. And as far as the Superyacht Cup is concerned, the organisers have known all this for three decades of course.

They also know late June is the best time to run their friendly superyacht regatta, capitalising on those sea breezes and long balmy days. With the America’s Cup starting nearby in Barcelona later this summer, there’ll be an extra buzz to the event. “It’s going to be a special year for sailing in this part of the world, and we are all set to play our part in making it one to remember,” says SYC event director Kate Branagh.

Superyacht Cup Palma provides a stunning spectacle of superyachts being driven hard. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

As well as those lucky enough to crew aboard for the racing, the Superyacht Cup makes for quite the spectator event for those out day sailing. To see a J Class thunder past you a few boat lengths away while displacing 180 tonnes of the Med, is a sight to behold. The Superyacht Cup is a regular draw for the dazzling J Class, as the calmer waters of the bay help the crews fine-tune their favoured windward-leeward courses. This year the fleet is also preparing for the special America’s Cup J-Class regatta during the Cup in Barcelona in early October.

Velsheda, a past overall winner of the Superyacht Cup, is a stalwart of the event, while Svea, the newest and most tricked-up of the class, is the scratch J to beat. And it will be fantastic to see Rainbow back on the Palma racecourse after many years away and now fresh from a refit. The Js will have an extra day’s racing and do the timed fleet starts in a mix of windward-leeward and coastal races.

Other fine sights and matches to look forward to this year include a pair of Andre Hoek’s flagships from his much revered Truly Classic series. Rarely do eyes stray from the J Class when they’re in flight, but these supremely elegant TC128 sisterships will turn heads. Atalante and Vijonara, hulls numbers one and two from this spirit of tradition series, will line up for the first time against each other.

Both are more accustomed to cruising – indeed Atalante’s captain Michael Elias says they’ve been largely cruising the oceans in the eight years since their last visit to the Superyacht Cup.

J Class Svea will be back at the Superyacht Cup Palma and is always a contender for silverware. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Maximum effect

The Superyacht Cup has a big pool of regulars, but this year there will be five debutants. The latest and greatest (by far in terms of size) is the new Vitters launch Maximus, which is as mighty as her gladiatorial name suggests. The 59m Frers design only finished sea trials in November, but has since completed two Atlantic crossings and competed in the St Barths Bucket in March.

Her towering ketch rigs can set over 3,900m2 of sail area – hence 50 hands are needed on deck to get Maximus around a track. Kate Branagh, who was one of those aboard in St Barth, confirms that all 50 are busy once on the race course!

Maximus’ owner was inspired by the timeless lines of the Frers/Pendennis ketch Rebecca and wanted a larger version. This new ketch has been optimised for performance by Frers, Southern Spars and Doyle to help it win regattas.

Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Another brand new yacht and SY Cup debutant to look out for is Calabash, the super stylish first of the new Y8 series from Y-Yachts. Two elements that make this particularly entrant an interesting bet are that it was designed by Mallorcan local Javier Jaudenes, whose Win Win project is a past SY Cup winner, plus it was built for the yard’s founder Michael Schmidt who is a highly experienced racing sailor.

The 28th Superyacht Cup Palma runs from 19-22 June. It is hosted from the Real Club Náutico de Palma, including the club’s expert race management, with the overall prizegiving taking place at the centrally located and lavishly equipped clubhouse.

It promises to be quite the way to kick off a huge season of big boat racing in the Med.

The 12 stunning superyachts set to compete in the Superyacht Cup Palma

Atalante

Stats: 38.8m/128ft Sloop
Design: Hoek Design
Build: Claasen Shipyard 2015

One of the largest of Andrew Hoek’s revered spirit of tradition Truly Classic range, and the first in the particularly successful five strong TC128s, Atalante will be up against sistership Vijonara. This is Atalante’s first SY Cup in eight years after a prolonged period of long distance cruising and has a family and friends-oriented crew.

Photo: Tom Nitsch

Borkumriff IV

Stats: 51m/166ft Schooner
Design: Dykstra & John Alden
Build: Royal Huisman 2002

A late entry, what a sight this will make: a real pedigree classic schooner from a powerhouse of a design and build team, with lines by schooner specialist John G Alden, naval architecture by the Dykstra experts, and a polished mahogany panelled John Munford interior. Skippered by the affable and experienced Wijnand ‘Boogie’ van den Boogaard, she’ll want some breeze to stretch her legs.

Calabash

Stats: 23.99m/80ft Sloop
Design: Surge Projects
Build: Y-Yachts 2024

The brand new Y8 is built for the yard’s founder Michael Schmidt and is the new Javier Jaudenes-styled version. Minimalist inside and out – there’s no backstay even – beamy (6.6m) and powerful, this carbon composite fast cruiser weighs only 37 tonnes lightships. Schmidt is both a veteran boatbuilder and highly experienced racer, from Admiral’s Cup days to current Dragon campaigns, so will have firm eyes on the prize and he knows Palma inside-out.

Cervo

Stats: 39m/128ft Sloop
Design: Bill Tripp Design
Build: Vitters Shipyard 2009

The former Cinderella IV and G2 has some signature Bill Tripp styling, especially the squared deckhouse and the performance hull shape, which is all in carbon fibre and sports a lift keel. Her second deckhouse aft was removed during a major refit at Pendennis in 2017. Cervo has mainly cruised thus far, other than one Superyacht Challenge, but now has a keen owner-driver and a crew including the likes of North Sails’ Jens Christensen for tactics and Mike Joubert as crew boss – so they mean business.

Photo: Alex Turnbull

Dark Horse

Stats: 25.1m/82ft Sloop
Design: German Frers
Build: Nautor Swan 2013

One of the SY Cup debutants this year, the former Chessie competed in the Ibiza JoySail regatta last year so has some form in these waters. One of the 14 Swan 80s built, Dark Horse will be racing against her similarly-sized Swan stablemate Umiko, 13 years her elder. “The event is well known for its high-quality racing and fun ashore,” says her Maltese captain Sacha Pace. A dark horse for this event indeed.

Photo: Michael Kurtz

Maximus

Stats: 59m/194ft Ketch
Design: Frers Design
Build: Vitters Shipyard 2023

The aptly named Maximus makes quite the sight. She carries more in her tanks alone than the Y8 Calabash displaces, and nearly twice that weight in her keel. Described as a performance ketch, she has a keel that drops to 8m, Southern Spars masts and ECSix rigging – with main, square top mizzen, mizzen staysail and A2 flying she sets well over 3,000m2 and can do 16 knots upwind. Skippered by Lars Loftus, who many in the industry will know from his years of looking after Velsheda and Bystander, you can be sure this will be crewed by an army of highly experienced big-boat sailors.

Photo: Jesus Renedo

Rainbow

Stats: 39.9m/131ft Sloop
Design: Burgess/Dykstra
Build: Holland Jachtbouw 2012

The Dykstra-updated replica of the Starling Burgess JH2 is one of the newest crop of Js with a comparatively clean deck layout, but hasn’t been racing for some years now – indeed it’s been 10 years since she last raced in Palma. She surrenders nearly 4m in length to Svea. Rainbow only recently emerged from a major Dykstra refit which included an optimised deck layout, and a new Southern Spars rig. Her crew comprises a mix of veterans, ex-AC sailors and Kiwis, led by Erle Williams on the wheel, the former helm of Ranger.

Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Rose

Stats: 24m/80ft Sloop
Design: Farr Yacht Design/Luca Bassani
Build: Wally Yachts 2006

The overall SY Cup winner last year, Rose is one of the lightest and most nimble yachts of the fleet, so this pre-preg carbon Wally has some manoeuvrability advantages over the rest of the fleet. She was campaigned heavily under her former name Tango and now under her current keen owner, who recently competed here at PalmaVela. The mix of experienced British and German crew will go all out to defend the trophy.

Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Svea

Stats: 43.6m/143ft Sloop
Design: Tore Holm/Hoek Design
Build: Bloemsma/Vitters Shipyard 2017

While under the new custodianship of a Swedish syndicate ownership Svea has built up and maintained a consistent crew of top-level pros, a race crew directed by the masterful Bouwe Bekking. Paul Kelly remains the long-term skipper and YW readers will be familiar with the many sailing successes of co-owner driver Niklas Zennstrom and his Ran racing yachts. Svea recently did PalmaVela and is competing at the Maxis and AC regattas this autumn. This, the fastest, youngest J is in hot form and always tough for the other Js to match on the water.

Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Umiko

Stats: 24.4m 80ft Sloop
Design: German Frers
Build: Nautor’s Swan 2000

Previously called Maligaya, this classic example of a Swan 80 has competed here twice since her 2017 refit, which included a new North Sails wardrobe. Another of the smaller and more nimble yachts and well sailed, she will be looking to improve on her mid-fleet results last year.

Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Velsheda

Stats: 39.2m 129ft Sloop
Design: CE Nicholson/Dykstra
Build: Camper & Nicholsons 1933

This is the third successive SY Cup for the timeless, tireless Velsheda, a past winner here and the only J to do the Atlantic circuit this year. Will Gibbon, the former long-term mate, is now skipper, while Barney Henshaw-Depledge remains aboard as race coordinator, managing a diehard crew of vets including the wiley Tom Dodson and Don Cowey and many others who have been with this Dutch owner for over two decades. This skilled owner-driver and drilled crew rarely put a foot wrong, getting the most out of this original, stunning J. Always a good bet for a podium finish.

Photo: Michael Kurtz

Vijonara

Stats: 39.4m/128ft Sloop
Design: Hoek Design
Build: Pendennis Shipyard 2018

This cutter-rigged sloop, fitted out in Pendennis’ Falmouth yard, was the second model of Andre Hoek’s successful TC128 series. Back on the regatta scene again after a few years of cruising, she performed well in St Barth with a second in class. A couple of differences over her sistership Atalante should help during competition: a bowsprit for setting Code sails and having the wheel forward of the aft deckhouse for clearer visibility. Will they get the upper hand? Either way, these Truly Classics will be a favourite with the photographers.

Superyacht Cup Programme

Wednesday 19 June
1000-1200: registration
1300: race start J Class
1800: captains’ briefing

Thursday 20 June
1300: race start/Pantaenius Day
1800: daily prizegiving

Friday 21 June
1300: race start/Jaquet Droz Day
1800: daily prizegiving

Saturday 22 June
1300: race start/St Regis Day
1830: Overall SY Cup prizegiving

Full details: thesuperyachtcup.com

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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Sunreef is celebrating two recent orders for its Sunreef 100 Eco sailing catamarans – both from existing Sunreef owners. It’ll be the first time they’ve built this model with sails, although there are already two of the larger 43m Eco sailing cats on order.

The Sunreef 100 Eco is distinguished by the way that solar panels are laminated flush into the hull, superstructure and even the mast and boom – giving them a speckled effect.

Of course, the point is to generate electricity to top up the boat’s batteries, and they do a good job of that, with up to 45kW of capacity installed. Sunreef says that this power gives the boat’s electric motors potentially unlimited range without emitting any carbon.

That may be true – in theory – but most users are likely to want the sort of speeds that require firing up the generators. However, the solar input can keep the boat operating silently at anchor, meaning no generator hum overnight or while sitting out enjoying the sunset.

Article continues below…

First look: Sunreef 43 – superyacht catamaran

Sunreef has been dropping tantalising hints for some time about a 43m/140ft super sailing catamaran, and now the first renderings…

First look: Sunreef 60 Eco

There’s a rapidly accelerating trend towards maximising the amount of solar power installed on cruising catamarans, which can be seen…

Otherwise, the design offers epic outdoor entertaining space and an interior that owes more to loft living than boating.

The huge saloon connects to an even bigger aft deck through doors that slide out of sight. The master cabin is positioned forward on the main deck with great views through copious glazing, while there are four further doubles in the hulls – all with gigantic beds.

Up to five crew can be accommodated, with the captain having a dedicated cabin and companionway aft. There are fold-down wings, a vast beach club-style aft platform, plus a flybridge with Jacuzzi, bar and dining table. The full spec is still being hammered out with the clients.

Sunreef 100 Eco speifications

LOA: 29.26m 96ft 0in
Beam: 12.83m 42ft 0in
Draught: TBC
Sail area (upwind): 515m2 5,543ft2
Guests: 8 + 5 crew
Builder: sunreef-superyachts.com

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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Türkiye’s Ares Shipyard recently revealed it is halfway through the build of Simena, a 62m yacht based loosely on the lines of a clipper ship. It comes as a surprise, because the yard is best known for coastguard vessels, and its previous flagship was a full 14m shorter.

It doesn’t stop Simena from looking every inch a superyacht, with her Jacuzzi, aft flybridge and foredeck lounge.

Strength with Simena, Ares 62

Exterior design by Taka Yacht Design positions the boat somewhere between a big ketch and a traditional Turkish gulet, with a deep sheer, long stem and a low, boxy deck saloon. The hull has already been completed in steel, with the superstructure in lightweight carbon and glassfibre.

“Steel is a strong, reliable material protected with durable epoxy-based coatings,” explains Ares chairman Kerim Kalafatoğlu.

“The resulting moderate displacement allows ample tankage and provisions. Then, the carbon-reinforced epoxy glass sandwich structure saves weight and enhances insulation properties.”

Article continues below…

Nilaya: We take a look around this stunning 154ft superyacht

When Nilaya’s 46.82m hull emerged from the vast build sheds at Royal Huisman’s Vollenhove yard in 2023, she was slipped…

We’re astounded by this new foiling superyacht: Baltic 111 Raven

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Simena’s ‘timeless sanctuary’

“The mix of contemporary and classic design converge into harmonious spaces, featuring intricate detailing, with hints of glamour through feature finishes and fittings,” says Kalafatoğlu.

Simena is designed to sleep 12 guests supported by nine crew, and features a vast owner’s suite in pride of place forward on the main deck.

Guests can control lighting, music and video in different areas of the boat using their phones.

A hybrid propulsion system will allow her to make 6 knots in pure electric mode, or up to 15 knots with a combination of the 1MW MAN diesel and a 220kW electric motor.

However, her huge sail area should give her double-digit speeds in a decent breeze on most points of sail, and provide a fine sight into the bargain.

Delivery due in December 2024.

Simena, Ares 62 Specifications

LOA: 61.61m 202ft
Beam: 10.80m 35ft 5in
Draught: 4.50m 14ft 10in
Sail area: 1,672m2 17,998ft2 upwind
Guests: 12 + 9 crew
Builder: aresyachts.com

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Simena Ares 62 first look: the surprising superyacht appeared first on Yachting World.

When Nilaya’s 46.82m hull emerged from the vast build sheds at Royal Huisman’s Vollenhove yard in 2023, she was slipped into the water with minimal fanfare and taken to Amsterdam to have her mast quietly stepped.

Eagle-eyed observers may have spotted her towering over the National Maritime Museum, where the owner held a private naming ceremony before sailing away. Now, six months after delivery, a wealth of fresh detail and new images has been released, painting the aluminium and carbon superyacht in a new light.

With interior and exterior design by Nauta and a hull from Reichel/Pugh, Nilaya was always going to be a fast, handsome yacht. In proportion to her Panamax sloop rig with its Rondal mast, the hull itself looks sleek and low to the water.

Her broad ‘flying’ stern displays the double-chined hull which, together with the low coachroof and flush decks, speaks of pace. But we now know this promise is delivered by a horde of smart, weight-saving innovations.

The experienced owner was clear from the off that he wanted a boat capable of serious racing. “He wanted comfort and safety to explore the world in an extremely lightweight yacht that could also assure victories in superyacht regattas,” says Mario Pedol of Nauta.

Photo: Nico Martinez/Studio Borlenghi

“The deck design plan meets the often-conflicting needs for a solid and safe yacht that is also efficient, modern and powerful. Nilaya’s racy, low profile, straight bow, wide aft sections and twin carbon fibre rudders echo the look of her owner’s previous yacht while communicating even greater speed and performance.”

Ocean Race legend and long-term tactician and race captain on Nilaya, Bouwe Bekking, sheds some light on the design process (we spoke with him after he completed the first transatlantic aboard). “The previous Nilaya was built as a cruiser, but we started racing it more and more,” he explains.

“We turned it around for this boat – she should be perfect for racing, but then the cruising is fantastic as well. Very often cruising boats are a little restricted in the layout. The whole philosophy is a little different.”

Metallic appeal

A key part of the quest for performance was low displacement, and almost no stone was left unturned here. Intriguingly, the designers calculated that the difference between a carbon and an aluminium hull was just a few percentage points of the overall boat weight, so the owner eventually opted for the safety and impact resistance of metal.

“For the kind of size he wanted, you get into heavy displacement,” adds Bekking. “You can go with carbon, but how much lighter really is it? And one of the disadvantages is how noisy it is. Turn a winch and you hear it through the whole boat – it’s the same with sailing through waves.”

The cockpit becomes an oasis of relaxation when moored, or a comfortable place to watch the action when Nilaya is racing. Photo: Giuliano Sargentini

The aluminium structure of the hull was planned by engineers at Royal Huisman using a new tool that draws on computer modelling established by the European Space Agency. In essence, it makes detailed calculations about the size and positioning of the structural members of the boat – what used to be called scantling. In areas where greater forces will be at work, the frames are closer together and the hull panels thicker – elsewhere they are fewer and lighter.

Alustar aluminium is used throughout, and this offers an immediate 20% weight saving over other alloys. Elsewhere, carbon fibre reinforcing is bonded straight to the aluminium structure, and the whole 16m coachroof structure is also in carbon. This really is a composite yacht.

Time and time again, the owner was willing to invest in order to achieve weight savings – especially up in the rig where it has the greatest impact on the yacht’s stability. Royal Huisman sister company Rondal also did its bit by designing new curved spreaders which are shorter and more aerodynamic. And a taper to the masthead with a novel headboard hook for the mainsail saved 150kg up top.

“The mast was built at Rondal with important input from Doyle Sails, Scott Ferguson and Bouwe Bekking, amongst others,” explains owner’s rep Nigel Ingram, whose company MCM Newport managed the build.

“Having the rig and sail package design early allowed that information to be included in the weight study and ultimately the hull lines. Plus, of course, it gave us the benefit of the experience and expertise that these guys brought to the table. I believe the end result is the best big-boat rig that I have seen.”

Just a couple of steps down the companionway and you enter the raised saloon. Photo: Giuliano Sargentini

Other weight-saving tricks included speccing titanium deck gear instead of stainless steel – a costly but worthwhile exercise which also reduces maintenance time. Then there was a 1,200kg saving through using a new lock-based runner arrangement and a new-generation of hybrid (carbon/aluminium) captive winches which weigh less than half a typical all-metal unit.

Bekking’s feedback here was also central to developments. “I was active on the whole deck layout,” he says. “Very often, you’re getting under winched, but when you’re cruising, you want to go fast and sail optimally. The layout on Nilaya looks like a race boat on deck – it’s very comfortable.”

Below deck, the engineers managed to shave 2,000kg off the propulsion system, including using a smaller diesel engine that can get a hybrid boost from an electric motor. They also saved 600kg with a smart aircon setup that recovers waste heat.

Article continues below…

It all began to add up, and the yard estimates that it has managed to reduce the weight of Nilaya by some 11% compared to its previous advanced cruising yachts. After the build had begun, Huisman branded this new weight-saving approach as ‘Featherlight’ and it is now offering the benefits to other clients.

But to focus solely on this aspect of the boat is to miss much of its appeal. Yes, she should be able to hold her own on any superyacht regatta course, but she is no all-out racer. With ambitions to cruise remote corners of the globe for long periods of time, the owner was clear from the off that Nilaya had to be supremely comfortable to live on – after all, that was part of the purpose in moving up from his previous yacht, a highly successful Baltic 112.

Supreme comfort

Guests have the run of three dedicated areas on deck. A section of the aft deck folds out hydraulically to reveal stairs down to the beach club, and there are sun loungers, a sofa and even a coffee table here. The helm and sail controls are all led clear of the cockpit, which becomes another oasis of relaxation when the boat is moored, or a comfortable vantage point for watching the action when she’s underway.

Up to 14 people can dine in comfort, while two sun loungers transform into chaise longues that can be adjusted to compensate for heeling angles up to 30° (you might want to hold on in the tack). The foredeck tender bay can also become a cosy forward cockpit with a table and fitted cushions.

For the first time, the new photography also brings the yacht’s interior to life. It’s just a couple of steps down from the cockpit into the raised saloon, which has fantastic views through its 360° glass windows. This social hub has dining and lounging as well as an office corner and a fold-away pantry arrangement which leaves no trace when it’s not required.

There are three flexible twin/double cabins down further companionways, two of them with Pullman berths. And the master cabin lies forward, filling the full beam with its own dressing area and bathroom.

“The cabin was a design challenge, as it lies beneath the tender bay and required careful study of volumes,” says Nauta’s Pedol. “The ceiling balances the tender bay’s central dip with two higher domes at the side passages giving an excellent sense of the impressive width of the cabin.”

It’s all wrapped up in a blend of traditional and modern styling chosen by May Vervoordt, a Belgian designer and member of the art aristocracy known for a taste in understated luxury. “Working with her and the owner, Nauta conceived a colour scheme that combines a modern look on the bulkheads with classic elegance,” says Pedol.

“The use of white lacquered panels with a groove detail makes the interiors fresh and bright. Mahogany used in furniture, flooring and ceiling frames gives classic warmth and a sense of breadth to the interior.”

Crew cabins and working areas have not been neglected and are well dimensioned. The design allows for a complement of eight permanent crew on board – enough to allow much-needed down time on long cruises without sacrificing service levels.

The working areas of the boat are positioned aft in a clear division from the guests. A dedicated companionway emerges aft between the two wheels, from where it is simple to reach guests in the cockpit or down on the beach club.

Light wind race practice for the seasoned Nilaya team on Palma Bay.

Throughout the boat, close attention was paid to reducing noise levels. “Noise and vibration on board was the only area where the owner chose to ‘spend’ additional weight in order to achieve maximum effect,” says Ingram. “Additionally, the yard researched many alternative insulation materials and techniques, so we were able to achieve the best results.”

Not that Nilaya will need it when she’s in her native sailing mode. With her Doyle sails hoisted and set, she’s capable of matching wind speeds up to her hull speed of 16 knots, making for rapid passage times. Bekking can attest to her performance after a pre-Christmas shake-down passage across the Atlantic to Antigua with the owner and a bunch of his friends.

Performance potential

“He wanted a fast crossing, pushing the boat as hard as we could – just a little flatter for mealtimes,” Bekking says. “Otherwise, we tried to sail the boat to the maximum. We had relatively light breezes, so it wasn’t difficult conditions as such. It took us 10 days sailing a long way away from the rhumbline course. We had 11-12 knots average boat speeds.

“We had one little transition across a front where we sailed a bit upwind, but otherwise it was easy downwind. We sailed full main and a lot of Code 0 with a smaller staysail in between. When the breeze got wider it was the gennaker and the staysail.”

The passage gave the crew valuable information about the way the boat performs, including the crossovers between sails at different wind speeds and angles. It’ll all come in useful for Nilaya’s next big test, racing at the St Barth Bucket Regatta, where she’ll be competing alongside another fresh launch, the 59m Frers-designed Maximus from fellow dutch yard Vitters.

Doyle’s structured luff sail design requires less forestay tension to maintain optimum foil shape. This in turn allowed Nilaya to use a slightly lighter rig

Nilaya will be taking on extra race crew to boost the full complement to 22, including the owner and a number of his long-term racing buddies. But otherwise, Bekking says there’s not much about the boat that needs tuning ahead of the start.

“We will reduce the amount of fuel and water on board. Then there’s two anchors, so we take one anchor and chain off. The interior of the boat remains because the permanent crew stays aboard, and part of the race crew as well. Maybe all the toys will come off. The rig is quite close to optimum already, but you can still do a couple of things. Just tweaks – if you make big changes you have to go through the yard for the insurance aspect.”

Bekking is typically understated about their prospects at the Bucket. “It will be an eye opener,” he says. “You never know the first time you go racing against the others. Also, because it’s a pursuit race and it’s still difficult to overtake. Nilaya’s a big beast – hard to get the sails up. But we’ll have a couple of days beforehand in St Barth and the crew have been sailing a lot together.”

After that, Nilaya’s future is less clear. Between the transatlantic and another long passage to Cuba and back, she’s already covered plenty of miles. She has no further racing scheduled for 2024, but the year will certainly involve bluewater and there’s the hint of warm Antipodean Pacific Ocean breezes to come.

Nilaya specifications

LOA: 47m 154ft
LWL: 45m 147ft
Beam: 10m 33ft
Draught: 4.5-6.9m 15-23ft
Propulsion: Scania D1 16090M (plus 140kW PM motor; 2x Volvo D4 175 gensets)
Sail area upwind: 1,269m2 13,659ft2
Sail area downwind: 2,141m2 20,045ft2

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Details about the second Southern Wind SW108 are scant at this stage, but it naturally features the same rapid Farr hull as the first boat, and its interior will again be produced by Nauta Design. She is scheduled for delivery in spring 2025.

The debut SW108, Gelliceaux, was only handed over to the owner in Cape Town last October, but has already covered 12,000 miles. She is now squaring up for the St Barths Bucket.

The boat was a double landmark for Southern Wind: the first over 100ft to be built on its smart custom platform, and the first to feature hybrid propulsion. The diesel-electric powertrain was developed with BAE Systems, and offers up to 35kW of hydrogeneration under sail, but won’t feature in the second boat.

The first SW108, Gelliceaux, has already covered 12,000 miles since launch

Built in carbon-epoxy with Corecell sandwich, the SW108’s Farr-designed hull is slippery and exceptionally stiff. She exceeds wind speeds up to about 10 knots and can top 20 knots broad reaching in a serious blow. The deep 6.2m lifting keel and twin rudders also help in this regard. Deck and bulkheads are in carbon too, plus there’s the high-modulus carbon spars and titanium deck fittings – all combining to keep displacement below 79 tonnes.

The Nauta-designed interior of the second SW108 is everything you’d expect: neutral tones and sophisticated styling with lots of custom-built furniture. Her four-cabin layout puts the owner’s cabin right forward, and the three guests amidships. The galley and crew accommodation are all positioned aft.

Southern Wind’s smart custom programme is a new approach to yacht building, allowing owners to customise heavily around an established technical platform. This formula provides a quicker route to construction and ownership of a large yacht that still offers plenty of bespoke features.

Southern Wind SW108 specification

LOA: 32.87m 107ft 10in
Beam: 7.51m 27ft 4in
Draught: 4.0m-6.2m 13ft 1in-20ft 4in
Guests: 8 + 6 crew
Builder: sws-yachts.com

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This article on owning the remarkable 162ft schooner Eleonara is from the archives.

It started – as a purchase often does – with a charter. “I wanted to charter a classic with my wife, having retired from the business we were involved with at that time. We both like classic things, but this was our first large-yacht charter, so it had to be special,” recalls Zak.

The couple were introduced to Eleonora’s then-owner Ed Kastelein, who’d built the 49m yacht in 2000. “We signed up for a charter and few days later, Ed contacted me to say that the boat was available to buy,” he says.

It wasn’t quite job done – there was careful negotiation and due diligence, “and securing the experienced Ed as skipper for a six-month transition period”, says Zak. With Ed guiding them along the learning curve, they got to understand their new purchase, and it was proving a perfect match between yacht and owners. “In a world where everything is touchscreen and hi-tech with carbon-fibre spars, we wanted to experience sailing in the way it was done 100 years ago. The feel of real wood, holding the lines and sheets securing huge sails, and a classic-looking interior are hugely important,” says Zak.

He sees his role as custodian as much as owner: the yacht is a faithful replica of the famous schooner Westward, launched at the Herreshoff yard in the US in 1910.

“The great history was one of the key considerations when we purchased Eleonora,” Zak says. One of the best-performing racing schooners in the world, Westward saw off the likes of Britannia, Lulworth and Meteor II in racing events. The modern yacht, steel hulled and wooden masted like the original, was built at the Van der Graaf shipyard in Holland. “The interior is made using old-fashioned carpentry skills, and wood, lots of wood!”

But as a custodian he is not an owner who treats his yacht as a museum piece – she has covered a lot of sea miles. “We have taken Eleonora all over the Western Mediterranean, to Scotland, Ireland, southern England and to the Caribbean on a couple of occasions,” he says. “In 2008 we spent the summer on the east coast of America, starting in Florida and spending a month sailing off Newport, RI. We came into New York harbour under full sail, sailing downwind towards the Statue of Liberty, where the US Coast Guard informed us we were too close to the historic landmark, but they also wanted to board us out of curiosity and interest!”

One of the highlights was a cruise down the west coast of Italy. “Sicily is a spectacular place – the wine, the food, the history. Syracuse is a great place to stay and Stromboli erupting at night-time is simply breathtaking from the deck of the yacht,” he says.

A visit to Venice also provided a highlight. “We were allowed to moor right in front of St Mark’s Square. It’s a spectacular place to visit. We left under a full set of sails down the main canal,” he says.

For all their great cruising adventures, he and his wife are equally happy with their local cruising grounds. “We live for part of the year in the South of France near Marseille and we like to visit the old port with Eleonora. It is always a special experience sailing in and out of this historical location,” he says.

Racing or cruising, Eleonora has proven an excellent choice. “She’s a fast racing machine, but is equally as comfortable cruising during holiday voyages. Some smaller classic boats are dayboats, but with Eleonora you can spend weeks cruising in great comfort. All the amenities are on board, including heating for Scotland and air-conditioning for warmer climates!”

With a full-width master, two doubles and a twin, the yacht sleeps eight and never feels crowded in cruising mode, and there are plenty of spaces on deck for guests to enjoy. “One of our favourite spaces on the boat is just in front of the wheel – an ideal spot for reading a good book. In the morning and evening we like to stay between the two masts. We set up a dining table and the atmosphere is just magical. We also occasionally lie on deck chairs just looking out to sea,” says Zak.

The yacht has been an occasional participant in racing events, including the Round the Island Race in the Solent. Although he calls himself “an absolute amateur” he clearly enjoys a turn at the helm. “Fortunately, we have a very experienced captain, tactician and navigator always on board for racing. The Corinthian spirit of these Big Class classics is very different to, say, racing J-Class. We do not pay salaries for rock star helmsmen and crew. Much of our race crew is made up of enthusiastic and skilled volunteers, typically our friends. The permanent crew is nine people. Add 30 or more race crew, and let’s go racing! I enjoy the logistical challenge of bringing it all together for the regattas,” he says.

For the 2012 Round the Island Race, Sir Ben Ainslie joined Eleonora. “At one point we were both holding on to the wheel. We had great fun and he is a very nice English gentleman. We were by far the largest of the 1,600 yachts, which made the start challenging, but eventually with a good breeze we made good time. As we were running through the Eastern Solent towards the finish line, the Isle of Wight car ferry slowed to let us pass. The locals on board told me this had never happened before! That left us with one tack to the finish line. We had the time of our lives.”

The Westward Cup on the Solent proved particularly memorable. “To have your boat on moorings just outside the Royal Yacht Squadron is a magical sight,” he says.

Retirement means that Zak and his wife spend three to four months on board every year, with racing limited to a few regattas. “We select well-organised regattas that include comparable-size classic boats, like Elena and Mariette. The owners of some of these are good friends and, of course, also well-respected competitors. In the past we have invited young members of the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron to race on board with us. It’s a great opportunity to introduce young sailors to classic sailing – these are future hard-working crew members,” he says.

Otherwise, it’s just a case of choosing to be on board when the yacht isn’t on charter. “We love to entertain friends and share good food and wine,” says Zak. “Our French chef Patrick is exceptionally talented. My wife spends time in the galley picking his brains about different recipes, and we love to visit the local markets to help buy the fresh produce.”

This is certainly a yacht that’s appreciated in every aspect. When Zak says “by owning a yacht like Eleonora you are keeping history alive for new generations, preserving the legacy of being able to race a classic”, you sense the eye of someone who can appreciate the beguiling effect of the past in today’s furious modern world. But in the same breath he says: “Size does not matter in yachting. It is all about the fun and excitement of being on the water. You can have as much fun on a sail-board – it’s just that Eleonora allows for a greater number of people to be present and to have fun at one time. For me, owning Eleonora is a passion, not an expensive show-off hobby.” Never, in other words, has history been so much fun.

First published on SuperYachtWorld.com on June 20, 2013. Eleonara was sadly sunk after being struck by a supply vessel while in port in Spain in 2022.

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As the Cannes Film Festival draws to a close and Monaco gears up for the 75th Formula 1 Grand Prix, superyachts start the summer season by positioning themselves between the two locations.

Golfe Juan played host to an impressive line up of superyachts this week, including both the brand new Sailing Yacht A and 119-metre Motor Yacht A. Also in the area was the world’s second longest boat, Eclipse coming in at 162.5-metres, Palmer Johnson’s gold 49-metre superyacht Khalilah and 55-metre CRN Atlante.

Primed to look her best for the week ahead, Sailing Yacht A regaled spectators with a spot of hull washing –normally a relatively mundane chore – which on the 143-metre motor-assisted sailing yacht turns into an acrobatic feat for her deckhands.

Photos Alexandra Groom

Originally published on SuperYachtWorld.com on May 26, 2017

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Time. You may not be able to buy it, but some may be fortunate enough to buy the things that let you use it most efficiently. It was mid afternoon on a sweltering day in late June, Mallorca. I’d just come ashore from the Superyacht Cup Palma. With the rush hour traffic looming, roadworks stifling the city centre and the oppressive heat, there was surely no chance of any meaningful sail on the new Y9 that day, as it was located in Port Adriano, 25km along the coast.

Hitching a ride on Ulli’s (YYachts’s Hans-Ulrich Heisler) unnervingly powerful moped, we weaved through the city, avoided the motorway standstill and tailback and arrived at the Philippe Starck-designed marina within half an hour to be welcomed by Bella’s crew, ready to depart.

Just 15 minutes later we were out of the marina and hoisting full sail via push buttons in a perfect Force 4 evening breeze. Bella heeled onto her wide powerful lines and we were straight into double figures, sailing at 10 knots in 13.

I was slightly dazzled by it all, and certainly impressed. This is no 25ft daysailer, rather a contemporary superyacht and yet the speed and ease with which we could get sailing with minimal fuss yet maximum pleasure is quite something.

However, this should perhaps come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Michael Schmidt’s background. A veteran racing sailor, his esteemed boatbuilding career is latterly built on making large yachts fun but crucially manageable to sail short-handed.

He saw a gap in the market to create premium yachts in the 70-100ft sector, built in series production to help offer value. His YYachts yard build light and fast carbon sandwich yachts with a ‘keep it simple’ philosophy. They are the creation of top designers, who are tasked with ensuring they look good, sail well, and are easily handled.

A furling padeye for a code sail and bowsprit for a 780m2 gennaker provide options to further increase sail power. Photo: YYachts

The Y9 has a 90ft Bill Tripp-designed modern hull shape with the volume of a 100-footer, and is also available as a Pilot House and a Custom version (which we saw last year in the stunning Prevail with its prominent squared deck house).

Bella launched in time for the Cannes Boat Show last autumn, and as I soon discovered when skipper Iloy Van Berk offered me the wheel, it boasts credible sailing merits: performance, handling and tangible enjoyment on the helm. Yes, this is a comparatively lightweight (55 tonne lightship) performance design for enjoyable, fast sailing, with a lofty mast and formidable sail area. But it’s also a luxury cruising yacht with voluminous tanks, stowage, comfort systems and twin engines.

Not that I could detect drag during our sail. The twin rudders gave assured control, with direct connection to the wheel, and the yacht felt stiff and nicely balanced.

Van Berk and his partner Elvira Estrany run a slick ship and keep Bella ready to go on short notice. Having worked for these owners for seven years, they know what they like and how to be prepared for them. While the Y9 is designed to accommodate four crew, Bella runs with three, which the skipper puts down to Elvira, ‘a superstar’ who cooks, cleans and sails/does deckhand work. “The boat design also allows us to handle it with three people,” he continues. “With the magic trim I can work the sheets. And the gennaker is on a furler – it has to be at 800m2!”

His point was proven when we went to tack… and no-one needed to do anything. It’s a one person affair. I brought the main in a little at the push of a button and the self-tacking jib sorted itself out. The combination of this headsail, a staysail option and a bowsprit that can take a hydraulic furling code sail, helps make such a large yacht easy to handle.

Wide aft sections provide power and volume. A generous sail plan allows for enjoyable sailing in single figure winds, but the Y9 also felt stiff and stable in breeze. The push-button mainsheet is kept clear, led from the bimini arch through the boom. Photo: YYachts

According to designer Bill Tripp, it aids the Y9 to “sail well in blue water in the worst conditions and have light air performance to attract the keenest of sailors.”

When we cracked sheets to a beam reach, our average speed increased to 11.5-12 knots, and we clocked 12.5 in 16-18. Not bad figures for white sails cruising! And then the dolphins joined us to dance with and surf our bow waves. It was that kind of evening: gold standard sailing.

Photo: YYachts

Secrets to simplicity

While we’ve talked about sail handling being key to the Y9’s ease of use, there is also the ease of manoeuvring, which we’ll come to, and the hull stability which help make it inviting for a broad spectrum of sailing experience.

The decks may be wide and flat, but the heel angle remained moderate. “The flared topsides allow for great deck spaces and added stability, a win-win that leads to a better boat,” Tripp explained. “Hull shape is optimised for 15° of heel, which is the most typical when globe-trotting.”

Bella’s shakedown sail was a delivery trip from the Greifswald yard to Mallorca – in 12 days. That’s an average of over 9 knots or 288 mile days, and includes two stops for swell/supplies/rest! Sustained speeds in the low double figures are what this long powerful shape and generous sail area brings.

So there is pace on tap but it needs to be measured. When the wind reached 15 knots or more, I noted how Van Berk eased the mainsheet. Although Bella has clocked 25 knots before, the skipper says he prefers to keep it below 12 knots otherwise the loads shoot up.

Photo: YYachts

Performance cruising

While the Y9 has a performance hull shape and build, and could well suit superyacht regatta racing, Bella is very much set up for cruising, with the corresponding payload and gear aboard. The twin engines, genset, dual watermakers etc, (as well as solar and hydro renewable energy) gives the yacht multiple power sources and redundancy.

The renewables help allow for a silent ship at night. The twin drives and joystick-controlled thrusters also help offer better manoeuvrability in port and promote motorsailing efficiency. In light breeze Van Berk runs the leeward engine at 1,800rpm (for just one litre of diesel per hour), which creates enough apparent wind to sail at over 9 knots.

The power set up and ease of manoeuvrability all help make for an easy to use yacht.

“Our thought is to also attract new people to the sport and to tug people out of powerboats into something far more interesting,” said Tripp.

Plenty of power and a direct feel on the wheel provides a compelling experience for Toby. Photo: YYachts

Bella’s owner is a case in point as he previously had a Sunseeker 75 motorboat. Wanting to get into sailing he bought the first Y7 in build (also called Bella, which we sailed in 2019), on the understanding YYachts would build him a 90-footer as it scaled up. Despite he and his family having made so many happy memories on the Sunseeker, after just two weeks sailing the Y7 he confided to his skipper that he couldn’t believe he had ever had a powerboat. The owner now particularly likes long daysails, typically 100-200 miles from port to port.

This helps explain the fixed bimini and the shelter that provides to the vast cockpit. It also supports 5kW of solar panels on the roof. The bimini concept came from Van Berk after a scare on the previous Y7 when the skipper was struck in the head and knocked flat by the mainsheet while sailing off Corsica. Hence he lobbied for an arch for the mainsheet on the Y9. “Once we had that, it made sense to go for a hard bimini and the solar panels,” he explained. “It’s super comfortable, I love it.”

Photo: YYachts

The captive mainsheet is led from a single point on the bimini through a Cariboni hydraulic cylinder system in the Park Avenue boom, which not only keeps the mainsheet out of the cockpit and harm’s way, but allows for instant push-button control of the substantial mainsail from either pedestal.

Elsewhere Bella is kept relatively simple on deck with rod rigging for the carbon rig and halyards run neatly through the coachroof to two winches by either wheel.

So what are the downsides? Some may not like the fixed bimini look – but that’s obviously an option, which I consider to be a highly practical one. Solar field apart, sailing in upwards of 30ºC soon makes you seek shelter, while a sprayhood can also connect to the bimini.

Then there are the flat wide decks, which aren’t easy to negotiate in a pitching sea. As mentioned on previous YYachts designs, the expansive aft deck has its merits but it does present a long distance between the wheels or those aft winches that can be unnerving at heel. The majority of the aft deck hinges open to reveal the tender garage, so it would be difficult to install fixed structures on the deck, although there are handles on the pedestal and surrounding the crew companionway.

The dark veneers and Scandi styled interior is finished to a premium quality. Photo: YYachts

This YTender, which we have featured before, deserves another mention as Bella is the first yacht to carry one. The 4.35m carbon composite catamaran weighs just 230kg with a retractable electric drive to allow for beaching. It’s spacious, stable and designed to be the maximum size to fit in a large yacht garage. The YTender’s air tubes can be emptied or filled in just 45 seconds, reducing its beam by 30cm.

Plenty of choice

We’ve also featured the interior of Bella following a tour at its boat show debut, but when I reluctantly passed the helm over I had the chance to revisit below decks at heel where YYachts’ trademark sliding leather handrails came into good use to cross the saloon. It also felt noticeably calm. The yard uses an epoxy layer on the outer skin which it says helps with noise insulation.

‘Soft minimalism’ under sail, where YYachts’ trademark sliding hand rails come in handy in the wide saloon. Photo: YYachts

It also uses a semi-custom production process where the parts are finished outside of the hull, the furniture subcontracted. This helps allow for a variety of layout choices yet a high standard of finish for the price. There are five different layout options for the Y9 including the opposite to Bella’s, with a full beam master suite aft and crew area and galley forward.

Owners can specify their own interior designers and in Bella’s case, Norm Architects from Copenhagen were again the choice. The dark and smoked oak styling might seem a little urban to some but is designed to create a retreat, described as soft minimalism. It has the feel of the owner’s previous Y7, while his forward cabin features suede-covered wardrobes and leather panels. Practical features include the rounded fiddles, spacious machinery area and good crew accommodation with private access.

Photo: YYachts

A question of time

Most owners are not typically going to use a superyacht for evening daysails (although YYachts new YBreeze concept is designed around such a mentality), however, our sail showed how achievable that is on the Y9. In an increasingly time-poor world, that could prove invaluable.

As we enjoyed a lovely fetch back towards the marina, still making easy speeds of 9.5-10 knots, I discussed the future cruising plans for Bella with her skipper. They aim to cross the Atlantic this autumn for a Caribbean season, before possibly going through Panama to Galapagos and then on up to Vancouver. The prospect of that latter leg instantly recalled one of my most memorable sails: the same passage on the same size boat by the same designer 20 years ago, when delivering the remarkable carbon ocean cruiser Shaman.

You have to hand it to Mr Tripp, he has a gift for drawing large yachts which are rewarding to sail and devour the miles with ease. Couple that with Schmidt’s boatbuilding knowledge, innovation and the ease of handling that he demands of such craft, and it’s clear to see why ‘Y’ represents the new sweet spot of superyachting.

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Wow…! This foil-assisted, ultra-lightweight superyacht breaks new ground in many respects and Baltic says it is “one of the most extreme yachts” the yard has built in its 50-year history. Raven is designed to sail partly on her leeward chine, with giant T-foils providing the bulk of stability, plus some vertical lift, while a 9.3-tonne bulb at the end of a precision engineered 5m-deep fixed fin keel provides additional righting moment.

There have, of course, been many standout superyachts over the past few years, yet it’s still extraordinarily rare to come across a yacht like Raven. This 34m foiling beast blends virtually unprecedented performance potential with light displacement and a level of luxury that’s rarely encountered on such fast yachts.

The T-foils are mounted on hydraulically operated arms capable of supporting a sizeable proportion of the boat’s displacement, while fore and aft trim is controlled by vertical trim tabs at the transom. In addition, water ballast tanks in each aft quarter provide a further boost to righting moment when necessary.

Raven’s speed potential is such that sailing her will have more of the feel of a giant performance multihull than a conventional monohull. The apparent wind will be so far forward, even when the true wind is well aft of the beam, that the mainsail is expected to be permanently sheeted home, with minor trim adjustments made using the traveller in exactly the same fashion as MOD70 and Ultime trimarans.

Beyond that, the sail plan and rig is relatively conventional, with a Southern Spars carbon mast and North Sails 3Di headsails using Helix structured luff technology, plus a full complement of Code and asymmetric sails set from an 8m bowsprit. The yacht is primarily sailed from a cockpit right aft that has shelter from the elements at the forward end, as well as access to the accommodation.

A cruising yacht that’s likely to break speed records

Shaving savings

Even in this part of the market the unavoidable hotel systems on board add a considerable amount of extra weight. Naval architects Botin Partners, structural engineers Pure Design and the builders have gone to extreme lengths to keep light displacement down to only 55 tonnes, a considerable saving on the typical figure of 75-100 tonnes for an all-carbon performance superyacht of this size.

Achieving such a light displacement required far more than simply the carefully engineered and executed carbon/Nomex construction. A forensic approach was taken to minimise the weight of all systems and components, right down to every pipe clip, nut and bolt. This included shaving 100g off every carbon pipe bracket, switching steel hydraulic pipework for lighter hoses, which alone saved 160kg, and reducing the weight of shower doors from 13.5kg/m2 to only 2.3kg/m2.

Despite the cost implications, carbon moulds were used for the hull and deck as they’re less susceptible to distortion due to changes in temperature. This means less fairing was required than usual, with savings in both the weight of filler and paint. Equally, in-house 3D printing was used to optimise custom items, including the complex titanium head of the retractable hybrid propulsion system.

Finnish concept designer Jarkko Jämsén developed Raven with her owner and is responsible for the yacht’s styling, including exposing elements of the carbon structure to create a unique interior aesthetic. Raven is finished to a an uncompromised level of luxury, with an interior fitted out to a far higher degree than is common for ultra-high performance yachts of this size. “Although weight has been scrutinised and massively optimised, Raven still fully supports a superyacht level of systems and comfort,” Baltic’s executive vice-president, Henry Hawkins, told us.

There are saloons fore and aft of the big central guest cockpit area, with the forward one incorporating galley and dining areas, while the aft section incorporates the owner’s sleeping accommodation. Aft of this the hull is largely empty, but forward there’s accommodation for four guests in two cabins, plus extensive crew accommodation. The latter is an important element in attracting top talent.

The unusual rattan deckhead and bulkhead finishes are extremely lightweight, while the exposed carbon adds visual interest and further reduces the amount of filler and paint required. Equally, the distinctive furniture framework is made of hollow carbon piping, while structural bulkheads have a Nomex core.

Raven’s owner also understands that sailing the yacht at high speeds will be noisy, so the absence of the usual sound-deadening materials fitted to superyachts represents another large weight saving.

Exposed carbon and rattan deckhead and bulkhead finishes below help contribute to a lightweight yacht

The yacht will be used primarily for day sailing, but will also undertake high-speed, long-distance passages. On deck the unique ‘bird’s nest’ cockpit well is intended as a two-way observation dome – crew on deck can see the yacht’s stunning interior, while those below can see the action outside. Extensive Perspex glazing is sealed using foam to minimise weight, while the carbon mullions are hand painted to resemble timber.

Interiors of largely flush-decked yachts can be disappointedly dark by today’s standards. To further alleviate this Baltic has resorted to a traditional approach: deck prisms that illuminate spaces more efficiently than simple glazed panels of the same size. The yard brought this concept fully up to date using carbon and Perspex instead of bronze and solid glass, saving a considerable amount of weight in the process.

“The boat is primarily for pure enjoyment and the owner likes the challenge of doing something that hasn’t been done before,” says the owner’s project manager, Garth Brewer. “He really understands the technical elements and this will be a development project which will require a measured approach.”

Record breaker?

Initial sea trials took place in early August, without foils, then the boat was hauled out the day before we spoke to the team for the foils to be added, ahead of a second phase of trials that took place in recent weeks/

Given the complexity of this yacht and the scale of the project, it’s no surprise that the post-handover development phase is expected to take roughly 12-18 months, significantly longer than the 8-12 months typically needed for smaller foiling raceboats such as IMOCA 60s.

“A significant sail and considered performance testing programme is planned,” confirms Baltic Yachts project manager Sam Evans. “This will include the boat’s core crew, plus a hugely experienced larger sailing team, which has experience across the board including the America’s Cup, The Ocean Race and SailGP.”

Raven’s potential performance data is subject to a confidentiality agreement, but it’s clear this yacht is one that has potential to break many records, including the 24-hour monohull distance record of 641.13 miles (subject to ratification) set by Team Malizia in the last edition of The Ocean Race.

“This project undoubtedly represents one of the biggest challenges Baltic Yachts has ever embraced,” adds Hawkins. “But that is what we do – we have a long history of bringing leading edge innovation to the fore.”

Baltic 111 Raven specifications

LOA: 34.0m 111ft 6in
LWL: 33.1m 108ft 7in
Beam: 7.40m 24ft 3in
Draught: 4.80m 15ft 9in
Light displacement: 55,000kg 121,000lb
Ballast: 9,300kg 20,500lb
Builder: balticyachts.fi

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What particularly strikes you as you step on board Columbia is the atmosphere. Judging from the beaming owners and crew, this is clearly a much-loved yacht, and the pride that has gone into her build is obvious. It is rather difficult to believe that she is only a few months old, and not a well-restored classic.

She is as close a replica as physically possible of the original Columbia, a 141-foot wooden Gloucester fishing schooner built in the historic A. D. Story shipyard in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1923. Even today’s standard navigation stations by the wheel have been hidden away in a foldable locker, so that when at anchor, there are no clues as to her age. Only the steel of her hull is a giveaway. To someone stepping aboard for the first time, it takes a few minutes to take all this in, and this is no accident.

Her owner, Brian D’Isernia, had a dream as a high school student to one day build a classic American fishing schooner. He narrowed his favourites down to only a few boats, until he finally settled on Columbia. “She was one of five famous American schooners that fished and raced against the Canadians, and the only one to produce serious competition to the famous Bluenose,” he explains. “I chose the Columbia because she was the most beautiful and considered to be the fastest of the Americans.”

Eventually, in 1997, he came across the plans for Columbia. “We went to a lot of time and effort to locate not only the standard drawings for the old Columbia, but I even went up in the archives and found the original line drawings signed by W. Starling Burgess and we followed those exactly,” says Brian. And when he says ‘we’, he doesn’t mean it figuratively. Brian is president of Eastern Shipbuilding Company, based in Panama City, Florida, a large commercial shipyard.

“This is our first attempt at a yacht, but we’re delivering a 300-foot oil field vessel every six weeks. We’re pumping them out, and this was kind of a sideline. We’ve got 1,500 people employed at the yard, and this was just a little secret we started working on.” With the help of John W. Gilbert & Associates, her original hand-drawn line plans were redrawn using computer software and building began in 2006. “This is for me and my family, she’s not for sale,” Brian says emphatically.

“Everyone said: ‘We didn’t know there was a yard in the US that could build like this’, but there was no fanfare until we launched her. We do have a sister ship under construction and her hull is built, but we don’t need two of them, so we’ll sell the second one.”

Throughout the interior, nods to the original Columbia are evident everywhere. Although she wouldn’t have had a salon or engine room, the crew quarters have been designed to look identical and are housed in a traditional foc’s’le, a room in the bow forward of the mast, with six bunk beds arranged in a staggered formation along the hull. When asked about the unusual crew quarters, her captain Karl Joyner explains: “This is a replica vessel. She’s not meant to be anything else. Honestly, we haven’t had any complaints, the crew are young and they have a good time in here! Brian and Mimi are family orientated people, and there’s no feeling of separation on board, everyone just mixes together.”

The salon is warm and homely, and replaces the traditional fish holds

This is evident in the large open-plan galley just forward of the salon, with its comfortable country kitchen atmosphere. Brian proudly points out the woodwork and inlay details, naming the woods as he goes along: tiger maple, mahogany, “and all in-house.” The salon with its calming neutral wood details and well-thought-out pops of colour offers up a range of dining possibilities, with a formal table and seating mirrored on the opposite side by an adjustable table and sofas. The coffee table can be elevated to full cocktail height, a modern addition her predecessor would certainly not have enjoyed.

The guest quarters are designed with the prevailing family atmosphere in mind. The original Columbia would have contained fish-holds and not guest cabins, so Brian and Mimi were left with a flexibility to design what would suit their needs. Four cabins sleep 12 people, with the two twins carrying fixed bunks and pullmans in the master and VIP. Brian explains: “I have 10 children and 11 grandchildren, so we needed a lot of bunks! But with the second hull we can customise the interior to an owner’s requirements, such as including a larger master cabin. For us it was not a priority, though.”

Her owner went to great lengths to realise his boyhood dreams of owning a classic fishing schooner

While a traditional feel might be desired on board, it is not at the expense of modern amenities: the master includes a large Jacuzzi bath. A huge skylight above the salon fills the area with natural light and allows fresh air to flow throughout the yacht. A full-size electric fireplace as well as air-conditioning and heating systems ensure she is well prepared for all cruising climates.

A bow thruster, underwater lighting, state-of-the-art navigation equipment and multimedia entertainment system also set her apart from her predecessor.

The attention to historical detail on her exterior is extraordinary. Brian explains: “The blocks were built by an 86-year-old third-generation block builder from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, whose father built the blocks for Bluenose II, and whose grandfather built the blocks for Bluenose. So she’s a real little piece of history!” There are also two fish-holds on deck: “Brian specifically wanted them to keep as close to the original yacht as possible. We have chip ice-makers that fill them up,” explains Captain Joyner.

Brian’s passion for both his new yacht and her predecessor is obvious, but becomes clearer when he explains her history: “Tragically, the world never got to see the full potential of the original Columbia. She foundered in an August hurricane in 1927, along with four Canadian schooners, off Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Coincidentally, that’s in fact where I fished when I was in the industry: I spent two years off Sable Island long lining for swordfish, so there was an emotional pull for me as well.

A life of private cruising and leisurely travelling is a far cry from that of her predecessor

“But obviously my circumstances were different: in those days, these boats went out to the Grand Banks and had no radar, GPS or weather reports. All they had was a compass, a barometer and a leadline. When you’re on a lee shore in a hurricane, in a boat with no engines, it’s trouble.

Five schooners in that one night perished, and Columbia was one of them. One hundred and twenty five people died, 25 crew per boat, and they came from small coastal fishing villages. One village lost 25 people – there wasn’t a single family that wasn’t affected. “But she was a real fishing vessel, and that’s what she was built for. She raced in the Fishermen’s Cup, and the deal was that you had to fish. You couldn’t just sign up. If you didn’t go out and fish then you couldn’t race. I guess part of the reason we built her was to honour that time and those men. We forget that it was a very tough time. Even after those tragedies, they’d get up and go fishing again. They were survivors,” he says.

The new Columbia is to enjoy a different life in the hands of Brian and Mimi. “I’m taking her up to my 50th college reunion in May in Washington DC, up the Potomac River,” says Brian. She is set to visit the Mediterranean during the 2015 summer season as well. “My mother was born in Ireland, and since we’re planning to sail across the Atlantic, we’ve got to go there. We’ll just sail her with the family and have a good time.”

Originally published on SuperYachtWorld.com on February 27, 2015

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The incredible M5 (ex-Mirabella V) is about to embark on a Pacific crossing, and seen here with her designer and naval architect Ron Holland.

Photo: Ron Holland

This 77.6-metre underwent an extensive two year refit at Pendennis in 2012 which saw three metres added to her stern, as well as the removal and re-stepping of her groundbreaking rig. This extra space has enabled her new owners to keep a private Carbon Cub sea plane on her stern.

Photo: Ron Holland

Built at VT Shipbuilding and launched in 2003, she is the largest single-mast superyacht ever built, with an astonishing 90m mast. What was at the time considered to be a very daring yacht is now seen as one of the most iconic and recognised superyachts of the 21st Century.

Photo: Ron Holland

She accommodates up to 14 guests across seven cabins and has 15 crew, as well as plenty of entertaining space not often seen on typical sailing yachts.

Originally published on SuperYachtWorld.com on April 16, 2015

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One of the most awe-inspiring sights in modern yachting is the Spirit of Tradition fleet blasting off the start line at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. It happens every year at the end of April. Chances are it will include at least two J Class yachts, hitting the line on the gun at full tilt, exploding through the cobalt blue Caribbean rollers at anything up to 12 knots as they charge upwind.

Watching Velsheda, Ranger, Shamrock V and Endeavour will bring a lump to your throat, such is the emotion generated by these beautifully proportioned 130ft racing machines with their carbon rigs driving 170 tonnes of steel, aluminium and teak towards the weather mark. It’s heady stuff.

Watching them is one thing; racing quite another matter. In 1999 I was aboard the rebuilt Velsheda, taking part in the Antigua Classic Regatta. I had a single task as part of a four-man team – to tend the forward starboard runner. Nothing else. “Let that go once we’ve tacked and the whole rig comes down,” warned skipper Simon Bolt, as another wall of water thundered down the leeward deck and tried to rip me from the winch.

Dressed in authentic off-white, one-piece cotton boiler-suits, which had to be worn with a stout belt “so there’s something to grab if you go overboard”, they were tough, adrenaline-filled days out. God knows what it was like up forward as massive spinnakers were peeled and headsails weighing a quarter of a tonne were wrestled to the  needle-sharp foredeck as the bow buried itself into the back of yet another wave. Sometimes you daren’t look.

But with the race won or lost, back on the dock the feeling of elation, fuelled by being part of the 36-strong crew aboard one of these extraordinary yachts, triggered a high like no other. You knew you were playing a role, no matter how small, in a legendary story that began in 1930, was halted by World War II and then defied the pundits by opening another chapter 20 years ago. Today with five Js in commission, all in racing trim, and at least two more new examples about to be launched, the J Class phenomenon is back.

Why is the J Class so popular?

Why does a yacht with an arguably unexciting performance – they go upwind at 12 knots and downwind at 12 knots – costing £20 million to build and demanding eye-watering running costs, seem to be burgeoning during the worst recession since the class was born?

There is no single answer, but you only have to look back to the 1930s and the characters that owned and raced the Js on both sides of the Atlantic, sometimes for the America’s Cup, to understand why the class occupies a special place in yachting history. Underlying everything is the look of the J Class. It seems to transcend any change in yachting vogue, displaying a timeless line with outrageous overhangs and a proportion of hull to rig that is hard to better.

They possess true elegance. There is no doubt that captains of industry who want to flex their sporting muscle have been drawn to a class which only the very rich can afford and there are distinct parallels between J owners in the 1930s and those of the past 20 years. The difference is that in the 1930s owners liked to shout about their achievements and hogged the pages of national newspapers. Today, they are as quiet as mice.

Origins of the J Class

The J Class emerged in 1930 and marked a quantum leap in yachting technology, but comprised a hotchpotch of design altered over many years.

The J Class – so named because it was the letter allocated to its particular size by the Universal Rule to which the yachts were built (K and M Class yachts were, for example, shorter on the waterline) – emerged in 1930 and marked a quantum leap in yachting technology.

The so-called Big Class, which flourished in the UK in the 1920s, was impressive, but comprised a hotchpotch of design altered over many years. Yachts like King George V’s Britannia, built in 1893 as a gaff-rigged cutter but converted in the 1920s to Bermudan rig to rate as a J, Candida, Cambria, White Heather and schooners like Westward were even larger and more expensive to run. But as the greater efficiency of the Marconi or Bermudan rig became apparent their days were numbered.

One catalyst for the J Class itself was legendary grocer Sir Thomas Lipton’s final crack at challenging for the America’s Cup in 1931. He did so under the Universal Rule with the composite, wooden-planked, Charles E. Nicholson-design Shamrock V.

It was the 14th challenge since 1851 and the Americans, despite the withering effects of the Great Depression, reacted in dramatic fashion, organising their defence with four syndicates, each bulging with millionaires, putting forward separate Js: Enterprise, Whirlwind, Weetamoe and Yankee, which apart from Enterprise had already been launched.

Key to the American effort was the remarkable Harold Vanderbilt of the New York Yacht Club, who had inherited fabulous wealth from the family’s railroad companies, making him one of the country’s richest men.

Brought up on the family’s Idle Hour estate on Long Island Sound, he was a keen and accomplished sailor, and he used American technology and teamwork to build a far superior J in Enterprise. The defence completely overwhelmed Lipton’s effort. The British press castigated Lipton’s lack of preparedness and old-fashioned attitude. Vanderbilt, who among other things is credited with inventing contract bridge, left no stone unturned. “Mr. Harold Vanderbilt does not exactly go boat-sailing because summer is the closed season for fox-hunting,” stated an acerbic critic in the British yachting press.

Later when Shamrock was owned by aircraft builder Sir Richard Fairey and was being used to train crew for another Cup challenge, Beecher Moore, a skilful dinghy sailor who was draughted aboard the J to try to sort her out, reported in Yachts and Yachting many years later: “We found that when we got on board it was very much like a well-run country house, in that the gentleman does not go into the kitchen and on a well-run J Class the owner does not go forward of the mast.”

J Class tactics: Britain vs USA

A look at the huge gap between the British and American J Class tactics and designs in the early years of the America’s Cup.

In the early days there was a yawning gap between the way the Americans and British approached the Cup and, for that matter, how they ran a yacht. Revolutionary metal masts, Park Avenue booms to improve sail shape (the British copied this American design with their ‘North Circular’ version), bronze hulls that needed no painting, superior sails, and campaigns that cost £100,000 even in those days, blew away the Brits. Lipton had spent just £30,000 to build and equip Shamrock.

In the second Cup challenge in Js, in 1934, Sir T. O. M. Sopwith’s first Endeavour, also designed by Nicholson and equipped with wind instruments designed by her aircraft industrialist owner, nearly won the Cup, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory after leading the series 0-2. Sopwith was also up against Vanderbilt, who this time sailed Rainbow, which many considered to be the slower boat. But the British campaign was hobbled by a pay dispute – Endeavour’s crew got £5 a week but they wanted a raise for ‘going foreign’ – and the campaign approach was again brought into question when the first thing to be stripped off the yacht when they won a dispute over reducing weight was the bath!

Back in Britain, the 1935 season proved to be the zenith of J Class and Big Class racing, although by the end of it the Js were under the cosh for their tendency to lose masts. Five went over the side that year and Endeavour II, launched with en eye on the next Cup challenge, lost hers twice.

There was added spice in the competition off the shores of the UK with the arrival of the American J Yankee, now owned by millionaire and Listerine businessman Gerard Lambert, who enjoyed sparring with the Brits. But even Yankee lost her mast and the press rounded on the class for being dangerous and wasteful! That wasn’t enough to stop Sopwith, whose tail had been extracted from between his legs following the last defeat in Newport: Endeavour II was towed across the Atlantic in a veritable armada that included  the first Endeavour. The British yachts found themselves up against the most advanced sailing machine the world had ever seen – Ranger, dubbed ‘the Super J’.

Vanderbilt was the man to beat again. Not only had he bankrolled the entire defence as American business remained beset by a struggling economy, but he used highly scientific means to perfect design. The brilliant naval architect Starling Burgess, who had designed for Vanderbilt throughout the 1930s, was now aided by the equally brilliant but considerably more youthful Olin Stephens. Between them they finally selected ‘model 77-C’ from six tank tested.

The yacht was considered ugly by some and not a natural to look at, but Vanderbilt’s team trusted the science (still the difference between the Americans and the Brits) and Ranger with her bluff or barrel bow and ‘low slung’ counter was the result. She proved to be dynamite on the race course and Endeavour II didn’t stand a chance. She was beaten in five straight races by large margins. The Americans and Vanderbilt had done it again. War then brought an end to an extraordinary era in yachting.

Only ten J Class yachts were built to the Universal rule and not a single American yacht survived. Most were scrapped for the war effort. In any case, the American way was to discard the machine once it has served its purpose. In Britain they faired a little better, and some Js were mud-berthed on the East and South Coasts. Two survived in the UK: Velsheda, originally built by the businessman who ran Woolworths in the UK (W. L. Stevenson named her after his daughters Velma, Sheila and Daphne), but which never challenged for the America’s Cup; and Endeavour, saved by becoming a houseboat on the Hamble. Shamrock ended up in Italy and survived the war hidden in a hay barn.

J Class resurgence

Seemingly resigned to the history books, the J Class made a triumphant return in the 1980s.

In his seminal book about the J Class, Enterprise to Endeavour, yachting historian Ian Dear predicted in the first edition in 1977 that the likes of the Js would never be seen again. By the time the fourth edition was published in 1999 he was quite happily eating his words!

The American Elizabeth Meyer was, without doubt, instrumental in bringing the class back to life when in the 1980s she extracted what was left of Endeavour from a  amble mud-berth, began rebuilding her in Calshot, and then moved her to Royal Huisman in Holland, who completed the restoration superbly. With the transom of the original Ranger mounted on a bulkhead in her saloon, Endeavour is still regarded as one of the best-looking and potentially fastest Js.

She was owned briefly by Dennis Kozlowski, the disgraced tycoon who ran Tyco, who famously said: “No one really owns Endeavour, she’s part of yachting history. I’m delighted to be the current caretaker.” Unfortunately he ended up in prison and the State of New York became Endeavour’s ‘caretaker’ before they sold her to her current owner, who has kept the yacht in the Pacific. She’s currently being refitted in New Zealand.

Ronald de Waal is a Dutchman who until recently was chairman of the Saks Group in the USA and has made a fortune in clothing. He has dedicated a lot of time to improving Velsheda over the years since he had her rebuilt by Southampton Yacht Services to a reconfigured design by Dutch naval architect Gerry Dykstra. Ronald de Waal steers the yacht himself to great effect and has had some legendary tussles with Ranger, the new Super J built in Denmark for American realestate magnate John Williams.

The rivalry between the two is fierce and even led to a collision between the yachts in Antigua last year. But Velsheda would have been lost had it not been for British scrap-metal merchant Terry Brabant who saved her from a muddy grave on  the Hamble and famously sold his Rolls-Royce to cast a new lead keel for the yacht. With very little modern equipment he sailed her hard in the Solent, chartering her and crossing the Atlantic for a Caribbean season, all without an engine! Without Brabant’s initiative Ronald de Waal wouldn’t have what he has today.

Shamrock V is owned by a Brazilian telecommunications businessman Marcos de Moraes who had the yacht rebuilt at Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth in 2001. He tends to keep away from the race course but with a number of events being planned in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics he might be tempted back. The latest new J to launch, Hanuman, a modern interpretation of Endeavour II, has recently entered the racing fray. She was commissioned by serial yacht owner Jim Clark (Hyperion and Athena), the American who brought us Netscape and Silicon Graphics, and who remains a colossus in Silicon Valley.

Hanuman, named after a Hindu deity, built by Royal Huisman and designed by Gerry Dykstra, has had no expense spared when it comes to rig and sail wardrobe. Last year she beat Ranger in the Newport Bucket but in March this year she lost out 2-1 to the same boat at the St Barths Bucket. They were due to meet again with Velsheda at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta in April. Another Dutchman, property developer Chris Gongriep, who has owned a number of yachts including Sapphire and Windrose of Amsterdam, has given the go-ahead for a new  version of Rainbow, which is well advanced in Holland at Freddie Bloesma’s aluminium hull fabrication yard. The yacht, reconfigured by Gerry Dykstra, will be in the water in 2011 with a full-on race programme.

About to be launched is Lionheart, the biggest J so far, redesigned by Andre Hoek and built in Holland by Claasen Jachtbouw, after an extensive research programme.  Unfortunately, her owner’s business commitments mean that he won’t be able to enjoy the fruits of this project – she’s for sale with Yachting Partners International and Hoek Brokerage. What an opportunity to join a class with such a remarkable history and one which looks destined to run and run!

First published on SuperYachtWorld.com on Aug 4, 2010

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Lying beneath the limestone mountains of Mallorca, the Bay of Palma draws in a sea breeze almost every afternoon in summer. It builds lazily through the morning and peters away in the late afternoon. But it has its idiosyncrasies, as any racing tactician or a race organiser will know. Sometimes it can be patchy across the course, or streaky, or have dead zones, or even be very breezy.

What it will do is give a sailing crew a quiet morning ashore followed by a sporting afternoon’s racing – with a dash of uncertainty. Palma is always a favourite venue for sailing.

Nevertheless, the Superyacht Cup Palma, the longest running big boat regatta in Europe and now in its 27th year, was a slimmed down event in June 2023. With just nine entries it was still feeling the pandemic’s disruptive effects. So this year’s fleet was split into two classes, which lent themselves to a subdivision of rivalries that organiser Kate Branagh called ‘dance partners’.

Comparable yachts such as the two 33m Vitters-built Malcolm McKeon designs Ribelle and Pattoo raced with an eye on each other. A pair of older 36m Dubois designs, Miss Silver and Lady M, which have enjoyed a career of cruising, mustered crews of friends and experienced pros for another amicable clash. A match also developed between the 24m Farr-designed Wally Rose (formerly Tango) versus Swan 100 Onyx and Swan 80 Umiko.

Foredeck crew grapple with a headsail on Rose. Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

Getting the advantage

Setting courses for such a diverse fleet is a testing exercise. The mighty J Class yachts are in their element on windward-leeward courses. Beamy, lighter designs such as the Swans and McKeon designs are powered-up reaching machines. Everyone is looking for a course that gives them a fair crack.

Together with the Real Club Náutico de Palma’s race management, the organisers have a way of giving every crew a first taste of advantage: a staggered start order each day. “On day one, the start order is based on racing handicap, and each boat’s start is followed by a two-minute gap, so the slower boats benefit from clear air. On day two, we take the results and reverse the order so the first is last, and vice versa,” explains Kate Branagh. “That way everyone has a go at having the advantage and can sail to their best performance.”

Aboard the Wally 80 Rose, tactician Jesper Radich was among many who found the opening day taxing. Conditions made it, he said, “hard to decide on the right call. It was shifty and really challenging. You had to make the right decisions on every leg.”

The beautiful 33m carbon composite Pattoo on a reaching leg. Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

For the owner of Rose, an experienced and lifelong sailor, and captain Ben Potter, the Superyacht Cup was to be a proving ground. The Farr-designed yacht, launched as Tango in 2006, had originally been aggressively and successfully raced, but lay dormant before being sold a few years ago.

Rose is based in Palma and her first regatta under new ownership was the Superyacht Cup last year. A propulsion issue on day one led to a DNS they could not recover from. This time, they wanted to show what a comparatively older boat could do with some upgrades and well-practised crew work.

Their win over Swan 100 Onyx, whose afterguard included match racing champion and America’s Cup sailor Gavin Brady, amounted to only five seconds in the final race after two hours of racing, and gave them an unblemished score.

They finished with three 1sts, after some very tight racing. “It was amazing: windy, sunny and shifty – really challenging,” commented tactician Jesper Radich.

Rose’s captain Ben Potter said: “There were some lighter breezes, which suit the boat. We can sail into the dying breeze in the afternoon to the finish. And we made the right decision about the sails.”

Regatta rules say each yacht is allowed to register two spinnakers in advance and will take a percentage penalty for each additional flying sail they carry; Rose’s crew opted for the minimum.

Lady M in full flight. Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

A brace of J-Class yachts

The supermodels of the event are the magnificent J Class yachts. Their immense power and adversarial style of racing are heart-thumping. Just as in their 1930s heyday, the Js are owned by captains of industry, raced by the best sailors in the world, and minutely prepared with no expense spared.

With only two, Velsheda and Svea, racing this year, it was not possible to have a separate J Class, so they were placed in Class A with Ribelle and Pattoo.

A full house on the J Class Velsheda. Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

JS1, Svea, has new syndicate owners from Sweden who have deep racing experience; particularly Niklas Zennström. The Skype founder has sailed since childhood and made his mark in Mini Maxis and TP52s – he is a double Maxi World Champion. “If I get into something, I get drawn into it and get pretty addicted,” he has said.

In opposition, Velsheda, JK7, recently emerged from an eight-and-a-half month refit, “a full cosmetic refit of the boat, a new deck, paintwork, a topsides and rig paint, full varnish re-do, and a lot of things to juggle,” says skipper Barney Henshaw-Depledge.

In preparation for their world championships in Barcelona next year, most of the J Class teams have been looking at how to play with their ratings. A focus has been put on reducing waterline length. Velsheda’s keel and hull have been re-faired and some 2.6 tonnes of ballast removed. According to the rumour mill, even more has been stripped from Svea, making her much quicker downwind.

But it doesn’t always work out.

A skilled job at the sharp end of Svea. Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

“With the two minute gaps in starts, sometimes you were sailing in a completely different breeze,” says Svea’s captain, Paul Kelly. “We were up against Ribelle and Pattoo and at a couple of marks we were getting rolled. Ribelle was sailing higher and faster. They can sit on top of you and go over you going 2-3 knots faster.

“From a racing point of view that can be very frustrating but from a perspective of training and crew work and owners’ driving, it was time on the water, which counts for everything. You need to be minimising mistakes so it was invaluable.”

Velsheda claimed victory with two race wins, finishing a point ahead of 2nd placed Svea and the McKeon designs Ribelle and Pattoo.

Owners like to return to the Superyacht Cup because the racing is in earnest but the vibe is friendly, and the city has every yachting facility one could want, at hand.

Ribelle, the 33m Malcolm McKeon design, gliding along under A-sail. Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

“In other places of the world you might have one or two days when you are not racing, with either no wind or too much breeze, whereas here you have guaranteed racing,” says Bouwe Bekking. “The level of racing on some boats is really high end with a lot of professionals aboard, then there are cruiser-racers with owners who want to compete. You can sail against similar types of boats and if you do a good job you can win.”

“It is the first time I’ve done one of these types of events,” comments Gavin Brady. “It’s very neat. It’s not often that we all get together – there isn’t often a chance to mingle in events like the TP52s. This is competitive but it’s also very social.”

The 24m Wally Rose had a close battle with Swan 100 Onyx in Class B. Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

The lure of the Cup

Next year’s Superyacht Cup may be back to full strength as yachts that have been off cruising or stayed close to their home base migrate to the Med and the gatherings planned around the 37th America’s Cup in October.

“Next year is looking really big again. Many yachts have been in the Pacific or the US, and are coming for the Cup,” comments organiser Branagh. “Already 17 have expressed an interest – we have never had this number so far out. The new Nilaya [a 47m Reichel/Pugh design launched this winter from Royal Huisman] is keen and there are several other new builds, and others that are going to be out of big refits.

“I think people are back to planning long term and it could be a bumper year.”

J-Class developments

In the rarefied world of the J Class, a little more speed costs a huge amount of money and demands the highest degree of expertise. Almost 100 years on from their origin, the Js still extract near America’s Cup levels of development, and huge refit programmes are undertaken to gain fractions of speed.

Sails are a perennial area of development. The class favour North 3Di sails, but strict firewalls keep individual build details a closely guarded secret. “Sail development is very, very expensive, so we certainly keep our cards close to our chest; we are in it to win it,” says Paul Kelly, captain of Svea.

Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

Deck chutes have been in development since Bouwe Bekking introduced the idea to Lionheart a few years ago. He is now tactician on Svea, which was using one at the Superyacht Cup for the first time. Chute retrieves have slashed the time it takes to douse the gargantuan spinnakers by as much as a minute. “You can pretty much carry them right to the mark,” says Steve Branagh of RSB Rigging, who was crewing on Velsheda.

“You also haven’t got 15 people on the foredeck doing it, which presents its own problems as you round the mark and is extra weight,” adds Svea’s Paul Kelly. “When it all goes to plan it’s amazing how quick it is. But you do also have to be aware it mightn’t go to plan and you could hear the dreaded words ‘Manual drop!’”

Power and hydraulic systems are critical for driving winches with ultra-rapid line speeds. “For a heavy air gybe-set we have everything going. If we have hydraulic failure it is race ending; top-handling winches is over,” says Kelly.

Photo: sailing Energy/The superyacht cup

Every spectator and every cameraman loves the sporting action of the racing Js, the foredeck crew in helmets being doused by bow waves. Each yacht races with over 30 people – 34 on Svea, including owners. “We have seven or eight on the foredeck, four on the winches at mast base, four on pit. People can’t believe 34 people have a job but it is a fact,” says Kelly. “You still need six guys to move the spinnaker pole because it’s 100kg and 16m long.”

This year is effectively a work-up to the peak of racing activity, the J Class World Championships held during the America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024. Besides Velsheda and Svea, the soon to-be-relaunched Rainbow should be there, plus Topaz and Shamrock, currently being refitted in the UK.

The coolest thing about the Js, though, are what they can do when you don’t see them. After racing they may go off low-key cruising with their owners. Following the Superyacht Cup, Svea was converted to cruising mode and set sail for Naples. With a comfortable interior that can sleep 11, she, like her rivals, is far more bluewater capable than you might imagine.

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It’s very rare to see quite such a large vessel, the world’s largest aluminium sailing yacht in this case, truly in its element: sailing full bore in an idyllic location. To us sailing fans, it’s the equivalent of a birdwatcher photographing an exceptional species of finch, kingfisher or indeed eagle. With regards to Sea Eagle II, however, these images really do make you re-evaluate your impressions of scale.

We’ve talked in detail about this superyacht before, when it was just a vision, a project in build. But these pictures, showing it in full flight, help bring a long list of impressive technical statistics to life.

While there are many big yachts, there are very few sailing yachts as large as this – officially eight, but of those considered proper sail-powered rather than sail-assisted yachts, arguably only three. And certainly very few we’ve seen that can sail like this: seemingly with relative ease, control, power and grace.

The extensive photoshoot in French Polynesia shows Sea Eagle II really shifting under its own easily furled canvas. This should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Dykstra Naval Architects. Look at the spray flying off the towering stemhead – this is no sailing motoryacht. From bow-on you can see the hull is comparatively very slender, with purposeful chines and a flare to the topsides aft. The waterline is fully extended as the sections transition from a rounded U-shape bilge forward to a flat run aft.

Long waterlines together with a modern, beamy aft shape helps create massive volume, powerful performance and low heeling speed. Photo: Tim McKenna

Combine this with the long glass deckhouse and it reminds of a modern explorer yacht or a naval craft. Its hull lines are strikingly efficient, purposeful even. Her 6m draught aside, you get the impression there is nowhere Sea Eagle II can’t soar to. That it has already completed a circumnavigation and sailed 45,000 miles in its first three years is less surprising when you consider just how long legged it is – indeed the crew and designers have reported sustained passagemaking speeds of over 20 knots.

But why the look, why that sailplan, and how did it get from concept to sailing in Pacific islands?

A classic start

The initial brief was actually for a more classical yacht, similar to the 90m schooner Athena that Royal Huisman built for Jim Clark in 2004, before the owner realised he’d prefer the benefits that come with a more modern shape with straight lines. This allowed for a much longer waterline and beamy transom for more stability, volume and comfort at less heel.

Passagemaking performance aboard a practical and safe yacht to manage easily was the target. Sea Eagle II was commissioned by an ageing owner who wanted a large, stable and easily driven yacht – which is why it ended up being twice the length and three times the volume and sail area of the previous Sea Eagle, a 43m yacht which launched from Huisman in 2015.

owerful schooner sailplan with heavily roached equal sized mains. The upwind sail area alone is equivalent in size to five basketball courts. Photo: Tim McKenna

The modern look came from Dykstra’s Erik Wassen, lead naval architect for the project, who I caught up with to discuss how the design transpired and if it has fulfilled its brief. Where a classic yacht “has lots of details to give it life – I thought a round bilge boat with no detail on it is just incredibly dull,” he replies candidly. This helps explain the yacht’s prominent chine, “single aft, turning into a double chine forward, to give it detail,” while in the transom the topsides are inverted, and have some negative camber. “That’s what your eye picks up – it emphasises that masculine look.”

As well as the aesthetic trickery, it’s a shape that works from a naval architecture point of view too: “the knuckle gave me more beam in the forward end of the boat where we have the foremast. The chainplates can be separated more without having too much flare in the boat.”

To manage this canvas, 34 winches can all be pushbutton controlled from the helm stations. Photo: Tim McKenna

Sea Eagle II’s striking styling is set off by the long deckhouse with its straight glass windows, which cements an explorer look. The UK’s Mark Whitely, who designed the interior, drew this profile. “We went with that and explored it further to sink the bridge half into the superstructure to keep the overall height limited,” Wassen explains.

A schooner rig featuring three carbon masts with furling booms was deemed the most effective way to give Sea Eagle II the most manageable sail power at the Panamax limit (61m). Dynarigs, as used on the Dykstra projects Maltese Falcon and Black Pearl, were not appropriate for an owner who preferred more classic styles. And while Wassen says they did consider square-top sails, the additional complication was considered too high at the time (around 2017). Instead, the three heavily roached mains have proven to provide ample sail area.

Royal Huisman’s sister company Rondal built the three equal size high modulus carbon masts, as well as the furling booms, captive and drum winches, while Carbo-Link supplied the carbon standing rigging.

Note the size of the crew to get a scale of the aft deck and beam. Photo: Tim McKenna

Straightforward sailing

The beauty of the sailplan is that it can set so much canvas on easily managed push button furlers. The 34 winches are all interfaced and controlled by Rondal’s integrated sail handling system. The Stratis-built fore, main and mizzen sails can raise simultaneously thanks to plenty of hydraulic juice powered by twin 120kW gensets and power take-offs on the main engines.

When you include the staysails that can set off each mast and the yankee, there are seven furling sails from Doyle, totalling around 3,500m2. And that’s without a kite (which the new owners are looking into adding, with rumours of future racing events such as the RORC Caribbean 600).

“Tacking is very straightforward,” reported Royal Huisman’s commissioning skipper: “the mains mostly look after themselves with only minor adjustments.

“Gybing naturally takes a little more orchestration, as on any large yacht. But it is still a smooth and safe process.”

Side decks you could fit a skittle alley on, yet protected by high bulwarks. Photo: Tim McKenna

The yankee sheet has the most load, but even that’s on an 18-tonne pull winch, which is reasonably common in large yachts. To depower the sailplan, the crew typically reef from the mizzen first, with the reefs all on halyard locks.

In terms of performance, this is a mile-munching machine. “In a good breeze, on a beam reach, with reefed sails, it does 20 knots comfortably without pushing it,” Wassen reports. This is confirmed by Huisman’s commissioning skipper who reported high boat speeds that are easy to maintain: “We comfortably recorded 22 knots in moderate wind conditions. In fact, at 16-18 knots boat speed, I found myself regularly checking the B&G speed displays for confirmation because the motion is so relaxed. Sailing fast with just a gentle heel [typically max 10-15°], she feels very safe.”

Wassen stresses it’s never had a race crew aboard, so has never been pushed. “We know the boat has been doing sustainable 20 knot+ deliveries… so I think the performance polars we made are doable.”

Palatial space at anchor. Transom hinges to create a full beach terrace. Lazarette includes a crane for the 8m guest tender plus toy space. Photo: Tim McKenna

He attributes the commendable performance to the long waterlines, where buttocks slowly rise to a transom that is only just clear of the water. But credit must go equally to the stiff and strong build. Typically yachts of this scale are built in steel, which results in a much heavier structure. Royal Huisman are masters in large aluminium craft and this, its largest to date, helped them further the technology – learnings which have continued to progress with the launch of its recent full performance yacht Nilaya and the colossal 85m sloop in build.

The complexity of Sea Eagle II’s build, and its four years in engineering and construction, cannot be understated. The goal was to find the right balance between strength and flex, the former to ensure the necessary longitudinal strength and rigidity, the latter to absorb the dynamic shock loads from waves.

bridge fit for a ship for fully protected watchkeeping. Photo: Tim McKenna

Glass doesn’t bend

An example of such a construction challenge lay with how to mount such a long, rigid deckhouse structure, which comprises so much laminated glass, onto a more flexible aluminium hull. “When we were doing the FEM [finite element method] analysis, we noticed that the glass mullions would be picking up a lot of the load,” Wassen explains: “the deck is participating in the overall structure and a boat with this beam will deflect and bend in waves.”

As glass won’t flex, the build team needed to include some tolerance between the roof and mullions. Aerospace specialists developed an adhesive specially for this project, using it to bond the forward section of the deckhouse to create 2cm of flex.

The al fresco dining area beneath the aft overhang, with grand stairs each side to the flybridge. Photo: Tim McKenna

This long run of glass is central to the overall aesthetic, something Mark Whitely elaborates on: “The essence of the yacht’s appeal is illustrated by long, uninterrupted lines of glass, a subtle sweep of superstructure and a blister to enclose the semi-raised bridge.

“The proportions and low profile were driven by the owner’s request to have a continuous floor from the exterior dining space, right through the large main saloon to the forward dining saloon, with no steps.” The photos confirm side decks you could bowl down, and fore and aft decks clear enough for racket sports.

The formal dining and leisure area at the forward end of the deckhouse. The curved, forward windscreen gives a panoramic outlook. Photo: Tim McKenna

Elsewhere on deck there are foldout boarding platforms on both sides. Outside and inside worlds are separated by flush sliding glass doors which disappear into their own garages, while steps each side of the dining area lead to the expansive flybridge to offer another full deck of entertaining space and an ideal vantage point to helm from.

Another prime feature of Sea Eagle II’s design is the full bridge nestled between flybridge helm station and the main deckhouse, from which it can be commanded in heavy weather. Deciding at which of the many long tables to sit or relax at would seemingly be the only headache for owners and guests. Whether alfresco on the aft deck, inside/outside bar seating, the decksaloon or a formal dining and leisure area forward with 180° windscreen views, all are on the same level.

The main accommodation is for 12 guests, while forward of the foremast is a separate low profile entrance for the 14 crew to reach their quarters. The stowage space for toys is formidable, complete with cranes to launch all with minimal fuss.

A modern silhouette of purposeful performance, with lengthy waterlines and an extended deckhouse. Hull chines are mirrored on the booms. Photo: Tim McKenna

However, while it offers palatial comfort at anchor, this is a yacht that clearly comes alive under sail. In summary, these photos prove what the jury at the Design & Innovation Awards 2021 said when awarding Sea Eagle II with the ‘Best Naval Architecture Sailing Yachts’ award. “She is not just a large cruising yacht with global capability but a beautiful boat that sails well.”

Sea Eagle specifications

LOA: 81m 266ft
Beam: 12m 40ft
Draught: 6m 20ft
Hull speed: 22 knots
Main engines: 2x 1,081kW
Generators: 2x 120kW
Air draught: 61m 201ft
Sail area: 2,580m2 27,770ft2 upwind / 3,552m2 38,233ft2 downwind
Design: Dykstra Naval Architects + Mark Whiteley Design

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Y-Yachts has unveiled a fascinating new 75ft luxury daysailer concept, the Y Breeze.

Y-Yachts founder Michael Schmidt, the veteran racing sailor, industry pioneer and former Hanse Yachts owner, is known for his innovation, particularly with a focus on making yachts simple, fun and approachable. The YBreeze YB75 strips things back to that – right back.

The YB75  is designed to be ultra clean and easy to sail. The sale of each boat will even include a crewmember to ensure it’s always ready for that quick sunset sail.

“For the last 30 years the number of powerboats have been increasing. Now it’s time to go back to sailing – with something eco and cool,” Schmidt told us at the announcement of the YBreeze project in his Y-Yachts office and home in Palma, Mallorca.

Designed by Cossutti Yacht Design, with an interior described as exclusive luxury by Gabriel Chipperfield’s Studio Wendover, the YB75 is reminiscent of some of the iconic Wally Yachts. Indeed the high bulwarks echo that of the 43m Esense.

High bulwarks create a very clean aesthetic while allowing for a safe, protected, walk around deck on the YBreeze

These bulwarks serve both aesthetical and practical purposes. Schmidt wanted the looks so clean that even stanchions could be avoided. The bulwarks give the required safe height for a full walkaround deck.

Further aft these bulwarks help conceal the steering consoles when not in use. And then, towards the transom, we see a feature adopted by powerboats of late: the bulwarks fold out like wings to create a vast sunbathing deck. The YB75 will be the first sailing yacht to feature such a system.

As well as looking ultra clean, the aim of the YB75 is to offer the comfort of a comparable powerboat. So while the decks are devoid of lines and clutter, a galley unit can rise up from below the deck. And Y-Yachts is devising its own standalone removable sunbeds including gimballing versions for the aft deck. Removable or fixed biminis can also cover this area.

A glance at the accommodation plan will show there is no interior space in the aft third of the boat, but instead a large garage for toys and dive gear.

75ft of instant fun

Making the boat easy to use is so important when comparing to the power market, believes Schmidt (and he knows from his experience with Fjord motor yachts) – hence crew will be included in the price!

“Each boat we sell we’ll sell with a crewmember,” Schmidt explained. “So you can call and say ‘in one hour I want to go sailing’ and the boat will be ready.”

Y-Yachts is even studying fenders that can automatically deploy and inflate. “We’re trying to avoid the hassle of having to ‘prepare and de-prepare a sailboat,” said Schmidt.

“We saw people buying power but getting bored quickly,” commented Y-Yachts head of design Francesca Modica. “The challenge was to make such a dayboat a sail boat.”

The YBreeze is designed to be allow owners to get off the dock quickly for fun, simple sailing

The YB75 is designed to appeal to owners who have houses in the sailing playgrounds of Palma, Sardinia and St Tropez areas. An app will not only be used to control the boat but Schmidt envisages it allowing multiple owners to share a boat.

Why this size? I asked. “It’s the best way to show the sexy concept – 55ft is too small I think… it’s a toy not an explorer,” he replied.

The YB75 is the largest project yet for the Italian designers and ORC specialists Cossutti, who first discussed Schmidt’s latest brainchild with him in September last year. The sheerline is particularly clever: modern, bold and actually relatively straight it helps disguise the bulwarks and coachroof which extends so far forward.

After analysing the type of Med sailing location the prospective owner will use, typically the Balearics/Costa Smerelda/south France, Cossutti found that 90% of the time the wind averages around 10 knots. So they chose a narrow hull with a low wetted surface.

“The idea is to have fun without needing many people on board, hence the water ballast,” Maurizio Cossutti explained. A tonne of water ballast will offset the need for lots of weight in the keel or crew on the rail.

Cossutti calculates that the YB75 will be competitive with a Maxi 72, yet can be handled on a race track by a crew of six as opposed to a team typically three times that size.

In some senses the interior design is a revisit by Gabriel Chipperfield (of Wendover Studio) of the interior his father David did for Schmidt’s first yacht, Cool Breeze. It’s an adaptable space, and while there are berths the expectation is not that owners will spend many nights aboard, instead using it as a daysailer for fun cruising, racing and entertaining.

“We wanted people to go inside and stay inside, not be depressed by it,” Chipperfield said at the project’s unveiling. He has chosen light, sustainable or natural materials, such as leather, timber, rattan and straw. The timber will be surplus material from outfitters of mega yachts.

YBreeze sustainable build

Y-Yachts has placed a strong focus on sustainability for YBreeze. It has already incorporated electric drives in its boats, but Schmidt believes synthetic diesel would be better in terms of carbon footprint for the YB75.

Y-Yachts is also working with a Spanish firm on using their green epoxy which can reportedly be separated and burned after use. And the innovative yard has already spent 18 months investigating ways to avoid moulds with composite yacht manufacturing – stay tuned for more on that and this intriguing project as details are released.

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All eyes will turn to Mallorca from 21-24 June, when the world’s most beautiful yachts will be seeking glory in the Superyacht Cup Palma. Nine yachts were on the entry list for the 2023 event when we went to press, including a brace of timeless J-Class and the 39m Dubois sloop Lady M. By the time owners and their crews have gathered at the Real Club Nautico on 21 June, the crew list will number in the hundreds and include some of the world’s most competitive big-boat sailors.

Now in its 27th year, the Superyacht Cup is the doyenne of superyacht regattas, with a reputation for relaxed socialising and meticulously managed racing. Though the entry list is a little thinner than last year, event director Kate Branagh is still looking forward to some close battles on the water. “Everyone has a dance partner, this year,” she says, referring to the two J-Class, Velsheda and Svea; and to the twin 33m Malcolm McKeon yachts Ribelle and Pattoo.

“There’s also Miss Silver and Lady M, two Dubois designs built in New Zealand; the two Swans (Onyx is bigger and has a more powerful sail area than Umiko, but they’re a similar breed); and Rose and Umiko are the same size.”

It should make for exciting racing for the owners and crews, who will be squaring off against a specific opponent. And because all the boats are broadly comparable – sloop-rigged cruisers between 24m and 44m LOA – the organisers can set an optimal course.

“You try to have an equal amount of upwind, downwind and reaching; when the boats are very similar, that’s more easily achieved,” said Branagh. “They can all sail in their favourite conditions.”

Racing kicks off on Thursday 22 June, although the event begins the day before with registration, skipper’s briefings and welcome drinks on the terrace of the race manager, the Real Club Nautico de Palma (RCNP). By then, the predominantly hot, dry weather of the summer should have imposed a sea breeze you can set your watch by: rising steadily in the morning and blowing at 10-14 knots throughout the afternoon. In the sheltered waters of the Bay of Palma, it offers the potential for sweet-spot winds in nearly smooth water.

Photo: Nico Martinez

Rivalries old and new

Last year saw Svea, the latest of the majestic J-Class yachts, miss out on overall victory by a single point after 46m Ganesha won the final race of the event. But she led the Js by a country mile, even though it was her first race with a new crew under a syndicate of three new Swedish owners.

“We’d sailed back from Charleston in the middle of May,” remembered Svea captain Paul ‘PK’ Kelly. “Then we hauled out the next morning to try and get the boat ready for the regatta. It was pretty frantic. We did nine days of training with 99% new crew, so I had no idea what to expect.”

With veteran Dutch round-the-world sailor Bouwe Bekking aboard again this year, he’s hoping to retain the same pitch of high excitement with a crew that has now experienced a season of winning and is looking for outright victory in Palma. “It’s a young, eager and professional crew of people who are so excited to be on a J-Class,” said Kelly. “It’s us and Velsheda fleet racing with the rest. She is very well sailed and has just had an extensive refit, so interesting to see how they come out of that. It’ll be a very, very good training exercise for us.”

Above: she may be 90 years of age, but Velsheda is still the J-Class to beat. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Velsheda herself is an original grand lady from 1933 celebrating her 90th birthday this year. She won’t be looking her age, however, after getting new teak decking, new hydraulics and having work to her deck gear. And with the most seasoned owner-driver at the wheel and a veteran crew led by wily Kiwi tactician Tom Dodson, Velsheda is always the J to beat.

Ribelle and Pattoo are near identical 33m Vitters-built cruiser-racers with clean, modern lines from the pen of Malcolm McKeon, and will be keenly competing against each other. Ribelle is back after a hiatus with a new owner, while Pattoo (previously Missy) has raced here on and off over the years since she was launched in 2016.

For the 28m Swan Onyx, it is all new, however. “This will be a Superyacht Cup Palma baptism for Onyx, but an event we are all expecting will be one of the highlights of our season,” said skipper Sam Forbes.

The 46m Ganesha won last year’s event by a single point. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Safety first

Starts are staggered at two-minute intervals – important to prevent expensive contacts between boats in the box.

“The start can be a pretty terrifying procedure for those that aren’t used to it, hence the intervals,” explained Branagh. “There’s also a minimum 40m separation around the course, and more at key water marks. Setting up to tack and bear away takes a long time – it’s not like easing the sheet on a little boat. The equipment takes such huge loads, we try to avoid areas of extra stress. It’s just as competitive and much safer.”

Branagh is not only an experienced event organiser but also an experienced sailor, with more than 250,000 sea miles under her belt, so she knows exactly what it takes to appeal to owners. And one of the key principles of this laid-back Med regatta is that any type of superyacht can be competitive under the handicap system.

“Some boats make massive, specific preparations for racing; others were literally cruising last week and, apart from handing out new uniforms, everything stays the same,” she said. “Both approaches are perfectly acceptable, and that’s what makes it interesting. It’s not the same arms race as you get in fleet racing.”

Besides the hull and rig of the boat itself, the handicap takes into account the age and use of sails, whether you’ve got full water tanks or not, and items of windage such as radomes. The idea is to level the playing field and encourage owners who baulk at the idea of stripping down the yacht for racing.

With new owners of long-standing boats, as well as new boats altogether, all bets are off for the results of this year’s Superyacht Cup. But the experience on the water is just one part of what makes the event such a fixture in the superyacht calendar. There is also a strong social programme for owners and crews, which exemplifies the relaxed atmosphere that the organisers have fostered. And this year, the Race Village will extend from the RCNP clubhouse terrace to the dock for happy hours and parties.

“Back in the old days, that’s just what we had: the dock party on the back of the boat,” says Branagh. “It creates such a nice atmosphere when people come in after the day’s racing. Otherwise, a few people sneak off earlier for a beer, while others get roped into the longer jobs aboard.

“As ever, one of the pleasures of being involved with Superyacht Cup Palma as we go into its 27th year is welcoming newcomers and greeting old friends once again,” said Branagh. “We’re also delighted that we’ll be returning to our base at the prestigious Real Club Náutico de Palma, our long-standing race management partner.”

Superyacht Cup Palma entries

Photo: Christopher Scholey

Lady M

LOA: 38.9m/127ft | Design: Dubois Yachts | Build: Fitzroy Yachts 2006

Previously Ganesha, this is an example from the heyday of Dubois/New Zealand partnerships. Launched as a competitive cruiser, she is built in aluminium and has previously competed at Dubois and Loro Piano superyacht regattas. The largest volume competitor here, but her current form is unknown.

Photo: Andrea Francolini

Miss silver

LOA: 36m/118ft | Design: Dubois Yachts | Build: Alloy Yachts 1995

Having won all her races in the Millennium Cup 2021, the near 30-year-old Miss Silver has since had an extensive refit last year, including new interior, decks, rigging, sails, mast service etc. and with an experienced owner with a history in dinghy sailing, she could make an impressive SY Cup debut.

Photo: Gianfranco Forza

Onyx

LOA: 30.2m/100ft | Design: German Frers | Build: Nautor Swan 2006

An example of the Finnish yard’s Swan 100 series, and the first to feature a semi-raised saloon, Onyx had a complete refit by Baltic Yachts in Palma two years ago, which included everything from new machinery, electrics and plumbing to new sails. Although a first timer at the SY Cup she will doubtless know these waters well.

Pattoo

LOA: 33m/108ft | Design: Malcolm McKeon | Build: Vitters Shipyard 2016

Conceived initially for cruising only, complete with a glazed decksaloon, the yacht formerly called Missy has since become a regular at the SY Cup. She had a tied class win last year and will be gunning for the overall trophy this year.

Ribelle

LOA: 32.6m/107ft | Design: Malcolm McKeon | Build: Vitters Shipyard 2017

A contemporary cruiser racer with carbon hull built at Green Marine, then topped with a glazed saloon and infinity style teak transom. She can clock over 20 knot speeds, competed regularly in her first couple of years and was sold in 2021. Should be the quickest on the water.

Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Rose

LOA: 24m/80ft | Design: Farr Yacht Design/Luca Bassani | Build: Wally Yachts 2006

One of the smallest but by no means least potent contenders, this lightweight pre-preg carbon build raced heavily under her former name Tango. Now a local to Palma, under a keen skipper and owner, she will be out to improve on her third place in class last year.

Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Svea

LOA: 43.6m/143ft | Design: Tore Holm/Hoek Design | Build: Bloemsma/Vitters 2017

This time last year, no one knew the form of the newest J, after it was bought by a syndicate of Swedish owners and underwent a big refit. But when one is the highly experienced owner-driver Niklas Zennström and Bouwe Bekking is whispering tactics, it’s perhaps no surprise that it beat the three other Js here last year and went on to win its class at the Maxi Worlds. This longest J is very much on form.

Photo: Christophe Jouany

Umiko

LOA: 25m/80ft | Design: German Frers | Build: Nautor’s Swan 2000

A fine example of the thoroughbred Swan 80, previously called Maligaya, Umiko had a full refit in 2017 including new rigging and a full wardrobe by North Sails which helped her to record a second across the line in the ARC 2018. She returns to the SY Cup after her debut in 2021.

Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Velsheda

LOA: 39.2m/129ft | Design: CE Nicholson/Dykstra | Build: Camper & Nicholsons 1933

This original J may look smaller and more cluttered on deck than her modern competition, but she is always well sailed by a skilled owner-driver and long term crew led by Tom Dodson. Following a big winter refit, including hydraulics and new deck gear, she’ll be out to prove to Svea that age can still triumph.

Superyacht Cup Palma programme

Wednesday 21 June

Superyacht registration – RCNP Sala Magna

Thursday 22 June

Pantaenius Race Day 

North Sails/Southern Spars Happy Hour
and prize giving, RCNP dock

Friday 23 June

New Zealand Race Day

North Sails Happy Hour, prize giving and Owners’ Summer Barbecue 

Saturday 24 June

St Regis Race Day

Prize giving, RCNP Terrace

Full details: thesuperyachtcup.com

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Bearing the snappy moniker ‘Project 3093’ from builder Vitters, this 145ft design by Reichel-Pugh, the Reichel-Pugh 44m is a fast cruising sloop. Construction on her aluminium hull began in 2022 and the boat will soon move to the outfitting stage, with launch expected in time for summer 2024. Her owner plans to sail her around the world.

Sleek lines, flush decks and an open transom give her a contemporary look. But though she will certainly be fast, she’s no out-and-out racer. The coachroof rises well above the deck to allow plenty of light into the deck saloon, which has near 360° views. This space can be open for natural ventilation or more closed off when sailing in colder climates.

There’s a recessed foredeck lounge with informal dining and a sunpad, and it looks likely that the tender will be mounted here on passages. There’s a generous aft cockpit too, with twin helm stations mounted right on the gunwales. Other features include a peak-shaving power management system, which allows batteries to cover spikes in power demand, reducing the size of the generators. The boat also uses twin underwater anchor systems. Otherwise she is straightforward from the engineering perspective, Vitters says. Sails are by North and the carbon rig by Southern Spars includes an optional removable bowsprit and a removable inner forestay.

The interior is by Design International, with dark wooden panelling and copper detailing. There’s space for eight crew and the captain, with four double guest cabins (the owner’s is full-beam, aft) plus an overflow cabin for when there are 10 guests aboard.

Reichel-Pugh 44m specifications

LOA: 44.00m / 144ft 4in
LWL: 41.62m / 136ft 7in
Beam: 9.66m / 31ft 8in
Draught: 4.50m / 14ft 9in

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Harnessing the design talents of both Rob Doyle (superyachts) and Juan K (raceboats), this sloop promises to be an outstanding performer when she’s finally delivered in 2024.

Part of the key to her success will be the lightweight aluminium hull. Exhaustive study of the classification rules has enabled the designers to pare back the aluminium skeleton of the boat to strip out weight, while lots of nice-to-have-but-rarely-used features on board have been ditched.

“She’s not a million miles away from a carbon hull,” says Doyle. “There have been amazing advances in aluminium structure. The trend over the years has been ‘add stuff to boats’ and we’ve started going ‘you don’t need that, you don’t need that’ if you use it once a year. You can create tonnes of savings and start spiralling in the right direction rather than the wrong.”

She features a centreboard system for the lifting keel which has been adapted from small-boat technology. This makes repairs relatively unobtrusive in the event of a grounding. The boat has hybrid propulsion and features regeneration and solar technology.

Mark Whiteley has designed the interior, which revolves around flush level decks. The raised deck saloon has panoramic views through vast panes of glass with minimal mullions, making the interior exceedingly bright.

Gouwerok in the Netherlands built the bare hull, which was then shipped as deck cargo to Omikron Yachts in Greece for fitting out.

Argo 54 specifications

LOA: 54.00m / 177ft 2in
Beam: 9.65m / 31ft 8in
Draught: 3.70-9.50m 12ft / 2in-31ft 2in
Displacement: 264 tonnes

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Nearly 20 years after delivering the famous Adèle, Vitters is nearing completion of a new 59m ketch – this time drawn by Germán Frers. The boat is again a fusion of classic looks and low freeboard above the waterline with a totally contemporary hull and appendages for fast, efficient sailing.

There’s a tall bow and a long counter stern with three wooden deck houses – the aftermost one reserved for the owner, with direct access from their suite below; the main one shelters a raised saloon; while the forward entrance just aft of the mainmast is for crew.

The ketch has twin rudders and a hydraulic lifting keel with 3m of travel. This gives her the righting moment to set 1,650m2 of sail upwind on her two carbon masts from Southern Spars. Downwind it’s an eye-watering 3,980m2. Everything is on push button hydraulic controls.

Flush decks will conceal the 7m Xtender in the foredeck well, as well as big 1.8m reels for stowing the headsails. Accommodation below is more classic than contemporary. There’s a full-beam owner’s cabin aft with its own bathtub and room for four more guest doubles.

Frers 59m specifications

LOA: 59.0m / 193ft 7in
LWL: 48.73m / 159ft 11in
Beam: 10.17m / 33ft 4in
Draught: 5.00-8.00m / 16ft 5in-26ft 3in
Displacement: 330 tonnes

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A bubble has appeared, the rise of a buoyant large yacht market sector that’s proving difficult to label. It typically caters for those who are looking for extra size, space and speed, who are happy to sail with a professional crew, but who don’t want the risk or expense associated with going to a full custom/superyacht size (just yet). It has resulted in a surge in the 70-90ft semi-custom yacht scene.

From the big production yards, Nautor Swan and Oyster are perhaps the most successful longterm players in this area with model sizes across a wide range. And while some brands solely specialise in this sector, such as Michael Schmidt’s Y Yachts and CNB, look at the rise of the Italian 70-something-footers. From Grand Soleil, Solaris, Ice Yachts, Advanced Yachts and Mylius, these are performance cruisers with serious pin-up appeal.

Those seeking large multihulls have an equal surfeit of choice, with Lagoon’s Seventy7, the new Fountaine Pajot 80 due to launch, and a stream of 60 to 80-footers from Sunreef. At the top end of the performance and quality scale Gunboat is launching its first 80 this season, while HH splashes its flagship 88. These are big boats for big bucks and seriously big appeal – we will look at these catamarans in more detail next month in our Multihull special.

The following pages explore some of the latest, supremely cool monohull designs in this… let’s call them ‘grand touring’… size bracket.

Grand soleil 72 Pantarei

Grand Soleil’s new flagship, which we toured during its debut last autumn, is a stunner – as shown photographed here off the Amalfi coast. The aim of the 50-year-old Cantiere del Pardo yard was to offer a high level of accommodation and quality in an attractive performance package. This 72 heralds its new approach to large semi-custom yachts from 60ft up, which are being built in a separate facility in Fano.

These are powerful hulls that are available in a Performance guise with near flush coachroof or Long Cruise (LC) raised saloon styles. The specialist all-Italian team behind the 72 project includes Matteo Polli (hull lines), Marco Lostuzzi (structural engineering) and Nauta (styling), together with Franco Corazza for the project management. Corazza, a successful racing sailor, yacht dealer and builder, joined Grand Soleil three years ago, and his experience in this project has been pivotal.

Corazza found previous success with Polli when they produced winning models for Italia Yachts and this is now the third Grand Soleil project from the hand of the in-demand designer. He has drawn an exceedingly cool, modern and radically beamy (6.2m) shape.

“Increasing beam has a lot of advantages on a fast cruiser because it allows a much larger deck area, but most importantly much more interior volume,” Polli explains. The narrow waterline equates to low drag when light wind sailing (see our test of his GS40 on page 50); the waterline beam and stability then increases with heel, with optimal heel angle around 20°, Polli tells me.

The telling benefit of 6.2m beam in the saloon. There are three ensuite guest cabins including the forward master. Photo: Alberto Cocchi

The additional construction weight involved with such a shape can be removed from the ballast, thanks to the larger form stability. “So, summarising, we have increased the usable space (inside and outside) for a given length without reducing performances or increasing price – good value for money.”

Polli also wanted a large headsail foretriangle to make sails more balanced, easy to manage and efficient in light to medium winds, and calculated that a single rudder has more practical benefits over twin rudders for the yacht’s purpose. Either a 3.7m fixed keel or a 3.2m-4.2m telescopic keel can be chosen.

The 72 is built in vacuum-infused vinylester with carbon reinforced structures. Panels are in sandwich foam with teak veneer added by the yard. Every element is weighed before being installed – impressively, the build came out 300kg below designed weight.

First to launch is a Performance model, specified for fast cruising only with in-boom mainsail and a self-tacking jib, however there are multiple headsail and inner forestay options. As it stands the mainsail cum mooring winches are positioned aft, but a racing spec sees the addition of a central mainsheet plinth.

The forward master cabin. Photo: Alberto Cocchi

“When you look from the outside, it’s a sportsboat, but inside it’s like an 80-footer,” Corazza exclaimed when we ventured below decks. The beam helps it feel enormous, and the sole is on one level from the companionway forward and only a small step down aft from the saloon. There is a choice of a forward or aft galley, the latter (on the first boat) uses the space optimally and gives most segregation between guests and crew. It includes a proper crew cabin linking to the galley with the potential to add an escape hatch to the cockpit.

The owner’s suite is vast, the offset en-suite at the entrance helping to increase the sense of space around the low berth. The LC version puts the genset and watermaker below the saloon. That said, engine space below the companionway is adequate for a performance boat, and I like the easy access hatch for daily checks.

Four 72s have already been sold, with the first LC edition due to launch this year – as is the brand new smaller sister GS65 – in time for Cantiere del Pardo’s 50th anniversary celebrations in June. The 72 starts at around €3.3m, equipped.

YYachts Y9 Bella

In many ways, YYachts exemplifies this trend for large, semi-custom yachts. The German yard builds small series at the largest size before customers would need to turn to fully bespoke superyachts. Founded by veteran racing sailor and boatbuilder Michael Schmidt to produce high-end lightweight carbon composite yachts, YYachts specialises in modern, appealing, luxury performance designs that are enjoyable to sail yet are, crucially, easy to handle.

These are deliberately minimalist yachts that put a focus on the purity of sailing, yet can offer the comfort of a bespoke superyacht for significantly less cost. The hulls are laminated in carbon epoxy in Poland before being fitted out across the border in YYachts’ Greifswald yard. Large parts of the interior are built outside of the boat, usually by top quality subcontractors, which allows for a flexible use of space.

The Y9 is YYachts’ new flagship, the first of which, Bella, was presented at the Cannes boat show last year. It boasts the volume of a 100-footer, together with the privacy and space an owner’s suite might afford at such a size, including office and dressing room, yet it can be managed by minimal crew.

The Bill Tripp hull shape is offered with a pilothouse, five different layouts, or as a custom version, which we saw in the bold Andrew Winch-styled Prevail in 2021. Bella’s owner wants to sail long distances, hence a hard bimini covers the extensive cockpit and can support 4.5kW of solar panels. An Oceanvolt hydrogenerating drive also feeds enough power to the battery bank to run a silent ship at night.

Deck space is vast, including a massive guest cockpit free from sheets. Sailing is a sporty yet push button affair. The 43m carbon Axxon mast supports over 240m2 of mainsail, the mainsheet of which attaches to a block on the hard top and is hidden in the park avenue boom. This together with a self-tacking jib, hydraulic furling Code sail and staysail, are designed to make it easy to manage.

Described as ‘soft minimalism’, Bella’s interior uses oiled dark oak panels, smoked oak soles and grey fabrics. Photo: YYachts

Twin rudders and the optional telescopic keel avoids draught constraints (to 3.2m), while two engines, a bow and stern thruster make manoeuvring under power a joystick-controlled affair. It also means two permanent crew can run the yacht, with two more for longer passages. The delivery crew recounted that it only took them 11 days from Germany to Cannes and they hit 25 knots.

“I have no interest in designing boats that are cluttered or slow,” Tripp explains. “The flared topsides allow for great deck spaces and added stability, a win-win that leads to a better boat.” The hull shape is optimised for 15° of heel, “most typical when globe-trotting”, Tripp says.

Design collaboration

Bella’s interior is the collaboration of two design houses, the UK’s Design Unlimited and Danish firm Norm Architects. The contemporary Scandinavian effect has echoes of the owner’s first Y7, which Norm also worked on and it includes the smart leather sliding handrails on the deckhead and shoelace-style door pullers we liked on Schmidt’s first YYacht Cool Breeze. The dark woodwork creates a noticeably peaceful and calming effect below decks.

The TV snug forward of the saloon is a quiet cabin or office, the type of which you’d only normally find on a yacht 10ft longer. It links to a guest cabin and the owner’s suite forward, the latter with a walk-in closet.

There is a real impression of quality throughout, and I particularly appreciated the fiddles and grabrails around the worktops. The other guest cabin is located aft through a tight companionway, which has been kept narrow to give max space to the galley. The galley helps divide crew and guest areas, but with no hull window it feels a little dark. Good attention to space, privacy and comfort has been paid to the crew area, which has separate access onto the aft deck.

The wide but low engine room below the saloon houses the twin engines mounted centrally with the genset further aft, while sea chests and manifolds are well positioned for easy maintenance.

Tripp describes the Y9 as a “balanced combination of speed, reliability and comfort… at a price point that is unbeatable in today’s market,” [around €6m for this size]. YYachts has a Y8 ready to launch, plus two Y7s and the next Y9 in production.

a powerful, carbon composite yacht weighing 55 tonnes, the Y9 has a lofty rig that sets 617m2 of gennaker – yet it is still designed to be easily handled

Solaris 74RS

Solaris may specialise in the 40-65ft fast cruising yacht sector these days, but the yard established in Aquileia (at the top of the Venetian lagoon) in 1974 is no stranger to this mid-70ft size either.

It also now offers Solaris custom from 80ft+ from its separate Performance Boats yard in Forli.

The 74RS has very cool, powerful looking lines from Javier Soto Acebal. A chine starts at the full forward sections leading to beamy rounded after sections, controlled by twin rudders.

The first model is being built for a British owner for bluewater sailing. He previously had a 64RS but wanted larger tanks (1,200lt-1,400lt for water and fuel) and cruising capacity, and a step up in size and privacy/comfort when sailing with a professional crew.

This design sees popular features retained from Solaris’ latest smaller models, including a shallow transom and easy side deck access in front of the pedestals, with wheels positioned right outboard for maximum visibility.

A spacious, elegant interior by Argento

An offset companionway in the cockpit helps create a clear passage through to the aft deck, where a longitudinal dinghy garage is lengthy enough to swallow a 4m Williams jet tender.

Acebal has nailed the coachroof design, keeping the styling smooth but allowing space for a raised saloon with engineering underneath. The layout also looks clever, with a crew cabin aft linking to the galley and having its own deck access.

The interior is designed and tastefully styled in oak by the ever popular Lorenzo Argento, the former Brenta and Wally designer who has more recently worked with a broad scope of brands from YYachts to Beneteau.

The boat is offered with three or four guest cabins and options for a galley fore or aft of the saloon.

The launch of the first 74RS is predicted to be towards the end of this year.

Maintaining CNB’s DNA in the Briand-designed 78

CNB 78 and CNB 88

At the Düsseldorf boat show in January CNB had a mock up of its new 78, a whalebone-like structure which showed the impressive size of the hull, with graphics on the floor showing the interior layout. Having not even seen a rendered image of the new model by that point, I was amazed to learn that CNB has already sold four boats and has an 88 in the pipeline!

This comes just 18 months after Groupe Beneteau sold CNB to Solaris, a transition phase, which has involved moving production from Monfalcone to a new facility at Solaris’ Aquileia home.

Of course the heritage French brand is no stranger to this market and size. It sold 32 CNB 76s, including the model we reviewed in 2014. Vincent Arnaud, the brand manager who has remained through the transition, explained that their challenge was finding where to improve on this design – it’s popular for being a small superyacht-style bluewater cruiser that can be managed by minimal crew.

Maintaining its recognised style was paramount – CNB will still focus on bluewater, where Solaris specialises in the more flush deck sporty Med designs, says Arnaud. Hence CNB kept the same design team in Philppe Briand and Jean-Marc Piaton to create its new range.

The 78 has a powerful hull shape with upper and lower chines. It’s wider than the 76, especially aft, with more volume through the boat. The signature coachroof is retained to give good protection to a large cockpit and create the adjoining deck saloon, while a glazed companionway helps give near surround views.

CNB has retained the style of its old 76 by using the same designers. The contemporary 78 has a similar ¾ width bulkhead to give the master suite open privacy

“The goal was to turn the Beneteau page and start a new chapter,” explains Arnaud. The process of construction is totally different now, he says, with bulkheads laminated into the hull in a more traditional manner (rather than using Groupe Beneteau’s innovation of building full interior modules outside of the boat).

The interior also has a more modern style, with less wood and more fabrics and lacquered parts. The main interior layout improvements the team wanted to make were with the guest accommodation. Niggles with the 76 centred on the aft guest bunk cabin. From the saloon forward on the 78 is all guest space, with two near equal sized guest cabins and a huge owner’s suite, the latter of which monopolises the volume forward of the mast base. The chart table is now aft, connecting with the galley and crew cabin, and giving more privacy to the saloon.

“Solaris is the perfect tool for improved quality,” thinks Arnaud. “It’ll be stiffer for sure (thanks to laminated bulkheads) and 5-10% lighter. The finish quality will be incomparable, and now only in natural wood.”

Of the four orders to date, three are to repeat clients. The first boat is planned to launch in June and be on display at the Cannes boat show in September at a cost of around €4m.

CNB is targeting a four model range, with the 88 likely to be the next model. This flagship will be in the style of the 78 but with the volume for an extra guest cabin and second crew cabin.

Oyster’s updated 885, called the SII, is also available as a performance enhanced GT

Oyster 885 SII & GT

In terms of yachts sold and their subsequent miles sailed, Oyster is a leader in this size sector.

Having signed off nine of its 745 model and a phenomenal 16 of the 885, it has, together with long term design partner Humphreys, given its flagship a makeover.

The SII version of the 885 has a new deck, with sleeker saloon windows, while the helm positions have moved aft to create a larger cockpit area. The tender well has also been extended to allow for larger RIBs.

Marketing director James Parsons says that typical changes owners are asking for at this size range include a surge in home office/multifunction cabin requests, along with demands for more flexible/convertible guest cabins; minimising a need for crew and maximising separation of owner and crew; and sun protection on deck.

The six cabin (four en-suite) interior of the 885 SII is available with a lower or raised saloon now too.

And for those after a bit more performance, the GT model features a taller carbon mast, T-keel, extended bowsprit, upgraded winches and 3Di sails.

Oyster has five 885SIIs in build and one GT close to handover.

Stunning details and craftsmanship are all part of the enduring lines and appeal of a Spirit. Anima II is the first 72DH

Spirit 72DH

For those who appreciate timeless lines and the smell of varnish, Spirit Yachts continues to provide something different yet with enduring appeal. Clearly, the 21m/70ft sector is of particular appeal at the moment. Spirit launched its first 72DH Anima II last year and has numbers two and three in build along with a hybrid powered 68DH.

All three 72DHs, deckhouse designs, have very different layouts and programmes: the first is in charter and includes a crew cabin forward, the second, launching in May is spec’d for regattas and ocean racing, and the third, due in September, is for bluewater cruising.

“It’s an exciting time to be designing and building boats,” said Spirit’s co-founder and designer Sean McMillan – the electric 52 also in build is his 100th wooden boat.
Anima II is due to be exhibited at the Palma Yacht Show in April and will enter several regattas this summer.

Aggressively styled new Ice 80

ICE 70rs & ICE 80rs

Ice Yachts’ Crema-based shipyard near Milan is no stranger to building large designs. The former CN Yacht 2000 yard has produced over 20 yachts between 60ft-80ft since the turn of the century. And now under Marco Malgara’s Ice Yachts branding it is ramping up its series of large yacht production with five orders for its 70, plus an 80 in production.

The Ice 70rs Bandido, shown at Cannes last year, is a racier version than the first 70 Thalassa, which we reviewed in 2021. The yard has stripped 1,500kg by using a full carbon deck as well as the infused carbon structures and an epoxy infused hull.

the Ice 70RS Bandido features a highly customised interior

In fact it’s hard to tell it’s the same hull shape as below decks sees a completely different layout including two large identical aft cabins, a forward U-shaped galley and forward owner’s suite. It’s a full Felci design, from the lines to the modern light interior and the lift keel system.

The new Ice 80 meanwhile is perhaps the most contemporary appearance yacht in this market sector. Again from Felci, this formidable looking design carries the style and lines of Ice’s recent rs (Racing Sport) models into this full carbon 35-tonne cruiser racer. The upper chine and chamfer give a mean reverse sheer look, which, together with the angled stem, long bowsprit, flared aft sections and futuristic wraparound coachroof windows, all shouts Italian cool. A furling boom, self-tacking jib and furling Code 0 are suggested to ease handling by minimal crew, while the interior looks bright and modern with a king size berth in the owner’s suite.

Ice 70 numbers three and four will launch this spring/summer, with the fifth to follow next year along with the first of the 80s.

Swanning around on the beach terrace: a wide, scooped transom and huge hinged platform for the powerful 88

Swan 88

Formed in 1966 and with over 2,350 yachts now bearing its iconic arrowhead coveline, Nautor Swan can be considered a leader at the semi-custom end of the production scene. This year sees its largest ever order portfolio, totalling €180m – it has eight maxis (80ft+) in production and is due to deliver 30 yachts in 2023. And with a 78, ClubSwan 80 and now this 88 in its line, it presents a dominant lineup in the 70-90ft sector.

The 88 takes many of the best bits of the 78 (10 ordered) and 98 (four delivered) and adds its own touch with the design of the beach terrace aft sections – it’s patently aimed at those who like to sail fast before sunbathing by the sea. The scooped-out transom is reminiscent of early Wally designs, the way it cascades down over various levels. The huge opening swim platform is a serious piece of engineering, hinged to really maximise real estate.

The ‘wine’ mood (note central mast base)

Hull lines are from the legendary German Frers, with styling by the flamboyant Lucio Micheletti. Other than the central mainsheet plinth, there’s a clear passage from companionway to beach terrace, via the separate guest and sailing cockpits. The mast has been brought aft and stepped centrally through the coachroof and saloon, to give a greater foretriangle area and balance to the sails. This is a 54 tonne lightship yacht, but with a square-top mainsail helping to set over 430m2 of upwind sail area, it should be a powerful contender.

Working with its favoured interior designer Misa Poggi, Swan has mastered the ability to offer a large variety of ‘off the shelf’ styles to their layouts. The choice of which of the four ‘moods’ is selected and variations of timbers and fabrics can make for a completely different look and feel. There are three guest cabins plus an owner’s forward suite, while the galley, mess and crew accommodation aft helps provide max privacy between guests and crew.

The first 88 to launch is due in 2024.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post The best semi-custom superyachts appeared first on Yachting World.