Megayacht News Onboard: Royal Huisman’s Pumula

ALL PHOTOS: CORY SILKEN

For many megayacht owners, being on the water brings a peace and tranquility unattainable on land. For the owners of Pumula (pronounced poo-MOO-la), built by Royal Huisman, it means the same things, literally and figuratively. In the Zulu language of South Africa, “pumula” translates to rest/relax/to lie down. Taken another way, it means rest and peace. The 122’5” (37.33-meter) Pumula is for a sailing couple to escape the hustle and bustle of business and busy lives. Furthermore, they commissioned the superyacht sloop to look like a bygone-era cruiser and rise to modern challenges of world cruising.

The rich hue of her hull, long overhangs, and teak-clad deckhouses lend Pumula the profile of a long-ago cruiser. Even her LOA is in keeping with the idea. One-hundred-foot-long yachts were “the” superyachts in the golden age of yachting. As much as photos share her story, though, they cannot do justice to the naval-architecture work of Dykstra & Partners. Nor do they reveal the hours of varnishing that Royal Huisman craftsmen performed on the acres of wood, from the caprails to the cockpit tables. It’s an enormous amount of brightwork for a megayacht meant to cruise the world.

In keeping with the idea of a traditional cruising yacht, Pumula has just one wheel, not twin wheels. Along the same lines, the helm is clean and mostly invisible unless Pumula is cruising. Navigation screens rise up only when needed. (The control buttons to either side are built into the main cockpit’s frame.)

Within easy conversation and, of course, sight of the helm is the main cockpit. The owners and friends have enjoyed meals here and taken in the sights on the 12,000 nautical miles covered since delivery last summer. Equally impressive, Pumula and the owners made the remote Norwegian Sea archipelago of Spitsbergen part of their maiden voyage. On the edge of the North Pole, it’s about as remote as things get, additionally suiting the owners’ dream destinations. They are quite private people, less likely to join the “see and be seen” scene of the customary yachting destinations.

When they do drop anchor and spend time inside Pumula, they have a classically styled decor to enjoy. Royal Huisman craftspeople painted the white walls and overhead, all oak planks, by hand. The brush strokes are deliberately visible, too. Soles are oak as well, treated to look aged. They’re so smooth underfoot, in fact, that you’d swear Pumula had welcomed the patter of people’s feet over dozens of years. The owners and Rhoades Young Design collaborated closely to ensure the right overall atmosphere would be set.

It was equally important for Pumula’s owners to eschew the “upstairs-downstairs” separation of guests and crew aboard their megayacht. That explains why the galley has barstools on the saloon side and a hardly-used rising partition for privacy. Typically, it closes things off when dish cleaning or other noisy work is taking place. Note the angular shape of the counter in the foreground; the partition follows it. Note also the metallic bartop—pewter, not polished stainless steel as you might assume. The owners welcomed the dings and dents characteristic of this soft metal with use, plus its darker patina as it ages. As precious as Pumula is to them, she is not so precious as to be untouchable.

The owners sometimes cruise with small groups of friends. Therefore, Pumula has two twin-bedded guest staterooms, plus a double-berth room forward. The double cabin can accommodate a pilot in waters requiring that specialist’s experience. In each stateroom, Rhoades Young cleverly mixes classic design elements with modern ones. Particularly striking, the leather nightstands mimic old steamer trunks and similar early-era luggage.

The same luggage treatment appears in the master suite, aft and with access to a private cockpit. The suite is two levels, with a sleeping area on one and an office and seating area up a few steps. Between the ports to both sides and the cockpit door, the owners can lie in bed and enjoy the vistas. The seating area (at right above) can pull out to a lounge for naps.

This is a better view of the raised portion of the owner’s suite, with the office area to starboard. One of the nicest things about the suite is its complete privacy. It’s out of sight of neighboring yachts and/or dockwalkers when Pumula is in port. The three crewmembers and the captain can also go about their work outside without disturbing the owners. It’s thanks to wide side decks rimming the cozy deckhouse. The deckhouse is further at about mid-shin height when they’re standing on deck.

Pumula’s owners like the bimini over the cockpit and can keep the area open on four sides. The setup is ideal for warm-weather destinations visited so far, like the Caribbean, and ones yet to come, like the South Pacific. Isinglass panels can also enclose the cockpit, something done while in Norway. Regardless of climate, though, the owners’ cockpit is perfect for everything from breakfast to brainstorming where to cruise next. Pumula’s lifting keel means draft ranges from 9’8″ to 16’4″ (3 to 5 meters), letting her access areas other sailing yachts can’t.

With a sail plan of 8,439 square feet (784 square meters), and a crew who look forward to spending the next several years with the owners and speak about them as if they were family, Pumula certainly puts the “pleasure” in “pleasure yacht.” She has also done the same for the limited media allowed access so far. Off West Palm Beach, Florida this past weekend, I was among five journalists who cruised aboard. In 14 to 15 knots of wind, Pumula exited the channel and achieved 9.5 to 10 knots as her sails first raised. Within a few minutes, out in the open water, the breeze built to 17 to 18 knots out of the east, and Pumula handily achieved 14 to 15 knots. Notably, her captain says she topped out at 19 knots, though in “hairy conditions” on her transatlantic crossing.

The latter are anything but the type of conditions one hopes to encounter, of course. But, they are ones the owners and crew alike can feel confident that Pumula can challenge, should they come again during her intrepid voyages. Interesting enough, the idea closely relates to the project name that Pumula carried, which was Bugamena. While the word doesn’t appear in online translations, Bugamena, according to the yacht’s captain, means someone of great prowess, presence, and strength. While Pumula seems more suitable for a relatively petite and classic-looking cruiser, she is every bit the embodiment of both of her names.