Wooden construction may seem a thing of the past. But, the practice is alive and well at Spirit Yachts. In fact, the UK builder is about to start work on one of the largest, single-masted wooden yachts created in the country. She’s the sloop-rigged Spirit 111, further becoming Spirit Yachts’ biggest project.
Spirit Yachts has delivered nearly 70 wooden power and sailing yachts of various sizes since 1993. Most are custom, too. You might actually have seen one of its deliveries without knowing it. In the 2005 movie Casino Royale, James Bond (Daniel Craig) sails into Venice aboard a Spirit 54—custom-made for the movie, in fact.
Spirit Yachts’ CEO, Sean McMillan, is the head designer for all projects, including the Spirit 111. LOA, as the name suggests, is 111 feet (33.9 meters). The owner has enjoyed both cruising and racing aboard previous yachts and plans to do the same this time around. Specifically, he has his eyes on Med-based superyacht regattas.
He also has his mind on reducing his carbon footprint. The Spirit 111’s systems, from air conditioning to galley appliances, will all draw the lowest possible power to keep operating. Furthermore, an electric drive system will be onboard, powered by four lithium battery banks. The yacht will rely on the system when cruising relatively short spurts. She’ll do the same when turning and making her way around anchorages. At other times, she’ll rely solely on the batteries. (For long-range trips, however, two backup 25-kW gensets may come into play.) Also noteworthy, the same system will recharge the batteries when the Spirit 111 is under sail.
The owner hired Rhoades Young Design for the interior, the first time the shipyard is working with the studio. Spirit Yachts has not revealed details on woods and other materials yet. But, the 20’10” (6.4-meter) beam is complementary for the dual purposes of cruising and racing.
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