Nautical Luxuries Blog | 2011 | January

Images of the new superyacht design concepts from Schopfer Yachts just arrived in my inbox, making my jaw drop, and making me wonder… is this really the future of superyachts and, if so, why am I having such a hard time embracing it!

It’s a showstopper, to be sure, and I applaud the innovation E. Kevin Schopfer has employed in the design of these extraordinary vessels. The specs reveal an enviable level of comfort and style, with accomodation for 12 guests and “speeds upwards of 25 knots.” Yet, in my old-school opinion, that design innovation also presents a curious contradiction between exterior lines that (purposefully?) associate the vessel with the sea, through their resemblance to a whale’s eye and jawline, and a reverse bow that counters my long-held expectations of what a seagoing vessel should look like. This is definitely not your father’s superyacht!

I’m trying to imagine feeling comfortable with an intimate group of friends, under the 12 foot high ceiling in the main salon, or in the cylindrical double height dining room, or getting cozy on furnishings that look like they were designed for an intergalactic space shuttle. 

So is this the future? Maybe. With an increasing number of superyacht purchases being a first-boat purchase, more and more owners have no previous yachting, (much less sailing), background. They approach yachting with no preconceived expectations.

Why am I not quick to embrace it? I’m still not sure, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the fact that I’d still rather be sailing than looking, like Jonah, through a whale’s eye, at the surrounding seas while sitting next to an onboard water feature. In the mean time, I enjoy the imaginative creativity of new concepts like this and look forward to what the future has in store.

DJ

I have so may wonderful memories of the International America’s Cup Class, (IACC), yachts – from building our own USA 50 and 54 in Hawaii, to competing in Auckland, to seeing IACC yachts compete alongside 12 Metres and other classic AC yachts during the America’s Cup Jubilee in Cowes, to their final “battles” in Valencia.  

With the shift to catamarans for AC 34, the IACC has officially become a matter of record and an important part of Cup history. Twenty years of design innovation, 100 boats constructed, and over 1,100 fiercely fought races. It was a great run!

Thank you, Bruno, for organizing this farewell tribute, as well as nearly 30 years of Louis Vuitton Cup competition! It is welcome news that Louis Vuitton will be onboard for the next (FB?) generation of Cup racing in San Francisco.

Wyland painting 50                                                            And at the helm

USA50 Sailing off Diamond Head                               50 & 54 Awaiting Offloading in Auckland

Farewell to the IACC!

DJ

Or, is that A Sailor’s Favorite Competition?  Surely, the race back to the bar is one our crew has won a time or two!  For the second year running, Wight Vodka partnered with Scuttlebutt Europe to present one of the most “important” contests in the sailing world…. the Favorite Yachting Bar of 2010! 

Last year’s winner was  Peter Café Sport, located in Horta in the Azores. This year, voting was done on the Scuttlebutt Europe website, with the winner announced on New Year’s Eve… but before we reveal the winner… a tasty cocktail idea from Wight: 

NORTHERN WIGHT

- 1/2 shot chilled Wight Vodka
- 1 shot Cranberry Juice
- 1 shot Pomegranate Juice
- Champagne
- Chambord

Combine Vodka and juices in a cocktail shaker with ice and mix for a minute or two to really chill it. Strain into your favorite (Nautical Luxuries) champagne flutes, top with champagne and a splash of Chambord.

Back to the competition, “hundreds and hundreds” of submissions were received this year, but the winner was the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the BVI. The birthplace of the Painkiller cocktail, the bar derives its name from the yachtsmen and women who swim ashore to enjoy the food, drink and conversation there, paying with wet dollar bills pulled from their pockets.

If you find yourself in the BVI, make your way to the south coast of Jost Van Dyke and enjoy a few cocktails while overlooking White Bay. If you can’t make it to the BVI this winter, mix up a batch of Northern Wight cocktails and make plans for next year!

DJ