“Nyumba deck design is the evolution of the successful GT deck concept, already applied on the newly launched SW105 GT Taniwha with several details that have been designed specifically to meet the owner’s request,” says Massimo Gino of Nauta Design. “Clear, uncluttered deck equipment positioning allows for easy circulation on board and the mainsail track and steering positions are completely new. The GT styling makes everything look breath-taking in its simplicity and lightness“.
Nauta Design also penned the interior, which will only be completed early in 2023 and is mostly still under wraps.
“All of the owner’s previous boats have been called Nyumba, a Swahili word meaning “house” or “home”,” says Alberti. “I believe Southern Wind succeeded in giving Nyumba a real feeling of a home away from home by working closely with the owner’s wife and allowing for a very high level of customisation in the design and decoration of the interior.”
We do know the interior will feature a forward owner’s cabin, two sumptuous guest cabins and crew quarters as well as an aft galley. The main saloon has been designed to be light and spacious and there will be a large entertainment saloon with a television and space for guests to relax after a day’s sailing.
Sailing out of Cape Town in sustainable luxury
The latest yacht from Cape Town shipyard Southern Wind has been lowered into the ocean where it will combine sails with a new hybrid propulsion system
Image: Supplied
It’s not often that we get to to bring you news of a new luxury yacht entering the water off South Africa’s coast. Southern Wind has its head office in Italy, but it was founded in 1991 in Cape Town and the shipyard is still there. The company is focused on delivering not just luxury but sustainable yaching solutions and it’s latest model, the SW96 Nyumba GT recently entered the water in the V&A Waterfront with its masts being fitted this week.
The 29.24m vessel marks a significant milestone for Southern Wind because it’s the fourth in the yacht builder’s SW96 series and crucially, its first hybrid. The client’s details remain a secret, but we’re told that he is a young owner on his third yacht and that he wanted a vessel that is sexy, comfortable, reliable and sustainable that he can not only use to compete in super yacht regattas but can also sail around the world.
The key remit of sustainability comes not just through the materials that have been used, but also through the new electric-hybrid propulsion system developed with BAE Systems.
“The main point that triggered the owner’s interest and enthusiasm was the innovation of the HybriGen propulsion system that we offered when he approached us,” says Marco Alberti, CEO of Southern Wind. “Effectively this boat will be the very first to brandish a hybrid-gen system in a superyacht of this size range. Southern Wind and BAE Systems partnered to push the boundaries into a new phase of sustainable superyacht construction, making the owner the first move in this direction.”
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
The HybridGen powertrain provides zero emission propulsion during sailing and can keep the yacht electrically powered when at anchor. When the sails are unfurled and the boat is crossing the ocean, the wind power can recharge the lithium-ion energy storage system.
The carbon hull has been designed by Farr Yacht Design in the United States to combine cruising comfort with speed and agility for racing. It also includes a tender garage for a small boat or jet skis and there’s an 8.5 square metre swimming platform so the owner, his family and their guests can enjoy time moored in a quiet lagoon.
The deck has been designed by Nauta Design of Milan, which has worked on other Southern Wind vessels as well as exclusive superyachts. Here too the emphasis was on sustainability and reducing weight, with carbon rising and titanium deck fittings.
Image: Supplied
“Nyumba deck design is the evolution of the successful GT deck concept, already applied on the newly launched SW105 GT Taniwha with several details that have been designed specifically to meet the owner’s request,” says Massimo Gino of Nauta Design. “Clear, uncluttered deck equipment positioning allows for easy circulation on board and the mainsail track and steering positions are completely new. The GT styling makes everything look breath-taking in its simplicity and lightness“.
Nauta Design also penned the interior, which will only be completed early in 2023 and is mostly still under wraps.
“All of the owner’s previous boats have been called Nyumba, a Swahili word meaning “house” or “home”,” says Alberti. “I believe Southern Wind succeeded in giving Nyumba a real feeling of a home away from home by working closely with the owner’s wife and allowing for a very high level of customisation in the design and decoration of the interior.”
We do know the interior will feature a forward owner’s cabin, two sumptuous guest cabins and crew quarters as well as an aft galley. The main saloon has been designed to be light and spacious and there will be a large entertainment saloon with a television and space for guests to relax after a day’s sailing.
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