Construction update on Spirit 111 flagship sailing yacht

Spirit Yachts has provided a construction update about its in-build 33.9 metre Spirit 111 sailing yacht, which has begun interior fitting at the yard's Ipswich headquarters. The yacht recently had her coachroof fitted and is on track to be launched in summer 2019.

Featuring exterior lines by Spirit Yachts’ head designer Sean McMillan and interiors by Rhoades Young, the sailing yacht is being built to RINA standards from a wood epoxy composite supported by a stainless steel space frame.

This is the first project on which Spirit has worked with an interior design studio. The Spirit 111 features a curvaceous interior, with floating beds inside cocoons made from steamed tapered timbers.

The bespoke seating and bed heads are currently being built by former Spirit Yachts employees Will Fennell and Ben Jackson.

The two-part seating arrangement is being constructed out of strips of American walnut while the completed sofa, which features "sweeping curves", took over 1,000 man hours to build by hand.The yard has also announced that it has awarded the contract of the 111's sail wardrobe to OneSails GBR following a pitching process. The sails will be fitted to a Hall Spar carbon fibre mast and in-boom furling to facilitate short-handed sailing. The update comes after the yard turned the hull in February this year.

Speaking as the hull was turned in February, chief executive Sean McMillen, said: "As we head into our landmark 25th year in business, the rollover of our largest yacht to date was a moment in history for Spirit Yachts, and a spectacular sight at our yard on the edge of the River Orwell."

Environmental factors have been a key consideration in the Spirit 111's development, with the 30-year-old client keen to spend long periods of time on board with the minimum of fuel burn.The yacht will be fitted with a 160kw Torqeedo electric propulsion system supported by four BMW i3 lithium battery banks that can be recharged while cruising under sail power or topped up by a pair of 25kw back-up generators.

The estimated top speed under power is 11 knots, but the owner is more interested in sailing performance, with a custom carbon rig, Lewmar hydraulic system and an extensive OneSails 4T40 sail wardrobe specified.

The yacht's beam will be 6.4 metres, with a maximum draught of 4.05 metres and a fully laden displacement of 65 tonnes, while Jens Cornelsen of Cornelsen & Partner is providing project management services.

When complete, this will be the largest sailing superyacht from the Suffolk-based yard to date, easily surpassing the 30.66 metre Gaia, which launched in 2007.