INNOVATION AWARDS
Launched in summer 2020, the Spirit 111 Geist has been awarded two accolades in the recent Design & Innovation Awards.
Designed for an international owner, who set Spirit Yachts the task of creating a “work of art”, Geist won Best Sailing Yacht Interior and the Eco Award.
Organisers of the awards, Boat International, commented, “Innovative and stunning are words that just touch the surface when it comes to one of the most bespoke yachts we have seen. Following the directive for organic shapes and no straight lines, Rhoades Young and Spirit Yachts have created a yacht interior that truly flows.”
The award winners were chosen by a panel of 15 independent judges, all of whom are yacht designers and industry professionals.
Boat International continued, “The all-wood interior hides all systems, support and structural elements – indeed all storage, too – behind a gleaming curvaceous façade of clear-finished Sipo, which forms the interior skin of this cold-moulded yacht. There is no reliance on loose designer furniture or decorative elements. Light, shadow and sensuous shapes define a saloon and four staterooms that seem simply to unfold like a dream. As evidenced by the fact the yard had to invent a new way to steam-bend walnut for the furniture, the joinery skills and labour hours needed to execute this interior are off the chart.”
At 33.9m long, Geist has a fully laden displacement of 65tonnes and is the largest, wooden sloop built in the UK since the J-Class yacht Shamrock V in the 1930s. The yacht’s completely customised, hand-crafted interior is a series of seamless curves made from sustainably sourced timber.
Spirit Yachts CEO and Head of Design Sean McMillan commented, “As well as looking like a “work of art”, the interior of the yacht also had to comply to RINA’s (Royal Institute of Naval Architects) exacting classification requirements. This marriage of practicality, safety and beauty to deliver on the owner’s brief made the project a thrilling challenge. We are delighted the creativity, innovation and craftsmanship that went into delivering a yacht of this calibre have been recognised by such a prestigious panel of judges.”
As well as the award for Best Sailing Yacht Interior, Geist won the Eco Award.
Spirit Yachts Managing Director and Head of Operations Karen Underwood commented, “The owner was very clear he wanted to spend longer periods of time at anchor and that the yacht had to be mindful of the environment. At the start of the project, we analysed the yacht in three phases: the build, operation and end of life. This approach ensured we challenged ourselves and our suppliers to deliver bespoke solutions to lower the carbon footprint at each stage of the design and construction.”
The Spirit 111 has a Torqeedo electric drive system that regenerates the batteries via propulsion whilst the yacht is sailing. All onboard systems were selected to work holistically and consume the minimum amount of power possible. On deck, the yacht has recyclable OneSails 4T Forte sails and energy efficient Lewmar hydraulic deck hardware.
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