Southern Wind has launched the fourth unit of the successful SW96 Nyumba GT in Cape Town. She is the first sailboat with hybrid propulsion in the Southern Wind fleet. The owner approached Southern Wind looking for a high-performance, innovative yacht for sailing short handed around the world with his family, in full compliance with the stringent IMO Tier 3 regulations.
After initially considering a custom project, the owner opted for a 96-foot yacht embracing Southern Wind’s “Smart Custom” philosophy to reap the benefits of the yard’s and the design team’s experience. Her hull penned by Farr Yacht Design, she has a full carbon hull, deck and bulkheads. A lifting keel (3,4 m – 5,5m), twin rudder configuration, carbon rigging and a fixed bowsprit are just a few of the performance elements aboard Nyumba GT. Deck fittings are all titanium for weight saving and easier maintenance.
Exterior and interior made by Nauta Design. “Nyumba’s deck design is the evolution of the successful GT deck concept that was applied the first time on the award winning SW105 GT Taniwha but with several new details that have been designed specifically to meet the owner’s requests,” says Massimo Gino of Nauta Design.
The aft garage fits a 4.5m tender and the custom extra-large swimming platform creates a private beach club of more than 8,5 sq. m, directly on the water.
Comfortable and cozy, Nyumba’s interiors feature the Southern Wind owner’s cabin forward layout with two guest cabins amidships, while crew quarters and galley are positioned aft. Her main saloon is a light, bright and open space customized to meet the needs of the clients’ live-aboard use of the yacht.
Her power and propulsion system was developed in collaboration with BAE Systems. According to Marco Alberti, Southern Wind CEO, “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. 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.”
Nyumba GT is now ready for sea trials.
Southern Wind is a boutique bluewater sailing yacht shipyard founded in Cape Town in 1991. Since its foundation, SWS has specialized in the production of semi-custom high-performance superyachts.
Credits: Southern Wind