Read indepth magazine
SPIIP
2000
|Sail Yacht
When the owners commissioned the 34m/112' Unfurled it was only they who truly understood what would come rolling out of the main construction hall at the Royal Huisman Shipyard some 22 months later. Their clear vision had guided the design team of German Frers and Andrew Winch to create a yacht that symbolizes great design. "She is timeless and is neither fickle or flashy and she speaks quietly to the yachting world about the meaning of elegance and eternity," said the owner during the launching ceremonies. And it is without doubt that it was the owner's tutorage that also guided the Huisman team to elevate their own skills and bring new definition to custom yacht construction.
Built in Alustar aluminium, Unfurled is equipped with a carbon rig and in boom furling system from Martin Marine, and she has a clean, simple deck arrangement with a self-tacking jib. Her high-tech keel has been developed using computational fluid dynamics analysis (CFD) and she has a daggerboard that protrudes from within the bulb, increasing draft from 12.8 ft to 19.00 ft thereby maximizing upwind performance. In keeping with simplicity her twin wheel steering stations feature consoles that can be rotated to give the helms person glare free viewing and arms length control of hydraulic sail functions, navigation and ships operational information. With a commanding view across the expansive deck the helmsman is also socially linked to the large centre cockpit which includes a fold down sun bimini built using a carbon fibre framework.
Going below, the large deck saloon, measuring some 500 sq. ft, is the centerpiece of UnfurledÂ"s interior and includes the dining and seating areas together with an inside steering station all on one level. Andrew Winch has developed the ownerÂ"s ideas for a light, open and airy interior and HuismanÂ"s craftsmanship has turned this into no less than a work of art. Going aft two identical guest cabins lead through a central corridor to the owners cabin that is so expansive it tends to defy Unfurled's 95' waterline. Relying on the symmetry of perpendicular lines the space includes a large his and hers walk in wardrobe and his and her bathrooms.
Moving forward the main galley is a work of functional art with granite counters and all stainless steel cabinetry. A large crew dinette leads off to the engine room entrance that clearly allows operations to carry on without disturbance to the guest living areas. And with her simple sailing systems and easily driven hull form accommodations are for just four crew in two separate cabins, each with private head and shower.
"Indeed the Interior matches the function and aesthetics of the Hull and Deck very well. The whole thing is coherent with the age, in which we live, the purpose of a yacht and furthermore, of very good taste" said German Frers.
And indeed as their yacht neared completion, the owners wrote to Frers:
"Great design is powerful. It has the ability to touch the eye, the mind and the heart. It provokes comment, thought and reaction. The Concord airplane, the architecture of Le Corbusier and the sculptures of Brancusi have all changed our way of seeing and thinking. In modern yacht design, we feel that Germán Frers is an artist without peer. His sense of proportion and line is impeccable, never compromising form or function. He blends esthetics and performance, achieving speed, beauty and power - all essential to the joy of sailing."