Since the shipyard was founded in 2015, YYachts models have been characterised by their ease of use - "Keep it simple" is not the credo of the boat builders led by Michael Schmidt for nothing. The lightweight carbon construction and long bowsprit show that the Y9 is also designed for sailing performance. The 55-tonner has 430 square metres of sail upwind and up to 859 square metres downwind with a gennaker from the Italian Zaoli loft. During the passage from the Ladebow shipyard on the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, the "Bella" captain logged 26 knots top speed and a distance of 240 nautical miles. Even an experienced skipper would go into raptures.
Comfort on board the Y9 not restricted
As on the Y7, two people on deck should be enough, thanks to the push-button control of the sail systems and the fact that manoeuvring stress is avoided thanks to the self-tacking jib and a mainsail that can be sailed without backstays thanks to the narrow top. In addition, the cockpit is free of the mainsheet, which is attached to the fixed bimini between solar panels - true to the YYachts philosophy: a yacht must be reduced to the essentials without compromising comfort. The mainsheet solution has another advantage: the owner's family and their guests can move around in the cosy cockpit, which is completely shaded thanks to the fixed bimini, outside the danger zone, as the 242-square-metre main can exert heavy loads on the rigging depending on the wind force and the course steered.
"Bella" is the first representative of a new small series, a 90-foot single-unit construction laid with "Prevail" in Ladebow as early as 2021. The Y9 also relies on lines by Bill Tripp, easily recognisable by the striking deckhouse. According to YYachts Managing Director Dirk Zademack, the creation of the new flagship model is the result of several discussions with owners:
The customers were actually interested in a length of 100 feet. However, in my experience, yachts above this size become disproportionately expensive because many customised products have to be installed. With our expertise, we have therefore realised the comfort of a 100-foot yacht in a length of 90 feet."
The "Bella" owner, whom Michael Schmidt and his team have known well for four years, was also convinced of this. He was one of the first Y7 owners and was quickly impressed by the ease of use and outstanding sailing characteristics of his first "Bella". Just a few months after taking delivery and during the BOOTE EXCLUSIV test sail off Palma de Mallorca at the time, he was already thinking about switching to a larger YYachts model when it became available. Now the XL "Bella" is afloat and the owner is happy. Over the past four years, he has fully embraced the sailing lifestyle and seems to have completely forgotten his past as the owner of a 73-foot motor yacht. "Michael Schmidt's yachts opened my eyes and showed me that sailing is many times more comfortable than travelling with motor yachts. There are good reasons why motorboats no longer leave the harbour from a wind force of 4 Beaufort," the "Bella" owner told us at the time, smiling and satisfied at the wheel of his Y7.
In comparison: Y9 and Y7
Just how much larger the Y9 is compared to the 8.03 metre shorter Y7 can be seen above all in the wide and glidingly flat stern section, in which the dinghy parks transversely and from above. Behind the steering positions with carbon wheels, under a wide hatch that opens by means of hydraulic Reckmann cylinders, there is a watertight bay that is constructed like a crash box. This is where the tender is stored. On "Bella", this is a Y tender for the first time, a 4.35 metre rib with a carbon catamaran hull, which is powered conventionally via outboard motor or electrically and weighs just 230 kilograms. The air hose fills and empties via integrated pumps in just 45 seconds, reducing the width by 30 centimetres when empty. The water is supplied by a compact carbon fibre davit crane, which can be installed on deck in a few simple steps if required. The spacious parking bay also has space for surfboards, SUPs or diving equipment. There are good reasons for dispensing with a tender garage that is accessible via the transom, as shipyard founder Michael Schmidt explains: "I didn't want a garage that was accessible via the stern on the Y7," explains Schmidt. "Even if the lazarette is really well sealed, you always have moisture in there."
The interior of the "Bella"
The interior starts in front of the watertight bulkhead, in the case of "Bella" with the crew area. Here there are two cabins for up to four people and a cosy and functional mess area with on-board electronics panels opposite, multifunctional displays and the usual communication equipment. The "Bella" owner usually opts for a crew of two, who benefit accordingly from the generously proportioned area. The galley is located to starboard, where the owner himself also likes to wield the wooden spoon. The crew then keep to themselves aft, with a door separating the areas from each other to ensure privacy. Opposite is one of two guest cabins, which has a double bed and a large bathroom with shower. Adjacent to the short corridor leading into the saloon, designer Bill Tripp has placed the hatch in the easily accessible engine room, where a Volvo Penta D4 engine serves as the main engine alongside the fresh water treatment system and a Fischer Panda generator with 20 kilowatts of power.
The layout of the saloon, which is a few steps higher, is particularly successful. There is a dining table for eight people on the starboard side, while the adjacent aft wall panel inconspicuously hides storage compartments and a wine refrigerator, which the owner wanted here. The seating area opposite with a large day bed, side table and two armchairs serves as an entertainment area. A Samsung TV integrated into the forward transverse bulkhead functions as a colourful work of art in "Frame" mode and otherwise, of course, as a TV with the usual access to Netflix & Co. Handrails can be found everywhere on board - as befits a real sailing yacht - on the ceiling of the saloon in a clever and proven design à la Michael Schmidt: two leather holding loops are attached to two metal rails that extend almost the entire length of the saloon, the shape of which is reminiscent of ceiling loops from buses and trains. The saloon flows seamlessly into a cosy lounge alcove on the starboard side, which offers a workstation and a television opposite the sofa. Guest cabin number two is on the port side, also with a double bed and bathroom including shower.
Five layout options possible
YYachts offers a total of five layout options for the Y9, three of which are based on an aft owner's suite. The "Bella" owner, on the other hand, wanted his realm in the bow. Here he will find a walk-in wardrobe, plenty of storage space in surrounding sideboards, a large bathroom at the very front and a free-standing queen-size bed. Naturally, there are also details here that indicate the seaworthiness of every Y9. There are brackets for leeches above the bed, and handrails are concealed in the surrounding furniture. Like everywhere else on board, the doors of the shelves can be opened using a thin leather strap - a smart detail that again goes back to the creative mind of Michael Schmidt, who knows exactly how he wants his boats to look. Five large windows on each side of the hull plus the all-round windows of the deckhouse, which also provide a good view of the horizon, ensure that there is plenty of light throughout the interior.
As with his Y7, the owner opted for an interior developed by Norm Architects from Copenhagen and Design Unlimited from Lymington for the first Y9. The two design studios created a Scandinavian-elegant look that follows the principle of "soft minimalism"; smoked and oiled oak, grey fabrics and light-coloured wall panels define the colour palette. Katrine Goldstein, Managing Director of Norm Architects, summarises: "The Y9 follows the design of the award-winning Y7, but is much more complex. It is a comfortable and tranquil retreat to unwind from the constant stimuli of everyday life." After all, that should be the goal of every yacht.
Technical data of the Y9
- Length over everything: 29,71 m
- Length (hull shape): 26,04 m
- Width: 6,80 m
- Draught (telescopic keel): 3,20-4,80 m
- Displacement (empty): 55 t
- Material: GRP/Carbon
- Motors: 2x VOLVO D4-175
- Engine power: 2 x 129 kW
- Sail area (on the wind):430 m²
- Sail area (outhaul):859 m²
- Sail:Zaoli
- Mast:Axxon Composites, 42 m
- Generators: 1x Fisher Panda 25i
- Fuel:3.000 l
- Water: 2.000 l
- Navigation, sailing instruments: B&G
- Tender:YTender, 4.35 m
- Construction:Tripp Design
- Exterior design: Tripp Design
- Interior design: Norm Architects
- Shipyard: Michael Schmidt Yachtbuilding, 2022
