Sailing is a pleasure, and a sustainable one at that - if everything works and is set up correctly. Otherwise, the annoyance quickly outweighs the fun. "I never really understood my previous boat, the many sea valves confused me. For the next project, I knew we had to simplify," says Michael Schmidt, who founded his shipyard in 2015 - to build a Brenta 80 for himself, today's Y8. Simplification brought the Y7, which Schmidt developed with Bill Tripp in 2018 and from which the eighth unit is being built.
With "Prevail", YYachts has set out to transfer the "keep it simple" maxim to 90 feet. How does that work? With a self-tacking jib, a reduction to essential hydraulics and halyards, sheets and outhauls that run concealed to the steering columns. Digitalisation also helped. Instead of using analogue control panels, the on-board and sailing systems can be controlled using a smartwatch or smartphone. "It's like an iPhone, you don't want to know what's inside. The focus is on use," says Bill Tripp, summarising the efforts.
It's like an iPhone, you don't want to know what's inside. The focus is on use"
Specifically, the penchant for momentous pragmatism can be seen in "Prevail's" stern. Behind the carbon wheels, under a wide hatch, there is a watertight bay that is constructed like a crash box. This is where the 4.20 metre tender is stored - transversely instead of longitudinally, which means that the rearmost bulkhead has been moved further aft for more interior space. The tender is not launched horizontally via the transom, but vertically with the help of a carbon fibre spar that extends from the main boom. This saves weight and an additional crane system and reduces complexity, a solution that was already used on the Y7.
Parallels to the Y-models from Greifswald
The 29.77 metres are marketed as a custom format, and yet there are further parallels to Y models. As is customary with YYachts, Rega Yacht laminated the carbon hull shell in Poland using the vacuum infusion process. The mould used was that of the new Y9, the concept of which was already in place when the "Prevail" owner approached Schmidt. The relationship is clear from the bow in the style of a tomahawk axe blade, introduced with the Y7.
The Y9 was again created with Bill Tripp, whom the "Prevail" owner knew well and with whom he had already worked out the room concept for his customised 90-footer before the search for a building site: with his suite including boat office in the bow, a cabin with single beds for the children behind it and a guest cabin aft, opposite the starboard galley. "He visited the shipyard and took a look at some of our boats. What he saw convinced him," says Michael Schmidt. It took just two years from getting to know each other to the handover in Greifswald Boddenland. The fact that a new YYachts partner, Winch Design, finalised the extensive ideas in no way complicated the process and once again made "Prevail" a one-off. The first Y9, which is expected in 2022, relies on a design developed for the small series by Norm Architects from Copenhagen.
Positive domino effects bring simplifications
The US owner had already highly customised the predecessor, a 65-foot deckhouse yacht from Hodgdon in the same blue-grey. However, the superstructure rose diagonally behind the mast. Now it is a cube-shaped, all-round glazed deckhouse, as Bill Tripp introduced in a rounded and flattened form on the Y7. The owner's top priority was to be able to sit in the saloon and look out over the water. The side effects: Communication at eye level with the helmsman and high energy efficiency. Bill Tripp explains: "The vertically orientated windows also prevent the sun from beating in and the air conditioning from having to be turned up."
For Tripp, this positive multiplier effect also underlies the low overall weight of 55 tonnes, true to the motto: a light yacht means a shorter rig, which means easier operation, and a smaller engine, which reduces fuel consumption. "It's fun when ideas work. In some cases, we are breaking with things that have been done differently for 50 years. It's challenging and completely different to what I've done before," says Schmidt, alluding to his success with the Hanseyachts shipyard he founded.
With the multi-layered winch interior, the Greifswald team moved as far away as possible from series boat construction
With the interior design of "Prevail", YYachts moved as far away as possible from series boat construction. Below deck, the smell of wood and leather fills the air. The interiors come alive, especially thanks to the wealth of veneers. As with the hull and deck, Corecell foam from Gurit forms the core. On top of this are thin layers of wood: on the walls, bulkheads and built-in furniture in stained Anigré and on the floor in oak. The sideboards in the salon with their macassar bodies and rosewood cupboard doors are solitary in appearance and design. The potpourri of woods creates a hygge feeling and forms one of the three style pillars. American East Coast flair is created by cream-white panelled ceilings and bold blue accents, especially in the galley, which is used by a crew of two and the owners via a sliding door.
Harmonious triad of furnishing styles
The dining area in the deck salon exudes mid-century charm with a customised Cassina chair and, ultimately, the brown "Barcelona" armchair in the lounge next to it. Although Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed it for the German pavilion at the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona, industrial production by furniture manufacturer Knoll began in the 1950s. Van der Rohe's most famous building, the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, can be recognised by some in "Prevail's" pavilion-like deckhouse.
The curved companionway and a kidney-shaped day bed below the saloon are also in love with form. The owner uses this rest and reading area without a television to play his guitar, which is stored under the cushions along with the amplifier. Andrew Winch says quite appropriately about the multi-layered interior: "It's like a piece of music. The individual elements are beautiful, but the real magic happens when you experience them all together." The London-based designer, who has already collaborated with Bill Tripp on two projects, received the commission during the pandemic and only saw the finished yacht at the Cannes Yachting Festival. There, Andrew Winch was impressed by the quality of the interior fittings, which YYachts carries out in a modern production facility in Greifswald. Nothing rattles or shakes; the doors are surrounded by rubber seals and all units are mounted on dampers.
"Prevail" is equipped for long journeys and regattas
The wide stern, from which the backstays and hydraulic backstay from Reckmann extend, increases living space and dimensional stability. The owner opted for the additional trim options on the mast because he is planning to take part in regattas as well as long-distance sailing. The Y9 mini series model will adopt the open aft rig of the Y7, including the strongly swept spreaders. Another special request is a furling boom instead of the standard Park Avenue boom. The Axxon carbon mast, held by PBO shrouds, has 411 square metres of sail on the wind, which Doyle reinforced with carbon and Technora fibres.
After delivery in summer 2021 and up to the Cannes trade fair at the beginning of September, the owner covered 4,000 nautical miles. While "Prevail" surfed the waves at 19 knots, he was able to convince himself of the slip resistance of the Lignia deck. The teak alternative made from pine wood grows on FSC-certified plantations and obtains its hardness through subsequent saturation with resin.
The owner immediately travelled 4,000 nautical miles and surfed the waves at up to 19 knots
Whether 90 feet will remain the end of the YYachts flagpole remains to be seen. In any case, Michael Schmidt answers the question about the maximum flagship length without beating about the bush: "We only build up to 110 feet - because I want to speak directly with the owners. The bigger the yachts get, the more people such as lawyers or owner representatives get involved." This philosophy is sure to lead to many more personalised yachts like "Prevail".
Technical data YYAchts Y8 "Prevail"
- Length over everything: 29,77 m
- length (LWL): 25,20 m
- Width: 6,80 m
- Depth: 2,81-4,64 m
- Displacement (empty): 55,75 t
- Material: Carbon sandwich
- Deck: Lignia
- Rig:Axxon
- Mast length: 37,72 m
- Hydraulics:Reckmann
- Winches: Rake
- Sail:Doyle Stratis 1100
- Sail area (on the wind): 411 square metres
- Motor:1x Cummins
- Engine power:1x 224 kW
- Bow thruster: MaxPower, 25 kW
- Electronics: B&G
- Construction:Tripp Design
- Exterior design: Tripp Design
- Interior design: Winch Design
- Shipyard:Michael Schmidt Yacht Building, 2021
This article first appeared in our sister magazine BOATS EXCLUSIVE
