Nyumba

Sexy, powerful, greener – the first Southern Wind yacht with hybrid propulsion has flawless lines, contemporary interiors

by Nauta Design and

naval

architecture

by Paola Bertelli - ph. Giuliano Sargentini

by

Farr Yacht Design

(deck and interior) - Rob Kamhoot (sailing)

yumba is the result of one of those lucky encounters between a passionate, expert owner who’s ready to raise the bar and dynamic, cutting-edge yard that’s eager to take on new challenges. Combining functionality, technology and efficiency, Nyumba is Southern Wind’s first yacht with a diesel electric hybrid propulsion system. The owner, an expert sail yachtsman and racer, approached Southern Wind with some very clear requirements – a yacht that’s sexy, comfortable, sustainable, reliable and above all innovative, to be used for sailing shorthanded around the world with his wife and family, and occasionally for racing when the fancy takes him. And finally, it had to have a green propulsion system.

As well as reflecting greater environmental awareness, the hybrid system developed by Southern Wind in collaboration with BAE Systems offers unprecedented on-board comfort, providing a totally silent cruising experience and greater range enabled by a hydrogenerator that recharges while the yacht is under sail. Nyumba, which means “home” in Swahili, is the fourth unit in the SW96 project. Farr Yacht Design penned the water lines of this high-performance craft, and Nauta Design developed the exteriors and interiors, displaying its unmistakeable refined, essential style.

It’s based on a versatile, tried-and-tested naval platform that can then be tailored to match the owner’s needs. Southern Wind calls this “smart custom”, and its aim is to take full advantage of a custom construction with its unique nature and innovation and the efficiency of a semi-production build. It differs in several crucial ways from its

sisters in the SW 96 family – the hybrid propulsion system and a total rethink of the main deck, new keel and rigging design and revamped interior layout.

The racy element that defines Nyumba’s elegant, dynamic profile is its low, compact coachroof with its soft, sleek shapes. In grey, like the hull and sails, it complements the warm colour of the deck teak. The owner wanted a spacious beach club in the stern, and Southern Wind has achieved this by opening out the transom and a section of the deck, creating a total of 8.5 square metres at water level. Behind it, the garage provides stowage space for a 4.5 metre tender.

Slightly lower than the deck, the guest cockpit with two deep, C-shaped deep sofas/sun loungers that seem to be suspended in the air is connected to the interior saloon by a large transparent companionway hatch. The below deck interiors are bright, contemporary and welcoming, displaying a coherent, harmonious style. Classic oiled teak surfaces co-ordinate with furnishing items and materials chosen by the owner, and the baseboard ropelights emphasise the floating effect. The saloon is raised higher than the other spaces, and natural light floods the interior through the transparent companionway hatch, hull windows and a coachroof skylight. It’s a versatile space with conversation/dining area to port and a daybed to starboard, as well as an office corner. A couple of steps provide access to an intimate TV and relaxation area forward, preceding a twin guest cabin and the owner’s cabin. Aft of the saloon lie a third cabin and crew quarters with independent access, comprising two cabins, galley and nav station. www.sws-yachts.com

A spectacular shot of Nyumba against the backdrop of Table Mountain Cape Town, South Africa. The 29.24-metre yacht has carbon fibre hull, deck and bulwarks, twin rudders and a lifting keel (3.4m-5.5m). The main deck’s clean, essential lines are created by a low, sleek coachroof. Opening, the cockpit prepared for guests with cushions and tables

The relaxation/TV corner, and on the page opposite, above, the saloon with conversation/ dining area.. Classic oiled teak is the main surfacing material, the baseboard ropelights enhance the floating effect and the large windows, especially the coachroof skylight, balance the dark, elegant flooring. Below, the galley

Exterior and Interior Design

Massimo Gino, co-founder Nauta Design

Clear, uncluttered deck equipment positioning enables easy circulation on board and the GT styling lends the deck a breathtaking simplicity and lightness. Bottom, from right, the crew entrance echoes the coachroof lines; the design of the wheel supports is inspired by the shape of a propeller hub

Nyumba’s owner, an expert sail yachtsman, asked us to create a fast, efficient yacht for long-range short-handed sailing that could also make a good showing in superyacht regattas. This involved designing a yacht with a sleek, dynamic profile with an uncluttered deck and ergonomically positioned running rigging for greater ease of use, plus enhanced safety and comfort for guests. The main deck has been totally redesigned when compared to the other three SW96 models – its clean, elegant designs are an evolution of the GT deck concept we first developed on the SW105 GT Taniwha. The coachroof is an important design element we drew with an unobtrusive profile and sleek lines. To facilitate short-handed yacht-handling the three winches on each side are mounted on teak coamings that also serve as comfy benches close to the helm positions. The LED lighting below these creates a floating effect after nightfall. It’s important to emphasise that in order to make sail handling safer the aft deck is on a single level, with the guest cockpit a single step lower for greater protection. The owner asked us to reduce the aft sunpad area, adding space to the work area. This enabled us to put the mainsail traveller as far back as possible, on a level with the end of the boom, cutting load to a minimum. It’s now aft of the crew companionway, which is styled to look like a mini version of the coachroof. We’ve also designed new supports for the two helms, drawing inspiration from the shape of a propeller hub. Last but not least, the owner’s choice of dark grey for the hull and coachroof highlights the sophisticated simplicity of the exterior design. There is no cove or waterline stripe and even the antifouling paint is the same shade of grey as the hull. This deck is one of the cleanest and most balanced and sportiest we have ever designed.

Holistic, sporty and cosy – that’s how I like to describe Nyumba’s interior design. Our starting point for the project was the fact that the owners will spend a lot of time on board, so our objective was to create comfy, welcoming spaces. The owners played a very active role in shaping the overall style, choosing colours and materials from the range of options offered by Southern Wind. Among their selections are the classic oiled teak veneers and specially-made pieces of fitted furniture. We developed an extremely coherent interior design, which I would define as holistic: for instance, the soft materials chosen by the owner’s wife complement the interior design and styling provided by Nauta, and the relationship between exterior and interior is itself holistic, too. Nyumba’s concept is based on fixed dimensions for every room and space, because the structural

bulkheads and net spaces (the empty rooms, the empty cabins) are fixed. Inside those spaces we developed several different solutions both for the cabins and for the social areas like the saloon and the TV area. For instance, Nyumba’s owners asked for a special relaxation and working corner in the starboard part of the saloon, where we replaced the long L-shaped lounge sofa with two different areas where he can use a desk to work and she can relax reading a book in a deep, cosy daybed. The opposite area will mainly be used as guest lounge that can be transformed into a dining area. The most challenging aspect of this project is that the interiors feature dark flooring, which is very elegant but lowers interior light levels. We had to compensate by introducing extra natural light: we achieved this by adding a huge skylight in the saloon.

There are three guest cabins on board the yacht – the owner’s suite (above) is in the bows, preceded by a VIP cabin, with a further cabin aft of the saloon and forward of the crew quarters. All are very bright. Deck skylights ensure the cabins and bathrooms are extremely light and airy

The Shipyard

Andrea Micheli, Southern Wind CCO

Nyumba is a major milestone for the shipyard, as she is the brand’s first yacht with a hybrid propulsion system. The owner is a keen, hands-on sailor – this is his third sail yacht but his first from Southern Wind. His design brief was very complex and ambitious, to put it mildly, and the opportunity to install an innovative hybrid solution played a pivotal role in his decision. Only a “smart custom” or a full custom could match his expectations. We discussed both options extensively: he favoured our “smart custom” approach to full custom construction. He wanted to reap the benefits of both the yard’s and the design

team’s experience while enjoying a smoother, well-structured decision process. Overall, Nyumba is a “smart custom” pushed to the boundaries of a full custom built within the time limits of a semi-custom. Learning about the design work we did with BAE Systems in developing the SW108 Hybrid sparked his enthusiasm - he wanted to be the first owner to have such a sophisticated system, and he wanted it to be developed for the SW96, too. We decided to build Nyumba to RINA Charter Class standards to enhance the redundancy we built into the system. Achieving this certification with a hybrid 96-foot sailing yacht is itself an

enormous achievement.

We had to completely redesign the engine room around the machinery and the cooling system required to handle the high voltage electrical components. We benefitted by not being the first in the sector to work on a similar project, but we take the credit for raising the bar for system performance, dimensions and weight. Although every electrical component from BAE is very sophisticated and compact, there are many more elements than would be found in a conventional engine room. Stringent safety requirements mean that every high voltage connection, cable and

cabinet is bigger than the comparable low-voltage equivalent. Sophisticated can-bus links integrate the systems, providing an unprecedented level of monitoring and control. We are proud to have achieved the objective of mounting these innovative systems without having to extend the engine room.

Nyumba is still a real sail yacht, a thrilling craft built for real sailors. At the helm she feels like a 60-footer and when you’re on deck or inside the yacht she feels like a superyacht, but her systems offer ground-breaking technical solutions typical of gigayachts.

Nyumba is the first hybrid propulsion yacht to be launched by the yard. The system was developed in collaboration with BAE Systems, whose R&D leverages on the investments they have made in the automotive, defence and aerospace sectors