28 Breeze Magazine
Above:: Thierry, Lydivine and their two children, Mazarine (9) and Clement (11). Below: Mazarine and Clement bike to school in Tahiti. Circa 70 FPB and recognised that concept met most of his requirements. matter in a world turned upside down by the pandemic. With Steve Dashew now retired and unable to undertake his With New Zealand ports closed to visiting yachts, Thierry engaged hallmark close personal supervision of every project, he has ordered 36° Brokers to sell his catamaran (to an Australian yachtsman also a halt on any further builds to his designs. Accordingly, Circa engaged stranded in Tahiti) and made arrangements to fly to New Zealand with Auckland-based LOMOcean Marine to come up with new designs with his family as soon as immigration authorities allowed it. By the time they similar objectives for rugged, ocean-capable passagemaking. LOMOcean had completed their two-week isolation and established themselves are no strangers in this area, having designed the futuristic 24m Earthrace ashore, the Circa team was about a year into his build. trimaran, which Kiwi eco-warrior Pete Bethune piloted to a round-theThe first time Thierry saw his project in the flesh, it was already world record in 2008, and the equally ground-breaking 31m PlanetSolar, fully framed, much of the hull plating was in place and fabrication of which became the first entirely solar-powered vessel to complete a the interior joinery was well advanced. The custom interior by Belgian world circumnavigation in 2012. designer Kurt Wallaeys is reminiscent of a Manhattan apartment, with “We have always been about efficiency,” says LOMOcean director high gloss finishes in black, grey and gold. The schedule is to launch by Craig Loomes. We have done long-range passagemakers before, so it is the end of the year. not as if these concepts are new to us. Long, lean, easily driven hulls have Thierry’s arrival coincided with the launch and sea-trials of Mollymawk, been a feature of several projects we have done in the past. the first of the new LOMOcean designs, providing realtime, real-life proof “The Circa project’s form is a development of that work. The shapes of concept. Results, which included a rough-sea passage during the latewe have produced are quite different from their earlier models. We have May weather bomb that hit the North Island, significantly outstripped put more volume in the ends, we anything Circa had seen before. have designed the bow wave to be To comply with European A proud member of the RNZYS out of phase with the stern wave, classification, Thierry’s boat will be which is more efficient. The styling equipped with MAN engines with On arrival in New Zealand, one of the first things Thierry is also quite distinct.” double Mollymawk’s horsepower, Verstraete did was join the RNZYS. “The contact with the When Thierry began his providing a higher top speed and, Squadron was through Duthie Lidgard,” he explains. “He is the NZ enquiries, Circa were busy if anything, a more efficient cruising agent for handling us here. After I did the two weeks MIQ, I had my completing the first of the new consumption. first meeting with Duthie at the Squadron. I saw the America’s Cup LOMOcean-designed vessels, a At 10.3 knots, Deo Juvante will and immediately said I have to be a member of this club.” 25m version for an Australian client. consume just 2.04 litres/nautical Another Squadron connection involved Conrad Gair of 36° That provided a basis for their mile with the two MAN diesels Brokers. Conrad facilitated the sale of Thierry’s 18m catamaran, no email and Zoom discussions as a ticking over at 1200rpm. “That is simple assignment in a world changed by Covid. back-and-forth process of interior not all down to hull form,” says The Deo Juvante team comprises: and exterior customisation resulted Loomes. Owner: Thierry Verstraete in a variant tailored to Thierry’s “A designers’ job is to make sure Naval Architect: LOMOcean Marine, Auckland specification. all the components work together Builder: Circa Marine Two weeks later, in May 2020, for the best possible result. We Interior Design: Kurt Wallaeys, Belgium the Whangarei team swung into use large diameter, slow revving SeaKite System: Yves Parlier, Beyond the Sea, France action while Thierry made plans to propellors with engines that are relocate to New Zealand, no simple
