Commissioned in the Spring of 2014, luxury sailing yacht WISP (hull 393) is a majestic 48m (156’) classic sloop, beautifully designed by Hoek, with interior design by Rhoades Young. Built by Royal Huisman, superyacht WISP left Holland for her maiden voyage to the fjords of the breath-taking Norway yacht charter destination, before entering the Western Mediterranean for the remaining Summer 2014.

Luxury yacht Wisp, a 48m (156ft) classic sloop with a performance that belies her traditional lines, is a magnificent example of revivalist naval architecture from the drawing board of Hoek Design with interior architecture by Rhoades Young Design. Fulfilling the brief as a supremely comfortable cruising yacht more than capable to provide the pleasures of some ‘gentleman’s racing’ on occasion she presented an exciting challenge for the designers and shipyard alike.

The client whilst satisfied to cruise at a leisurely pace, was looking for a decent turn of speed without sailing on the edge. Moreover, as he plans to make long passages he expected the same high level of comfort – both inside and on deck – he had enjoyed on various yachts; and with meticulous attention to detail, he was involved in every aspect of the design and construction of what has become his ‘home away from home’.

In terms of hull design, the Hoek Design team has revitalized the style and grace of the classic sailing yachts of yesteryear, whilst paying homage to the needs of today’s modern lifestyle on board. Features developed by the team, such as the owner’s aft cockpit, provide a degree of privacy and amenity. Although not typical of the original design period, they help to marry echoes from the past with a thoroughly modern list of creature comforts for today’s expectant guest. The talented Dutch firm of naval architects was tasked with developing a yacht that would sail very well without excessive heel; hence Wisp’s added form stability, Alustar aluminium hull and spoon bow for a gentler ride.

Her cutter rig, moderate draft underbody, carbon composite spars from Rondal, EC6 and Carbo-Link hybrid rigging and efficient sail handling systems are all enhanced for performance, seaworthiness and ease of handling. The cutter-rig sailplan was designed for balance and simple handling while cruising and the possibility of using overlapping genoas for racing, with much thought going into the track positioning and winch sizes to handle the increased loads and speeds during regattas.

A close collaboration between the Hoek Design office and Rhoades Young Design ensured consistency between the exterior and interior styling details, which were made a reality by Royal Huisman. The deck design reveals a clean and contemporary layout that still respects the classic styling of the striking sheer, spoon bow, traditional counter stern and teak clad low-profile deckhouses.

The result is an uncluttered expanse of teak decking fore and aft with few obstacles to disturb the sense of harmony. Indeed, throughout the yacht the exterior woodwork has been rationalised by examining and simplifying every joint and detail to create calming guest areas with plenty of hidden storage and an efficient navigation cockpit. Instead of the more typical stranded wire, solid stainless steel lifelines linking the deckmounted stanchions provide non-sailors an added sense of security and add an elegant, polished look.

Super yacht Wisp features traditional waterfal l margins between the teak decking and the superstructures – a detail requiring much thicker pieces of carefully selected timber to provide a consistent grain and perfect fit and finish.

The custom helm stations and steering wheels represent works of art in their own right. Various options were considered, from traditional all-wood to modern wheels in carbon fibre. In the end, a graceful design was chosen with 20 polished stainless steel spokes, rimmed with a delicate bead detail, which radiate from a central hub, itself clad with teak that has been lovingly milled and fitted by hand. In addition, the detailing of day light readable control panels and surrounding seating areas were designed to optimise space and present a visual impression of low volume.

Further deck space has been freed up by placing the Rondal winches for the main halyard, mainsheet and preventer below deck in a separate compartment adjoining the engine room, which can still be quickly accessed from the forward engine room entrance and monitored via CCTV cameras. To ensure the 6.2m (20ft) owner’s tender blends in with the sweeping sheer of the hull, it is partially recessed into a pocket on the foredeck. Another notable deck feature is the crew cockpit just forward of the main mast. With a convertible car-style retractable dodger, protective coamings, storage and direct access below deck to the dinette, it provides a secure assembly point within easy reach of the deck equipment while under sail and a relaxing social area when at anchor.

Despite the timeless simplicity of the deck design and superstructures, trademark Royal Huisman detailing abounds, such as the louvered ventilation grilles made of veneer-clad carbon fibre on the sides of the deckhouses. First introduced on charter yacht Meteor in 2007, the advantage of carbon over aluminium is that it allows for thinner profiles to optimise the airflow around and through the louvers when given a fixed perimeter dimension. These smaller grilles can be elegantly sized to harmonise with the softly arched deckhouse windows.

The hull shape provided ample room for Rhoades Young Design, renowned for their sophisticated yet understated yacht interiors, to work their magic in creating grand accommodations for six guests in three en-suite cabins and a spacious owner’s suite. The brief was for a light, airy and calming ambience in which to travel the world – a style the owner summed up in the word ‘jolly’ – and this kick-started the process for Rhoades Young to define an interior design that reflected the classic grace of Wisp yacht’s exterior.

To achieve a relaxed, home away from home feel, the designers selected as the principle material a light oak that has been stained a soft, honey amber to perfectly match the owner’s personal tastes. Care was taken to ensure a quiet and continuous flow in the wood’s natural grain so as to ensure a visually pleasing calmness to the interior. In the same manner, the overheads – typically either paneled or clad in leather – have been reinterpreted as simple, unembellished frames with relaxed, linen inserts.

This neutral background is contrasted with dark wenge inlays and fabrics of the highest quality in courageous colours that range from fresh, leafy greens to rich, duck egg blues and burnt oranges, punctuated with brightly coloured table lamps that have been converted from Murano glass vases. Beautiful handmade carpeting provides the casual charm of Japanese Tatami matting with a softness that only pure wool can achieve.

“From an architectural point of view, we created an unusual open-plan interior layout that is designed in layers to reveal itself gradually,” says Jonathan Rhoades. “Below deck you are lead from space to space and at each destination the rooms feel resolved and complete. It is only on exploring further that you realise they open onto other spaces, until finally all the layers are peeled back to reveal salons and cabins with huge sightlines through the various deck levels linking the interior and exterior.”

The owner’s suite is a perfect example of this layering effect. The full-beam cabin has various Japanese shoji screens to bring in a gentle, suffused light into the room. Sliding aside the double doors on the portside reveals a generous bathroom with basins and bath of light green Costa Smeralda marble.

The space develops further when the curved aft doors are slid into their pockets to reveal a charming rotunda with a domed ceiling that leads to the owner’s library on the portside and walk-in wardrobe to starboard.

Flowing aft a sweeping staircase raises the eye to the owner’s aft deckhouse that connects to their private cockpit, which is trimmed with two fixed captain’s chairs integrated into the teak surrounds of the cockpit seating. As a whole, the owner’s suite is a fantastically light and airy retreat that maintains the flexibility of distinct areas for working, relaxing and sleeping.

Hoek Design also worked closely with Rhoades Young Design and Royal Huisman to fine-tune aspects of the exterior styling. They collaborated, for example, on workshop models of the “styled to order” boom to produce one of the most elegant and lightest looking in-boom furling spars on any sailing superyacht.

Together with the shipyard, they also developed customised up lighting for the deckhouses, rig and bulwarks to create a gentle halo that highlights the outline of the yacht at anchor, as well the fine marquetry to the boom crutch and cockpit tables. Collaboration and attention to detail has been key to the success of Wisp superyacht and it is clear that the more one looks the more one will see.

Aware that a happy crew makes for a happy boat, the owner was equally anxious that the crew accommodation and workspaces are both comfortable and user-friendly.

So the well-appointed crew cabins all have large portholes, whilst the dual purpose forward cabin appointed for the captain’s use is finished to the same high quality as the guest areas and could easily serve as an additional guest cabin with the added convenience of discretely placed instruments to monitor wind, depth and heading.

The engine and control room are not typical for a sailing yacht of this length as the owner requested a full-height engine room with maximised access to machinery. A separate sound-proofed and air-conditioned control room provides a comfortable and efficient working environment for the chief engineer. It also locates the electronics in a dedicated and properly ventilated space away from the guest areas and the disguised navigation station in the deckhouse, which is used primarily for route planning.

The engine room is every yacht’s beating heart. Here Royal Huisman has turned surgical precision into an art form by designing and engineering the space to the highest standards – and if this cannot be seen by the casual observer, it certainly cannot be heard thanks to Huisman’s famed attention to suppressing noise and vibration. Equipment such as the Hamann black water treatment system that uses micro flotation with ultraviolet light disinfection is now standard on Royal Huisman yachts, but on special request from the owner’s team the Heinen & Hopman Air-Conditioning unit is more powerful than in conventional specifications. Special focus was given to the environmental impact of the vessel by installing exhaust gas scrubbers and soot burners to ensure clean air emissions.

A commitment to the owner’s pure and simple aesthetic by the designers, combined with Royal Huisman’s signature attention to quality construction and seaworthiness, has resulted in a fine gentleman’s sailing yacht with ocean-going capability, comfort and performance.

It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of the Huisman family, and a dynamic and focused project team,” wrote the owner’s representative, following delivery of the yacht. “Together we have exceeded the expectations of the client with exceptional standards and we can all be duly proud of the beautiful vessel Wisp. “

Technical Specifications of luxury superyacht WISP (hull 393):

General

Yard no. 393

Type Cutter-rigged Classic Sloop

Naval architect Hoek Design Naval Architects BV

Interior design Rhoades Young Ltd

Project management Nigel Ingram, MCM

Builder Royal Huisman

Year of delivery 2014

Accommodation

Owner 1 suite with king-size bed

Guests 3 cabins; 2 doubles & 1 twin

(forward guest cabin is currently being used as captain’s cabin)

Crew 3 twin cabins

Principal dimensions

Hull

Length Over All (l.o.a.) 47.65 m / 156.33 ft

Length Waterline (l.w.l.) 33.62 m / 110.30 ft

Beam max. 9.50 m / 31.17 ft

Draft 4.45 m / 14.60 ft

Displacement 235 tons / 518,086 lbs

Gross tonnage 252 GT

Hull speed 14 knots

Rig dimensions

I = 54.10 m / 177.49 ft

P = 50.80 m / 166.66 ft

E = 19.60 m / 64.30 ft

J = 17.60 m / 57.74 ft

Mast height: 57.5 m / 189 ft above CWL

Sail area

Mainsail 577 m² / 6211 ft²

Yankee 527 m² / 5673 ft²

Blade 457 m² / 4919 ft²

Staysail 236 m² / 2540 ft²

MPS 1252 m² / 13476 ft²

Technical Information

Classification

Built according to the requirements of Lloyd’s Register EMEA and MCA (Cayman Islands LY-2 compliant) <500 GT  100A1, SSC, Yacht, Mono, G6, []LMC, UMS. Flag of registry and administration in charge of compliance: Cayman Islands

Construction

“Alustar” Temper H321 (AA 5059-H321) aluminum for hull plating and “Alustar” Temper H112 (AA 5059-H112) for extrusions

Steering system

Manual and power steering system

Segatron autopilot system

2x outside steering positions

Main engine

1x Caterpillar C18 Acert / 533 kW (715 HP) @2100 rpm

Gearbox

Mekanord, reduction 4,14:1

Propeller installation

Korsør VP8 controllable pitch propeller system

propeller diameter 1300 mm four blades

Generators

2x Northern Lights, M1064 A, 67 kW, 50 Hz

Tank capacities

Fuel 22,000 l / 5811.785 USG (in 4 tanks)

Fresh water 8,000 l / 2113.376 USG (in 2 tanks)

Holding 4,000 l / 1056.688 USG (in 3 tanks)

Range at cruising speed

5570 nm @ 10 knots

Bilge system

Royal Huisman central bilge system:

1x RWO oily water separator

Thrusters

OYS retractable bow thruster 75 kW (100 HP)

OYS retractable stern thruster 75 kW (100 HP)

Watermaker

1X HEM 30/3400, capacity 0.54 m3/hr

Fire fighting system

Royal Huisman seawater fire extinguishing system

Ajax Kidde engine room fire extinguishing system

Portable fire extinguishers

Fuel system

Royal Huisman fuel system with trimming capability

1x Facet fuel separator

Tender fill system

Hydraulic system

Hydraulic power provided by main engine and generator driven pumps

Pneumatic system

1x Hydrovane working air compressor

1x Bauer diving compressor

Waste water system

1 x Hamann Cont 02 Plus system,

capacity 5,000 l (1320.860 USG) / day

Refrigerating and freezing system

Fridge/freezer system with semi custom made fridge/

freezer boxes, Foster

Household equipment

Appliances from Miele, Gaggenau, Liebherr, Sub-Zero

and Hoshizaki

HVAC

Heinen & Hopman climate control system

(360.000 BTU) with fancoils and fresh air units

Electrical system

230/400 VAC – 50Hz parallel, 3 phase electrical system

Main switchboard with power management

& paralleling system

1x battery power system / 2x starting battery system /

1x radio battery system / 1x shore converter 80 kVA

Navigation equipment

Navigation system | B&G H3000

Radar/sea charts system | Furuno/MaxSea

GPS/AIS | Furuno

Gyro compass | Alpha Minicourse

Magnetic compass | C.Plath

Navtex egc receiver | Furuno

Satcom C | Thrane & Thrane

Communication equipment

VHF | Furuno

VSAT system | Seatel

Iridium | Open Port

Telephone system | Cisco VoIP

Entertainment

1x Seatel satellite TV/radio system

Apple-based entertainment systems

Control network

PLC network based on TCP/IP 100 MB/s

and Beckhoff CX series PLCs

PC network

Computer network based on TCP/IP 1 GB/s and Cisco switches, wireless access points.

Internet access by WiFi and/or satellite communication

Alarm system

RH Alarm & Monitoring System; Eltek Fire alarm system

General / Abandon ship and MOB alarm system

Steward call system

Interior styling

Stained oak joinery style by Rhoades Young Designs Ltd.

Upholstery

Sofas, walls and headboards by Jim Thompson, Dedar,

Zimmer & Rhode. Blinds & curtains by Dedar, Lewis &

woods

Interior lights

Custom converted Murano glass vases: Venini. Walls lights: Besselink & Jones. Spot lights: John Cullen

Natural stone

Basins and bath by Costa Smeralda. Bathroom floors by

Perlino. Galley counters by Emerald Pearl

Interior specials

Hand painted marble by Mason & Mason Interiors.

Rice paper panels by 3Form. Floor inlays / marquetry by

Finemarq

Interior hardware

Custom door handles by Turnstyle

Insulation

Synthetic foam and mineral wool insulation package against fire, environment temperatures, noise and condensation according to the requirements of the Classification Society

Anchor system

2x Lewmar hydraulic anchor winch, type V12

Main anchors: 2x Manson stainless steel High-Holding

Power Plough 500 lbs. (225kg)

Secondary anchor: 1x Fortress FX-125 69 lbs. (37kg)

Deck hardware

Rondal custom deck hardware

Hatches

Rondal custom flush deck hatches

Winches

Lewmar hydraulic drum winches

Rondal hydraulic reel winches & feeders

Passerelle / Boarding platform / Side gangway

1x Multiplex passerelle

1x Royal Huisman boarding platform with Cramm side

gangway

Tenders

1x Williams 565 Tender Diesel Jet

1x Bombard commando C3 sports boat 15HP

(Principal supplied)

Safety equipment

4x Zodiac 10 person life rafts

Man overboard module

Paint system

Awlgrip paint system

Spars

Rondal carbon fiber main mast with batten car system

and style-to-order rollaway slab reef boom

Standing rigging

EC6 hybrid rigging system

Carbo-Link fore and staysail stays

Running rigging

Gleistein Dyneema and ropes from Dyneema, Dyna One and Gemini X

Rigging hydraulics

Navtech cylinders / Reckmann furlers

Sails

North Sails (Principal supplied)

Below is a selection of the exquisite charter yachts built by Royal Huisman.