South African shipyard Southern Wind has announced the launch of 31m/102ft sailing yacht SEATIUS, the second hull in the SW96 mini series.
SW Seatius launched. Photo by Blackwood Cinemascope
The naval architecture is the work of Farr Yacht Design, who worked from a concept created in conjunction with Nauta Design to create sweeping lines and a modern silhouette. The hull is a combination of epoxy resin and infused carbon fibre sandwich constructions, while the exterior and interior styling is also the work of Nauta Design.
As a lightship displacement of 58.5kg, she has excellent light wind speed and a manageable-sized rig. A lifting keel and twin rudder system coupled with her low transom make luxury yacht SEATIUS responsive in all sea conditions in both light and strong winds.
SW Seatius. Photo by Blackwood Cinemascope
On deck, a corridor with minimal level changes connects the cockpit and helm station to the guest space for safety while in transit.
In comparison to S/Y SORCERESS, who was designed for regatta racing, S/Y SEATIUS has been optimised for long-distance oceanic cruising with a small crew. The interior layout is also slightly different and offers guests a forward Master suite and a twin cabin with an adjacent TV room. Amidships is a spacious salon with a port-side formal dining area and an L-shaped sofa and seating integrated into the port side with a coffee table in front. To the aft, there is the crew accommodation of a Captain’s cabin and two twin cabins.
Sailing yacht SEATIUS is set to undergo extensive sea trials before being handed to her owner, who will then undertake a 7,000 mile maiden voyage. Present at the launching ceremony, the owner and his wife broke a champagne bottle against her hull before she spoke of their plans and thanked the teams involved:
“After years of dreaming and planning, we are finally launching Seatius. I wish to thank all the lovely people involved for their terrific job; I’ve never seen such a beautiful yacht in all my life. I’m very happy and proud that we will sail her all over the globe.”
