Ipswich-based builders Spirit Yachts are to unveil a new superyacht design in April. The Spirit 110 will be their biggest design and build to date. It will take the builders of these beautiful and distinctive hand-built wood epoxy modern classics to another level with a yacht aimed squarely at the growing interest in superyacht racing.

The new yacht is designed for racing and comfortable for long distance cruising, with the potential for up to six guests and four crew to live aboard.  It has a number of what have become signature features, including fan skylights in the coach roof,  and a cockpit defined by curves and flowing shapes.

The lines (below) show a hull design with a spoon bow and a long and sweeping overhang to the transom, beneath which are modern appendages.

Spirit 110 lines

It’s a modern boat which will have a powerful sloop rig carrying 1,050m2 of sail downwind and will sport a Southern Spars high modulus carbon mast with EC6 carbon rigging. Yet it will be a boat, as are all Spirit Yachts, for those sailors (hands up?) who are suckers for sweet lines and gleaming brightwork.

Spirit Yachts have made a world famous name by creating a niche of performance orientated neo-classic yachts, and they have become so popular that they frequently race in a class of their own. The company was started 22 years ago by two old-gaffer sailors, Sean McMillan and Mick Newman, setting up in a shed on Newman’s farm when they finally decided to build the ideal yacht they had long talked about, a 37-footer.

Tragically, Mick Newman was killed in a light aircraft crash in 2007, but the vision of the the pair lives on and the business has grown as the demand for their boats, and larger yachts for regatta racing, has burgeoned.

McMillan comments of the new design: “The combination of the elegant wooden design, carbon rigging and an incredible power to weight ratio will result in a high quality, performance superyacht that delivers under racing conditions.”