SPIRIT YACHTS DH SERIES
the yachts a sturdier more cruisey feel while further blurring the line back to the 1930s. We love it. Two versions of the new DH model are available – the 7-berth 50 and 9-berth 57 (using berths in the deckhouse), while a 65ft (19.8m)version is also in build. The look transforms Spirit, giving it a more noble profile and a slightly chunkier appearance that makes you feel like taking them offshore and into the deep range. The deckhouses themselves seem to have compound curves in all directions. Cambered over the top and yet slightly scalloped fore and aft, they have a little of the pagoda look to them, as designer Sean MacMillan explains.
ELEGANT FLEET “It’s all about elegance really,” he says. “Classic design is what really appeals to me and I try to introduce that into my designs.” While the effect is one of a classic boat, looking more closely you will see the modern touches on a Spirit. Thus halliards and lines from the mast are taken through the hatch furniture and via blocks out onto the coachroof deck and then to the Spinlock clutches. The racing touches and modern safety systems are one thing but on the water these boats also handle well. There is such a lightness to the helm that one-finger steering is
44 CLASSIC BOAT JULY 2011
Top left: the new saloon. Middle: clutches for all lines. Top right: detail of the luxury alcantara finish. Above left clear views across the deck. Above right: the interior of the 57 deckhouse
possible, even in gusts of wind. They go over on their gunwale in the catspaws of a gusty day in the Orwell, and then get onto a rail. Flying up the river, quick-tacking with just a couple of minutes for each board is fun, and never stressy. They are lightweight boats, (the older 52 is 8 tonnes) that handle more like dinghies. We’re joined by an American customer, Kevin Felix, who has a 46 and is over to see and sail the new boats. “I just loved the look of these boats and frankly I don’t think there is anything in the states, for production yachts, that comes close on the quality of finish,” he enthused.
QUALITY OF JOINERY It’s certainly the quality of construction that sets Spirit Yachts apart. The strip-based build, super stiff with ring frames and layers of glassfibre, allows the yacht to be set up for modern racing. Yet at the same time the joinery below decks confirms the handmade bespoke nature of the one-off classic yacht. The new deckhouse version delivers more of that, as well as more air and light into the interior. Prices, ex VAT, of the DH50 start at £720,000 and £980,000 for the DH57.
www.spirityachts.com
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