Design
Many factors have to come together
favourably to win a regatta and Gelliceaux started strongly with great preparation. The ORCsy certificate was meticulously prepared and thoroughly checked. Sails and sail handling systems performed flawlessly without any breakdowns. Two training days were instrumental in developing crew coordination and were especially important for the helmspersons’ (the owners, husband and wife) familiarisation with steering their yacht in the sea conditions typical of St. Barths. The design features of Gelliceaux,
chosen with racing in mind, shone through on the racecourse. The most noticeable design features are generous sail area for superb light wind performance, ease of manoeuvering and great acceleration; high stability generated by a deep draft (6.2m), low drag, lifting keel; and twin rudders for easy handling especially under high load conditions including power reaching. The keys to success in the first race
Jim Schmicker Farr Yacht Design
The owners of Gelliceaux made a great decision to begin her competitive superyacht career by participating in the 2024 St. Barths Bucket regatta. Choosing to compete in the Corinthian Spirit class (gennakers not permitted and Code Zero flying sails remain hoisted throughout a race) complemented the plan to sail with limited crew.
To optimise power generation while
sailing, and maximise efficiency when motoring, Gelliceaux has an 80cm diameter variable pitch propeller. This generates enough power to meet both sailing and hotel loads at boat speeds of 10kts or more. At 14kts, power generation reaches 25kW and increases to an amazing 35kW at 16kts. To put these figures in context, in only two hours of fast sailing, the hydrogeneration system can produce enough power to supply a 3,000 square foot house for an entire day. Gelliceaux’s battery bank is sized to
allow air conditioning to run all night without recourse to either of the two diesel
(first place finish) were the beginning and ending upwind legs and particularly the three-mile power reaching leg, immediately before the short beat to the finish, when we achieved speeds consistently over 14kts. On that short leg alone, out of a total 20-mile race, the deficit to the leaders was cut from over 2300m to only 950m. Our third-place finish in the second
race was a direct result of considerably slower boat traffic and significant amounts of time lost getting past them.
generators. The lack of noise compared with even the best insulated diesel gensets makes a significant improvement to life on board, although the size of the battery bank needed to achieve this adds weight compared with a conventional diesel arrangement. In addition, the large propeller increases drag even when the blades are feathered. By contrast, the second SW108, that’s scheduled for launch at the end of 2024, has a standard diesel installation with a conventional Bruton Varifold propeller that is lighter in weight and has less drag when sailing. Peek says with that boat they have therefore been able to ‘reach
Success in superyacht pursuit races, for a faster boat like Gelliceaux, is often based on aggressively creating passing lanes. We did not do that very well and fell short of catching the rest of our class. In the third race we correctly headed
towards an approaching squall, were rewarded with a 60-degree wind shift and gained substantial distance on our competitors. Early in the race a bad Code Zero furl made it unusable and, for safety reasons, we dropped it and used only a jib for the remainder of the race. We managed to eke out a win but ultimately received a 30 per cent penalty for dousing the Code Zero, which dropped us to equal- third in the race but, in the intricacies of overall Bucket scoring, elevated Gelliceaux to the overall winner’s position! From the start of the project the owners
were interested in superyacht competition so the design process was focused towards high-performance from the beginning. The design process is one of comparing and contrasting different versions. As performance was paramount each version was assessed using our in- house Velocity Prediction Programme and the resulting performance characteristics presented for many wind and sea conditions. With much discussion, the owners carefully considered the results which led to further development until a version fulfilling all aspects of their design brief was achieved. Southern Wind was very flexible about accommodating the owner’s wishes and the result is a stunning yacht inside and out with an unforgettable inaugural regatta performance.
similar performance targets with a slightly shorter rig and smaller sail plan’. ‘With a smart custom boat like this,’
he adds, ‘we can work together with the naval architect and the yard to hit targets that would normally only be achievable with the full custom boat.’ In a similar vein, given the lifting keel’s 2.2m stroke, owners of subsequent boats could optimise for a shallower minimum draught to give easier access to a wider range of harbours, anchorages and cruising areas. As the first in a new era of Southern
Wind’s Smart Custom sailing yachts, Gelliceaux provides the ultimate balance between customisation, innovation, reliability, sustainability and efficiency. A high degree of customisation is also possible for further examples of the SW108, with the advantage that the Smart Custom concept means these boats can be available with lead times of as little as two years. Yet each of Southern Wind’s yachts
The very large, guest cockpit is ideal for cruising and also works well when racing
80 SEAHORSE
has a unique style and profile. While every SW108, for instance, is built using the same tooling for the hull and deck, the yard has developed a robust system to create custom coachroof and cockpit mouldings. This allows owners to specify solutions that perfectly fit their sense of style and sailing programmes.
Www.sws-yachts.com
❑
GIULIANO SARGENTINI
CORY SILKEN
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