A very Kiwi product… the 34m lift-keel sloop Cygnus Montanus emerges from the Yachting Developments ‘shed’. Hull and superstructure are all in carbon, the sail wardrobe comes from Doyle’s New Zealand loft and the 50m carbon mast is from Southern Spars, also just down the road. OK, designer German Frers is not officially a Kiwi but there’s still time…
A foot in both camps (and still standing)
A history of developing aggressive composite build techniques for the latest superyachts running alongside a family passion for classic boats have served one New Zealand boatyard rather well… Ivor Wilkins
The two yachts sharing a construction bay at the Yachting Developments yard in Auckland were so different in shape and form that it was hard to believe that both were designed with the sole purpose of winning a race around the world. The 80-footer, with its narrow beam
and deep, rounded bilges looked diminu- tive compared with the 65-footer, a hard- edged,
flat, wedge-shaped surfboard.
Separated in space by just a couple of feet but by 32 years in time, Lion New Zealand and Vestas 11th Hour Racing provided a striking study in how far offshore racing design has evolved. That the two yachts found themselves
united at Yachting Developments during the Auckland stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race was entirely appropriate, because the connections between the event and the Cook family, which owns the composite yard, run deep and wide. In the period before he established
Yachting Developments Ian Cook worked with the Southern Pacific team that built
52 SEAHORSE
Lion New Zealand for Peter Blake’s 1985-86 Whitbread Round the World Race campaign. He also worked on the construction of Blake’s Steinlager 2 for the race in 1989-90, famously won by the big red ketch in a clean sweep of every leg. Both Steinlager and Lion New Zealand
are now run by the NZ Sailing Trust, which provides experiences for young Kiwis, fostering leadership, self-confidence, courage and teamwork. Steinlager 2 recently had a major refit at Yachting Developments and its older sister was now in for the same treatment, including a new keel and carbon fibre mast. Vestas 11th Hour Racing, meanwhile,
was of course having a whole new bow section grafted in place following its collision with a fishing boat on the approach to Hong Kong. Then as Vestas was being relaunched, white-suited workers at the same yard were busy laminating composite interior modules in preparation for the start of a new superyacht build. This is now the core business of the company, which was one of the pioneers of composite superyacht construction. Yachting Developments was founded in
1990, following the Steinlager 2 build and a period of overseas contract work helping build America’s Cup yachts for both the Japanese and Spanish teams for the 1992 regatta in San Diego. Returning to New Zealand, the Cooks
acquired premises in Auckland and Yacht- ing Developments started by building two Luca Brenta race yachts – before taking on more substantial projects in the exacting world of superyacht construction. With the huge investment involved in
large custom boats, the superyacht world remains inherently conservative, always with a keen eye on resale value. Conse- quently, the yard had to overcome initial resistance against switching from tried and true steel and aluminium, but it steadily built a reputation as an award-winning builder of reliable, high-quality superyachts in composites. It now boasts a portfolio of more than 70 large yacht projects, mostly new-builds – and mostly sailboats. Coinciding with their business getting off
the ground, Ian and Blanche Cook were also starting their family. Daughters Bianca and Paige grew up around boats at the family waterfront home, which is easily visible from the family boatyard just across the narrow reaches of the upper Waitemata Harbour. From the family jetty the young girls embarked on all manner of boating adventures and also watched as their father and his friends engaged in boisterous impromptu dinghy races. So, instead of the customary Kiwi
passage through the highly structured and competitive dinghy racing ranks, the Cook girls gained their confidence and love of boating through informal fun on the water – the proverbial messing about in boats. Now both young women are closely involved in the family business. Paige continues to work with Blanche in
the commercial side of the operation, while Bianca’s role looks set to evolve through a busy racing career, forging links with owners, skippers and project managers. But Paige too stays busy racing when not at her desk in Auckland. Bianca, born the year Steinlager 2 raced to victory, is currently racing in the VOR
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