– Southern Wind Shipyard – FEATURE TRUE BLUE SOUTHERN WIND’S SEMI-CUSTOM AND FULL-SPEED SUPERYACHTS ARE MADE FOR SAILORS, BY SAILORS. By Clare Mahon 150 151 Asia-Pacific Boating March/April 2016 Asia-Pacific Boating March/April 2016
WILLY PERSICO IS THE Italian engineer and entrepreneur who in 1991 founded Southern Wind yacht’s maiden voyage takes her from South Africa to another Wind Shipyard (SWS), which specialises in the construction of semi-custom superyachts in Cape hemisphere, you understand why seaworthiness and durability are so Town, South Africa. We meet in Italy at the o ffjce of Pegaso, a Genovese company appointed important to us. By studying construction methods and materials, I by SWS as marketing and customer care representatives. Tie offjce is decorated with nautical think we have found a good speed-to-comfort ratio. I started using memorabilia and a series of Neapolitan gouache paintings. carbon fjbre afuer I was sure it was safe and durable and we have “I am particularly fond of a gouache of a 1750’s shipyard located near Naples, a gifu from a developed an infusion method where the proportion of carbon fjbre to client,” Persico says. “My father was the general manager of the same yard from 1944 to 1962. epoxy resin is optimised.” Growing up around ships I love every aspect Southern Wind builds almost entirely in-house and every project of the sea, both above water and below. I love undergoes preliminary marketing research done by Pegaso. “When to sail, to dive and to swim. Afuer I earned my we plan a new semi-custom series, first we contact a top naval degree in chemical engineering I travelled the architect such as Farr Yacht Design or Reichel/Pugh,” Persico says. world working in the oil business, but I never “We have worked with Nauta Yachts for years on concepts, deck lost contact with the sea.” layouts and interiors. In 1989, Persico decided to build his own “When Pegaso receives the client’s brief it confers with the yard and yacht. “I bought projects by two top naval the designers and the construction of the fjnal custom layout begins. I architects, one by Ron Holland and one by myself try out each new model, sailing and living aboard so that I can Bruce Farr. Holland suggested I build his really ‘hear’ the yacht. Tiat is how our innovative crew quarters afu design in South Africa, where he knew of a layout was created – during a long cruise, I realised that it would be yard that did very good work.” more comfortable and effjcient for all if crew had access to the helms Tie builds were about halfway completed and manoeuvring areas without having to pass through the living areas.” when the yard hit serious fjnancial trouble. Southern Wind’s literature stresses that these are true blue-water Persico stepped in, bought the yard and performance cruisers. Tieir owners’ sailing logs confjrm that this isn’t founded Southern Wind Shipyard in 1991. just a publicity hook – at least fjve Southern Wind yachts are doing “I build the kinds of yachts that I myself circumnavigations of the world from the SW 95 Maya Rey , launched in like. I want my yacht to be fast enough to be 2000, to the SW 82 Feelin’ Good launched in 2013. fun to sail, I want her to be safe and seaworthy Sue Tweddell is Owner of the SW 93 Early Purple II . “Our maiden enough so that she can travel the world, but voyage on Early Purple II was to the Southern Wind Trophy, but we I don’t want to sacrifjce comfort,” he says. really think of this as a family boat and a second home and haven’t “When you consider that every Southern done any regattas since then. But we have had enormous fun,” she says. 152 153 Asia-Pacific Boating March/April 2016 Asia-Pacific Boating March/April 2016
“My husband and I are both sailors and we have found this yacht to be is always fresh and our guests adapt to the rhythms of life on board cruise. Using a fmeet that includes the SW 100 absolutely brilliant, a really happy marriage between a performance beautifully. We crossed the Pacifjc in 2013 and spent quite some time in Cape Arrow and smaller performance yachts like yacht and one where it’s nice to entertain friends. the Darwin Islands, West Timor, Flores and Komodo. Bali was also pure a J80 and a Vrolijk 40, top professional sailors “We keep a crew of fjve on rotation, four aboard, one on vacation. enjoyment and there were very few other boats. Owning this yacht is a ofger classroom lessons followed by hands-on And we rotate guests on two to three week intervals. Tiat way the crew treat that we have given ourselves afuer a lifetime of work.” experience at sea. Tie “graduation ceremony” Southern Wind yachts are also a constant can be a baptism by fjre on the regatta circuit or on the superyacht regatta circuit. “We hold a sailing ofg on your yacht with enough knowledge Southern Wind Trophy regatta every other year and experience to relax and enjoy it. within the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta in Persico wants to stay ahead of the game. Porto Cervo, Italy,” Persico says. “It’s a chance “I think that our construction methods will for our owners to get together and have some be valid for years to come, but no project will fun and is also an excellent opportunity to show remain contemporary for longer than fjve or six ofg our yachts in a context where they shine. years,” he says. “I have always looked beyond Our owners have raced all over the world from our successful series like the 72 and the 100 the Rolex Fastnet Race to the Rolex Sydney to see what the future will hold; that’s why we to Hobart to all the top Mediterranean and developed the SW 82. SW 102 and SW 115 Caribbean regattas. Another Southern Wind semi-custom series and some new performance- yacht (SW 100 DS Zefjro ) recently took a break oriented projects are in the works. from her circumnavigation to race in the King’s “Nowadays yachts have wider sterns that Cup Regatta in Tiailand.” make them both faster when reaching and To celebrate the shipyard’s 25th anniversary, more roomy below deck. Captive winches, the 13th Southern Wind Trophy moves to Capri carbon-fjbre technology, LED lighting systems (where the fjrst edition took place) as part of the and lithium batteries have all brought changes Rolex Capri International Regatta (May 24-28). in their own right. Being an engineer I’m A dozen SWS yachts are registered already. fascinated by new technology, but sailing is Not everybody is born an old salt, so Pegaso a passion and the common ground for my founded the Southern Wind Sailing Academy. relationship with Southern Wind owners. Our Several clients wanted to hone their skills for an owners have confjdence in us because they important regatta, others wanted to train a crew know we are like them.” of friends before heading out on an extended www.sws-yachts.com 154 155 A sia-Pacific Boating March/April 2016 Asia-Pacific Boating March/April 2016
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