ngoni yacht in dartmouth

Stunning £45m superyacht Ngoni moors up in Dartmouth

The yacht Ngoni is reported to be owned by British businessman and entrepreneur Tony Buckingham, named one of Jersey’s richest men in 2011, with a £500m fortune

• 16:30, 13 JUL 2023

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A jaw-dropping superyacht believed to be worth £45m and rumoured to be owned by an oil baron has arrived in Devon. The impressive vessel named Ngoni - or the Beast as she’s known - is renowned as being one of the most stunning yachts ever launched.

It sailed into Dartmouth Harbour, yesterday, July 12. It has not been confirmed how long the yacht will remain there for but it is certainly causing a lot of interest in the harbour.

It measures a hefty 58 metres in length and was built in 2017 in the Netherlands. According to Yachting World , its mast, built by Rondal, is one of the world’s largest one-piece carbon spars, and its enormous square top mainsail covers almost a quarter of an acre – the equivalent of four tennis courts.

Read more: Huge cargo ship almost hits lighthouse after power failure

The interior includes a bar and dining, a lavish owners’ suite, guest accommodation, study and a spacious gym. The design spec by Ngoni’s owner was, 'build me a beast. I don’t want a wolf in sheep’s clothing'. The desire was for a fast global cruiser with relatively simple systems that would require minimal downtime for maintenance and be fun and rewarding to sail.

Delighted to see it in Dartmouth Harbour, harbourmaster Paul Britton said: "It is a private vessel so there is not much I can say about it. I can confirm it arrived early yesterday morning and is registered in Jersey.

"The length of its stay will depend on the weather. We have a bit of nasty weather coming through."

Ngoni was created using the combined talents of Royal Huisman and the late Ed Dubois. The name of the yacht, Ngoni, is the name for an ethnic group of people in eastern Africa and their language.

The new owner of the yacht, which was advertised for sale for £45m in 2021, is reported to be British businessman and entrepreneur Tony Buckingham. He was named one of Jersey’s richest men in 2011, with a £500m fortune. He has also been known as the FTSE 250’s most famous former mercenary.

The former North Sea diver, and believed to be a former British special forces officer, started his oil career at Ranger Oil and Premier Oil and later became an advisor to the Angolan Government.

To view the brochure of Ngoni when it was advertised for sale and to see its plush interior, please click here.

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Stunning £45m superyacht moors up in Devon

The yacht Ngoni is reported to be owned by British businessman and entrepreneur Tony Buckingham, named one of Jersey’s richest men in 2011, with a £500m fortune

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Three Superyachts Visit the Dart.

This morning Dartmouth welcomed the 98m long superyacht ‘Aviva’ to our mainstream mooring buoys in the middle of the town. She joined the 66m long yacht ‘Elysian’ and regular visitor ‘Constance’, which is 47m long, to make a spectacular line up on the Dart.

Whilst superyacht calls are becoming more regular, with many yachts calling to pick up new tenders and support boats from local manufacturers Ribeye, as well as to allow their owners, crew and guest to enjoy the beauty of South Devon, this is the first time we have ever had three yachts of this size on the river. Our mainstream moorings, originally designed by the Admiralty for mooring warships, are extremely flexible and able to be configured to accommodate vessels from small yachts to cruise ships.

Aviva has a hybrid propulsion system, and arrived in port this morning entirely on battery propulsion. Arriving from Troon in Scotland, she entered the river under the guidance of our Pilot, turned at the Higher Ferry and launched a tender from the garage at the stern, before being moored by the harbour team.

Weather and circumstances depending, we expect all three yachts to remain in port until at least Thursday, giving plenty of opportunity for local people to see the boats on the river.

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Inside the Beast – the story of sailing superyacht Ngoni by Royal Huisman

58m of majestic beauty

"Build me a Beast! Don't build me a sheep in wolf's clothing. This has to be an edgy and innovative weapon; fast and furious."

That was the essence of the brief from the owner.

Designed by Dubois Naval Architects and featuring an innovative interior by Rick Baker Ltd, S/Y Ngoni is fast and luxurious – the product of bold and minimalist design and built by Dutch yard Royal Huisman.

Ngoni’s sleek and beautifully executed exterior conceals a host of innovative engineering to meet the challenges of marrying a huge, powerful and advanced rig with a slender and easily-driven hull.

Initially, Dubois drew a long and slender sloop with a plumb bow, sculpted aerodynamic superstructure and elegant beach deck, dominated by a towering sloop rig.

It was a dramatic concept but the owner challenged Dubois to push it still further. Dubois’ response was the reverse sheer that now defines Ngoni. It began as an exercise in creative expression but it soon became apparent that it also held the key to structural stiffness. Dubois further finessed the hull profile so that the reverse sheer transformed to concave sheer aft of the superstructure – an attractive styling touch that also enhances cockpit visibility. The owner had what he wanted.

Ngoni is one of the largest sailing yachts in the world.

Its minimalistic, clutter-free design was one of the requirements from the owner. Also, as an experienced owner who likes to helm, he insisted on steering that was light, yet firm and responsive. The wheel had to give him the true feel of the boat under sail.

Finally, the yacht, however edgy in presentation, must still accommodate the owner, his family and guests in style and comfort. And it should facilitate the safe and efficient operation of the yacht by the crew.

The yacht has a total sail area of 1,950 sqm (upwind) and 3,093 sqm (downwind).

The 853sqm square-top mainsail is notable not just for its load-reducing halyard lock but for the innovation allowing the square-top and its supporting diagonal batten to detach automatically and furl neatly into the styled performance boom with minimal intervention from the crew. While hoisting, the diagonal batten attaches automatically too.

The rig was the result of the collaboration between spar builder Rondal (Royal Huisman’s sister company), sailmaker North Sails and Carbo-Link, together with Dubois Naval Architects and the shipyard team.

Rondal built the impressive 71m one-piece carbon mast with a 24m performance furling boom. The Dubois office, together with the owners’ team, created one of the most extreme style-to-order boom ever seen. The almost 4m long aft extension of the boom, designed and crafted to follow the profile of the yacht’s stern, created visual harmony between the two. Ngoni’s full air-draft is 75m.

The owner’s insistence on steering that was light, yet firm, responsive and adjustable could only be met by a high aspect-ratio rudder and a manual system without power assistance – a major challenge considering the huge sail area.

The final system with a single, balanced 6.92sqm spade rudder – one of the largest carbon rudders ever produced – has delivered on its objectives.

Ngoni’s hull is punctuated by large rectangular portholes, a sea-level gym door, fold-out side boarding platform, two submarine anchors and retractable thrusters. The deck has giant cut-outs for flush sail lockers, a large tender gage, crane, spa pool and cooled waste locker.

The lifting keel weighs near 100 tonnes and allows a reduced draft of 5.3m from the usual 8.1m.

The topsides are finished in a bespoke metallic topcoat named “Claire de Lune” (Moonlight). The paint has been applied with an electrostatic coating technique that uses charged particles to bond the paint to the surface.

Ngoni has also a boarding platform and retractable bathing platform

"Don't design a traditional yacht interior"

The interior design is the work of Rick Baker and Paul Morgan. The signature furniture pieces are signed by Francis Sultana.

A few steps descend from deck level to the informal yet luxuriously appointed guest cockpit, an intimate and sheltered outdoor space for reading and relaxation, playing games or simply watching the marine world around you. The deck house overhang, together with electrically-powered retractable windbreakers, ensures a comfortable environment in all conditions.

Seamless sliding doors by Rondal give access to the deck house interior, presenting the first indication of the exciting materials, colours and finishes to be found throughout the interior.

To starboard there is a bar and dining area while, to port, there is informal seating with coffee tables and, when required, a pop-up television.

Owners’ and guest accommodation is accessed via a curving staircase from the deck house to the guest lobby area. There is a twin guest cabin with spacious bathroom to port and a double guest cabin featuring a Japanese bath to starboard. Both feature high quality exotic veneers, marbles and resin finishes. Large, rectangular ports offer superb natural lighting by day.

The owners’ suite, aft, comprises a full-beam stateroom with bespoke built-in furniture, twin doors to an enormous bathroom, a spacious study with its own bathroom and a large gym with an opening hull port in the topsides. This area, too, is flooded by natural light.

The audio-visual system was thoroughly tested a full year prior to delivery. The owner was very specific about the configuration, asking iPad users to interface with the custom setup supplied by Tijssen Elektro based on Royal Huisman engineering. With 48 terabyte storage by Kaleidescape and a vault for 320 disks, there is access to a wealth of music and movies. The owner also wished to view his favourite TV channels without relying on VSAT, so a special configuration bundles 3G and 4G broadband while close to land, via a booster mounted on the masthead.

There is accommodation for up to nine crew in six crew cabins. All enjoy high quality cabin fit-outs with full ensuite bathroom and shower facilities. Aft of the accommodation there is a bright, spacious and professionally equipped galley to starboard, open to the crew mess on portside. Just aft of the crew mess is a large laundry. Stairs from the adjacent deckhouse pantry give direct access to the service areas.

Besides the sails additional power is provided by a single MTU 8V 2000 M72 diesel engine delivering 966 hp. Cruising at 12 knots, she can reach a maximum range of 4,000 nautical miles.

S/Y Ngoni was launched in April 2017.

Main Specifications

Naval architect: Dubois Naval Architects

Exterior stylist: Dubois Naval Architects

Interior design: Rick Baker Ltd.

Lighting design: The Light Corporation

Project management: Godfrey Cray Maritime Ltd and Captain Iain Cook

Builder: Royal Huisman

Year of delivery: 2017

Length: 58.15m / 190.3ft

Length Waterline: 51.20m / 167.9 ft

Beam: 9.54m / 31.3 ft

Draft (keel up): 5.30m / 17.4 ft

Draft (keel down): 8.10m / 26.2 ft

Displacement: 353 tons / 778,231 lbs

Gross tonnage: 396 GT

Hull speed: 17 knots

Full air-draft: 75m / 247ft

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Ngoni: This stunning sailing superyacht is Ed Dubois’ last masterpiece

• September 23, 2020

The combined talents of the late Ed Dubois and Royal Huisman have produced one of the most stunning yachts ever launched. Rupert Holmes reports

The owner’s brief for Ngoni would be challenging for any size of yacht: “Build me a beast. Don’t build me a sheep in wolf’s clothing. This has to be an edgy and innovative weapon; fast and furious.” When the boat in question is a giant 58m (190ft) sloop with a displacement of nearly 400 tonnes this project was always going to push hard against existing boundaries of superyacht design, deck hardware and materials technology.

“The owner wanted me to take a fresh look at large yacht design,” Dubois recalled before his untimely death four years ago. “He wanted me to go back to my roots in the late 1970s and ’80s when we were designing race boats, but he also knew we had designed a number of high performance yachts that were nevertheless seaworthy and comfortable cruisers.

“So I had to reset my internal computer, if you like, and look hard at how we could save weight and add strength. That’s how the reverse sheer came about. I was worried he might not like it. The next time we met in London I showed him the design and he loved it – in fact he gave me a big bear hug!”

‘The instruction was simple and clear yet allowed for creative interpretation: don’t design a traditional yacht interior’. All photos: Breed Media

The distinctive reverse sheer shape is a great example of top-notch design that combines both form and function. Compared with a conventional sheer using the same materials the shape increases strength and load resistance by 12 per cent. This turned out to be an important factor, given that the hull and deck both have numerous openings.

Even with an additional 35mm thick aluminium plate around the top of the hull that acts like a ring beam, without the reverse sheer, it was still a struggle to come up with the required stiffness to resist the forestay loads that were calculated to reach 60 tonnes. Further refinement led to the concave sheer aft of the superstructure, which improves visibility from the cockpit and gives the boat her distinctive style.

Dubois considered using carbon construction instead of aluminium, which would have made for a faster boat, but one that would have had a more aggressive motion at sea. It would also have been intrinsically noisier and therefore less suitable for world cruising. “Again, it all came down to balance: understanding the true purpose of the yacht and coming up with the right formula,” he said.

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This yacht had potential to end up highly complicated, but Ngoni ’s owner wanted a fast global cruiser with relatively simple systems that would require minimal downtime for maintenance. A ‘less is more’ philosophy therefore informed the project, with the aim of minimising complexity. This also helped to enhance the clean and clutter-free appearance.

Technical challenge

Despite the sheer size and displacement of Ngoni , a key requirement of the brief was that the boat needed to be fun and rewarding to sail. In particular, the owner, who is a knowledgeable sailor and a veteran of multiple Rolex Fastnet and Sydney Hobart race campaigns, insisted the steering should be light, yet firm and responsive. In the initial brief he said: “I want to get off the wheel after a day of sailing feeling knackered from the excitement of hands-on fast sailing.”

These requirements called for a high aspect ratio-balanced rudder allied to a manual steering system with no power assistance. All components of the systems, including rudder area, rake and linkage friction were carefully analysed. This process led to a single, 6.95m2 (75ft2) carbon rudder made by Royal Huisman’s sister company Rondal.

The passarelle by Cramm, which extends from the bathing platform, is self-levelling

While the owner’s requirements for the steering may sound like a tall order it was not one that fazed Royal Huisman. “We were already accustomed to producing hand steering systems on big yachts, so we already knew what needed to be done,” says design manager Jan Knol. “The two most important things are to have the shortest route from the wheel to the quadrant and to have the correct balance area on the rudder.”

Once those two criteria have been met, Knol says then you focus on minimising friction. Linkages are a mix of chain and sprocket and torque tubes, all of which are supported on low-friction bearings. Similarly, the hydraulic system for the autopilot has low-friction seals to minimise interference when hand steering. The massive bottom rudder bearing, which has an inside diameter of 750mm, has stainless steel spherical roller bearings that further minimise friction, even when subjected to huge loads.

The biggest technical challenge the project faced was with the deckhouse windows that are curved in two planes. The low-profile superstructure is constructed from compound curved moulded glass, at the very limits of current technology. The gleaming black finish also disguises four large skylights. “Getting the curves right in the glass panels was very difficult,” says Knol.

The use of so much curved, tinted glass creates a remarkable deckhouse with unhindered views. Inside you can see the bar and dining area to starboard and informal saloon area to port

“After we finished and faired the deckhouse we made a mould and then asked a number of different glass suppliers to make a test panel. All of them said it would be impossible, apart from BCE in Turkey. Fortunately their test panel was good and they then also supplied the rest of the glass.”

The scale of the rig

Dubois was not restricted by Panamax constraints, so was able to draw a carbon rig a full 17m higher than the clearance under the Bridge of the Americas near the Pacific end of the Panama Canal . The towering mast, built by Rondal, is therefore one of the world’s largest one-piece carbon spars. The rig had to look aesthetically perfect, so the aft four metres of the boom is an extension beyond the clew of the mainsail that’s shaped to match the profile of Ngoni ’s stern.

The enormous square top mainsail covers almost a quarter of an acre – the equivalent of four tennis courts. A neat piece of engineering means the forward end of the diagonal top batten automatically detaches and attaches to the luff car when the sail is hoisted or furled into the boom. Both raising and lowering the sail can therefore be achieved with minimal intervention from the crew.

The helm station as a ‘work of art’

As well as contributing to the minimalist styling, the elimination of as much on-deck hardware as possible has reduced weight aloft, while minimising wind resistance and improving airflow, particularly over the headsails.

The mainsail halyard lock, for instance, significantly reduces compression loads in the mast, while the continuous carbon shrouds are 70 per cent lighter than Nitronic rod rigging. Internal D-Tang connections at the top of the diagonal stays mean bottlescrews are not needed, which further reduces visual clutter. In addition, the headsail furlers are below deck and there’s no pulpit.

External styling and finish

The topside finish is a bespoke metallic topcoat applied with an electrostatic technique that uses charged particles to bond the paint to the surface. All deck hardware is bead-blasted to a uniform titanium look, while the arched carbon wheel pedestals have curved tops milled from stainless steel.

The informal guest cockpit is a few steps down from the main deck level. The aft overhang of the deckhouse roof, combined with electrically powered retractable wind breaks, provides shelter from sun, showers and spray. Sliding glass doors separate this area from the deckhouse, with a near seamless transition between the two zones.

Avoiding traditional

The interior is by Rick Baker and Paul Morgan, who have worked with the owner on a number of large projects for more than 20 years, but had never designed a complete yacht interior. The brief was simple and clear yet allowed for creative interpretation: “Don’t design a traditional yacht interior.”

“We consciously avoided giving the yacht a theme, but rather chose to make the different areas very individual,” says Morgan. “We selected some specialist finishes which would not normally be associated with a contemporary yacht. These include artisan resin panels and metalised spray and lacquered textured effects.” Other finishes include bespoke veneers, distinctive marbles and Italian onyx.

The lavish owner’s suite takes up a considerable proportion of the accommodation deck

The deckhouse has a bar and dining area to starboard and informal seating, with coffee tables and a pop-up television, to port. A curved staircase leads down from the deckhouse to the owner’s and guest accommodation. The lavish owners’ suite takes up a significant proportion of the main accommodation deck.

It includes a full-beam stateroom with a large bathroom, a study and a spacious gym with an opening port in the topsides. There are two superbly appointed guest cabins – a twin to port and a double to starboard with a Japanese theme.

The owner was very specific about the sophisticated audio-visual system on board, which was tested rigorously for a year before delivery. The custom set-up was supplied by Tijssen Elektro and has 48 terabytes of storage capacity that can be controlled via an iPad.

The owner’s gym has a large opening to port in the topsides

Forward accommodation

The quality of crew quarters on a yacht of this size are essential in recruiting and retaining the best people. A good deal of thought and investment has therefore gone into this aspect of Ngoni . The navigation station at the forward end of the deckhouse has stairs leading down to the crew accommodation and machinery spaces. There is provision for up to nine crew in six cabins, all of which have quality fit-out and full en-suite facilities. The spacious, professionally equipped galley is open to the crew mess.

From here there’s direct access to the engine control room and engineer’s office, which in turn has direct access to the engine room. “As with all of the projects that we undertake for this client, once the initial design concepts were agreed, the production work started and the client did not see the finished article until launch day,” says Baker. “Thankfully Ngoni was very well received by a happy client.”

Specifications

LOA: 58.15m (190ft 9in) LWL: 51.20m (167ft 12in) Beam: 9.54m (31ft 4in) Draught (keel up): 5.30m (17ft 5in) Draught (keel down): 8.10m (26ft 7in) Displacement: 353 tons (778,224lb) Hull speed: 17 knots Upwind sail area: 1,950 m2 (20,989ft2) Downwind sail area: 3,093 m2 (33,293ft2) Air draught: 75m (247ft)

First published in the April 2018 issue of SuperSail World.

Royal Huisman 58m Sailing Yacht Ngoni Sees the Daylight For the First Time

• Inspiration

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Written by Maria Korotaeva

First photos of the stunning 58m/190ft sailing yacht Ngoni have been released by Royal Huisman , as the superyacht emerged from the shed at the shipbuilder’s facility. Designed by Dubois Naval Architects , Ngoni features a fantastic interior by Rick Backer and Paul Morgan . Measuring 58 metres, this ocean-going cruiser provides outstanding innovative and luxury facilities onboard. The all-aluminium Ngoni boasts sheer line and sculpted bow, while a molded glass superstructure and crisp stern shape add further to her innovative look.

NGONI sees the daylight at Royal Huisman. Photo credit Royal Huisman

Created by Rick Baker and Paul Morgan, the stylish interiors of superyacht NGONI provide contemporary yet relaxing accommodation in a master “apartment”, which include the following luxury amenities gym, library with a study, and sauna. There are also two guest staterooms, which are very well-appointed and with ensuite facilities. The large salon is spacious, with attached outdoor seating. For more accommodation spaces, the owner’s gym and study can also transfer into additional accommodations.

Royal Huisman NGONI. Photo credit Royal Huisman

Previously known as Project Beast and hull 398, Ngoni was presented at the Monaco Yacht Show 2014, where the project gained much attention and great positive feedback.

Royal Huisman – sailing yacht NGONI – technical launch. Photo credit Royal Huisman

Royal Huisman – sailing yacht NGONI – emerges from the shed at Royal Huisman. Photo credit Royal Huisman

Royal Huisman – sailing yacht NGONI – emerges from her shad. Photo credit Royal Huisman

General Information about luxury yacht Ngoni

Naval architect: Dubois Naval Architects Interior design: Rick Baker / Paul Morgan Interior accent pieces and exotic finishes: Francis Sultana Light design: The Light Corporation Project management: Godfrey Cray

Principal Dimensions of Ngoni Yacht 

Length: 58 m / 190 ft Length waterline: 51 m / 167 ft Beam: 9.5 m / 31 ft Draft (keel up): 5.3 m / 17 ft Draft (keel down): 8.1 m / 27 ft

Stay tuned as we will be bringing more updates on the launch, as soon as information becomes available.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Royal Huisman 58m Sailing Yacht Ngoni Sees the Daylight For the First Time".

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58-metre slup from Royal Huisman : "Ngoni" is for sale for 45 million euros

Friedrich W. Pohl

 ·  07.05.2023

Wolves confuse their prey by circling their victim over a wide area. After all, it no longer knows from which direction the threatening scent is coming and from where an attack can be expected. And then the wolves strike. "I don't want a wolf in sheep's clothing," the first owner had made the maxim of his desired "Ngoni" design. Which could only mean that he wanted a wolf in wolf's clothing, "an innovative weapon" to strike at sea. He likes to be at the helm himself, bringing Fastnet and Sydney Hobart experience to the wheel. The codename "The Beast" gave rise to many exciting speculations during the construction period.

Royal Huisman's construction was finally delivered in 2017, and now the "Ngoni" is ready to go for sale again at Y.CO . The call is for 45 million euros. Our sister magazine BOOTE EXCLUSIV was on board in 2018 and presented the Slup.

Wanted: a fresh look

The team around the first owner asked three designers for suggestions, including Ed Dubois. The owner looked at the designs three months later and sent Dubois back to the drawing board with the comment that he could do better: "Beautiful, but a tad too ordinary." First of all: Ed Dubois did not live to see the completion of his last project; in 2016, the Briton, born in 1952, lost his battle against an illness that he thought he had conquered.

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Beautiful, but a tad too ordinary." - Owner's reaction to the first designs by Ed Dubois

However, the grand seigneur of large performance slips ("Kokomo", "Mondango", "Twizzle") already made his comments on the "Ngoni" order during his lifetime. "The owner had approached me because he wanted a fresh look in yacht design. He was familiar with my large performance yachts, but wanted me to return to my roots from the 70s and early 80s." Dubois, who had started his career as a designer with racing yachts and only then - "like Frers and Briand" - drew fast large yachts, sat back down in the studio and went back to his earlier racing designs. "I restarted my inner computer and focussed on weight saving and strength of construction."

A Slup is like a bow and arrow

According to Dubois, the concept of a Slup follows the principle of a bow and arrow. The hull corresponds to the bow, the mast to the arrow and the fore and backstays are the string. The pressure on the string can be absorbed with a strong and deep torso width. "Ngoni", however, is rather slender with a low freeboard. A structurally weak superstructure and holes in the deck for the tender, skylights and sails would not exactly improve the strength of the construction. A strong deck plate of 35 millimetres could only compensate a little. "That's how I came up with the reverse leap."

The complex structural analysis in the computer confirmed an increase in strength of twelve per cent with the same material weight. Dubois was aware of the risk that the owner might not agree with this unusual look. "However, the owner wanted a yacht with bite that would also function as a world cruiser." Dubois inevitably had to move away from convention. "When I met the owner in London, I showed him the drawing. He was thrilled and even gave me a big hug." The convex hull also makes it easier to see from the cockpit. Despite the spacious deckhouse, "Ngoni" does not have a flybridge. The owner loves being close to the water.

A distortion-free curved glazing of several elements, tinted and moulded in a hollow, made in Turkey, also provides an unobstructed view of the sea.

Ed Dubois also created the layout below deck of the "Ngoni"

In addition to racer components, Dubois also used plans for the superstructure of his 66-metre-long Vitters slup "Aglaia" (now "Ahimsa"). Last but not least, the design concept of the construction also influences the interior. "As architects, we know where the mast, keel box and engine compartment belong." On a sailing yacht in particular, these elements have fundamental consequences for the interior design. "I like to take care of that." It also depends on the owner's lifestyle, "what they like on board - or can only tolerate". This is why Dubois also developed the layout of the main and lower decks, bringing curves into play as the basis for the interior design, which Baker and Morgan were able to build on.

When it comes to the interior, the concept of comfort plays a role, and this often clashes, albeit not as aggressively as a wolf, with the demand for speed. Dubois did not like to hear that a compromise had to be made here. "I prefer the term balance." To achieve this, you have to look at the intended use and the benefits from the owner's perspective. But how do you find the balance? What does the owner really want? "That's not always easy to say. Some have very clear ideas, others less so." The experienced "Ngoni" owner was easy to assess.

However, designers who have never sat on the high edge of a self-designed boat for hours in the weather, never experienced cold and possibly fear, victory and defeat, have never learnt how a boat reacts under all the conditions of a regatta course. The material of the construction also contributes to these reactions. At the very beginning of the "Ngoni" briefing, the question was whether a carbon fibre hull was an option. "The owner wanted to play through all the options. We presented him with comparisons in terms of weight, costs and construction time." Carbon fibre would have been lighter and stronger, but less comfortable for long journeys around the world. "Carbon hulls react with aggressive movements at sea." They are not so sea-friendly, promote seasickness and tend to be very loud. As a result, any weight saved is lost on board via acoustic insulation. Professionally weighing up the pros and cons of materials is like solving a complicated equation. "The owners trust you and pay you precisely for these skills."

Royal Huisman built the "Ngoni", Baker and Morgan fitted it out

Once the decision for an aluminium construction had been made, the owner still had to choose the shipyard. This was somewhat easy for him, as his yacht before "Ngoni", the 40 metre long Dixon ketch "Antares", had also slipped out of the halls of Royal Huisman in 2005.

The commission for the interior design inevitably went to Rick Baker and Paul Morgan. In addition to designing the interior, the partners Baker and Morgan also offer the complete manufacture of the furniture they have designed themselves and the installation for individual orders through the London-based Rick Baker Ltd. However, it was at least as decisive that they have been realising the owner's interior design wishes on land for over 20 years.

We wanted to avoid a hotel feel at all costs."

Rick Baker studied illustration and fine art, Paul Morgan has a background in architecture. "Ngoni" was their yacht première. The two of them threw themselves wholeheartedly into an unmistakable non-concept: "We deliberately avoided giving the interior a theme. Instead, we chose very individual solutions for the different areas. We wanted to avoid a hotel feel and repetition in the cabins at all costs."

2,000 square metres of sail, 70 metres of mast, 73 tonnes of ballast

High-gloss paint and valuable hardwoods would have been expected. "Instead, we chose very specialised finishes that no one would associate with a modern yacht." London-based Officina Coppola supplied panels and doors in resin, metal and lime with visual effects reminiscent of looking into shallow waters. Baker and Morgan embedded these details and their ideas in an organic and sweeping design language.

The regatta-trained owner showed conservative tendencies despite his inclination towards innovation. On a yacht of this size, nobody would expect direct mechanical steering with a quadrant instead of hydraulics. However, Royal Huisman succeeded in reducing the large frictional torques and rudder pressure produced by a single rudder blade and a rig with a mast over 70 metres long. A lead bomb with 73 tonnes of ballast is suspended from the steel fin of the lift keel to balance a sail area of almost 2,000 square metres on the wind, all easily steered mechanically thanks to Dubois' Genius.

And the strange name "Ngoni"?

Looks African, is African and for this reason alone has nothing to do with a wolf. The word comes from West Africa and refers to a stringed instrument similar to a lute, with three or four strings. The musician winds the strings over a resonating body with stretched skin. And Africans traditionally give this body the shape of the hull of a boat.

Technical data "Ngoni"