yacht design beaulieu

Original Yacht Design

The Best of RWD Design

Standout Yachts

Baton Rouge

Alia Yachts

Benetti SpA

Hampshire I

Understated Elegance

Why choose rwd design.

Why Choose RWD

Prestigious Superyacht Design

From their Beaulieu based design studio, on the south coast of England, a team of highly skilled designers, dedicated to excellence, have been creating the most prestigious, original superyachts for nearly three decades. Founded in 1993, RWD quietly pushes boundaries, innovating new techniques and setting new standards for quality, craftsmanship and luxury, valuing fun, loyalty and dedication.

Virtually Unique Approach

Working alongside many of the industry's finest yacht builders, the talented team combine great design agility and skill, enabling them to create exceptional bespoke yachts.

Explore Further

Superyacht Designers

Reymond Langton Design

Balance, proportion and emphasis

Bannenberg And Rowell Design

Creative. Contemporary. Approachable.

A Unique Yacht For Every Owner.

Harrison Eidsgaard

Unparalleled Levels of Design

Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design

Luxury projects for a highly exclusive client base

Terence Disdale Design

More top 100 interiors than any other designer

Remi Tessier

Timeless elegance and sophisticated style

Dubois Yachts

Performance sailing yachts. Iconic motor yachts.

Francis Design

A versatile multi-disciplinary designer

Michael Leach Design

One of the most innovative in the sector.

Nauta Yachts Design

Design and brokerage since 1990

Nuvolari Lenard Design

Sophisticated elegance meets innovative luxury

Philippe Briand Design

Master of Elegant Sailing

Dubois Yachts Design

Passion for Sailing

Pastrovich Design

A leader in the world of yachting

Your Privacy

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyse our traffic and provide personalised marketing. You can choose whether to accept these, or reject all but essential cookies, according to our Cookie Policy .

LET'S CHAT.

Get in touch with one of our teams around the world.

Where you'll find us

Monaco — MC

London — UK

Fort Lauderdale — US

Auckland — NZ

Redman Whiteley Dixon

Redman Whiteley Dixon Ltd

The Old Electric Light Station Beaulieu Brockenhurst Hampshire SO42 7YF United Kingdom

Website: www.rwd.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0)1590 611300 Fax: +44 (0)1590 611301 Email: [email protected]

Launched in 1993 Redman Whiteley Design predominately designed sailing yacht interiors, and have subsequently added motor yachts and exteriors to their diverse portfolio. They have penned some of the worlds most prestigious Yachts. RWD Yachts handle all aspects of interior and exterior yacht design from 10 to 160 metre yachts.

Redman Whiteley Dixon believe that exteriors should be a fusion of beauty, subtlety and elegance. Forms and surfaces are given a discreet dynamic and the detail is designed to be practical and considered. There approach to interiors creates gracious living spaces, which are planned to perform in balanced harmony within the yacht. Redman Whiteley Dixon were winners of the 2012 International Yacht and Aviation Awards with Twizzle (Interior Design Category).

Inside the bespoke firm creating the world’s most beautiful yachts

Rwd's secluded beaulieu base is making waves in the superyacht design sector. we take a trip....

Words: Jonathan Wells

Justin Redman, one of Britain’s top superyacht designers and director of industry-leading firm RWD , is gesturing over his shoulder. ‘Toby’s using a marker pen,’ he says incredulously. ‘I’ve never seen that before’.

It’s genuine surprise, but then this is no ordinary superyacht design company. Rather than relying on computer programs and ‘cookie cutter’ plans to create boats, every yacht that sails out of RWD begins its life in the tip of a pencil. As such, the company’s design process is as varied and exciting as the vessels it produces.

‘The number of times we’ve had to take scribbled-on tablecloths out of restaurants,’ says Redman. ‘You wouldn’t believe. But we’re always thinking, and talking to our clients, and coming up with ideas at the strangest of times. When inspiration strikes, you draw on whatever’s close to hand – business cards, napkins, backs of envelopes.’

The intimate and intricate process of creating a RWD yacht can take anywhere between three and five years – and is as collaborative as it is creative. Everything from the position of the tenders to the embroidery on the towels is discussed at length with the clients and designed in-house – and this level of detail has seen only 80 yachts designed in the company’s entire 24-year history.

‘If someone came to me and said, ‘Can I have a yacht? I’ll see you at the launch,’ I would be completely bored by that,’ admits Redman. ‘But, like the personal touch that hand-drawing brings, working with them is hugely rewarding for us – and frankly much more fun.’

Ever since RWD left their corporate offices in Chelsea Wharf – instead choosing to drop anchor by a lake in rural Hampshire – the company’s focus has been to create a client experience that is both thoroughly enjoyable and creatively rewarding.

The small, homely complex in Beaulieu – which counts a renovated mill, the old village fire house and a reclaimed jam factory amongst its buildings – often plays host to clients from all over the world. Redman and his fellow designers shoot, ride and fish with the would-be yachtsmen, making the most of the quiet countryside and taking the approach that ideas come more freely outside of stuffy city boardrooms.

‘I always find that by spending time with clients, and asking them about their day, I can find the answers to many of the most important questions we have,’ Redman explains.

If someone came to me and said, ‘Can I have a yacht? I’ll see you at the launch,’ I would be completely bored by that...

‘Tell me about your day?, I may ask. What did you have for breakfast? Did you sit inside or outside? Did you read the paper before breakfast? And, whilst we chat, I’m always sketching, always doodling very early arrangements – and the picture begins to evolve.’

This hand-crafted approach is virtually unique to RWD. Redman acknowledges that computer renderings may be more realistic, but believes that putting pen to paper there and then with a client is both more personal and practical than relying on digital mock-ups. As such, drawing ability is an important part of the firm’s interview process.

‘Most all of us can draw,’ says Redman, ‘because there’ll always be that moment when you need to explain something. Our customer’s time is terribly valuable, so if we can use sketches to make sure we’re on the same wavelength, it’s hugely powerful.

‘And we have all different types of artists here, who each represent their ideas differently. You don’t have to be the next Michelangelo in our line of work – you just have to convey your ideas by sketch. Yes, some will make those drawings a little more accurate in terms of proportion and light and shade, but if you get your idea across by talking and sketching a little at the same time, that works. It’s a communicative tool.’

After exploring RWD’s textile department – stacked floor to ceiling with swatches of fabric and slabs of marble – and taking a tour of the communal area in the old mill – complete with wood-burning stove and models of past projects – I visit Creative Director Toby Ecuyer.

Ecuyer, who has stopped making waves with his marker pen, is poring over plans – a Japanese Blackwing pencil now in hand. Books on naval architecture line the walls of his studio, and the designer’s dog sits curled under his drawing board with an aptly naval-print neckerchief tied around her neck.

‘Biro is my failsafe,’ says Ecuyer, setting down the pencil and picking up a pen. ‘If I’m having a bad drawing day, Biro will always get me out of it. It may seem like a commitment, but you get the whole story with Biro. You draw over yourself, yes, but you get all the construction that way, all the other stories.’

Ecuyer, who joined the company in 2004 after cutting his teeth in the world of high-end architecture, understands the importance of the right drawing tool. From pens and pencils to paints, the designer uses a combination of techniques to design – a fact to which bulging binders of oversized A2 and yellow draughtsmen paper attest.

‘Our clients get to imagine something,’ says Ecuyer, ‘and then see it appear – almost immediately – in front of them on paper. To witness these small collections of lines become a reality is such a rare experience. We’ve made it hard for ourselves, really, because our clients need to be creative in order to see the potential on the paper.’

The biggest yacht RWD has designed so far measured just over 500 feet – so each pen or pencil stroke can translates into millions in building costs. Yet the process begins simply; freehand and without constraints.

Biro is my failsafe. If I’m having a bad drawing day, Biro will always get me out of it. It may seem like a commitment, but you get the whole story with Biro...

‘Drawing is very adaptable,’ says Ecuyer, ‘which is important as our clients are so different. Sometimes I do 180 sketches for a boat – sometimes I do four. And sometimes, the sketches that get the best reaction are those I’ve done very quickly, on the corner of some meeting notes with a little felt tip.

‘The point of these drawings is to evoke an emotion, a feeling or an impression of how it could be – and that’s something the hand-drawn touch really gives you. With watercolours, the paint might go over the edges, but that’s almost on purpose. If you’re too precise, they lose a bit of life.’

Life, like the collaborative relationship between client and designer, is clearly important to RWD. From Redman asking about a customer’s typical day to the small details Ecuyer adds into his drawings, the yachts manage to feel lived-in and full of character before they’re even built.

The Creative Director points at a sketch of an open cargo hold – designed specifically to house two Land Rovers. The view outside the door shows a penguin perched on a chunk of floating ice. ‘I almost did a walrus,’ Ecuyer says wryly.

‘It’s this character that you only get with sketches,’ he continues. ‘And most people love the sketches. Some think that computer renderings feel too final, and as if everything’s already been decided. And I think they’re right, I think you get so much more from drawings. Computer renderings are necessary but, after a certain number of clicks, I think you stop being an artist.

‘You can discuss ideas with a client, but disappear for three weeks to render them, and the moment’s gone.’

Justin Redman pokes his head around the door to agree. ‘That’s why our same personal values persist to this day,’ the Director says. ‘The art of hand-drawing, the intimacy of sitting with someone, sketching, and collaborating on their design. I don’t think there’s a more direct way to do that.

‘People call it magic – and I don’t know whether I’d say that, but it’s certainly a very special thing.’

Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?

Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.

The vessels to see at Monaco Yacht Show 2024

Q&A with Alessandro Squarzi

Q&A with François O’Neill

A free newsletter worth opening.

To receive the latest in style, watches, cars and luxury news, plus receive great offers from the world’s greatest brands every Friday.

An Invitation To Beaulieu

written by Emily Harris

2020 has, so far, been a scorching cruising adventure doing our best to avoid busy harbours and beaches. Then came an invitation, from a friend James Evans, to attend the Beaulieu River Wooden Boat Association 'get-together' at Buckler's Hard. Organised by wooden boat owners Iain Rawlinson together with James Evans and with support from the Beaulieu Estate , the event seemed surprisingly uncomplicated. A couple of emails came in, aside from that it was a simple 'see you there'. Mark Whiteley , who owns ZARIK a Eugène Cornu-designed ketch launched in 1966, and I understood we could raft up on the pier or, use a swinging mooring on the river for Friday night and generally 'gather on Saturday'. With no real vision of what to expect, apart from hopefully seeing both James Evans and the Aisher family (owners of gaff-cutter THALIA) who I've become very fond of over the years, Mark and I set off on Friday late afternoon. Taking the flood from the mouth of the Lymington River towards the Beaulieu River entrance. While underway, I thought, surely this wouldn't be a big gathering of wooden boats? A question I briefly explored on the phone with Dan Houston, former editor of Classic Boat magazine, but that was cut short by the Solent’s fast-paced east-bound tide. We were arriving. Mark navigated us over the bar, we rounded ZARIK up into the wind, I furled the genoa, and we steamed up the Beaulieu River. With Buckler's Hard pier in range, I could see two wooden boats with rigs leaning slightly to the land-side, towards The Master Builder's. But, I think that was just a Trompe-l'œil or, perhaps, a subconscious craving to visit this legendary pub. Rumour had it we would have a pint or even supper there that evening...a novel event in these times. Two people appeared on what was SAUNTERER's deck, tidying sails and lines. We rafted up alongside her, slightly disturbing reflections of the tree-lined riverbank in the pool that exists opposite Buckler's Hard. The pier was now three-yachts deep. CROIX DES GARDES on the inside, SAUNTERER sandwiched with ZARIK now on the outside. Iain Rawlinson, SAUNTERER's current custodian, and Cassie Strang were instantly warm and accommodating.

Photo © Emily Harris. ZARIK, the French-built Eugène Cornu designed ketch from 1966, sandwiches SAUNTERER, the famous 1900 Charles Sibbick once owned by Captain Oates, with CROIX DES GARDES on the inside, another French-built postwar yacht design, drawn this time by Herni Dervin, launched in 1947.

In this small wooden boat world, I'm sure we're far less than within six-degrees of separation, but you wouldn't think a dog could be the connection! "CRACKER", Mark's Fox Red Labrador, was occupying the aft deck, admiring the wooden boat raft-up. Meanwhile, Cassie onboard SAUNTERER had worked out, within an hour, her dog (that she'd wisely left at home) was a relation of "CRACKER's". Aside from that slightly eccentric dog-chat (which we thought yachties didn’t do, Mark and I felt privileged to have met such lovely people and to be in such proximity to the yacht, famously once owned by Captain Oates.

Click to view photos © Emily Harris

Then a gallant-looking Silvers idled outside of ZARIK before going alongside the visitors' pontoon, adjacent to the pier. I watched as an incredibly agile but elderly man moved around the foredeck, attaching fenders, preparing lines. At the helm was Michael Briggs, who is also the owner of MIKADO, not present at this event. His newly-restored KINGFISHER gleamed in the last of the sun, looking stunning– credit to the boat builders at Stirling & Son . So that was four of us, later, with CERVEZA another Silvers, making five.

The pub didn't want to accommodate non-residents. So, we reverted to what we've all become accustomed to in recent months, making the best of what we've got with the people closest to you. After a brief hello with the Aisher's, on Kristi Aisher's CERVEZA and a good-night to SAUNTERER, light had faded. A few things, quite haunting, came over me on that Friday's very still night. We were about to sleep – lying right where ships that fought in the Battle of Trafalgar were built and launched. And, in 1966, Francis Chichester had chosen this spot to depart for his solo-circumnavigation, and lastly, to add to the antiquity, SAUNTERER may have a ghost; Captain Oates' spirit might linger.... I thought.

Lord Briggs and his godfather, cruising up to Buckler’s Hard – so sweet. Such an able man!

On Saturday morning, the two Silver's accompanied each other upriver, with the rest of us drawing too much to follow. After our breakfast, life started to spring into action in Buckler's Hard, I walked up to the Master Builder's chapel before it was too busy with tourists. At 1100 all five boats slipped their lines, and collectively, we made our way towards the river entrance to attempt a parade of sail. All conversing on channel 61 (we thought this was wise), but quickly resorting to a Whatsapp group.

Seating only 40 souls, this sweet little chapel is a delight to visit. St Mary’s is next door to the well-cherished Master Builder’s pub, also a great place to spend time sipping local ales.

We ditched Channel 61 and conversed on channel Whatsapp!

As we left the upper reaches, approaching Beaulieu River Sailing Club, a fresh breeze blew from the SW out in the Solent. For Mark and I that meant discussing what sails to set, to keep ZARIK in her groove and limiting her heeling angle. It also meant settling the ship's dog into a comfortable position. We steamed down to the entrance, on the way sighting TARIFA and NIGHTFALL bobbing up and down on their moorings.

Great, I thought, some purists were here. I say, purists, TARIFA's owned Mark Hickman is as close as they come, and his friend Martyn Mackrill, is the talented artist, and you can see from his work that there's salt running through his veins too. Both yachts are fine examples of classic yacht restorations and long-term guardianship.

Article continues below

Watch this video of Mark Hickman talking about his 28ft gaff sloop TARIFA – a story Classic Yacht TV covered back in 2015.

Watch more videos from racing, crusing, restorations and the characters behind these wonderful wooden boats on Classic Yacht TV’s Youtube channel .

James Evans and his girlfriend Daisy McNally were on a local resident's motor yacht, DASHING. There were about 10 or more boats connected to the get-together now; the only disappointment was that they varied so much in sea-kindly ability, sail area size and length. How were we going to get together and sail together? We weren't, I realised, that wasn't the point!

Mark and I unfurled the genoa prematurely, and with the mizzen already set ZARIK took off upwind. With hindsight, we should have waited for SAUNTERER. Instead, and unfortunately, the fleet was spread out. "CRACKER" was looking a little wide-eyed and much less enthusiastic than us. We quickly realised, looking at CERVEZA and KINGFISHER, the river had some lee, and we preferred that, especially knowing we would have to start tacking the dog. As SAUNTERER persevered, and they planned to work their way to windward, to Yarmouth for lunch on a swinging mooring, we bore away. We were heading back to the Beaulieu River entrance to cross the bar before low water. It was later in the afternoon that this gathering wowed me. CROIX DE GARDES was alongside the pier; this time we made fast on the visitors' pontoon which was, by now, embellished with varnished beauties. CHARM, the West Solent One Design SUVRETTA, TARIFA, NIGHTFALL, dinghies galore including three Axe One Designs, a Keyhaven Scow, the two Silvers – KINGFISHER and CERVEZA.

SAUNTERER and POLLY © James Evans

Having not had a great night's sleep, what with the ghost of Captain Oates and "CRACKER"S early morning shore-side duties, we tried to bury our heads down below for a kip. Plenty of proper wooden boat chat was upon us… Did we get 40 winks? No. The most frequent comment heard through ZARIK's portholes was "Isn't that well organised, that boat's got a dog to match the colour of the varnish!". "CRACKER" did match the varnish but the weather lit both her and all of the boats' brightwork beautifully, a golden setting sun adorned us all. I think, certainly, James was relieved to have such great weather as he walked down the pontoon in that golden hour, gifting Maison Louis Latour bottles to owners participating. SAUNTERER came alongside; we took their lines like they had done for us the night before. We had all 'got-together', all 16 boats with owners and their loved-ones enjoying the views from the pontoon. I remember thinking that it was as if by chance, that we had come together, and that the lack of administration and fuss made it so much more fun.

Sunset gathering at Buckler’s Hard © David Aisher

There wasn't a rush to get to a start line; there was no committee. We didn't have to immediately shower and put dresses on to sit through a long prizegiving, this was natural, spontaneous and an up-to-you what you make of it kind of event, even without a pub! A refreshing event, in my eyes. James Evans reflected on the event afterwards, confirming the gathering's informality and expressing the aim to make it as relaxed of an event as possible. "[It's] for people to gather with other wood boat owners and primarily for local boats on or connected with the Beaulieu River. The aim is to encourage and support wooden boat ownership and mooring on the river. It is very much a gathering for wooden boats of any type, and not a 'classic' event. Not intended to compete in any way with the existing classic/ race weekends".

CRACKER said it was a great break from being locked down in previous months and forest walks are the best! Thanks very much James and all involved.

Dubois Naval Architecture & Yacht Design

Website: http://www.duboisyachts.com

Dubois Naval Architects Ltd, Beck Farm, Sowley, Lymington Hampshire SO41 5SR

+44 1590 626666

Dubois Naval Architects, founded in 1977, has been at the centre of world yacht design for many years and, with the phenomenal growth of both the numbers and the size of large sailing and motor yachts, has strived to design yachts in which form and function are perfectly balanced.

Join Our Team

HOME - CAREERS

RWD is built on a genuine commitment to the highest possible standard - for our customers and for our people. We value talent, dedication and a thorough passion for the work at hand. If this sounds like you, take a look at our vacancies and please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Please visit our LinkedIn page for available roles at RWD.

FULL TIME. SALARY DOE PA to Directors

FULL TIME. SALARY DOE Head of Interior Design | Yachts

FIXED TERM. SALARY DOE Head of FF&E | Maternity Cover

FIXED TERM. SALARY DOE Senior FF&E | Designer

FULL TIME. SALARY DOE Project Manager | Yacht Designer

FULL TIME. SALARY DOE Assistant Project Manager | Yacht Designer

RATES DOE Freelance 3D Exterior Modellers

Original British Yacht Design

The Old Electric Light Station Beaulieu Brockenhurst Hampshire so42 7yf England +44 (0) 1590 611 300 [email protected]

Yacht Management
Second hands

Seaside, ship management, crew, maintenance and repairs, general insurance agency, organization charter

Seaside, ship management, crew, charter organization

Seaside, ship management, crew, maintenance and repairs, general insurance agency

servicing and maintenance, general insurance agency, organization charter

Seaside, ship management, crew, maintenance and repairs

Settled in the heart of the french riviera since 1992, Seaside assures the management and the sale of Yachts, the organization of charter and the sale of berths . In our agency of Beaulieu sur mer, our team will share with you all its competence so that your dreams become reality.

Port de plaisance 06310 BEAULIEU-sur-MER (FRANCE) E-mail : [email protected]

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

Link to search page
US: +1 (561) 833 4462
US: +1 (206) 209-1920
MC: +377 99 90 74 63

Yachts for Sale Location: Beaulieu Sur Mer

View yacht Rocket One, available for sale

Rocket One , yacht for sale

View yacht OCEAN ONE, available for sale

OCEAN ONE , yacht for sale

View yacht OCEAN VIEW, available for sale

OCEAN VIEW , yacht for sale

View yacht KOKAB, available for sale

KOKAB , yacht for sale

View yacht GRAZIELLA, available for sale

GRAZIELLA , yacht for sale

Can't find what you're looking for contact a broker for information about off-market yachts for sale..

The global authority in superyachting

NEWSLETTERS
Yachts Home
The Superyacht Directory
Yacht Reports
Brokerage News
The largest yachts in the world
The Register
Yacht Advice
Yacht Design
12m to 24m yachts
Monaco Yacht Show
Builder Directory
Designer Directory
Interior Design Directory
Naval Architect Directory
Yachts for sale home
Motor yachts
Sailing yachts
Explorer yachts
Classic yachts
Sale Broker Directory
Charter Home
Yachts for Charter
Charter Destinations
Charter Broker Directory
Destinations Home
Mediterranean
South Pacific
Rest of the World
Boat Life Home
Owners' Experiences
Conservation and Philanthropy
Interiors Suppliers
Owners' Club
Captains' Club
BOAT Showcase
Boat Presents
Events Home
World Superyacht Awards
Superyacht Design Festival
Design and Innovation Awards
Young Designer of the Year Award
Artistry and Craft Awards
Explorer Yachts Summit
Ocean Talks
The Ocean Awards
BOAT Connect
Between the bays
Golf Invitational
BOATPro Home
Superyacht Insight
Global Order Book
Premium Content
Product Features
Testimonials
Pricing Plan
Tenders & Equipment

Inside the boats owned by top superyacht designers

They say you should never judge a dentist by the state of their teeth, but can you choose a yacht designer based on their own boats? Cecile Gauert looks inside the boats owned by top superyacht designers, from Andrew Winch and Pascale Reymond to Tim Heywood and Greg Marshall...

Andrew Winch

Studio: Winch Design Known for yachts such as Madame Gu , Dilbar and production yachts such as the Jeanneau 64 Owns: Tofinou sailboat Bagheera and PTS 26 Baloo

“I’ve always had a boat,” says Andrew Winch, who learned how to sail at 14 and crossed the Atlantic on a 15.8 metre Out Island at 21. The boat was “perfect for a marina,” he says, and between breakdowns in machinery (they lost the generator) and crew communications, the sail was a hairy one. “We sailed past the Canaries and by pure chance we got to Antigua.” Among the boats he had, he remembers fondly a 22.5 metre sloop called Golden Opus that he built with Ron Holland and an Irish partner in New Zealand. “For about three years, I co-owned that boat until I could not afford it anymore because I had school fees.”

Of late, it’s been the arrival of grandchildren that has steered him in a new direction. He sold his Jeanneau 64 Polar Bear to American clients after one last sail in Greece. “They bought it with everything on it, the dinghy, the china. I was very pleased,” he says. When he first got the boat, Winch invited Philippe Briand , the naval architect, to sail with him in a regatta; they won. “I have this little cup, which is rather nice.” Despite all the memories, he decided it was time to move on and replaced Polar Bear with two boats the whole family can enjoy. “I’ve got two grandchildren now,” he says, “it’s hard to take little kids on a sailing boat.”

The first motor boat he’s commissioned is a Dutch-built PTS 26 he called Baloo , and he also bought a smaller sailing yacht, a classic fibreglass Tofinou, which he named Bagheera . “(The Tofinou) has a small two-stroke diesel engine and it’s beautifully done – mahogany caprail, beautiful North Sails and four of us can sail together in it,” he says. The PTS 26 is inspired by a 1930s design by Carl Gustaf Petersson ; the modern-day version is by Vripack and it is built by Statement Marine.

Winch, who had the two boats colour matched, says it was a bit of a “luxury decision” but it is perfect for the family. “We’ve got heating, a dinghy to get to the beach, a little cabin, dayhead, a hot water shower at the back of the boat, and a galley to make some tea. It does 20 knots and I can go from our harbour to the Isle of Wight in one hour and a half. It is one of the highest specced boats (Statement Marine) have built,” he says, and it has a davit and an anchor.

It’s the first they’ve put on their boats, but where a pole and rope may suffice on the inner waters of The Netherlands, an anchor is a must off the British coast. “We engineered the whole thing. I (also) did two tables that go down so I can make a big day bed to relax, and two chairs that go up and down. I absolutely love it.” Since the renowned designer ordered his boat, the shipyard has sold five more in the UK.

The boats arrived mid-summer last year, so the family has had little time to cruise so far. “This coming year is going to be about going to the beach, having a glass of rosé, listening to music, it is going to be family time,” he says. But Winch is already looking beyond next season. “I’d like to build a wooden boat,” he says. “I can’t be without a boat…”

Pascale Reymond

Studio: Reymond Langton Known for yachts such as Aviva , Kismet , Artefact Owns: Custom five metre Calou

“I do not have a car driving license, but I have a boat license,” says Pascale Reymond , who got her boat certificate so she could drive her five-metre boat, named Calou , in the South of France. The name is a nickname her mother gave her when she was two years old and it is endearing and unusual, like the boat itself.

Reymond and her husband, Andrew Langton, joke about their neighbours’ reaction to their boat, they call it a “babouche”, like the slipper popular in the Middle East. One day, while sunning herself on the boat in the quiet bay near their beach cottage in France, she encountered kids on paddleboards who called out to her, “Madame, how come your boat looks like a shoe?”. The memory makes her laugh. “This boat attracts so much attention, there is no brand showing anywhere, and it’s all teak. It’s got very low freeboard. I think it is charming,” she says. “It has a quality feel about it that you don’t get with plastic boats.”

Calou stays in the south of France in a bay on the Presqu’île de Giens (between Toulon and Saint-Tropez). A reef protects the bay, so the tide is gentle and the water’s usually very calm. “We have our spot along a jetty just outside our bohemian fisherman’s hut on the sand,” she says.

The boat was built in Croatia by a friend (and yacht project manager with whom they did the refit of a 70-metre yacht). He conceived of this series as a tender for a 60-metre yacht. Reymond’s boat was designed with inboard engines but it was later converted to a 40hp outboard and goes 32 knots. The space vacated by the original engines now works perfectly to hold wine bottles. “It’s really well laid out, we can lie on the front, have lunch in the back; we have an awning, it has everything you need,” she says.

While the boat is much smaller than any of the projects their studio works on, she says “it does not matter. It gives you an understanding of why people want to be in the water, a feeling of freedom, the ability to get away,” she says.

Carlo Nuvolari

Studio: Nuvolari Lenard Known for yachts such as Nord , Voice , Quattroelle Owns: Bellona , Monte Carlo 30, Jugo and Nanyuki

Venice native Carlo Nuvolari, partner of Nuvolari Lenard, says “My boats are not presentable. As we say in Italy the shoemaker has always broken shoes.” Yet, he speaks fondly of all three. A 6.4 metre canal boat, named Nanyuki, is what the family uses to run errands in Venice.

He gave up using his Monte Carlo 30 in town. With the “typical American big blocks, two V8s, old style,” it goes 51, 52 knots but burns quite a bit of fuel. “She is too noisy to be used in Venice and I already got two speeding tickets,” he says, so it is mostly idle these days. The third is a motorsailer called Bellona . It was Nuvolari’s first yacht design commission, and he had the most demanding customers of all – his mother and father.

Carlo’s father had bought a fibreglass hull, hired a yard in Ancona to build the boat and asked his son to come up with the interior design. It was finished in 1986. The designer clearly recalls the day he sailed the new Bellona from a shipyard back home. He brought a friend, “a real sailor and not a wannabe like me,” he says. “It was a nasty week in March and the Adriatic Sea was nervous and cold,” he says. His friend saw his face had turned green and so he came up with a way to distract him. “He towed a can about 20 metres from the stern and put his Beretta gun in my hand. I tried in vain for 30 minutes to hit the can, but at least I was not seasick anymore.”

Bellona , Nuvolari says, is slow and heavy. “It is exactly the boat I would never design, but it represents a long, happy part of my life.” It’s on Bellona that he asked his wife to marry him. The boat was at anchor in front of Split, Croatia. The Croatian coast, which is only a 60-mile sail away from the place where he keeps the boat, is a favourite destination. The name Bellona (the Roman goddess of war) memorialises Nuvolari’s ancestor Giuseppe Duodo, who commanded the French-Venetian frigate Bellona in the 1811 Battle of Lissa (it pitted the British against the Italians and the French in the Adriatic).

Because of all this family history, he will never part with Bellona , even though he thinks of buying another boat. “A boat, large or small, allows us to keep the family together,” Nuvolari says. “This is also true for our customers.”

Marnix Hoekstra and Bart Bouwhuis

Studio: Vripack Known for yachts such as Rock , the LeVen 90, Pioneer Own: Hoekstra owns Cape Dory Typhoon Little Wing , Bouwhuis owns 1947 Chris Craft and sailboat Pjotr

Projects that stem from the Dutch Vripack studio occasionally flirt with futuristic features, but co-creative directors Marnix Hoekstra and Bart Bouwhuis both enjoy classics.

Hoekstra’s love affair with his daysailer began during a trip to Annapolis in Maryland. “During a morning jog around the harbour, in my mind a little bit of fog rising, I saw this beautiful daysailer,” he says. When he described the apparition to a friend, he told him it was a Cape Dory Typhoon, a boat type common in the northeast of the US, especially Maine, but rare in Europe. He could not get it out of his mind.

During a subsequent holiday in the States, Hoekstra stopped in Internet cafes to check listings and found one in immaculate condition in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. He bought it and decided to drive it to Rockport. There was a regular ship that transported wood pulp from Rockport to Vlissingen in The Netherlands and he thought that would be an easy way to get his boat home. It proved a little more complex than planned.

On the way to Rockport, one of the trailer’s tires blew up. “We could have lost the whole boat,” he said. He enlisted the help of yacht transporter Sevenstar to sort out the paperwork and a total stranger in customs was so enamoured with the whole story that he offered to store the boat, called Little Wing , in his garage until the shipping date three months later. It all worked out.

“I probably have the only Cape Dory Typhoon in East Holland,” Hoekstra says. The family tries to get away as often as possible, but time doesn’t always allow it. “Sometimes we just step on board to have pizza but the minute you step on, you feel like you are away,” Hoekstra says. “My wife says you cannot ever sell that boat. I’m fine with that. I am slowly trying to convince her that a nice lobster boat would go nicely with it…”

Bart Bouwhuis, meanwhile, found his 1947 Chris Craft 5.1 metre Deluxe through an internet search, had it shipped from the US and he’s been restoring it for about a year now.

“For me, boats are a combination of pleasure and therapy. I love working on my boat,” he says. He also has a classic sailboat he bought nine years ago and restored over four years, so getting the Chris Craft took a little bargaining with his wife. She went along with the idea with the condition that he’d paint their house first – “I painted the house in record time.” The family is still debating what to name their lake boat. He’d like to call it Super Trooper (he is a big Abba fan).

With their 10.6 metre sailboat, Pjotr (he says it means “reliable”), the family sails the Baltic in Denmark. Bouwhuis loves the area and describes it as the Croatia of the north. The Carena 35 made in steel and teak was built as a one-off by Porsius in Amsterdam in 1968. “I love the classics,” he says. “I grew up with classic clinker builds, all wood.”

He bought the boat as a fixer-upper when the family outgrew a smaller motorsailer in GRP. “I found this beautiful boat. It was in quite a bad shape and every winter we did a bit of work. The first season (we sailed it), the interior was quite a mess; the kids still talk about how this pizza cardboard was glued to the ceiling to hide all the rust. I refurbished it, new joinery, new everything. All she needs is a new mast and sails –but that is a serious investment.”

Mark Whiteley

Studio: Mark Whiteley Design Known for yachts such as Aquarius , Sea Eagle II , Baltic 26 metre sloop Owns: 14.6 metre Cornu Bahamian ketch Zarik

Mark Whiteley, founder of the eponymous design firm, is also a big fan of classic sailboats. He got into sailing while in college and has been enjoying it ever since. “When I was working with Andrew (Winch), I did a couple of deliveries on yachts from Camper & Nicholsons in Southampton down to Mallorca. What a fantastic experience it was.” Later on, as a founding partner of RWD , he sailed a Contessa 32 with Justin Redman.

“But my first boat is a pretty wooden lady (a 14.6 metre ketch) called Zarik . She comes from a stylish pedigree,” he says. Self-taught French naval architect Eugène Cornu was well regarded for his stylish wooden boats and penned this ketch delivered in 1966.

Whiteley found her in Marmaris, Turkey 15 years ago. “It coincided with a sabbatical and it was the most refreshing, energising time sailing her across the Med,” he says. He conceded that it was a big first step. “I did not know what I was getting myself into but fell in love, like you do.” He liked that she feels safe, sturdy and is a ketch. “It gives you more cruising and racing options. I have enjoyed racing with other classic yacht custodians on the Panerai circuit in Menorca and the UK.”

Eventually, after cruising through Greece, the Cyclades and Turkey, Whiteley sailed the boat to Mallorca and Ibiza where Zarik remained for a few years. “I was quite popular then, I don’t know why,” he says with a laugh. However, when his busy work schedule made it harder to keep the boat in Spain, he brought her to England.

“Initially she didn’t like it. She said she’d been in warm water all of her life and she threw a big spanner, the engine ceased, and I had to re-engine the boat before we could go anywhere in England, but that’s classic boating!” Classics take upkeep, he says, “but they have so much personality and warmth.”

Tim Heywood

Studio: Tim Heywood Designs Known for yachts such as Plvs Vltra , Planet Nine , Symphony Owns: Vikal Pelorus Bronze

When a Vikal, built as a tender to the remarkable Pelorus , came on the market in 2006, designer Tim Heywood was very interested. He knew how good a boat this was as he had been involved with the project as the exterior designer of the now- iconic mothership. He also had worked with the Vikal’s designer, Sam Sorgiovanni, on a custom tender for Cakewalk (now Aquila ). “They make remarkable boats,” says Heywood of Vikal.

The 11.2-metre boat, which was delivered in 2003, has its original bronze metallic paint, polished stainless steel and matt titanium fittings. It was one of four tenders designed for Pelorus , all with the same attention to detail. This one also had a cabin with a large daybed and full-size shower. But eventually, the owner decided he wasn’t interested in keeping it. When it came up for sale, Heywood made an offer. “They laughed at it,” Heywood says. Eventually though, he was called to do some design work for the same owner’s team, and he accepted this very special boat as payment.

The boat, powered by two Yanmar engines, exceeded its contract speed by a couple of knots when it was delivered and goes 50 knots. The hull lines and drive system were done by Italian race boat driver and boatbuilder Fabio Buzzi. “The boat has great pedigree and it’s been a pleasure to own it,” says Heywood who has enjoyed it with his wife, Vanessa. When time allows, they’ve cruised it to Cowes and up the Beaulieu River.

“I have had it up to 40 knots,” he says, but he has a sure way to slow down. “I have a voice control unit that says things like ‘that’s too fast’ and ‘that’s fast enough’, and I say, ‘okay Vanessa’,” he says with a laugh. “I try to use it as much as I can,” the designer says but, “I am project-rich and time-poor.”

The boat, which has low engine hours, currently lives in the south of England. “I keep it there so people can see it,” says Heywood, who’s decided to sell the boat. Of late the Heywoods have enjoyed another type of boating. “We have a small castle in Surrey, and in summer we row in the moat,” he says. “It’s great fun.”

Sam Sorgiovanni

Studio: Sorgiovanni Designs Known for yachts such as Barbara , Anastasia, White Rabbit Owns: Six metre Novurania

Some years ago, the lines of a 34 Fairline Targa caught the eye of Sam Sorgiovanni. “It was a really nice boat, nicely built. The only negative was the engine room; it was tight and difficult to maintain.” He named it Bella Linea , which translates to Fairline. “It had a double meaning, as it also referred to my work as a designer,” he says. “It was my first boat, it was probably too early in my career, and the kids were a little young. You needed the moon and the stars to line up to go out,” he says. “We ended up using it two, three times a year. It had to be kept in the water, and I did my fair share of nursing a lot of wildlife,” he says with a chuckle.

The boat lived near his home in Fremantle, Western Australia, docked in the river. Although nice boating destinations are somewhat limited in this area, he says, it’s possible to cruise the Swan River, all the way to Perth, or to Rottnest Island 20 kilometres off the coast. Other destinations up or down the coast take time.

The young family always seemed to have other commitments, and it came to a point when they hardly went out on the boat, which did not stop the bills from coming. “Boating is stressful if you don’t have the freedom of time.” So, he decided to part with it and was boatless until six years ago when an opportunity presented itself while he worked on the design of a yacht built by Alloy Yachts.

The captain told the designer he was looking to part with a six-metre Novurania they used to tow everywhere. “He sent me footage of the sea they were towing it through, so I know it was well built,” Sorgiovanni says. It was reasonably priced, and the designer decided it would be a good option to cruise up and down the river. It could also be kept out of the water in a shed with other toys. “The boys, who are older now, and I tinker with it. We take it out every now and then. It’s licensed to carry 12 passengers, it’s safe. I put a T top on it myself and it’s got a table.” He did not bother to name it.

“My real boating, I think, will come when I have more time,” he says. He has had the dream to take a boat from The Netherlands, through Germany and on to Greece. “I think it would be a magical trip to do with family.”

Greg Marshall

Studio: Gregory C Marshall Naval Architect Known for yachts such as Artefact , Attessa IV , Big Fish Owns: 12.8 metre Linnett II , 19.5 metre Zest and 4.8 metre Monkey Girl

Canadian naval architect Greg Marshall owes quite a bit of his boating life to a man he describes as a “compulsive boatbuilder with a legal practice to fund his habit”. Known as Loophole among friends, his real name is Laurie Armstrong. One of the attorney’s good friends was the late William Garden , a prolific shipwright and naval architect with whom Marshall started his career.

Armstrong built Linnett II, a Bill Garden design, which Marshall acquired last year. “After 16 years, we knew it would need a major rework, so we put it in the Abernethy & Gaudin shipyard for nine months and pretty much gutted it,” he says. “On the back of the boat, we have a dinghy that Loophole built, and as it was Bill Garden’s last design, we call it Last Gasp ,” Marshall says. “Bill always said it was his best hull and it is a fantastically performing boat, we just love it.” Linnett II has twin 330hp Cummins and tops out around 27 knots.

More recently Marshall bought another of Garden’s designs, the19.5 metre Zest . When he was but 16, working for the naval architect as a high-school student, Marshall had the model of the boat above his desk and always admired it.

“Bill designed it in the mid-60s, it’s long and skinny, it has almost no wake behind it, it’s just a really effortless boat,” he says, which is perfect to cruise around the peaceful inlets and fjords of British Columbia where he lives. “I always told Bill ‘one day I’ll own a boat just like that.’ About five years ago we were cruising up north, and I saw the boat sitting at anchor.” He felt compelled to give the owner his business card. “If you ever think of selling, it, I’d love to get a call,” he told him. Then in March 2020 a persistent caller with a caller ID that just said “Seattle, Washington” got him to answer his phone. “This may sound strange,” said the woman on the line, “but did you give a card to a guy on board a boat called Zest five years ago? My husband and I owned her for about 30 years. He died about three months ago and before he died, he gave me your business card. I know it’s been a long time, but do you think you may still want to buy it?”

Marshall said no, explaining, “we just spent nine months and a fortune restoring our current boat; we just want to use it.” Still, he loved the boat and thought he might help the owner by sending around the information. “She sent a package and I called her up the next day and I said, ‘okay, fine, I’ll buy it’,” Marshall says. “We got the boat in August and put it straight in the shipyard to bring it back to perfection.”

The boat, which was built for Harry See of See’s Candies, had a $5,000 penalty for not reaching 21 knots on sea trials in 1964. But, says Marshall, “what’s neat is that 55 years later, the boat exceeds 21 knots,” thanks in part to new, lighter engines installed in 2003. Loophole was not involved with Zest . “That one was built by Vic Franck” in Seattle. “It’s a time capsule because it had two owners since 1964,” says Marshall. “It still has the original, working blender in the cupboard.”

There is a third boat in the works, thanks to the pandemic. “So this year [Loophole] called me and said ‘I can’t go south this year, I need a project.’ And that’s how Monkey Girl was born.” Monkey Girl will be an electrically powered 4.8 metre speedboat in mahogany, based on a 1935 design, and powered with a Nissan Leaf motor and Nissan batteries. She should be ready by May.

“I found out I really love the refit process and it’s a terrible investment, you have to control it tightly,” Marshall says. “But it’s really satisfying.”

Guillaume Rolland

Studio: Liaigre Known for yachts such as Cloudbreak , Vertigo , Letani Owns: Peter Duck Mallard

Guillaume Rolland, head of the yachting division of Christian Liaigre, has sailed since the age of 10 in Brittany and is a bit addicted to boats. “I am very sick,” he says with a laugh. “I have a classic by Laurent Giles, an iconic British boat known as Peter Duck.”

It is a latter model in a series based on Giles’ original pre-war design for the author of Swallows and Amazons , Arthur Ransome. Rolland found Mallard , a well maintained 1969 Peter Duck motorsailer, in Plymouth a couple of years ago and sailed it to Brittany. “It has the charm of wooden boats, it does not go fast, it’s heavy but well adapted to the kind of sailing we do here,” he says. It was designed to cruise bays and estuaries, so if it touches a muddy bottom, it’s okay. “Among classics, it was one of the few that ticked all my boxes,” he says. “I think each boat has a particular use. This one is a family boat, easy-going. When you go out with the family, you want something comfortable and safe.”

For a bit more of an adrenaline rush, he enjoys the use of a family-owned Dragon. “It’s a rare piece built by Borresen in Denmark, one of the most important builders of historic dragon boats,” he says. “It’s an excellent boat, easy, sure and very competitive.”

As a member of one of Paris’s historic yacht clubs, Rolland also takes part in regattas on the River Seine. He sails a Star, a keelboat for two people that had its own class in the Olympics until 2012, and a mini 12m JI, designed for hands-free sailing.

Although he loves sailing, he doesn’t exclude owning a motor yacht someday. “There are beautiful wooden classics. I would love to have a Little Ships, seaworthy, simple, fast, a boat that gets you to where you are going fast, in time for the aperitif,” he says. Even when he works at his desk, he gets inspired by the sea. “That’s why I create so many curved forms and small niches to hold things like a iPad. Even on a motor yacht, it is important; the sea is unpredictable.” He’d like to have more time to maintain his boats, do varnishes and the like, and ultimately to have a boathouse near his home. “For this,” he says with a laugh, “I need to design more yachts.”

This feature is taken from the May 2021 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.