Royal Huisman`s Pumula is a fully modern build with a tip of the

OLD
WORLD
Meets
NEW
Royal Huisman’s Pumula is a fully
modern build with a tip of the
fedora to the Gilded Age.
BY JILL BOBROW
C.K. DEXTER HAVEN: “Yes, yes. She
was quite a boat, the True Love, wasn’t she?”
TRACY LORD: “Was,
DEXTER: “My,
and is.”
she was yar.”
—CARY GRANT AND KATHERINE HEPBURN IN “THE PHILADELPHIA STORY”
“Y
ar: Easy to handle and moves along smoothly.” This witty
archaic word to describe a “proper yacht” in “The Philadelphia
Story”—the memorable Hollywood film from 1940—is a
fitting one-word designation for the 123-foot (37.3-meter) cutterrigged sloop Pumula from Royal Huisman. She sails well and is perfectly
proportioned with impeccable sheer, long overhangs, teak decks and
teak-clad deckhouses. Pumula is as blueblood, mainline and patrician as
the character Katherine Hepburn portrayed in the classic film. In fact,
Pumula’s owners’ build-and-design brief specified “a true sailor’s yacht,
one that looked right and sailed right.” The owners had the perspicacity
to hire just the lineup to give them what they wanted: Royal Huisman,
with an outstanding pedigree that exceeds 125 years of shipbuilding, is
certainly one of the finest sailing-yacht builders in the world. Dykstra
Naval Architects enjoys world acclaim and, among other attributes, has
a reputation for melding classic design with modern technology. And,
in combination with veteran owner’s rep Jens Cornelsen as project
manager, and Rhoades Young Design for the interior, the dream team
was complete. The result is a sailing yacht without compromise.
Pumula is a true ’round-the-world vessel; no Caribbean-to-Med
boomerang circuit for this boat was ever intended. Strictly private and
68 | OCTOBER 2013
not available for charter, the owners logged more than 12,000 miles
her first year. The captain has great tales of spotting polar bears in
Spitsbergen and formidable fjord travel in Norway. Dykstra designed the
underbody of the boat with a fully ballasted and retractable bulb keel
that extends to 16 feet 5 inches (5 meters) for maximum windward
traction and lifts to just under 10 feet (3 meters) for access to shoal
draft anchorages. Her aluminum rudder is configured as a deep semispade. She is massively strong, and while the captain navigated around—
and not through—ice floes, he was not overly concerned about Pumula
being capable of handling the far northern climate or conditions.
After her more adventurous cruising, Pumula sailed to the Caribbean
and then up to Florida. I caught up with the boat and crew in Palm
TYPE:
Cutter
LOA: 122ft. 6in. (
37.33m)
BEAM: 24ft. 6in. (7.48m)
DRAFT: keel
up: 9ft. 10in. (3m)
keel down: 16ft. 5in. (5m)
HULL SPEED: 12.53 knots
BUILDER: Royal Huisman
DESIGNER: Dykstra Naval Architects
INTERIOR DESIGNER: Rhoades Young
YEAR DELIVERED: 2012
Beach. Too often, a yachting journalist is relegated to viewing a yacht
when it is dockside. However, a sailing yacht must be experienced at
sea to be fully appreciated. I was fortunate enough to spend a day
with Royal Huisman’s Mike Koppstein and Jurjen van ‘t Verlaat and
the captain and crew of Pumula doing what the yacht was meant
to do—sail. Pumula sports a traditional single helm, and since I was
encouraged to try her out, I can attest to the boat being balanced
and easy to handle. Plus, there is no visual intrusion of screens and
monitors around the helm, as they were designed to be discreet until
desired. I was also impressed by the good visibility over the main
deckhouse, which was kept purposely low. The owners intend to travel extensively with family and friends.
Seeking simplicity, they did not want a megayacht that required a ton of
crew and a plethora of technical equipment. The large sail plan of 8,439
square feet (784 square meters) is designed to ensure good light-air
performance. And the boat can be sailed effortlessly by two people,
thanks to sail-management systems that include captive winches for the
mainsheet and halyard, hydraulic boom furling and furling headsails. The
boat truly is responsive in light or heavy air. We moved comfortably
along at 10 knots in fairly light air.
The boat runs effectively with a small crew of four. Captain Michael van
Bregt and his wife, Charlotte—who is also a sailing master, chef, chief
stew, purser and sometimes varnisher—joined us for a breakfast briefing
before the sail. The couple has been with the owners since the build of
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this yacht. They explained that when the owners started the build
project, they had a thick file folder of clippings—other boats they
admired as well as articles on potential places to visit. The Van Bregts
and the owners often have open chats about where Pumula should
cruise over the next five or 10 years. Prior to Pumula, the owners
had a 72-foot (21.9-meter) Jongert, which whet their appetite for
sailing, but also informed their decisions on what they wanted with
their custom-built yacht. For instance they wanted to be closer to the
water and to actually feel the trim of a sail. Having a classic design with
low freeboard and nearly flush decks gives them that immediacy to
the water, and the carbon rig, sail power and underbody configuration
help yield the performance they were seeking.
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 67
Consistent with the high regard for sun protection in the southern
hemisphere’s thinned-out ozone layer, Encore is fitted with hard
biminis that shade the large cockpit lounge and two steering stations.
Despite the boat getting commissioned with technicians crawling all
over and Alloy’s brass assembled on board to supervise the process,
there was enough indication of what the atmosphere might feel like
once it is fully furnished and decorated to the owner’s liking. “New
York gentleman’s club” is what his wife called the décor, keeping with
the traditional theme. Darker surfaces of walnut interspersed with
ash and teak dominate with granite and marble installed in high-use
areas. There are four luxurious staterooms with ensuite heads for a
total of 10 guests and three crew cabins fitted with bunks and heads.
Encore had been handed over to her owner’s representative Jono
Wishart on June 18, but she was still docked in that famous spot in
Viaduct Basin to be provisioned, fitted and furnished for her first journey.
Back up on the Sky Tower, Encore’s silhouette, which reflects a
return to traditional and commonsense styling, was blurred by the
distance. Still, it was quite clear that this boat is a departure from the
overwhelmingly masculine mien of Vertigo that was launched by Alloy
in 2011 and won a treasure trove of awards.
During the return to the accustomed street level, personal ver tigo
was already a distant memory as the brain stopped panicking and
star ted asking legitimate questions again—not just about the point
70 | OCTOBER 2013
The interior accommodation includes an owner’s suite with its
own deckhouse/study and private cockpit, two guest cabins aft, one
forward cabin, a large bright galley and two crew cabins, also forward.
The common areas comprise a lower salon and bar, raised-deckhouse
dining and an ample main cockpit, also used for dining. While there
is plenty of exquisite wood finish, much of the interior paneling is
painted white, reminiscent of the classic Herreshoff tradition. The
gentleman’s yacht theme is ever present with the exception that
the overall effect is not dark and heavy. Noteworthy is the slightly
distressed-looking light-oak cabin sole that has a waxed finish, which
provides a sense of lived-in comfort. There are many singular touches
such as the saddle-stitched-leather bedside tables reminiscent of
luggage from the Gilded Age and the storybook quality of the décor.
Pumula will be creating her own storybook over the years as she
continues on her journey. According to Van Bregt, the owners treat
the crew with respect and, likewise, the crew enjoys a very friendly
interaction with the owners. “If the weather is not suitable to go
somewhere, we don’t go, “ Van Bregt says. The owners also are aware
of what it takes to keep the boat well maintained and looking spiffy.
While the owners enjoy their time on board, they are mindful of a
program that includes maintenance and varnishing. From my point of
view, she was quite the boat…was and is very yar. ■
For more information: royalhuisman.com
of being up there, but also about Encore and how she might fare in
the various contests on the water and in the prestigious superyacht
awards. Will jurors look kindly upon her flir tation with the past
and all the pretty and practical details that has wrought? One sure
would hope so. ■
For more information: alloyyachts.co.nz