play hard - Royal Huisman

The year’s top yachts
World Superyacht Award winners
Breaking the Mold
Vicem’s Vulcan series
debuts at 151 feet
Work
hard
play
hard
This season’s
hottest
+
tenders
and toys
Plus the
motherships
to carry them
Glass Palace
VSY’s radical 237'
Stella Maris
PHOTO BY Tom Nitsch
There is a smartness to Pumula that goes far
PUMULA
beyond her navy blue topsides and varnished deckhouses.
The brilliance of the plan, which takes some time to
reveal, lies in the confidence of taking a classic sheer, a
short waterline and long overhangs and incorporating
them into a modern sailing yacht suited not for the
masses but for a pair of dreamers with a globe to explore.
The team charged with creating their dream sailing
yacht is certainly among the most experienced: Builder
Royal Huisman, naval architect Gerard Dykstra, designers Jonathan Rhoades and Dick Young and project
manager Jens Cornelsen. Their confidence in delivering
the mechanics of a sound sailing yacht undoubtedly
provided the freedom to improvise and explore the lifestyle options that resulted in a unique and cozy interior.
The design brief began with the phrase “gentleman’s
yacht.” Like the term “country kitchen,” it is a phrase
open to interpretation. In these owners’ interpretation,
it meant romance with features a gentleman might
admire. Dykstra Naval Architects is no novice at drawing
boats that emulate the past, but in this yacht the goal
was to combine a sense of the past with the sensibility
of the present. Modern conveniences would be designed
in rather than accommodated later and the directive to
go around the world rather than around a racecourse
would be, well, prime.
“There are a few places, such as deck stowage and the
ceiling height in the engine room that give us some challenges, but as the owner says, we must sacrifice some
for beauty,” says Pumula’s captain, Michael van Bregt.
“There are no sacrifices when it comes to the sailing gear
and her performance; in twelve months we have covered
twelve thousand nautical miles.” Not necessarily easy
miles either, as the first trip was to Spitsbergen, Norway,
where the crew was advised to rent rifles to ward off any
marauding polar bears.
The owners, a European family with ties to South
Africa, are not lifelong sailors or racers, but now with
the time and means to travel, they wanted to do it at
their pace and aboard their own sailing yacht, not only
for the beauty of the mode of transportation but also to
We go behind the wheel to learn the logic behind the
Sailing Yacht of the Year.
text by Marilyn Mower photography by Cory Silken
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ohana || 163' fitzroy yachts
In Pumula’s owners’ interpretation, a “gentleman’s
yacht” meant romance with features that a
gentleman would admire.
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be more in touch with their surroundings. When they
conceived the project, they called the yacht Bugamena,
a Zulu word that translates loosely into “we are large,”
or “we are great.” During the time span of building their
boat and planning its usage, however, they became
somewhat humbled by the globe’s distances. Thinking
about the yacht as a small, self-contained sliver on a
big sea, a tiny tranquil world within a very large one,
they changed the name to Pumula, which, also in Zulu,
means “peace and rest.” That evidence of humbleness
is in perfect accord with the yacht’s décor and ambiance. The package presents such a reasoned, harmonious whole that the 2013 World Superyacht Awards
judges selected Pumula as not only the best of her category but also as the year’s best sailing yacht.
In April, Royal Huisman arranged to make Pumula
available for a test sail off Palm Beach, Florida, where
the yacht would be hauled out for the first time since her
launch. A steady breeze of 15 knots provided perfect
conditions for this cutter to set her full jib and mainsail.
Pumula has a reacher on a PBO furling luff, but Captain
van Bregt says it is rarely used. “We are basically a ‘white
sails’ boat, and the reacher, designed to sail in thirty to
sixty degrees apparent wind angle, spends most of its
time coiled up under the tender.” One of the reasons is
because Pumula sails with just four crew.
“With four crew and a one hundred twenty-two-foot
boat, the crew have to be multitaskers,” says Royal Husiman’s U.S. representative Michael Koppstein. “At the
owners’ request, the boat is set up to be simple to sail.
The systems are robust and there aren’t unnecessary
complexities designed into it.” In fact, the only tricky kit
is the fully ballasted lifting keel. A lifting bulb keel on
a boat not intended to race might seem incongruous,
but it became an essential part of the package once the
yacht’s cruising plans were taken into account. Access
to atolls in French Polynesia requires shoal draft and,
despite the bromide that a gentleman never sails to
windward, ambitious destinations require a keel with
sufficient depth to provide traction for upwind sailing.
Fully deployed, the keel dips to 16 feet, five inches; when
up, the draft of nine feet, 10 inches, while not exactly
Florida-friendly, allowed admission to the area
surrounding the Port of Palm Beach.
“On deck we sought simplicity and a sense of authenticity,” Dykstra says. “To meet this objective, this yacht
could only have a central wheel, so careful attention had
to be given to sightlines. For short-handed sailing, the
sail controls had to be close at hand for the helmsman,
but not obviously so. This philosophy informed every
aspect of our design.” In fact, the controls and monitors,
some of them recessed in the sole, don’t interfere with
the cockpit lifestyle in the least. Two large monitors, one
for the chartplotter and the other for ship monitoring,
also drop out of sight when not in use.
The 48-inch diameter wheel and cable steering give
feedback and sufficient torque. While it is true that I could
not see the jib telltales from the wheel, there were sufficient gauges to tell me how close I was to optimal trim
while heading out into the Gulf Stream. The crew also
has the option of training one of the mast cameras on
the jib and checking the picture on a monitor near the
helm. However, this is a sailor’s boat and one in tune with
the physics and feel of sailing. Pumula quickly lets you
know if you are wandering from the course.
On deck, the combing and its gleaming cap rail is suitably high to keep things and people from going overboard
and the cockpit feels very secure and dry. A wind/spray
screen zips into the rigid bimini structure to counteract
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In line with the vintage
theme, Rhoades Young
sourced wood with imperfections and finished it
in an unusual process
involving natural materials that the designers call
their secret recipe. Other
elements add to the old
world charm, such as the
traveling trunks-style side
tables in the master stateroom (top) and in the twin
guest staterooms (top left).
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pumula || 122' Royal Huisman Shipyard
the cabin trunk’s low profile.
Pumula’s sense of the past and a sensibility of the
present allowed Rhoades Young to modernize the interpretation of a “gentleman’s yacht” and to reject mahogany for lighter, more modern choices. “It was refreshing,”
says Rhoades. “Our challenge was to integrate the
required accommodation into the ninety-foot waterline
of a very fine performance hull with low freeboards.
This led to an extremely efficient layout with maximum
integration of services and build.”
Part of that efficient layout comes from the fact that
Pumula’s owners don’t stand on formality. “We introduced
numerous design details that express the individuality
and involvement of very hands-on owners, including a
lower salon that opens to the galley so that the owners
can enjoy being with the crew and be an integral part of
running the yacht,” Rhoades says.
From the deck salon, stairs are offset to starboard to
bypass the keel trunk, and curve down to a starboardside sitting area, its opposite area on port being divided
between a guest or extra crew cabin and part of the galley.
The angled passage to the cabin accommodates two stools
that tuck under a pewter counter. While the counter
seems not much wider that the width of a plate, at the
pumula || 122' Royal Huisman Shipyard
push of a button, the fire-rated wall separating salon and
galley drops out of sight allowing plenty of room to line
up all the plates for meal service at the deck salon’s dining
table a few steps up.
Every single nook and cranny between the yacht’s
frames, deckhead and sole has been utilized for storage
with custom refrigeration allowing deep cold storage. In
fact, “net space analysis” between the naval architect,
systems engineers and the interior designers was a
constant during the build. The galley connects to the
comfortable and well-lit crew mess on starboard.
Forward, the crew quarters are optimized for a couple
in the captain’s cabin and with bunk beds in the crew
cabin. Unlike some traditional boats, Pumula has actual
stairs leading to the forward doghouse.
The boat’s interior features white painted walls and
overheads that mimic the hull structure. Rhoades Young
homed in on oak for the joinery and furniture­­—which
was all made in house by the builder. Oak, a traditional
sailing yacht wood, is having a renaissance in yacht
interiors. The goal became to finish the wood in keeping
with the yacht’s vintage profile. “Making new wood look
old took a lot of research, guesswork and trial and error,”
Rhoades says.
“Throughout the project the watchword was ‘understatement.’ The owners were
unwavering in their desire for an understated home on the sea—an old friend,
somewhere to relax, a yacht with an old soul.” – DESIGNER DICK YOUNG
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As Pumula is to only serve
in private use, the designers were able to create an
efficient layout that met the
owners’ needs. The galley
(top right) and lower salon
(lower left) are integrated
with the push of a button
and are only steps from
the dining area (left).
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Working with the yard’s cabinetry department, they
sought out wood with uneven grain and knots. One of
the highlights is the flooring made of wide, uneven and
smooth planks that look like they were hewn with an
adze and worn smooth over decades of wear. The beeswax
surface, a natural non-skid, glows and is soft to the toes.
“We didn’t want all of the wood to be the same color; the
floors are darker, for example, and the built-in joinery is
not given a filled finish. To make it look as if it has been
around a while, we tried all sorts of techniques, soaking
the wood in tea, rubbing honey into the grain. The
beeswax is just the top coat,” Rhoades says.
Another element of period charm is the use of luggage
details on bedside tables in the two twin guest cabins and
master stateroom aft of the deck salon. It’s just enough
detail for individuality and not so much that it becomes
cliché—colorful modern art and-up-to-the minute LED
light fixtures see to that.
The bi-level master suite includes a portion open to the
owner’s deckhouse and cockpit aft. This upper level, with
its 360-degree views features a nap-worthy sofa opposite
a desk with hidden electronic components. The lower level
features a large bed on centerline, flanked by lots of
stowage and two couches that would make excellent sea
berths during long tacks. Not much space is wasted on the
bathroom, which has a shower instead of a tub.
With Pumula’s graceful sheer and upswept stern,
water access might be an issue, one that Royal Huisman
solved by making a fold-out hull platform near the
waterline linked to the main deck by articulating carbon
fiber stairs. “At the beginning, we thought it was going
to be very complicated and we were very cautious,”
Captain van Bregt says. “We had all these ropes around
it and pads protecting the paint. I think it took us forty
minutes. Now we just hook it up to a halyard, swing it
over the side, hook it on and let it deploy. Then one of
the crew climbs down, opens the hull platform, attaches
the swim step and that’s it! It’s a very simple solution
and just right for this boat.”
There are a lot of things that are just right for this
boat, which no doubt led to its awards. She has all the
things a sailing yacht needs including plenty of handholds and furniture with rounded corners. This is a yacht
for seeing the world, not for being tied to a dock in a
chic port. Just right, indeed.
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pumula || 122' Royal Huisman Shipyard
helm: A single helm with two pop-up screens for the chartplotter
Rig: A cutter rig makes it easy to shorten sail and narrow deckhouses
allow inboard sheeting so Pumula can sail well in 30° apparent wind.
and ship monitoring keep in line with the ethos of simplicity.
AS SEEN IN
remote sailing: With only four crew, it’s all about multitasking.
During mainsail hoist and drop, the helm can be controlled remotely.
convertible cabin: The guest cabin just aft of the galley
also could be used by extra crew taken on for long-haul passages.
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Light & bright: The deck salon features drop-down windows
Builder: Royal Huisman Shipyard
Flevoweg 1
P.O. Box 23, 8325 ZG
Vollenhove, The Netherlands
Tel: +31 527 24 3131
U.S. contact: (207) 646-9504
www.royalhuisman.com
LOA: 122' 6" (37.3m)
LWL: 90' 1" (27.5m)
Beam: 24' 6" (7.5m)
Draft (keel up/down):
9' 10" (3m)/16' 5" (5m)
Displacement: 264,550 lbs
Rig: Classic cutter
Mast and boom: Rondal carbon
fiber mast and furling boom
Sail area (upwind):
8,407 square feet
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Keel: A fully ballasted lifting keel with sufficient depth to provide
traction for upwind sailing was necessary for ambitious destinations.
and overhead deck hatches for plenty of light.
Specifications:
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Sails: North Sails
Winches: Rondal reel winches,
Lewmar drum winches
Power: 1 x 450-hp Scanla DI 12 62M
Speed under power
(max/cruise): 12.7/9 knots
Fuel capacity: 1,823 U.S. gallons
Thrusters: Hundested
bow and stern thrusters
Generators: 2 x 40kW
Kohler 40 EFOZD
Freshwater capacity: 1,248 U.S. gals
Owner & guests/crew: 8/4
Tender: Novurania MX430
Construction: “Alustar” aluminum
Classification: Lloyd’s  100A1,
SSC, Yacht, Mono, G6,  LMC
and UMS, MCA compliant
Naval architecture:
Dykstra Naval Architects
Interior design:
Rhoades Young Design
Owner’s project manager:
Jens Cornelsen Yacht Consultant
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