The intriguing refit of Kaori reveals that change is a good thing. Kelly

The intriguing refit of Kaori
reveals that change is
a good thing. Kelly
Sanford tells her story
from past to present.
Before photos by
Guy Gurney;
after shots by
Dana Jinkins.
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Originally launched in 1992 as Mandalay, the stately
125ft Palmer Johnson ketch was commissioned by publishing
giant Nelson Doubleday. Built in Palmer Johnson’s Sturgeon
Bay, Wisconsin yard and designed by naval architect Chuck
Paine, the vessel received a prestigious design award in the
year of her launch. In the years to follow, while still under the
ownership of Doubleday, she remained a very high-profile
yacht. As Mandalay, the boat attended several America’s Cup
competitions as a committee yacht or other executive post,
and she is considered one of the founding yachts for both the
Nantucket Bucket and St. Barth’s Bucket.
In 2000, Andrew Farkas, a real estate developer from New
York City, purchased Mandalay. At that time, she underwent
her first refit at McMullen & Wing in New Zealand. Changing
the vessel’s name from Mandalay to Kaori (a Japanese name
meaning “fragrant breeze”), Farkas owned the Palmer
Johnson until the current owners purchased the aluminum-hulled beauty in the spring of 2005.
After having made an exhaustive search for the right boat, the current owners took one look at Kaori’s classic
lines and voluminous interior and realized their search was over. Though they had never owned a yacht (or sailboat, for that matter) before, they had a very clear idea of the perfect vessel for their needs.
With Captain Johan Raubenheimer at the helm, Kaori then spent several months in the Mediterranean before
relocating to the Caribbean for the 05/06 winter season. The owners were able to spend ample time aboard their
boat cruising in the Grenadines and Barbados. During their visits, they came up with a list of changes and improve-
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AFTER>>>>
ments that would make the boat their own. In the spring of
2006, the vessel arrived at the Rybovich Boat Yard in West
Palm Beach, Florida. “Basically,” says Captain Johan
Raubenheimer, “we arrived with a list of about 400 items to be
addressed during the refit, and obviously this list grew as the
refit got underway.”
Major items for maintenance and repair included removing,
rebuilding and reinstalling both Caterpillar 3406 engines and
the generators. The watermaker required a total rebuild. Every
pump on board the boat was removed and inspected, then
either rebuilt or replaced. The shorepower system would have
to be replaced and upgraded. The freshwater tanks were
discovered to have significant pitting, so they would have to
be removed for new bottom plating and epoxy, a project
which would require cutting a 5ft x 8ft hole in both sides of
the hull. It was decided to replace the old 15-ton A/C system
with an 18-ton system, which would mean all new components with the exception of the air handlers.
New refrigeration units were needed, including compressors for the various custom refrigerated spaces,
which were part of the boat’s original design. All facets of the vessel’s rigging were beginning to show
wear and needed serious evaluation.
Though the boat’s lines were perhaps the supreme factor in the owners’ decision to buy the boat, the
excessive exposure on the aft deck left them wanting a source of shade for the cockpit area. Realizing
that a canvas addition would interrupt the lines they liked so much, Paine was once again commissioned
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to design a coach house roof extension. The owners and
captain worked closely with Paine to design an elegant extension that would take advantage of unique storage opportunities. Ceiling panels were designed to hinge from invisible
magnetic latches inside the roof that would house the boat’s
fishing gear overhead and out of sight.
The sheer scope of the maintenance items and structural
changes meant a complete paint job as well. Though she was
originally launched with a white hull, she was painted flag blue
by Farkas, and the current owners would opt to keep her that
way making one minor change in their decision; paint the boot
stripe red.
The owners also wanted to completely refurbish the yacht’s
interior. New appliances were ordered including a new stove,
which for the first time on this yacht, would be gimballed.
Plans were made for a complete soft goods refit, which
included re-upholstering the interior furnishings, redoing the headliners and exterior cushions, and changing the
carpeting, curtains and bedding. Aging brass fixtures would be removed and sent to R&H Plating in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida to be gilded in 24-karat gold. The crew would be charged with marking every imperfection in
the interior varnish. Finish Masters, a Coral Springs, Florida company, would then meticulously restore the interior woodwork to perfect condition.
Knowing the yard period was going to be significant, it was then conceded that the yacht should emerge with
every system completely upgraded with state-of-the-art capabilities. This decision meant they would rebuild both
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aft steering stations and incorporate a CAT 5-wire mobile
helm with complete control from various cable ports about
the deck via a centralized computer. All new electronics would
be installed in the wheelhouse, including the addition of a
secondary radar. The entire wheelhouse instrument panel and
engine room diagnostics panels were then redesigned with the
corresponding system upgrades. The audio/visual equipment
would be switched to a Kaleidescape digitized system offering
autonomous control from any receiver on board.
Not only were systems changes on the docket for the 15year old schooner, but with plans to continue to sail in the St.
Barth’s and Newport Buckets, she was also slated to take
advantage of every available performance upgrade. The
comprehensive plan included replacing all of the running and
standing rigging, the masts, the booms and the sails.
This substantial list of labor-intensive projects would leave
many resigned to a yard period lasting a year or more. But the ambitious owners and dedicated crew
were committed to making the entire refit occur in less than a year. In fact, the original goal was to have
the boat ready to splash in 6.5 months. Unforeseen delays caused the refit to last through January for a
total of 10 months, which may have been almost 50% longer than expected, but nonetheless, an
impressive accomplishment. Raubenheimer, having years of experience in managing similar projects,
was able to orchestrate a team of extremely qualified subcontractors, many of whom performed beyond
the captain’s own lofty expectations.
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KAORI
While still down island, Raubenheimer
retained the services of Ocean Yacht Service
(now called Global Rigging Service) to manage
the rigging projects. OYS received a competitive
bid from Offshore Spars to build the carbon
fiber masts that would replace the antiquated
aluminum masts. Representatives from Offshore
Spars USA flew down to meet Kaori in St.
Marten. After taking careful measurements, they
then returned to Detroit, Michigan where the
masts would be fabricated. Likewise, Martin
Spars, using only detailed measurements
provided by OYS, built both in-boom furling
booms in their New Zealand facility. The standing rigging was all done by Global BSI in
Denmark, and all new running rigging was done
by Dyneema and Vectran (Offshore Spars
Finland). This was to be a yard period with global
contributions from the industry’s best. As the
rigging components were completed, large trucks
delivered them to the shipyard where, regardless
of having been built in another state, country and
hemisphere, everything connected perfectly.
Bob Billings with Automation & Control
Concepts of Easton, MD, managed the upgrades
for the computer-controlled electro/hydraulic
operating systems on board. Billings was a
member of the original design team for
Mandalay, and under his direction, central
computers and the associated programming were
completely reworked with state-of-the-art capabilities. The innovative system controls the
hydraulics that operate all the yacht’s systems
including sailing, the bow thruster, passerelle, etc.
With the newly fitted CAT-5 wiring, computer
signals now operate these systems from numerous stations on board with a remote helm that
one might mistake for a video game control.
The captain and crew consistently set the pace
of the refit. Working as much as 16 to 18 hours
per day, often for weeks straight, the crew was
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LOA: 125ft (38m)
LWL: 107ft (33m)
Beam: 28.5ft (8m)
Draft: 18ft (5.5m)
Displacement: 179 tons
Rig type: Schooner
Mast and boom: Offshore
Spars USA Masts; leisure furl,
Marten Spars NZ Booms
Sail areas: Main sail 1,862sqft;
foremain 2,454sqft; jib 2,239sqft;
staysail 786sqft; MPS 5,963sqft;
main staysail 3,197sqft
Sailmaker: Jib & staysail,
Elvstrom; main & foremain, Doyle
Furling Systems; Jib & staysail,
Reckman; main & foremain
in-boom, Marten Spars
Winches: Deck winches,
Harken; captive winches,
Seaway Powell
Engines: 2 x Caterpillar 3406B
Propellers: Hundestad
Speed (max/cruise):
13.6/11 knots
Fuel capacity: 5,750 gallons;
Alfa Laval Fuel Purification System
Range @ 11 knots: 2,900
(motoring only)
Bow thruster: Not Available
Stabilizers: N/A
Generators: Northern Lights
65kW & Northern Lights 40kW
Watermakers: Watermakers,
Inc; 180 gallons per hour
Freshwater capacity:
2,750 gallons
Grey/black water:
1,000 gallons each
Sewage system: Hamann
Fire-control system: Halon
Security systems: Not Available
Monitoring system:
Ship Guard Vessel and
Information System
Air-conditioning:
MarineAir 18 tons total
Communication/navigation
electronics: CAT 5
Communication system for
hydraulic function control; 6
remote stations where all sailing
operations can be operated
Entertainment systems:
Kaleidescape; full WiFi
throughout
Owner and guests: 8
Crew: 7
committed to expediting the process. The
second stew was trained to remove the cabin
A/C units so each could be serviced and was also
delegated to crawl the length of the hydraulic
system regularly to check for leaks and to ensure
that paintwork was done to perfection. Hired as
a deckhand only months before the refit, 23year-old Ron Ozeri thrived in the yard environment and earned a rapid promotion to engineer.
Says Raubenheimer, “Without the total dedication and hard work by the crew, the refit would
have taken even longer.” However, such high
demands will often take its toll on a crew, and the
consequence was a near total turnover of the
crew during the refit.
As taxing as the project may have been, the
payoff is clear. With fresh paint, refinished decks
and immaculate brightwork throughout, Kaori
has re-emerged as a contemporary classic. She
retains all of her timeless elegance yet now has
the advantages of the industry’s most advanced
Tender: 18ft Novurania
Tender launching system:
Custom boom on foredeck
Passerelle:
Custom hydraulic boarding
platform and steps
Paint: Awlgrip
Construction: Aluminum
Classification: N/A
Yacht management:
International Yacht Collection
Naval architecture:
Ernie Brierley/Chuck Paine
Exterior styling:
Ernie Brierley/Chuck Paine
Interior design: Jane PlachterVogel (original design)/Karen
Lynn Interiors
Broker: Bob McKeage,
International Yacht Collection
Price guide: N/A
Charter: N/A
Charter rates: N/A
Original Builder/Year:
Palmer Johnson/1991
Refit Yard/Year:
Rybovich Boat Yard/2006
Tel: (561) 844-1800
www.rybovich.com
technology and modern conveniences. After
rebuilding the engines, the vessel gained half a
knot under power. According to the captain, the
new rig decreased deck weight by 40% but
improved in rigidity 100%. Sail area was also
increased by 20% and Kaori has gained a knot
under sail. This was further demonstrated after
she left the Rybovich yard and headed for St.
Barth’s, where she performed beautifully, taking
home the Overall Winner prize at the Bucket.
Ask anyone who sails about their favorite destination, and they will tell you that sailing is the
destination. Now that Kaori has been completely
renovated, the new owners have finally reached
their mark. With a deeply rooted affinity for the
classic Palmer Johnson, the owners spared no
expense in personalizing their dream yacht. Kaori
is once again pristine and completely modernized
with every conceivable amelioration, which will
no doubt renew her reputation as a superyacht for
decades to come.
o