Malcolm Mckeon delights in the chance to race his own design Baltic 110 Zemi at the St Barths Bucket. Sam Fortescue reportsSailors make a beeline for the tiny Caribbean island of St Barth every March to join one of the most hotly anticipated events in the superyacht racing calendar. The Bucket Regatta is legendary for its sailing and socialising, but imagine taking part on a boat you\u2019d actually drawn yourself. Well, for the renowned yacht designer Malcolm Mckeon, this is no mere fantasy.
\n\u201cI think I\u2019ve been going to the Bucket Regatta for almost 20 years,\u201d he told us. \u201cSailing conditions are ideal for racing superyachts with interesting courses around the outlying islands. For most of those Buckets, I\u2019ve had the pleasure to race on yachts I designed. I\u2019m quite often invited on the newly launched yachts as I\u2019ve already built up a relationship with the client.\u201d
\nThis year was no exception, as Mckeon was invited back by the proud new owner of 110ft Zemi, delivered by Baltic Yachts late last summer. It was only the second outing on the racecourse for a high-performance bluewater cruiser that Mckeon had conceived with a marked turn of speed and a full carbon fibre layup. And like many of the big yachts on the Caribbean circuit, she\u2019d participated in the Superyacht Challenge in Antigua just one week earlier.
\n\u201cI\u2019d have already been aboard for the final sail trials \u2013 so it\u2019s not as if I haven\u2019t been on the boat before,\u201d says Mckeon. \u201cJoining a client aboard their yacht after delivery is more a social thing, really. But it\u2019s nice to see how the boats compete on the racetrack and how well they are sailed.
\nfully powered up on a reaching leg. The Bucket is a prime chance to see what new superyachts are capable of when pushed in tradewinds. Photo: Michael Kurtz
\n\u201cYou certainly get a much better feel for how the boat performs than on sail trials \u2013 I suppose the sail trials are more about making sure that, within reason, the boat performs as per the design and as intended. But once you start racing, it\u2019s more about fine-tuning performance.\u201d
\nMckeon was more of a guest than a member of the race crew, invited, he says, to advise and accompany an owner who is himself an experienced sailor. \u201cI tend to avoid getting involved in any manoeuvres nowadays,\u201d the designer says. \u201cI used to run forward and help get the kite down, but I feel I\u2019m getting in the way now \u2013 these guys are so much bigger and stronger! But if I see something that\u2019s snagged or a line that needs coiling, of course I\u2019ll help.\u201d
\nGetting involved
\nBut that didn\u2019t mean he was sitting quietly among Zemi\u2019s afterguard sipping tea. In fact, Mckeon admits he found it hard not to speak up at times.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t want to get involved with questioning the boat or the navigators and how they\u2019re choosing to sail the boat tactically. You don\u2019t want to step on their toes. But certainly, with regards to how the boat is being sailed in terms of sail trim and weight, moving the weight around on the boat, and even the more technical aspect of rudder angles, heel angles, etc, it\u2019s hard not to comment. I only want to help \u2013 everyone has their own way and method!\u201d
\nMckeon was quite clear that the mainsail could be trimmed in a way that better suited Zemi\u2019s design. And he improved the fore-and-aft trim of the boat by placing the crew in optimum locations according to the weather conditions. Whether his advice made the difference or not, at her Antigua debut, Zemi came 3rd of three in her class, while at St Barth, she was 3rd out of five.
\nMalcolm Mckeon at the helm of Zemi, a yacht from his own drawing board.
\n\u201cThe boat performed as expected and I was happy with the result \u2013 we came in behind the two J-Class yachts and ahead of the two other 34m to 35m modern sloops,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t think we could have done any better, really, against the boats in our class. We also received a lot of comments about the elegant look of the boat and how well she sailed. To me that\u2019s always important.\u201d
\nZemi sets a prodigious quantity of sail: 360m2 for the pinhead main, 276m2 for the blade jib \u2013 both in North Sails moulded 3Di composite \u2013 and an epic 1,110m2 for the big A2 gennaker. Set against that is the righting moment from a 28-tonne telescopic keel that can extend the draught to 5.8m. In sea trials last year, the yacht achieved sailing speeds in excess of 25 knots \u2013 pretty hair-raising for a monohull. But despite her highly technical lay-up in carbon composite, Mckeon says the brief was always for a cruising boat.
\nCruising first
\n\u201cWhile the owner wanted to partake in regattas, racing was never the priority,\u201d he says. \u201cThe intention was to cruise for three years or so and join some regattas after that. Thinking ahead, however, the boat has been designed to carry a square-top main and bigger sails for racing. Their entry into the Antigua Superyacht Challenge was a bit of a last-minute decision, but they enjoyed it so much that they decided to join the Bucket too.
\n\u201cWith regatta participation, you push the boat a little bit more than you would do when you\u2019re cruising, so actually I think it\u2019s really good for the crew to have had the opportunity to test the boat in this way \u2013 to do something like this, ahead of a world cruise, can be a big confidence builder, both with regard to their ability and the boat\u2019s. When Zemi returns to regatta competition, with racing sails, I expect to see even better performance.\u201d
\nAnd rest! The more elegant and inviting cruising mode of Zemi at anchor
\nThis year\u2019s Bucket saw optimum weather conditions for the big boats, Mckeon says. \u201cAt previous Buckets I\u2019ve raced in, it\u2019s got quite windy at times, quite gusty and with a lumpy sea. But this year was perfect \u2013 12 to 16 knots, which is ideal for superyacht racing, with reasonably flat water. We didn\u2019t use any heavier-air sails, but we used the Code 65, gennaker, blade jib, the main and our staysail. In summary, that\u2019s the whole sail inventory!\u201d
\nThe racing was measured, with consistent results. Following the usual pattern of staggered starts with the slowest-rated yachts first, Zemi crossed the line at the end of the pack for the two round-the-island races, and around the middle for the downwind start of the \u201cNot So Wiggley\u201d race on day two. Though out-performed by the Js Velsheda and Hanuman, she was faster than the 34m Dykstra yacht Aurelius and the 40m Baltic Perseverance, taking 3rd place in the first two races.
\nBut it all changed with the closing race on day three. \u201cIn the final race, there were some big wind shifts around the back of the island which made for some close tacking duals with other yachts in our class and a close run to the finish line,\u201d Mckeon recalls. Unfortunately, it also made for an infringement on the race course for Zemi with a 30% penalty, and she came in last for the race.
\nShe still took 3rd overall in her class, and the mishap didn\u2019t dent the atmosphere of excitement aboard \u2013 particularly not for the proud owner. \u201cHe helmed every practice day and every race,\u201d says Mckeon. \u201cHe loved racing his own boat. He did a great job and after the prizegiving, we all went out for a crew dinner where he said how delighted he was with Zemi\u2019s performance and how much he loved it. He is chuffed to bits with her.\u201d
\nTeak decks gently overlapping the transom is now signature Mckeon. Note the steps below. Photo: Michael Kurtz
\nNordic chic
\nThe owner is Swedish, so naturally enough Zemi showcases an achingly cool interior design from Stockholm-based Andreas Martin-L\u00f6f Arkitekter. Filled with light, it\u2019s the sort of styling often described as Nordic chic \u2013 all natural materials in muted tones and without excessive decoration or ornament. I ask Mckeon what he made of it.
\n\u201cWhen you\u2019re in \u2018race mode\u2019 all the interior luxuries, the cushions, everything\u2019s off the boat,\u201d he says a touch regretfully, \u201cso you don\u2019t really get the impression of how nice it is when it\u2019s set up for cruising.\u201d
\nNatural materials and muted tones styling by Stockholm-based Andreas Martin-L\u00f6f Arkitekter, often described as Nordic chic
\nNevertheless, Zemi has been conceived as a formidable bluewater yacht, with four guest cabins, a stern tender garage and a multifunction beach club aft. Under the skin, she has been engineered to cope with high latitudes and the tropics in line with her owner\u2019s three-year cruising plan, which has already taken her up to the Svalbard archipelago at 80\u00b0N, and is setting sights on the Pacific islands next.
\nPower capabilities include a powerful 247kW Danfoss electric motor powered by a pair of 129kW gensets, and the ability to regenerate power under sail for zero-emissions cruising. The tender garage door opens in two sections to minimise slamming in higher seas, and the bimini and foldable dodger can withstand 50 knots of wind.
\nDining with a view. Photo: Kristofer Johnsson
\nFrom the dock, Zemi offers a dazzling spectacle with her metallic bronze topsides and a low coachroof with curved vertical glass windows. More striking still is Mckeon\u2019s flowing teak decking, which follows the sculptured lines of the boat from the coachroof down into the cockpit and on to the transom. Not for nothing has this been called \u2018teak as an artform\u2019.
\n\u201cObviously, I like the look of the boat!\u201d answers Mckeon when I ask him what elements he\u2019s proudest of. \u201cI think Zemi looks quite contemporary; different from other boats we have designed. I was very pleased with the performance, too. I also like the open plan design, and I think it works well for racing and cruising.\u201d
\nMckeon has a busy year ahead, working on a flurry of motoryacht designs signed late last year. His Apex 850 concept with Royal Huisman for the world\u2019s biggest sloop (it would have a 107m rig) remains on the drawing board, but he has just signed a client for an 81m Huisman-built sloop (see above). And there are still prospects circling his sailing supercat designs, from the jaw-dropping MM751 to the 30m Blackcat.
\nSoft luxury below. Photo: Kristofer Johnsson
\nContemplating a year when no new Malcolm Mckeon sailing boats are due to be delivered, the designer\u2019s mind is turning to some of his previous projects and the possibility of a reunion at next year\u2019s Bucket (13-16 March). \u201cThe older boats I designed like the Kokomo\u2019s, and the Mondango\u2019s \u2013 the original owners have all moved on now,\u201d he says. \u201cThese are second, sometimes third owners, so I don\u2019t have that relationship with them. But I\u2019d love to step back aboard and see how my earlier work is holding up!\u201d
\nZemi specifications
\nLOA: 33.50m 109ft 11in
\nLWL: 31.20 m 102ft 4in
\nBeam: 7.60m 24ft 11in
\nDraught (lifting keel): 3.80-5.80m 12ft 6in-19ft 0in
\nDisplacement: 95 tonnes
\nBallast: 28 tonnes
\nDesign: Malcolm Mckeon \/ Andreas Martin-L\u00f6f Arkitekter
\nBuilder: Baltic Yachts 2023<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
Yachting World is the world\u2019s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.<\/p>\n
Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.<\/p>\n
The post Sailing the stunning 110ft superyacht \u2018Zemi\u2019 with her designer appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Malcolm Mckeon delights in the chance to race his own design Baltic 110 Zemi at the St Barths Bucket. Sam Fortescue reportsSailors make a beeline for the tiny Caribbean island of St Barth every March to join one of the … <\/p>\n