Trinity is a custom 45ft performance trimaran designed by Reichel\/Pugh to be fully adaptive and wheelchair accessibleCalifornian sailor Terri Nelson likes nice things. One of her pet peeves, she tells me from her home in San Diego, is that even when checking into luxe hotels, as a wheelchair user she misses out on some of the finer design elements that other guests enjoy.
\nSo it\u2019s no surprise that when she commissioned a custom-designed trimaran, one of the key briefs was that it should not look like an adaptive boat. Instead it needed to combine performance, style, and a certain luxuriousness: a tough brief.
\nTerri Nelson had sailed for much of her adult life, initially on Hobie Cats, then Catalina 30s, and bareboat chartering with friends all over the Caribbean. Always highly active despite her limited mobility, she enjoyed adaptive snow skiing and, as she puts it, \u201ctrying almost everything except parachuting\u201d. For many years she used crutches to get about on land, and found the confines of a cockpit relatively easy to manoeuvre herself around in. After Nelson became a parent she began using a wheelchair more frequently. Her love of sailing never waned, however, and once her daughter had grown up she began to mull the idea of building a custom boat that would be fully wheelchair accessible.
\n\u201cOne day I thought, it\u2019s either now or never. So I looked up who the local marine architects were, and I decided to drive down to Shelter Island and just see if there\u2019s a parking place, because that\u2019s important to me. Sure enough, there was a place right in front of Reichel\/Pugh\u2019s office.\u201d
\nThe spontaneous trip led to a meeting with the Reichel\/Pugh design team, and the concept of Trinity was born.
\nTrinity is optimised to perform well in light winds, with Nelson planning to race locally in San Diego. Photo: C\/O Reichel\/Pugh
\n\u201cWhen she came to us, neither one of us had any idea what this boat would look like,\u201d recalls Jim Pugh of Reichel\/Pugh. \u201cBut it evolved from discussions with her about her past sailing \u2013 her experience was on monohulls \u2013 and we sort of discussed and sketched up some different concepts. A trimaran offered good feel and sensation while being very stable and sailing at low angles of heel, which is pretty important.\u201d
\nThere are few fully adaptive sailing yachts in existence \u2013 the catamaran Impossible Dream was an early reference point, but the design quickly set off in a different direction. \u201cI wanted to race, so Trinity is called a cruiser, but I consider it a performance cruiser,\u201d explains Nelson. \u201cI wanted it all. And Tony [Beale, senior naval architect] at Reichel\/Pugh knew that.\u201d
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\u201cThat was quite a big challenge,\u201d says Jim Pugh. \u201cIncorporating that accessibility combined with aesthetics and performance, and designing a beautiful yacht was a top priority for her and for us. We wanted to incorporate a design that had the graceful curves and proportions that Reichel\/Pugh designs are known for, without compromising that accessibility.\u201d
\nTrinity is constructed of carbon and foam core with light weight being a key objective, and was built at New Zealand Yachting Developments in Auckland. \u2018We had to initially do a very extensive weight study \u2013 like you have to with any design, but we didn\u2019t have a lot of comparable data for a design like this,\u201d says Pugh. \u201cDoing that weight study early, and tracking and monitoring the weight through the design and build, allowed us to evaluate decisions as the project went forward and through construction.\u201d
\nThe layout is designed to maximise both usable and wheelchair accessible space. The entire main deck is accessible, including a cockpit forward of the main saloon, the helm stations, and the aft deck, while Nelson\u2019s master cabin and heads are also on the same level. An automated sliding door to the master cabin creates an open plan living area. The (non-adaptive) guest cabins are located down in the ama hulls, along with a second head, with machinery space below in the central hull and a sail locker in the forepeak.
\nOwner Terri Nelson taking the helm during sea trials in Auckland. Photo: C\/O Reichel\/Pugh
\nAccess all areas
\nFull-width retractable doors that slide flush into the bulkhead create a single level area between the main saloon and aft cockpit as well as creating a sense of spaciousness.
\nThe helming and sailing controls are also designed to be entirely accessible to Nelson from her wheelchair, with multiple helming positions: two outboard helm stations, and a third inside forward. \u201cWe designed some steering stations and then the yard [in New Zealand] actually built versions of them and sent them up to [California], with the wheel and everything. We had them in our office so that Terri could come in and try them,\u201d recalls Pugh.
\nFlush sliding doors create a single level space between main saloon and aft cockpit. Photo: C\/O Reichel\/Pugh
\nThe interior helm station sits next to an inside cockpit area with control lines led under shelter. Overhead windows provide sight lines for sail trim. The mainsheet is hydraulic with an in-boom furling main, furling jib and fully powered winches for push-button control.
\nThe controls are designed so that, in time, Nelson will be able to sail with a high degree of autonomy. \u201cI\u2019m not there yet because it\u2019s still a learning curve for me. I haven\u2019t sailed for a really long time, and this is all new, and I have to figure out how I\u2019m doing things,\u201d she explains. \u201cI\u2019m not a skipper right now, I\u2019m learning the boat, so I\u2019ve got a skipper, and she\u2019s really good. I\u2019m going to gradually get more and more responsibilities, but it\u2019s set up for me to go everywhere.
\n\u201cEverything is push button. And everything else is [controlled] on an iPad \u2013 so the hatches open and close, right down to the screens and the shades.\u201d The powered systems which control the doors, hatches and blinds are integrated into the boat\u2019s C-zone system.
\nThe mast base cockpit area with powered winches and push-button controls allows all sails to be adjusted from a protected internal position. Photo: C\/O Reichel\/Pugh
\nOne of the key accessibility goals was for Nelson to be able to board the yacht on her own. Hull topside doors aft open to create an adjustable height boarding platform and ramp for access to and from the dock. \u201cGetting off and on is really important, and I want to do it myself. I told them, \u2018Make it so that I can go by myself.\u2019 I won\u2019t, I know that \u2013 mainly because I can\u2019t dock her. Though I even looked into fenders that kind of go in and out of the hull, but really, you still need somebody else to tie up.\u201d
\nBesides the access ramp there is also a lowering platform on the transom that Nelson can swim from, cunningly disguised as an aft cockpit seat, and bearing no resemblance to a conventional swimming pool hoist. \u201cThe middle of the rear of the boat has the teak seat. You sit on it and it will lower into the water or lower me into the dinghy \u2013 but you wouldn\u2019t know that,\u201d she says.
\nThe inside forward helm station is designed for excellent visibility with curved windows outboard and glass panels in the roof. Photo: C\/O Reichel\/Pugh
\nCustom details
\nThe interior is by Design Unlimited. Designer Nigel Jones explains: \u201cThe layout and functionality of Terri\u2019s living spaces was particularly fascinating to develop. From corridor and open spaces to placement of taps, handrails and customised wardrobe handles there was an extra level of meticulous planning and design reviews that were required to ensure everything worked for Terri as seamlessly as possible.\u201d
\nSome of Nelson\u2019s favourite details include a custom-designed coffee station to house her beloved Keurig coffee machine, and a wardrobe with stowage that raises and lowers to make stored clothes easily reachable \u2013 based on a design she has in her own house.
\nThere are two outboard helm stations, each with joystick and touch-screen controls. Photo: C\/O Reichel\/Pugh
\nThe soft furnishings echo the seafoam green-blue of the hull, with crisp white and orange leather accents together with black carbon trim detailing. \u201cI really wanted it sporty, I really wanted it to represent performance. And that means more contemporary.\u201d
\nSo far Nelson\u2019s first custom-built yacht is exceeding expectations for sailing performance. \u201cFor a big boat, she handles really well. She is sharp and responsive and handles turns extremely well.\u201d
\nHer sailing plans include some exploring of the local Coronado and Catalina Islands, and likely cruising south to Mexico. However, she\u2019s also keen to put Trinity through her paces. \u201cI want to do some club racing and probably longer races.
\nI want to put her out in everybody\u2019s face!\u201d
\nTrinity specifications
\nLOA: 13.71m \/ 45ft 0in
\nBeam: 8.30m \/ 27ft 3in
\nDraught: 1.93m \/ 6ft 4in
\nDisplacement: 11,900kg \/ 26,235lb
\nUpwind Sail Area: 109m2 \/ 1,173ft2
\nDownwind Sail Area: 253m2 \/ 2,723ft2<\/p>\n
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Trinity is a custom 45ft performance trimaran designed by Reichel\/Pugh to be fully adaptive and wheelchair accessibleCalifornian sailor Terri Nelson likes nice things. One of her pet peeves, she tells me from her home in San Diego, is that even … <\/p>\n