ZEIT GEIST
When Spirit Yachts’ flagship grew from 27 to 34 metres overall before she had even left the drawing board, she was already destined for the record books. At this size she would be the largest wooden sloop-rigged yacht to be built in the UK since the famous J Class yacht Shamrock V back in 1930.
Given her long, elegant lines and low freeboard, so typical of the J Class, it was an interesting comparison from the off. And there was more to come.
The decision to head from Spirit Yachts’ yard in Ipswich on the east coast of the UK to Gosport in the south for the sea trials, was intended to make it easier to get into open water. But it was also a move that provided another connection with Sir Thomas Lipton’s famous America’s Cup challenger. The Gosport base for the Spirit 111’s sea trials was the famous Camper & Nicholsons yard (now Endeavour Quay), where Shamrock and the three other British J Class yachts had been built in the 1930s.
Unlike the competitive Js, the Spirit 111, named , has been designed for a more relaxed life - a cruiser with the ability to take part in the occasional regatta. And while she’s been built in a traditional material, her wood epoxy composite construction on a steel space frame takes advantage of the very latest materials and techniques. From her carbon mast with its non-metallic rigging, to her advanced sail-handling systems, her classic looks
