After impressing in her North Sea trials, the 58m M/Y Najiba was delivered to Peter Wilson of MCM as owner-representative.
He was on board the stylish super-yacht throughout the trials, and during the standard series of tests, Najiba smashed several performance predictions, largely down to her all-aluminum construction and slippery hull design by Vitruvius Yachts/Philippe Briand.
Mr. Wilson said: "It was evident during the crash stop test, for example, that the yacht comes to a stop much more quickly than an equivalent steel vessel."
He added: "We went from full speed at a little over 17 knots, more than a knot over her contractual top speed, to full stern with both engines and the yacht behaved fantastically with no skewing or wild vibrations.
"The same was true of the acceleration tests when we went from a stationary start to just under half a mile in 120 seconds. The turning circle and zig-zag tests were equally impressive."
Powered by two MTU 12V 2000 M72 main engines (1080kW each), Najiba proved to be an efficient performer and consumed 183 liters of fuel per hour at 12 knots, which equates to 11.4 liters per nautical mile or 20%-25% less than other displacement motor yachts in her class.
'Crushed the range prediction.'
Mr. Wilson said: "We also crushed the range prediction, which was contractually to be not less than 4,400 nautical miles at 12 knots - but is actually over 6,000 miles."
He said the performance is down to the 'Vitruvius Yachts philosophy and Briand's skill as a sailboat designer focusing on reducing hydrodynamic drag' to increase efficiency, but not at the expense of stability and comfort.
While all-aluminum yachts tend to be noisier than their steel-hulled counterparts, a detailed noise and vibration control package by Van Cappellen led to some areas of the yacht having decibel levels that were 25% below the originally mandated maximums.
Mr. Wilson explained: "We were truly astounded by how quiet the yacht is - not just in harbor conditions, but also at cruising speed. In fact, you might not be aware the yacht is moving until you look out the window and see the water rushing by."
Launched by the Dutch shipyard Feadship in January
After being launched Najiba's captain and crew joined her to spend two weeks familiarizing themselves with the yacht's systems before heading to Bergen in Norway.
It's there that the owner intends to take in the dramatic scenery of the Norwegian Fjords before heading south and spending the summer cruising with family and friends in the Mediterranean.
