There is only one word to describe Morgana, the latest launch from Southern Wind Shipyard in Cape Town, South Africa. That word is ‘stunning.’ From the boat’s plumb bow to her graceful sheer and towering sail plan, every inch of this dream yacht is exquisite. Born under the towering presence of Table Mountain and sea trialed in the cold waters of Table Bay, Morgana has met every expectation of the entire team involved. Despite Covid, Morgana completed her maiden voyage sailing from Cape Town to the Mediterranean Sea in 30 days; a 6,900-mile offshore test that confirmed her great sailing potential and complete seaworthiness.
Morgana's Yacht Design
Morgana is a collaborative effort between the yacht’s owner, Southern Wind Shipyard, Nauta Yacht Design, and Jim Pugh from Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design. Nauta Design, who was responsible for the yacht’s overall conceptual design, both the interior and exterior, and Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design, who computed the naval architecture that allowed this yacht to be both high performance and comfortable, have a long term relationship, and their collective vision comes through loud and clear. When combined with the expertise of Southern Wind Shipyard, the builders, and with the owner, who is an experienced and passionate yachtsman, the result is pure magic.
Step aboard, and the first thing that you will notice is the clean, uncluttered deck. The yacht is a true thoroughbred with more emphasis placed on performance rather than guest amenities. There is no covered area where afternoon tea is served. Tea will come in a cup, and you had better be prepared to hold on tight while drinking it. Morgana is a lean, mean sailing machine and if speed and solid high performance is your idea of a good time, then you will be in the right place.
The hull’s inner and outer skins are in full carbon with a Corecell core, while Nomex and prepreg are used for the fore and side decks, the aft cockpit and the fore and aft bulkheads. This lightweight construction method optimizes weight and increases performance and comfort.
All this is all not to say that Morgana is not exquisitely comfortable both on deck as well as below. There is a large central cockpit area where guests can sit or lounge with tea or without tea. Whatever their beverage of choice, they will be in the thick of the action watching the helmsman and tactician working a bespoke steering station that features twin wheels and digital screens that can give them all the information they need to keep the boat sailing fast and safe.
Forward of the steering station is a recessed mainsail traveler, which the mainsail trimmer can use to control the gigantic squarehead mainsail. Forward of the mast are two recessed tracks for the jib. Thanks to a tender garage located in the transom, an ample foredeck locker, a hidden mooring arrangement, and an underwater anchor system, the 100 footer’s deck is clean and elegant and works with optimum efficiency. When the tender garage is opened, it also serves as a swim platform.
The interior of Morgana is just as crisp and clean as the exterior and is very spacious. The yacht has a beam of 7,8 meters (25.6 feet), with the beam carried almost all the way aft. This provides a lot of room for crew and guest cabins. A companionway located just in front of the steering stations leads down to the crew quarters. There is a captain’s cabin along with a shower and head. Opposite is a separate crew cabin. Forward is the galley and crew dining area and opposite is the first of two guest cabins.
Just forward of the galley is a full height and easily accessible engine room, which allows for simple maintenance of a myriad complex systems that keep the yacht humming at its full potential. The engine room is located slightly to starboard making it necessary for all systems and battery positioning to be carefully optimized and balanced. The hydraulic system is powered by two state-of-the-art 48V DC motors that produce 40kW and are controlled by a very efficient PLC system designed by MYT that can run in a completely silent mode.
