Southern Wind 32m Gelliceaux

Southern Wind 32 Hybrid Sailing Yacht Gelliceaux

The term elegant is most often used to refer to a graceful and stylish appearance. It also applies to innovative, simple, and compact solutions in the hard sciences, such as scientific theory or mathematics. Both uses apply to Southern Wind’s 108-meter hybrid sailing yacht Gelliceaux, launched from the Southern Wind shipyard near Cape Town in August 2023.

Addressing features contributing to performance, design, comfort, and sustainability, with thoughtful application of an owners’ brief from a couple who are proficient and ardent sailors, the GT style Gelliceaux is a rare synergy pairing physics with aesthetics. A superior example of work from the combined efforts of Nauta Design, Farr Yacht Design, and Southern Wind Shipyards, in addition to valuable interaction with A2B Marine’s Sebastian Allebrot as the owner’s representative, has brought a modern, clean, luxurious, high-performance beauty to the seas.

Smart Custom Yachts Built for Smart Sailors

Gelliceaux was the first of Southern Wind’s new Smart Custom line, delivered to her owners in October of 2023. A fine balance between full custom and semi-custom, this Smart Custom sailing yacht is the confluence of performance, design, comfort, and sustainability, wrapped with reduced cost and build time, finished with reliability and efficiency.

Sebastian Allebrot, the A2B Marine owner’s representative explains, “Smart Custom obviously gives a client a box, a hull, which is already proven. That box, he is able to put his own mark on and change a lot of things, even the layout to a certain degree, even change the performance characteristics of the boat.”

Marco Alberti, Southern Wind’s general manager, cites Smart Custom’s advantages, stating, “By adopting this new build philosophy, Southern Wind has identified the sweet spot between customization and standardization, design and reliability, and—most importantly—between performance and comfort. By optimizing the build process, we can concentrate solely on construction while reducing to a bare minimum the project adjustments during this process.”

The owners, looking forward to traveling with teenage children, commented, “The process was so much more than just choosing fabrics, colors, and some features. We had particularly big ambitions for the design and quality of the interiors, and Massimo Gino and Patrick Pigoni at Nauta developed a completely new design for us that is light and airy and will showcase the workmanship that Southern Wind is capable of.”

Gelliceaux By the Numbers

Measuring 32.87 meters LOA, including bowsprit, the sporty and dynamic Gelliceaux has a 29.78 LWL, a 7.51-meter beam, and a lifting keel with a draft between 4.0 and 6.2 meters. Built by Southern Wind Shipyards, the naval architecture was penned by Farr Yacht Designs. The deck and interiors are designed by Nauta Design.

The hull is an advanced composite sandwich employing a Corecell™ inner core between carbon epoxy resin inner and outer skins. The interior is a honeycomb or foam sandwich structure with wooden veneers. The twin rudder configuration makes the yacht powerful. The full carbon hull, deck, and bulkheads of high modulus carbon, the mast, boom, and rigging of carbon, and the titanium deck fittings reduce displacement to 78.9 tons.

The yacht is powered by a BAE diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system employing 2x Cummins QSB 4.5 112 kW generators and a BAE supply GPM-12 205 kW AC traction motor. The BAE system is rated for double the hours of a conventional system, offering choices of zero-emission using high-voltage batteries when sailing in silent mode, driving in hybrid mode using both electrical and diesel resources, or conventional propulsion via full diesel.

The Gelliceaux HybriGen® system generates up to 35 kW (@16kts), recharging the batteries and allowing silent anchorages with no generators noisily humming while keeping all amenities fully powered. Full redundancy of key elements using proven technology developed for the land-based transit sector from a supplier of undisputed quality makes this an intelligent choice aboard Gelliceaux.

The Gelliceaux yacht offers a thoughtfully designed layout, including four cabins with the master positioned forward for tranquility and three guest cabins amidship. The rear of the yacht houses well-equipped living and working quarters for up to six crew members, adjacent to an innovative tender garage that doubles as a 10 square meter swim platform. This platform accommodates a 5.05-meter diesel jet tender and features convenient stairs for deck access, marrying functionality with luxury in a compact design..

Sail Plan Maximizes Performance with Precise Balance and Exceptional Handling

Gelliceaux boasts 634 square meters of sail area. Rig dimensions measure I distance at 43.31 meters, J at 12.06 meters, P at 42.68 meters, and E at 14.33 meters. With a true wind speed of six knots and a wind angle of 90°, the expected boat speed posted is 13.69 knots. With a true wind speed of 20 knots and a wind angle of 140°, Gelliceaux is capable of a 16.90 knot boat speed.

With a focus on high performance, the yacht was designed with a deeper keel and a larger sail plan. Those changes, in addition to lightweight construction materials, compensated for the weight and drag of the hybrid propulsion system in keeping with the owners’ requests for performance and ecological awareness.

Jim Schmicker, Vice President of Farr Yacht Design, explained the customization of the sail plan for Gelliceaux, commenting, “Through several design loops, the sail area and keel weight were fine-tuned to the owners’ goals for performance and also for stability and sail carrying power. To achieve the desired light wind performance, the sail area was increased by 7%, and the righting moment was increased by 18% by fitting a larger bulb on the lifting keel compared to a standard SW108. In 18 knots of wind, 12 knots of boat speed can be achieved. Downwind in a breeze, 20.8 knots is expected.”

Known for ease of handling and responsiveness, Southern Wind assured Gelliceaux would excel through careful and accurate placement of rig and appendages, supported by topside volume distribution longitudinally. Owing to placement of rig and appendages and precise topside volume distribution, the hull claims full waterlines and straight end diagonals, with a wide low transom and full forward sections.