Owen Clarke Design announce new design for 20m sailboat
Superyacht UK member Owen Clarke Design were pleased to announce at the Monaco Yacht Show the signing of a new design, a 20m blue water sailboat for high latitude expedition cruising. This innovative new design will have accommodation for up to eight guests and a normal complement of three crew, plus when required, a guide. Designed for high daily average passage making, she is expected to cross the equator twice each year on passages to/from the Arctic/Antarctica and operate for up to ten weeks without re-supply. Among the key drivers of the design requested by the owner; a lifting keel has been specified along with a tender garage aft for a rapid deployment/recovery RIB that will be augmented by a large inflatable that can be stored below or on the foredeck
Commenting on the project, lead designer Allen Clarke, was quick to explain why the company had secured the contract: “This yacht will like many sailboats will be crewed a great deal of the time short-handed and we will be applying to this project the lessons in sail-plan design, handling and ‘performance with economy of effort’ that we’ve learnt with our involvement in nine Open 60s in four Vendee Globes. Also key to the discussions we’ve had so far with the client, was the hands on sailing experience of one of our designers, Merfyn Owen, who is himself a double Cape Horner and undertaken expeditions above the Arctic Circle.”
Work has already begun on the design, incorporating the client’s requirements into concept drawings and a written specification. Once this stage is completed, the project will go to tender to yards in the north and southern hemisphere in early November, yard selection being made in a early 2016 with the target of a launch in the northern Spring/Summer of 2017.
Owen Clarke Design was founded over twenty years ago and is recognised as being at the leading edge of performance sailboat design. We are particularly known for our earth circling IMOCA Open 60’s such as Ellen MacArthur’s Kingfisher, and as pioneers in the field of canting, lifting, and lifting/canting keel racing and cruising boats. As naval architects and yacht designer s their portfolio of cruising and racing design are as diverse as their experience.