Sunreef Yachts is famous for designing and manufacturing bespoke multi hulls with over 60 ft in length. Every launch tells a different, captivating story. When a new catamaran sees the day at the company’s shipyard, it always reflects a specific vision and expresses her Owner’s personality. Diana was ordered by a retired Californian businessman – Dr George Lopez founder of a billion dollar company, successful with many significant medical inventions.
When Dr Lopez started to think about switching from his 62ft mono hull to a bigger yacht, he engaged in numerous discussions with his family members and Ian McIntosh – skipper sailing with the Lopez family since the 90’s. As the family grew up, the limitations of a 62 ft mono hull became increasingly apparent and on every trip, the family conversations turned to the topic of a bigger yacht. Initially we were focused on mono hulls in the 120 foot range, but Doc (Doctor Lopez) insisted that he wished to stay with a shallow draft yacht capable of being managed by a small crew, so we started talking seriously about building a catamaran. (…) I even remember saying in a meeting years ago that “it would be even better if it had a fly-bridge.” A short search on the internet brought me to the realization that a gentleman by the name of Francis Lapp had explored the exact same concept and was in fact building fly-bridge catamarans in Gdansk, Poland. Thus started our relationship with Sunreef Yachts. We were patient, waiting out the 70 series, until Sunreef designed a yacht that combined true sailing performance with the comfortable living conditions that catamarans are renowned for. – recalls Ian McIntosh, who later managed the Diana project on the Owner’s behalf.
Dr Lopez decided to name the yacht Diana in memory of his late wife, who was a doctor of Polish descent and passed away from cancer in 2006. With the ambition to build a safe and seaworthy home away from home for his family to pursue adventures around the world, he embarked on a unique catamaran build project.
Carbon Fiber – a Key to Balance Luxury and Performance
From the very beginning, the project had specific build requirements and a complex specification list. The extensive use of carbon fiber allowed not only to compensate for the weight of the yacht’s long list of equipment (including two tenders and a Jacuzzi) but also increased Diana’s performance. The yacht was given a carbon deck, flybridge, bulkheads and superstructure. As explains PiotrCzyż – Sunreef Yachts in-house project manager – The use of carbon fiber was our way to adapt The Sunreef 74 to the Owner’s navigation plans. The shipyard has significant experience in working with carbon – for instance, we produce our own carbon masts and have launched an 80ft carbon sailing catamaran – the Sunreef 80 Carbon Line Levante.
Born To Sail
The Artemis symbol on the yacht’s sail represents Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt. This tells a lot about the boat’s character. Equipped with state-of-the-art sailing gear, she is clearly the ambitious and adventurous type. Diana has everything she needs to conquer the world’s oceans. Her rigging includes a carbon mast and an in boom furling system. The main navigation station is equipped with touch screens enabling automatic sail adjustments coupled with load sensors to prevent winch, hardware and rig overload. These solutions provide a redundant, easy and safe control of the sails and rig. The boat also features a large overlapping genoa for upwind optimized performance, a code 0 for reaching and a furling spinnaker for downwind performance. All sails can be easily controlled from the superior helm station, making the boat suited for single-handed operation. Adrien Jousset – the shipyard’s naval architect sheds some light on the first sea trials on the Baltic Sea : We had the chance to test the boat in a wide range of wind and sea conditions. We had up to a couple of meters of waves coming from North East and up to 25 knots true wind in the first days. During the all sea trials, the boat sailed an average speed of 9.5 knots half loaded. The large overlapping genoa is great giving nice power upwind. We reach 42° apparent at 11 knots under genoa with 15 kts true wind. With the Code 0, we came up as close as 50° and reached 13 kts wih 16-17 kts true wind. Diana is a fantastic worldwide cruiser and can withstand any kind of weather and sea state.
A Clever and Universal Layout
A soothing atmosphere reins in the boats interiors. Together with Sunreef Yachts Interior Design Office, Keriann McIntosh and Lisa Henry conceived relaxing lounging spaces, perfect for family cruising. Diana’s vast saloon combining shades of oak, beige and white, offers plenty of space to enjoy life on board. The bow part of the room features a bar with a panoramic view to the sea and the interior navigation station. Two generous lounging and dining areas with big sofas are placed by the yacht’s large sliding door opening wide onto the generous cockpit for a super yacht feel of spaciousness.
The fully equipped galley with abundant storage and a small crew mess was placed down in the aft part of the port hull. The same volume on starboard side is occupied by the yacht’s comfortable crew quarters. Both the galley and crew cabin give easy access to the boat’s large engine rooms through fireproof doors. Diana’s layout comprises two identical mid-ship guest cabins, both featuring double beds, ample storage and spacious private bathrooms with a contemporary mosaic tile finishing. Two more equally-sized guest cabins are placed symmetrically in the bow part of each hull. They both feature large double beds and clever storage but also open onto to the fore peaks fitted with single beds – a flexible and charter-friendly layout solution.
Diana’s flybridge not only houses the yacht’s helm but is also a prime lounging spot featuring a dining table adjustable in height, a rowing machine and a spectacular Jacuzzi. A wink from Artemis: a custom-built spear gun locker is also at hand as the Owner is a world record-holding Blue Water Hunter.
Sailing Away
The Owner and his family plan to begin their world cruise with Diana in 2017, starting in the Mediterranean and continuing on to the Caribbean and Pacific. Their intention is to take their time and “stop to smell the roses” with friends along the way.
