74 November 2017
NEW YACHTS
NEW yachts
ilak was commissioned by a
very experienced client to use
in a high latitude adventure
charter business, both in the northern
and southern hemispheres. A key part
of the brief, according to Allen Clarke,
co-founder of Owen Clarke Design: “was
that the boat would be capable of being
sailed on ocean passages with just two
people on board, yet with space for two
further crew/pilots, plus eight charter
guests”. The 66-footer is designed to
accommodate guests that don’t have
a sailing background and for scientific
work, hence the stern gantry for towing
sensors and other devices.
The hull shape is determined largely
by the boat’s payload, which is a massive
Two high latitude
options from
Owen Clarke
11 tonnes – roughly the entire lightship
displacement of a Volvo Ocean 65. “One
of the biggest problems with these
sorts of high latitude expedition boats
is the payload, which doesn’t suit a high
performance hull – it’s just not possible
to have a slippery planing hull form,”
explains Clarke. Even though as much
as possible has been done to minimise
weight at the design stage, the aluminium
construction is significantly heavier than
composite, so lightship displacement is
37.5 tonnes. With a full payload this rises
to nearly 50 tonnes.
The hull shape is therefore a fairly
full one, with a broad transom and twin
rudders. When unladen Clarke says:
“It has the ability to get to and from itscruising areas [in different hemispheres]
quickly, with its relatively lightship
displacement, powerful sail plan and
hull form, yet when fully loaded can
accommodate the 12-man crew and all
their requirements.”
The nine-tonne lifting keel is raked
slightly aft and reduces draught from
3.6m to 1.7m when raised. The hull and
appendages are engineered so that the
boat can dry out sitting on the keel and
rudders. Five watertight compartments
provide reassurance that, in the event
one part of the yacht’s hull sustains ice
damage, water ingress can be isolated.
Not only does kit, provisions and stores
make a relatively heavy yacht, there’s
also considerable tankage to enable theQ
The full hull shape
is designed to
cope with an
11-tonne payload