A Powerful Hybrid-Electric Luxury Sailboat Emerges From South Africa

Nyumba means “home” in Swahili. Despite its powerful, masculine appearance, this sailing yacht was built to become a cozy home away from home for its owner. A sailing enthusiast who had previously owned two yachts, the owner wanted a pleasure craft that could be both a luxurious floating mansion and a successful racer. Nyumba is therefore equipped to switch from exotic vacations to superyacht regattas easily.

Southern Wind built the beautiful 31-meter (101 feet) sloop. The shipyard's history goes back to 1991 when Italian engineer Willy Persico decided to build his yacht in South Africa. Closer to the present day, the Cape Town shipyard encountered huge success with its SW96 series. Nyumba, launched at the end of the last year, is the fourth hull in this series. At the same time, it's in a class of its own due to certain customizations.

Most importantly, the owner wanted a sustainable option, which is why Nyumba became the first hybrid-electric yacht built by Southern Wind. The shipyard worked with the highly-prestigious BAE Systems to make the sailboat compliant with today's most stringent environmental requirements (IMO/International Maritime Organization's Tier III regulations).

BAE Systems' HybridGen technology ensures zero-emission capabilities, reduced noise, and the ability to recharge the battery pack while sailing.

At the same time, Nyumba was styled by the acclaimed Italian studio Nauta Design. This translates to a generous layout with three cabins and an elegant main salon. The master suite is placed forward, the two guest cabins sit amidships, and the crew quarters plus the galley are located aft. The owner plans to spend extensive periods of time at sea, which is why the new yacht had to offer the comfort of a real family home.

One of Nyumba's most innovative features is a smart transom concept developed by the Cape Town shipyard. The foldable transom creates a large 8.5 square meters (91.4 square feet) swim platform that is comprised of two separate folding sections. The lower section can be angled upwards while the upper section remains horizontal. This helps protect the tender garage from harsh waves during rough weather conditions. The garage itself is also remarkably big, with enough room to store a 4.5 meters (14.7 feet) tender.

Both stylish and performance-ready, this beautiful new build is ready to conquer regattas and sail to exotic locations. Until then, it will show off its qualities at this year's Cannes Yachting Festival in September.