Southern Wind Shipyard is accustomed to clients pressing for special requests. However, the owner of the sailing yacht Kalantis, which just launched, challenged the team even more. “The brief of the owner was very clear and ambitious,” says Marco Alberti, the CEO. Specifically, he wanted to cruise comfortably in remote regions, and to challenge fellow sailing superyacht owners during races. “This duality pushed us even more to refine our solutions for versatility and performance,” Alberti adds. Although the yacht is hull number three in the SW108 series, she’s much different from her predecessors. “Kalantis not only extends the boundaries of the SW108 platform, but also shows how far Smart Custom can go when guided by a clear and forward-looking vision,” Alberti explains.
The Smart Custom philosophy inaugurated with the yacht Gelliceaux, the first SW108. Essentially, it means that the project is far more custom than most semi-custom yachts tend to be. The SW108 series is entirely carbon fiber composite, with a lifting keel and performance centered around nimbleness and speed. Among the creature comforts, buyers can expect a beach area that reveals when the transom opens, rare for sailing yachts. But, buyers have a lot of latitude in the design of the superstructure, along with the interior layout.
To that end, the owner of the yacht Kalantis wanted to impart his personality on the profile. Although the superstructure resembles that of the previous SW108s to some degree, it has a different coachroof design. Specifically, a big skylight nestles into it. Additionally, the glass flares out to the sides forward. This provides the owner with exactly what he wanted, much more natural light for the interior without ruining the sleek styling. It works well, especially in combination with the nearly 11-square-foot (1-square-meter) saloon windows.
Throughout the interior, flexibility was important, too. On some days, the owner and his family expect to need a room for quiet work. Other days, meanwhile, they expect to need extra sleeping space. Therefore, the forward VIP stateroom serves as a single sleeper, a bedroom for two, or a studio. It even has its own name, Petit Salon, thanks to the family.
Reflecting yet another change in layout, a TV lounge is separate from the combined saloon and dining area. The latter is an L-shaped space as well, not what you’d expect to see.
Finally, for the times when the yacht Kalantis takes the family to far-off locations, she carries a sizable tender. It’s a custom 17-footer (5.2-meter), entirely in carbon as well. It stows in a hold in the foredeck—which transforms to an alfresco lounge when the tender is in the water. The family can spend the day slowly exploring shorelines, then return and recount their adventures in the lounge.
During the launch and christening ceremony, which was on a moonlit night, Matthew Satchwell, the owner’s representative, reflected on the build process. “Every time I visited the yard, I’m reminded this is more than a shipyard,” he noted. “It’s a family. You see it in the way people talk to each other, the way teams support one another, and the pride in every detail.” Speaking of pride, Satchwell himself is South African, so he was thrilled to see the yacht Kalantis take shape on home soil. In fact, he and his fellow countrymen refer to their homeland by the nickname Mzansi. “That Mzansi spirit, heart, hard work, pride, and grit can turn the impossible into something remarkable,” he concluded.
Southern Wind Shipyard sws-yachts.com
More About the Yacht Kalantis
LOA: 107’5” (32.77 meters)
Beam: 24’6” (7.51 meters)
Draft: 13’1” to 20’3” (4 to 6.2 meters)
Guests: 8 in 4 staterooms
Sailplan: not specified
Builder: Southern Wind Shipyard
Stylist: Nauta Design
Naval Architect: Farr Yacht Design
Interior Designer: Nauta Design