The Southern Sorceress

Living up to their aim to “build yachts of superior quality that will perform beautifully in all weather conditions”, Southern Wind has shared that the SW96 Sorceress has left Cape Town for her maiden voyage to the picturesque Mediterranean Sea.

“SW96 [Sorceress] represents the first unit in the brand new SW96 min-series,” said Willy Persico, founder and CEO of Southern Wind Shipyard. “Her owner was looking for a yacht to use in both coastal and transoceanic races and for blue water cruises. He wanted a very low displacement and all the comforts typical of a cruising yacht.”

Jim Schmicker, Vice President of Farr Yacht Design, responsible for the project’s naval architecture, proudly explains:

“The goal was to achieve an entirely new level of design. [We] incorporated features of the highest performance yachts such as wide transoms, twin rudders and ample sail area and stability, melded with the well-known characteristics of our previous Southern Wind designs like easy handling, excellent balance, comfortable ride and a solid feeling of seaworthiness.”

“The SW96 has been engineered on FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to achieve the best results concerning rigidity and performance”, said Marco Alberti, the shipyard’s General Manager.

The SW96 also represents a significant step forward from previous designs, in both the visual aspects of style and in measurable levels of performance, as Schmicker further explained. “The final hull shape balanced a visually stunning style with numerous technical achievements including low drag, minimal longitudinal trim with heel, excellent hydro-aero interaction, nimble and responsive steering and minimised slamming. The SW96 performs beautifully, handles well and rides comfortably throughout the typical heel range with easily achieved performance targets.”