Two mobile cranes were used to turn the aluminium hull of the Pelagic 77 yacht. The schooner featuring two carbon masts is currently under construction at KM Yachtbuilders in Makkum, the Netherlands, with a planned delivery at the end of 2020.
A centerboarder rather than a full lifting keel, the Pelagic 77 will be a modern schooner with two carbon masts to split up the sail area. This means all sailing systems, such as winches and furlers can be manually operated. Its two Yanmar engines of 150 horsepower ensure redundancy. The ship features a large pilot house. Six double cabins are forward of the pilot house.
Once completed at the end of 2020 and following extensive sea trials in North Atlantic waters in the summer of 2021, the Pelagic 77 will eventually sail to Puerto Williams in Chile to be used as a private yacht and for educational purposes. It is where owner Nicolás Ibáñez Scott and Skip Novak, who organises Antarctic expeditions, met and decided to combine expedition cruises with sailing lessons.
‘Building on the successes of the Pelagic Australis, this expedition ship was conceived and designed for high latitude expeditions,’ says Novak. ‘This means a high degree of self-sufficiency, practical ease of sailing and of course, given the Pelagic philosophy, simple systems that are easy to maintain even in remote areas without specialist assistance.’
