Sustainable super yacht sails back down River Orwell after brief return

A beautiful eco-yacht crafted in Suffolk is setting sail for the south coast to take part in the 2021 World Superyacht Awards. Move to the cloud with someone who understands you. Geist – an eco-friendly 34m vessel – was made in Ipswich by top boat-builders Spirit Yachts and headed off to Oslo in Norway to its new owners before returning to the workshop for additional work. It will now head to Gosport to take part in the awards event. Because of its size – it is one of the largest, single-masted wooden yachts ever built in the UK – it must wait until low tide before its mast can squeeze under the Orwell Bridge in order to sail out to sea. It was due to leave the workshop on Friday, October 9 – weather permitting – before waiting out on the River Orwell until later in the evening for the tide to turn enough for it to continue its voyage. Spirit Yachts managing director Nigel Stuart said: “It is wonderful to see Geist head off under the Orwell Bridge and into the horizon for new adventures with her owner. “The yacht’s design and build has been a huge team effort from everyone at Spirit Yachts and we are very proud to have created one of the world’s most sustainable superyachts right here in Suffolk.” At the request of her overseas buyer, the Spirit 111 yacht was designed and built in-house by Spirit Yachts to be one of the most environmentally friendly sailing superyachts ever created. Building the vessel was “a real milestone” for the company due to the complexity of its design and engineering, it said. Using electric propulsion to regenerate the batteries while sailing, the yacht can operate for up to four days at anchor without having to plug into shore power or start its two onboard generators. And providing there is adequate wind, it shouldn’t need to consume any fossil fuels when crossing the Atlantic. Spirit Yachts has been shortlisted in the British Yachting Awards’ outstanding achievement category for its work on Geist.