Established in 1993 and located at a large boatyard on Ipswich waterfront, Spirit Yachts build classic, beautiful yachts from 37’ to over 100’, all built to classic lines using modern wood/epoxy techniques.
Whilst many modern large yachts are made from modern materials, Spirit Yachts have recognized that in fact wood is still the finest material for boats of this kind, where timeless elegance is an absolutely vital feature sought by their discerning clients. When James Bond glides into Venice lagoon in Casino Royale, it’s on a Spirit 54 – wooden construction, impeccable craftsmanship, and the glorious graceful lines worthy of an icon of British design.
As well as being aesthetically beautiful, wood is strong, flexible, environmentally sustainable, and can take an immense amount of punishment from active use. It also (remarkably) has a strength-to-weight ratio similar to that most modern of wonder-materials, carbon fibre, making a wooden hull incredibly strong yet lightweight.
Many owners of Spirit yachts enjoy them for travel, entertaining and the pure enjoyment of sailing; others have had great success in the world of classic yacht racing. The boats’ balanced handling, sleek lines and large sail-to-weight ratio have landed their owners silverware in prestigious racing events around the world.
Led by experienced yacht designer Sean McMillan, Spirit Yachts currently employs 34 people at their yard on Ipswich waterfront, and holds the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for their outstanding export performance and the creation of local jobs. The company offers apprenticeships to local school-leavers (20% of the employees are under 25) thus providing them with skilled, rewarding jobs, and helping to pass on their boat-building skills through the next generation.
Spirit Yachts’ portfolio ranges across 125 designs, from small racing yachts to world-class superyachts at over 100’, plus two powerboats - a sensible 40-footer and an unbelievable 100’ design which would make any Bond villain envious.
All boats are hand-built from scratch by the skilled boat-building team. No injection moulding here. Smaller designs can be customized to suit the buyer’s needs (interior layout and style, equipment specification, even the soft furnishings) whilst larger yachts are completely custom built from scratch. Some designs from across their range are:
Spirit 37
The first yacht built by Spirit Yachts in 1993, this design is still in big demand and can be commissioned in a wide variety of configurations, from a stripped out day-racer to a fully-fitted fast coastal cruiser, and customized to buyers’ exact requirements.
Spirit 57DH
The Spirit 57DH is one of the company’s Deckhouse designs, which have more volume and greater comfort for enhanced world-wide cruising capability. These yachts can still be set up for racing, or can be sailed single-handed, whilst still offering stylish accommodation for up to eight people.
Spirit 130
The revival of interest in ‘Big Class’ racing has seen the restoration of original pre-war large yachts, and more recently the commissioning of new yachts of this size and style.
Since Spirit Yachts have been commissioned to design a yacht to race with the ‘Big Class’ and so are currently building the magnificent Spirit 130, embodying the style and spirit of the originals, combined with the most modern of contemporary design and technology
Second-hand Spirit yachts are almost unheard of; in fact Sean will proudly tell you that even after 20 years of trading over 90% of their yachts are still with their original owners.
James Bond has swapped cars a few times in his various incarnations, with some rather dubious choices. I can’t see him ever swapping his Spirit yacht.
