SW100X is coming: be inspired by a Holistic Yachting Experience

Eighteen years ago, Farewell, the first Southern Wind 100, was launched in Cape Town, starting a chain of events that would redefine the 30m sector of the super sailing yacht world. The strengths of three industry leaders were merged to conceive the perfect 100-footer that could cross oceans in comfort and style while still maintaining a competitive edge to earn podium positions in the most prestigious superyacht regattas.

Farr Yacht Design was commissioned for the naval architecture and Nauta Yacht Design for the interior and exterior design while Southern Wind Shipyard was charged with turning the concept into a reality. The success of the Southern Wind 100 has been unparalleled with 13 units delivered between 2006 and 2011 and in both deck saloon (DS) and raised saloon (RS) exterior configurations. These yachts have become instantly recognizable and are just as desirable today on the brokerage market as they were when first introduced.

In 2011, a further evolution of the SW100 was created with the SW102, drawing on all the most appealing aspects of the SW100 but including new features such as a tender garage and third crew cabin. After the fifth SW102 was delivered in 2016, SW went back to their partners at Farr and Nauta to develop the next iteration in this size range and this led to the successful SW105 series, of which five yachts were delivered between 2018 and 2022.

From 2023, the new SW108 Smart Custom series replaced the SW105 and as these yachts have evolved to become larger and more sophisticated, they have moved into a new market sector that is distinctive from the original SW100 concept. This led the Southern Wind team to return to the root inspiration for all these yachts and to widen their offering with the brand new SW100X that comprises all the greatest attributes of Farewell and her twenty-two descendants with all the latest technical and design features available today.

The close relationship that Southern Wind maintains with the yacht owners, captains, crew and suppliers has granted a vast pool of information and experience for yachts in this size range. The intricate knowledge that is collected during the design and construction of the yacht is enhanced by the feedback that is received via the Customer Care team during the warranty period and later on during the lifetime of the yacht. This is all fed back to the design and project management teams to ensure a continuous evolution and improvement of the yachts we build.

The feedback of the Owners and crews have become a key resource to understand how the yachts are operated and which systems are working best. Furthermore, the inputs from Owners have helped to determine the special features that are most desirable in a new SW100, allowing SW to incorporate them into this exciting new project.

Designed for Efficency and Functionality

Once again conceived by the historically successful partnership of Southern Wind with Farr Yacht Design and Nauta Design, the SW100X project has been in a conceptual stage for few years. Having already set the bar high with the SW100 and her later sisterships, the SW100X project began on a solid foundation and followed a meticulous design and engineering phase to optimized the calibration and efficiency of the design and construction process.

SW100X combines the Southern Wind core values of dependability, comfort, performance and versatility. This project has been designed to meet the Owner’s priorities, whether they be for a go anywhere cruiser, regatta champion or successful charter yacht. Functionality is the core of this boat: thanks to a carefully designed deck and well thought interior layout, the yacht can be easily managed by a reduced crew and has built in redundancies. Its modern and efficient systems are user friendly and can be serviced worldwide.

The SW100X will be an efficient yacht, also in the way it is built. The mandatory high quality and reliability standard of the SW100X are obtained while constantly remaining cost conscious during the building process. This is thanks to a wide range of pre-determined options and solutions that SW has in place which offer a leaner decision process in project development. The optimized usage of sustainable procedures and materials in the construction of tooling as well as of the yacht itself, will make this yacht both sustainable and efficient.

Sailing Exhilaration

The design brief for the SW100X stresses the importance of efficiency in all aspects of design and construction. In the naval architecture efficiency is achieved by minimizing wetted surface. The manifestations of this minimization are more circular cross sections, narrower waterline beam and relatively narrower aft sections.

A highly efficient, low wetted surface hull leads to a smaller sailplan lighter rig, less ballast required to power it all and ultimately less displacement. The SW100X design is versatile and various options for propulsion systems and keels have been envisioned and accommodated from the first stages of the design process.

“For all versions the performance targets include speed comfortably greater than the wind speed in light winds and enough stability to push the point of reefing/staysail usage above 17 knots. These performance and stability targets are achieved with an upwind sail area of 502 m2 and a ballast weight (keel fin and bulb) of 21 tonnes (31%) in a 4m draft fixed keel. The SW100X includes many features that have come to be well known in all the successful Southern Wind/Farr Yacht Design/Nauta.

Design collaborations. Exceptional handling, precise balance and easily achieved performance are all hallmarks of the SW96, SW105 and SW108. The SW100X continues the tradition and builds on it by including the same attributes in an exciting new way with exceptional efficiencies and economies.”

Versatile Seaside Lounge: an Unparalleled Connection with the Sea

SW100X main innovation can be found in the groundbreaking design of the versatile Seaside Lounge. In response to a demand for larger swim platforms and more versatile use of the aft deck, Southern Wind developed in collaboration with Nauta the new Seaside Lounge system that creates a 20.2 sqm beach club in the aft cockpit linked directly to the enlarged swim platform and to the sea below. The Seaside Lounge, can be customized to suit different requirements. Whether the preference is for large sunbeds, L-shaped settees, or transformable coffee tables, the configuration options are varied to accommodate a variety needs and purposes. Not only does this solution create a multi-purpose lounge area, but beneath the lounge, a William 435 Sport Jet tender or other voluminous toys, such as dinghies, bikes, motorbikes, or a small utility car, can be stored. This innovative solution makes better usage of the aft deck and quickly folds away to retain the sporty lines of a performance sailing yacht.

Versatile Seaside Lounge: Garage Mode | Tender

The aft cockpit of the SW100X can be configured in three modes: 1. Sailing mode: full-beam aft cockpit with the steering pedestals maximum outboard; 2. Lounge mode: 20m2 of beach club with integrated settees; 3. Garage mode: beneath the lounge, a spacious transversal garage can store a William 435 Sport Jet tender or other voluminous toys, such as dinghies, bikes, motorbikes, or even a small utility car. When the garage is accommodating toys, the tender can be placed on deck. The transom opening mechanism is not visible when the transom door is closed. The system consists of twin rotary ultra-lightweight electric actuators. The use of brushless electric motors ensures higher efficiency and lower maintenance.

This system grants full redundancy owing to the twin motors and the possibility to disengage the motors to operate the system manually by means of an emergency crank handle.

Alternative Shading Solutions

Exploring alternative shading solutions all over the deck presents a compelling opportunity to improve both functionality and style. An innovative and stylish carbon rigid bimini is being designed to provide guests with a sheltered area where they can relax, dine, or enjoy the view while being protected from the sun, wind, or rain. The structure is designed to be stored on the coach roof when not in use.

The Comfort of Home on a Worldwide Cruiser

SW100X features the well-proven Southern Wind four en-suite cabin layout, complemented by a versatile multi-purpose area for a TV lounge, workspace, or bar. The full-beam owner’s cabin forward features a centerline double berth with bedside tables and reading lights on either side. On the starboard side, an ergonomic and elegant chaise-lounge can be replaced with a vanity desk. An ample midship VIP cabin offers a 1.60m wide by 2.05m long berth. Two en-suite twin cabins are located aft and forward of the saloon and can be converted into double cabins for maximum versatility. Elegance and spaciousness define SW100X‘s full-beam saloon making it the brightest area of the interior. Natural light flows into the saloon through the 270° panoramic windows in the newly designed coach-roof, extra-large hull windows on either side, and a transparent double wide companionway. For those seeking even more light, an optional central skylight is available. With an 8-person square dining table and an adjacent L-shaped seating area, conviviality onboard is assured.

The spacious and comfortable crew area aft can accommodate up to four crew members. It comprises two en-suite cabins, a generous galley, crew mess, and the navigation station. An optional door separates the crew mess and crew cabins from the galley, allowing guests to enjoy the galley themselves when no support by the crew is required. This layout has proven to be ideal for long-distance cruising and is the preferred arrangement for charter yachts. The interior is meticulously crafted using top-quality materials and with furniture built to the highest marine standards, utilizing sandwich construction with honeycomb core to reduce weight while maintaining a superyacht finish. The interior spaces and style offer the possibility to mix built-in and loose furniture, choosing different finishings for bed frames, side tables and various accessories, thus giving the perception of wider spaces and the pleasant feeling of “being at home”. SW100X interior layout is compatible with either fixed or optional telescopic keel. An efficient electrical system has been conceived for overnight silent running with air conditioning. The yacht features the latest generation monitoring and system controls and onboard purification and sterilization system for drinking water.

“SW100X interiors reflects an interior design that embodies our love for sailing”

“The new SW100X represents the pinnacle of fine tuning and optimization of available space in a sailing yacht of this size range. The appropriate balance between living space, for both guests and crew, while maintaining decent storage space and proper access and serviceability to all systems and equipment. Our latest and most contemporary interior design is the result of a 360 degree experience in interior creation, combining our experience designing interiors for the largest motor yachts to the smallest sailing and motor yachts. The SW100X interiors reflects an interior design that embodies our love for sailing, the interior material palette also reflects our commitment to natural materials and sustainable living within our environment.” Massimo Gino, Nauta Design

Sustainability

As a next-generation sailing superyacht, the SW100X is offered with both traditional and Hybrid Propulsion System. Energy efficient and environmentally conscious, this system is engineered to be compliant with the world’s most stringent environmental rules, with zero emissions capability and a hydro generation mode to recharge the lithium-ion energy storage when under sail. The SW diesel electric system is based on a combination of two 112Kw highly-efficient generators with a 650V highvoltage lithium battery bank and electric propulsion motor. This system allows for a more efficient consumption of fossil fuels while achieving a lower level of harmful emissions. Thanks to the battery capacity and the high recharging speed offered by the generators, the Owners can spend most of their time on board without hearing the noise of any machinery. The benefits are even higher when the wind blows. This technology, thanks to the ability of the system to regenerate power via the controllable pitch propeller, produces enough zero emission energy while sailing at 10kts to sustain the yacht electric balance. When sailing at higher speed the Hybrid system generates power, recharging the batteries and allowing silent anchorages with no generators running. This technology also offers the unique opportunity to extend the yacht range and autonomy, saving fuel otherwise burnt during offshore sailing passages. This would be a game changer for those Owners with ambitious exploration programs because they could reach remote destinations while sailing with zero emission and start their cruising with full fuel tanks.

Silent Mode

ZERO EMISSIONS | ZERO NOISE: taking power from the battery bank for manoeuvring operations such as anchoring, movements in harbour and pilotage.

Hybrid Mode

DIESEL-ELECTRIC: when motoring, allowing for a lower consumption of fuel and the ability to optimize the engine performance. This mode recharges the battery bank while under way. Among the benefits offered by the Diesel Electric System is the reduction of the engine emissions up to 40% thanks to its architecture that blends the electrical and mechanical power.

Sailing Mode

HYDROGENERATION: power is generated by using the propeller as a hydro generator while sailing. Optional adjustable pitch propeller balances the power generation with consideration to the drag coefficient to ensure optimal boat speed and exhilarating sailing