When we assembled on Caressa for the Orwell trip it was a very cold, grey Saturday morning. So I think relief spread through the crew when I said Sean Macmillan of Spirit Yachts had given us the thumbs up for a visit to the yard in Ipswich. To get there we only had a short motor upriver under the Orwell bridge and through the lock into the wet dock. All good practice for those who had never manoevred a yacht of Caressa'a size in these circumstances before.
Being Saturday the yard was quiet and we came upon Sean just inside the entrance doing some woodwork on yacht he's building for himself as a retirement present. It was impressive to know that despite a workforce of 50 and an order book in the many millions he is still there at the sharp end not sitting behind a desk.
The big project on the go is the 100 footer. It's a scaled up version of the Classic Spirit design but comes with a 45 foot motor launch to carry the services and crew quarters. We stood under the counter which probably swept up to 20ft in length. Sean very kindly spent an hour showing us round and answering al our intelligent questions. We asked if we could come back for the launch. He's not giving away the date yet and if he can says he wants to 'spirit' her down the Orwell under cover of darkenss. Going under the Orwell Bridge they have to time it right. The plan is to have 18 inches under the keel and 18 inches above the mast. I hope their charts are accurate!
We'll definitely be back to follow her progress. It was a real priviledge to see innovation and quality workmanship so beautifully combined. | 