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Raising
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Australia Yachts reveals its secret
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issue 26
Performance Yachts Liara
Marlow explorer 65C
Fairline Squadron 55
Monte Fino Masteka2
australia Yachts 46
Clipper Cordova 60
High Seas 63
Weaponised
Audi’s superchArged s4 test driven
Power & Grace
Plus
A history of the grAnd old yAcht Cambria
enGine rooM
GREEN TECHNOlOGiES
industry profile
Bill BARRY-COTTER
CreW QuArters
ARE CREW WAGES iN DECliNE?
Performance Yachts Liara
Sparkling
Performance
It’s hard not to admire the gem-like qualities of Liara, the PY-100
from Performance Yachts, designed by Bill Dixon and built by
Southern Ocean Marine in Tauranga, New Zealand.
words: John Julian
photos: Courtesy of Performance Yachts
92 | ocean
“This is an exceptional yacht that has already
demonstrated an impressive turn of speed during sea trials
conducted in New Zealand. She will soon be in England to
contest the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week and the
Fastnet Race.”
ocean | 93
Performance Yachts Liara
Dining area to starboard.
The galley, looking aft.
“Looking at some bigger boats these days you could
be forgiven for thinking that it just isn’t possible to
combine aesthetics with speed and the volume
required for a comfortable interior... That’s when you
need to spend some time aboard Liara.”
The comfortable and well-appointed saloon.
O
nce in a while you happen upon something that looks
exactly right, be it a fighter aircraft like a Supermarine
Spitfire or a Hawker Hunter, or a competition car like an
Aston Martin DB4 GT or a Ferrari 250 GTO. The age of
these machines may give readers a clue to this writer’s own vintage but
the point is that they looked wonderful when they were new, between 50
and 70 years ago, and they still do today. Furthermore, they performed
accordingly and this was largely because they were designed and built by
some very clever people, using the best of contemporary materials and
technologies, who could also exercise the artistry required to achieve
such a striking appearance.
There are yachts that belong in this category too: the original winner
of the America’s Cup with her clipper bow and raked masts looked as
94 | ocean
though she was doing 15 knots standing still. The great ‘J’ Class cutters
had (and still have) a unique aura of power and purpose about them
along with sweet lines as yet undefiled by computer simulation and tank
testing. Looking at some bigger boats these days you could be forgiven for
thinking that it just isn’t possible to combine aesthetics with speed and
the volume required for a comfortable interior with the slick underwater
profile and the hydraulic lifting keel that enhances both racing, cruising
and passage-making capability. That’s when you need to spend some time
aboard Liara.
What you see from the dock is impressive, to say the least. Liara’s
30-metre LOA, 27-metre LWL ice-blue hull beneath her soaring spar is
at once classic and contemporary. The two-metre-long ‘sprit gives her
destroyer bow a hint of restrained aggression and the only apertures
in the clean sweep from there to her trim hind quarters are the five
oval portholes level with her cove stripe on either side. The pilot house
or coach-roof is a sleek, low-profile affair and there is no clutter to be
seen on deck bar a neat semi-circle of Harken winches immediately aft
of the mast. She is by no means austere; rather she looks like a welldressed athlete and, perhaps more importantly, she appears to be the
result of a great deal of thought and the combined experience of people
who have sailed and raced together for many years. Tony Todd is her
owner and she is in many respects descended from his previous Liara,
also designed by Dixon and built by Southern Ocean Marine. Tony, a
CHS Division Fastnet Race winner, his captain Ross Appleby, Adrian
Nicolle of Performance Yachts and other key members of the team have
logged a lot of sea miles together during the last 20 years, and it shows.
Furthermore, as Adrian will tell you, Performance Yachts specialise in
the creation of custom-built vessels such as Liara, whose owners also
enjoy the benefits of a class association such as brokerage and charter
marketing, crew recruitment and insurance services.
Step onboard via the bathing platform that folds out of the reverse
transom and the first thing you notice are the fine tolerances, or shut
lines in automotive parlance, around the small panel that conceals the
passerelle, for example, or the central surface of the transom that is the
platform and the rest of the carbon composite hull. Walk around the teak
deck and you will find evidence of the same superior quality and attention
to detail with cleats that invert and fit flush with the toe rail and cleverly
concealed vents around the inner forestay stowage at the forward end of
the stylish, streamlined superstructure.
ocean | 95
Performance Yachts Liara
The owner’s stateroom, forward of the atrium.
starboard and aft but, for now, you move forward into the central atrium
The central guest cockpit provides protection as well as elevation and
that surrounds the foot of the mast, itself an attractive feature in its clearshade when the bimini top is deployed and is also a great place for a
coated carbon form.
lazy lunch with a table for eight to port, another to starboard for drinks
The guest cabin to port is a double, that to starboard is a twin and
and snacks and a couple of concealed refrigerators too. This area is well
both feature adjacent bathrooms with large, clear, almost circular shower
forward of the sunken mainsheet traveler, the big jib sheet and running
cabinets, marble counter tops and splash backs, chromium taps and rails
backstay winches to either side (the mainsheet is on a captive reel winch),
and teak underfoot. The cabins themselves offer plenty of space, abundant
and the port and starboard helm stations with their sail adjustment, rig
storage including cedar-lined wardrobes and drawers fitted into the base
tuning, engine and thruster controls and instrument pods, which are
of the berths as well as in the teak bedside units, good natural light and,
immediately aft of the raised hatch over the ladder leading down to the
again, attractive and understated décor. This
crew accommodation. Effective separation
is important for a yacht designed to appeal
of guests and crewmembers is never easy on
“The two-metre-long ‘sprit gives her
to charterers as well as to reflect the owner’s
a vessel this size but Dixon Yacht Design has
destroyer bow a hint of restrained
individual preferences. Whoever is occupying
got this (along with the rest of the yacht)
aggression and the only apertures in the these cabins will most probably enjoy using
absolutely right.
Cast your eyes aloft before you go below
clean sweep from there to her trim hind the handheld device which manages movies,
and you will see a magnificent 40-metre
quarters are the five oval portholes level music, lighting and blinds, along with the
Cruisair climate control. You can even change
mast and a Park Avenue boom, both from
with her cove stripe on either side.”
the colour and intensity of the concealed
Southern Spars; the latter equipped with
illumination... the full spectrum is on offer,
lazyjacks and slab reefing. Rigging is by
so it just depends how you’re feeling or what you’re up to!
Future Fibres with shrouds and forestay made from the new PBO superThe owner’s stateroom is forward of the guest accommodation, which
fibre and a hydraulic, self-aligning headsail furler from Bamar. The
makes for a quieter time when moored stern-to, either in a Mediterranean
spreaders are raked as befits a fast cruiser racer and the wardrobe of sails
town or a Caribbean harbour when there’s a party going on. This cabin,
comes from Quantum’s loft in Auckland. Two of the three foresails furl,
like the other two, gives you the impression that you are on an even
thanks to their vertical battens but they have horizontal ones for racing
larger yacht and offers a queen-sized double berth to starboard and a big
too and these can be inflated using a pump at the mast and a pipe in the
single to port. Head and shower are forward again, to either side of the
foot of the sail.
attractive, central chest that conceals the retractable television. This piece
Make your way down below and your first impression may be that of
of furniture complements the drawer unit on the after bulkhead below
space. The saloon is light and airy with tan leather settees, striped cushions
the night stand.
and a coffee table to port, a 37-inch LCD High Definition monitor over
Liara is a very versatile vessel in terms of accommodation and pipe cots
the cabinet on the forward bulkhead and the dining area to starboard.
in the twin-bedded cabin mean that an owner’s party of eight or nine can
Robinson Marine Interiors have created some fabulous furniture and
be accommodated in comfort, particularly as the interior is secured to the
many of the complex curves and vertical surfaces feature varnished teak
hull using rubber mounts and grommets, which significantly reduce noise
veneer over Nomex. The understated fabrics compliment the warm honey
and vibration of any description.
hues of the joinery and the white Ultraleather headlining contributes
Moving aft again towards the saloon, the galley and the crew quarters
to the fresh, modern look. The galley and crew accommodation are to
96 | ocean
Liara in her element.
Chart table, communications and navigation station.
beyond, you find yourself thinking about the things you can’t see. The
keel root, for example, is just below the passageway aft of the mast yet the
maximum draft is an impressive five metres. Unlike many lifting keels,
which tend to impinge upon the accommodation, Liara’s 13.75 tonne
bulb is attached to the end of a telescoping fin powered by hydraulics for
a total weight of 19.58 tonnes so not only does the yacht benefit from
exceptional stability under sail but, with a minimum draft of 3.5 metres,
she can also make use of more anchorages than would be the case had
she a more conventional underwater profile. Furthermore, and as you
would expect from a high performance cruising yacht, her wetted surface
is relatively low with a fairly flat forefoot and a shallow run aft and yet she
has retractable bow and stern thrusters which, along with her variablepitch propeller, make for easier manoeuvring.
The galley runs along the vessel’s starboard quarter and features a range of
good quality units with sinks and Fisher & Paykel dishwasher inboard and
Miele oven and cooking range outboard. You turn inboard by the fridge
and freezer units, leave the engine room access to your right, and find the
crew mess over to port just forward of the captain’s cabin, which features a
good-sized Pullman double berth and an adjacent head and shower. There is
another crew cabin equipped with twin Pullman berths, head and shower over
to starboard beyond the cockpit companionway and behind the navigation
station, which is equipped with everything necessary to plot and proceed
and features a comprehensive range of instruments including Brookes &
Gatehouse’s Hercules system and a Lecomble & Schmitt autopilot along
with controls and monitors for engine room alarms and battery condition as
well as lighting and security, including hatches and doors. The engine room
houses a turbocharged, six cylinder, 305 hp Cummins diesel along with a
couple of 25 Kw Mastervolt generators and these draw their rations from
4,000 litres of fuel contained in three tanks. Fresh water capacity of 3,000
litres is augmented by the output of two Spectra Newport watermakers,
which produce 150 litres per hour.
This is an exceptional yacht that has already demonstrated an impressive
turn of speed during sea trials conducted in New Zealand. She will soon
be in England to contest the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week and
the Fastnet Race and it would be surprising if she didn’t give a very good
ocean | 97
Performance Yachts Liara
Guest and crew cockpits.
account of herself, although she is by no means a dedicated racing machine.
Rather, she epitomizes the spirit of the great yachts of the first half of the
20th century with both the power and the comfort that suggests, but she is
as contemporary in terms of design, construction, materials and systems
as she could be.
You will leave Liara reluctantly but with the genuine pleasure that
comes with seeing something so carefully thought out and well made. It
was Harold S. Geneen, President and CEO of International Telephone
and Telegraph (ITT) from 1959 to 1972 who said ‘performance stands
out like a ton of diamonds.’ He would have loved this particular jewel!
O
For further information contact Adrian Nicolle, Tel: +44 (0)23 8045 6348
or visit www.performanceyachts.com
Technical specifications
Southern Ocean Marine
New Zealand
DESIGNER
Dixon Yacht Design
NAVAL ARCHITECT
Dixon Yacht Design
INTERIOR DESIGNER
YEAR OF BUILD
30 metres
LOA
27 metres
LWL
7 metres
5 metres (keel down), 3.5 metres (keel up)
65 tonnes
Carbon/composite
Cummins QSB
305 horsepower
12.7 knots (under engine)
BEAM
DRAFT
DISPLACEMENT
CONSTRUCTION ENGINES
OUTPUT
SPEED (MAX)
10 knots (under engine)
SPEED (CRUISE)
4,000 litres
FUEL CAPACITY
2,500 miles at 10 knots (under engine)
2,000 litres
2 x Max Power 32.5hp hydraulic retractable
2x 25kW Mastervolt
RINA Charter Class C. Maltese Cross HULL. MACH; Ych (MCA)
Future Fibres
RANGE
FRESHWATER CAPACITY
BOW THRUSTERS
GENERATORS (MAIN)
CLASSIFICATION
RIGGING
504m2 total (upwind)
SAIL AREA
Quantum Sails
SAILMAKER
Bamar
Harken and On Board Systems
Southern Spars NZ
98 | ocean
COUNTRY OF BUILD
Dixon Yacht Design
2009
BUILDER
FURLING SYSTEMS
WINCHES
MAST AND BOOM