Whirlwind: taking turns

Aeolian, a 28-metre sloop by Hoek Design and built by Holland Jachtbouw in 1998, has  been renamed Whirlwind as part of a refit “refresher” project by Andrew Winch Design. The project, which took less than four weeks to complete, was carried out and installed by the interior design team and crew. Jointly owned by Otto de Jager and Paul Lister, son of Noel Lister (co-founder of the MFI furniture group), Whirlwind is a rare example of fractional ownership.

Jager explained that the success of the purchasing process and planned usage of the yacht is due to the close and long-term friendship he has with Lister. Both owners will get four weeks a year on board and charter her like any other client. “I met Paul 15 years ago,” explained Jager as we sat in the cockpit. “In fact he was one of my clients at the time and we have been friends ever since. At the age of 53 we decided we wanted to buy a sailing yacht, as we aren’t getting any younger. I started sailing from a young age, but have never owned a yacht before, so this is all new to me. So far everything has been OK!”

The investment was made for the love of sailing Jager explained, and a chance to spend more time with his family in a relaxing environment. “Hopefully chartering Whirlwind will cover her costs but we don’t expect to get anything back on the investment through it,” Jager commented.

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Fractional ownership is a relatively new phenomenon in the yachting world and derives from the private jet industry.

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To ensure that the yacht is used equally between her owners and chartered regularly, the yacht will be managed by Ocean Independence broker, Barbara Muller, and chartered around the western Mediterranean. “Whirlwind will be based around Corsica, Italy or southern France during the summer before going to the Caribbean for the winter season,” explained Muller.

Fractional ownership is a relatively new phenomenon in the yachting world and derives from the private jet industry. The YachtPlus project, which was announced at Monaco in 2006, is a recent example of superyachts that have been built for the purposes of shared ownership — although the exercise has not been as commercially successful as was hoped.

However, this style of ownership has worked well for Jager so far and is something he would recommend to those who want to sail for a few weeks a year, but wish to retain the freedom of deciding when to sail — and save money in maintenance costs. Unfortunately, Lister was not there to comment on the partnership nor the interior finish, but Jager expressed great satisfaction with the work carried out.

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One of the most common remarks by designers is if you can see something looks great, but cannot tell what it is that makes it so, then the designer has done a good job.

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Winch was approached to do the project at the recommendation of Paul’s mother, Sylvia Lister, having worked with her husband, Noel, on a previous project. “It was one of those wonderful emotional connections, meeting Sylvia Lister again onboard this yacht,” explained Andrew with a grin as we sit in the lower salon. “It was great being with Paul and Otto on board and them asking if I could help them with the redecoration, the rebranding of the yacht and give the boat new love, new life.”

One of the most common remarks by designers is if you can see something looks great, but cannot tell what it is that makes it so, then the designer has done a good job. This is something that Andrew agrees with and made sure that every element of the new interior added to the living and enjoyment of sailing. “Whirlwind was a beautiful yacht to start with, but her interior made her a slightly tired looking lady. Now she is better than ever,” explains Andrew.

Using colour alone to separate the salon, pilothouse and cockpit, Andrew and his team have been able to stretch the yacht, giving a greater sense of space. A teak and red rust colour theme was chosen for the salon, using outdoor-specific materials to achieve the texture and feel desired. The captain’s table has been converted into the owner’s desk providing more space for the owner and guests than had previously been available. Sand-patterned custom carpets from Tai Ping have been added throughout the yacht along with new and custom made bedding and linen. In all three double cabins, white linen has been used, as the team wanted as much light as possible to be reflected into the room and to give a sense of space.

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