TIDE Issue 13

It was the Greek Gods that first inspired much of the romanticism associated with sailing the world’s oceans. For this issue, we return to where Poseidon and his queen Amphitrite ruled the waves, amid the thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian Seas. From the black sands of Santorini to the Northern Dodecanese, the Greek Islands offer perhaps unparalleled amounts to explore. With their ancient histories, minimalist architecture and the tastes of the sea, they are a sailing paradise. As the newly crowned Superyacht of the Year, Kiboko 4 skims across our cover: we meet with the owner and Captain to discuss the ‘Beautiful Lightness of Being’ aboard this 108ft yacht. While progressive modern yacht designs continue to push every boundary in the industry’s drive to master the ever…

“We have just one hour in the air to shoot the award-winning brand-new SWS108 #02. Two cameras, each with a different setup, are strapped to my harness. And I’m securely fastened to the helicopter – safety first. “Sharing the cramped space with the videographer, who’s squeezed in-between my legs. We’re both on the same side of the heli – less chaos for the pilot, more efficiency for us. SY Kiboko 4 begins to sail, and the show kicks off. Over 1,300 shots in just an hour. Hopefully, I’ve got a keeper in there. “As a regular drone pilot, though, I miss the low-angle shots close to the sea – easy to capture with a drone, but rare from a helicopter that tends to stay above mast height. I ask the…

The phrase ‘small is beautiful’ is one that is often relevant in the sailing world. Anyone who learnt to sail in dinghies will vouch for the fact that going out in a small boat can be a wonderful experience. The sensation of skimming over the waves is a special one. Your closeness to the water, the feel of the helm and your relatively precarious position means you feel involved with the elements, at one, in a way that is truly life affirming, exhilarating and, yes, beautiful. Imagine though if you could take all the sensations that a dinghy delivers and place them on the bigger canvas of a full-size yacht. That is what the designers of Kiboko 4, a 108ft-long Southern Wind sloop, were aiming for when they set about…

The world’s largest sloop – a brand-new, 85-metre, single-masted Royal Huisman – is currently navigating gale-force winds reaching 60 knots with silky smooth finesse. Which is incredibly impressive… and will be even more so when the much anticipated “85m New World Sloop” heads out on the open water next year. For, right now, engineers and designers have gathered around computer screens in a Milan studio, to test how their latest creation will behave in extreme weather on the virtual seas. New technology allows Frers Design – part of a four-generation “family tradition” (not simply a business) and one of the most respected leaders in yacht design – to get even bolder with their builds, pressure testing the yachts without putting the crew at risk. With tailor-made simulator software, they measure…

When it comes to updating a yacht, choosing a yard with experience of refitting similar vessels is vital – or, even better, using the one that built it in the first place. One example is the 53.9m (176.1ft) Ravenger, previously Pink Gin VI, which recently completed a 10-month overhaul at Baltic Yachts. Originally built at the Finnish shipyard and delivered in 2017, she was, and remains today, the largest carbon-fibre sloop in the world. Despite these impressive credentials, her new owner was nonetheless looking to make some changes, and he chose to return to Baltic for upgrades to her performance and a new interior. Having worked on her original and rather eclectic interior, Design Unlimited were brought in to reimagine her aesthetics for the new owner, whilst in addition the…

Long before Milos’ chalk-white cliffs and luminous sea caves became an Instagram sensation, Nausika Georgiadou had quietly built a word-of-mouth following at Skinopi Lodge. Insiders return to her understated hideaway year after year for the less-is-more ethos and serene seaside setting. Modelled after the boxy vernacular of syrmata – the colourful boathouses burrowed into the coastline right below the lodge – the seven villas at Skinopi embody an elemental way of life right at the water’s edge. Here, Georgiadou shares his local intel into where to go and what not to miss on the storied, volcanic, notably beautiful Cyclades island. “After a late lunch at To Kyma or To Telonion on Kimolos port, we time our return to catch the sunset on the way back to Milos. We often see…