The Superyacht Circuit on SOJANA

For the past six years I have often been a crew member on board the well-known, FYD-designed, 115' superyacht SOJANA commissioned by Peter Harrison and captained by Marc Fitzgerald. She regularly competes in the Heineken Regatta, Antigua Sailing Week, Superyacht Cups in Antigua and Palma, the St. Barths Bucket, Les Voiles de St. Tropez and transatlantic races and rallies traveling back and forth across the pond. Launched in 2003 she is due to hit 100,000 miles sailed by the end of 2010. Peter and Marc are always looking to improve the performance of SOJANA having made many upgrades and modifications over the years and also serving as a test bed for new materials.

Sailing on SOJANA, as well as providing technical support to the improvement program, has allowed me a front row seat at the steady progress occurring on SOJANA and in the rest of the superyacht fleet. Of all the advances made to SOJANA over the years, two stand out. In 2007, composite rigging from Future Fibres was installed on both the main and mizzen rigs. The increase in stability was readily apparent but the reduction in inertia, improving the motion in waves, was the most dramatic. This year SOJANA has been testing the first 3Di sails made for a superyacht. Both of these technologies have a huge impact on the design of a superyacht. Being present to see the effect of all the many current advances in technology is crucial to understanding them and using them to create successful designs with precise power-to-weight ratios, stability and speed that meet the goals and desires of our clients.

The next event for SOJANA is the Superyacht Cup in Palma in June. I will be onboard in my usual position trimming the mizzen.

Jim Schmicker
Vice President & Senior Naval Architect