FIRST TEST - SPIRIT 44CR ELECTRIC

A wooden boat that blazes a trail for modern technology and sustainability sounds too good to be true. Theo Stocker went to see if she is as good as promised

- Theo Stocker

SPECIFICATIONS

MAKE/MODEL Spirit Yachts 44CR Electric

PRICE FROM £800,000 ex VAT

DESIGNER Sean McMillan

BUILDER Spirit Yachts Ltd

Om/spirit

Boats have been built out of wood since Noah first put axe to tree, but when it comes to cutting-edge yachts, timber is right back at the top. Spirit Yachts have been building head-turningly pretty wooden yachts with stiff, lightweight laminated wooden hulls since 1993, including the largest wooden yacht built in the UK since the 1930s in the shape of the Spirit 111, launched this year. But away from all the fanfare, the Ipswich-based yard has also just launched Avvento, smaller sister to its 47 and 55 Cruising Range yachts.

Far from being a lesser vessel, however, the Spirit 44 Cruising Range Electric (44e for short) hides advances in sustainable technology under its gleaming topsides that offer a glimpse into the future of boat building. Unrecyclable fibreglass and sails, toxic antifoul, and fossil-fuel propulsion are replaced by sustainably sourced timber, self-sufficient electric propulsion and zero-carbon emissions.

The proud new owner is Vincent Argiro, a retired technology entrepreneur who lives and sails in British Columbia in Canada. Explaining his motivation to go for such a radical concept, he said, ‘My first sailboat was also the first of its kind to be built all-electric. I have never owned anything else, nor will I. To me, it is a terrible corruption of the beauty and simplicity of sailing to add internal-combustion propulsion to it.’