Garuda

LOA 102 feet

IWI 85.9 feet

BEAM 24.1 feet

DRAFT 10.9 feet

DISPLACEMENT 122 tons

RIG Cutter

SAIL AREA 6254 square feet

HUIL MATERIAL GRP

BUILDER Nautor

INTERIOR DESIGN Bannenberg

YEAR 1986

GARUDA

My first collaboration with Jon Bannenberg was the 31-metre cutter Garuda. Sten Ramussen, the Swiss based yacht broker, arranged for me to meet Franz Burda, who had recently circumnavigated the world in his Swan 76 and was planning to build a new yacht. Butch Dalrymple-Smith and I flew to Zurich where we meet Sten and Mr. Burda's helicopter pilot. We boarded the Bell Jet Ranger and flew east over the spectacular Austrian Alps towards the beautiful village of Zürs where Franz Burda and his family were on a skiing vacation. Over a two day period, between fabulous skiing and gourmet dining Franz Burda described in detail the type of yacht he wanted.

His competitive nature demanded outstanding performance. The overall design was to be a semi flush-deck style but the interior comfort was not to be compromised in any way. There were two important requirements for the interior arrangement. Firstly, because Franz Burda is a keen cook, the galley had to lead directly off the saloon, yet it could be partitioned off when the professional cook was arranging meals for Franz and his guests on more formal occasions.

The second new feature was for the captain and crew's quarters to be aft, allowing them easier access to the working deck, the engine room, navigation station and galley, without passing through the owner's and guest's area, situated in greater seclusion forward of the saloon. The interior was not to be in teak as Franz Burda's last yacht had been. It was his requirement for an innovative design which led to my first joint venture with Jon Bannenberg.

Franz and his wife Krista flew to Cork to look over the preliminary concept drawings I had prepared following our meeting in Zürs. The yacht was to be just under 90 feet in overall length, striking a balance between performance and comfort.