After 30 years of writing about yachts, I’ve been fortunate enough to interview countless business leaders who are also passionate yacht owners. Some, such as Shahid Kahn (owner of the 400-foot superyacht Kismet, which rents for $3 million a week), or Carl Allen (who has owned a fleet of yachts and also owns his own island in the Bahamas), or Herb Chambers (owner of the superyacht Excellence, with its unmistakable style), are successful entrepreneurs who have simply commissioned the design and construction of the yacht (or yachts) of their dreams. In fact, having superyachts designed and built for highly successful entrepreneurs is nothing new.
But when it comes to designing and building a revolutionary new trimaran, a highly successful American entrepreneur with a passion for boats is making headlines because he’s doing much more than simply commissioning a custom boat for himself. His name is Mike Schwartz. He has assembled an international team of top-tier designers, engineers, sailors, and shipbuilders to create a completely new type of high-performance trimaran for offshore sailing. And he believes so strongly in the need for a new generation of trimarans that he is pouring his blood, sweat, resources, and considerable business acumen into his venture, which is designing and building an innovative, high-performance offshore cruising trimaran unlike anything ever built before.
The idea came about when Schwartz took part in a particularly demanding offshore race alongside his crewmate (and multihull expert) Karl Reed. They hit it off almost immediately, and through their conversations, they discovered that they shared a vision of what the ideal high-performance cruising trimaran might look like—and that, for the time being, no one was building it.
But given that Schwartz has more than 25 years of experience in product development and manufacturing, and had already created and expanded multiple businesses in the industrial, food production, and cycling sectors, it was almost inevitable that he and Reed would join forces to bring their vision to life.
According to Schwartz, the company they founded shortly after those initial conversations is called VMG Industries (short for “Velocity Made Good”), because in sailing, nothing is more important than VMG: the measure of how efficiently a yacht converts speed into meaningful progress toward its destination.
And they couldn’t have found a more respected firm (one that understands the importance of VMG so well) than the legendary naval architecture firm VPLP Design to collaborate on the overall design. The French firm is known for having designed some of the fastest ocean-racing multihulls ever built. In fact, I’m a little surprised (and quite impressed) that two relatively unknown Americans, who had never before designed or built an offshore trimaran, were able to convince such a legendary French yacht design firm to design the 53-foot high-performance trimaran currently under construction in South Africa.
But after meeting Schwartz and witnessing his tireless work ethic and nearly limitless energy, I’m not surprised. “I was really excited just to secure our first meeting with VPLP,” says Schwartz. “The fact that they understood what we were trying to achieve and then agreed to take on the design work was very important to us. We’re literally starting at the top.”
And a lot has happened since that first meeting. Construction of hull No. 1—the VMG 53—is well underway. And many of the design ideas that inspired Schwartz and Reed to take on such a demanding project have become a reality.
“From the very beginning, our goal has been to create the yacht we would like to own,” he says. “We believe we have a unique opportunity to combine world-class design, practical cruising capabilities, and true sailing performance in a way that has never before been achieved in a production trimaran. Through the VMG 53 and our future models, our goal is to make the most advanced trimaran technology accessible to everyone.”
The VMG 53 is unique in several ways. It is the first cruising trimaran of this size equipped with two auxiliary engines, one in each outer hull. “Two engines make the VMG 53 much more maneuverable under power than if it had only one engine mounted in the hull. Plus, the redundancy and added safety that come with having two engines also put my wife’s mind at ease,” says Schwartz with a smile.
Schwartz also requested that the VMG 53 be built with a high-tech carbon-fiber and E-glass composite structure at Evolution Marine Manufacturing in Cape Town to ensure that it would be lighter and offer better performance than other cruising trimarans. He notes that building it this way is more expensive and more complicated. However, the rigidity and weight savings achieved through this construction method make it possible to meet the ambitious performance goals Schwartz has set for the vessel, while ensuring it remains a safe and comfortable cruiser. Furthermore, the interior layout, designed by renowned designer Christophe Chedal Anglay, is equally innovative.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Schwartz and Reed have already invited prospective owners to see Hull No. 1 for themselves; it’s currently under construction in Cape Town. In addition, they’ve organized an extensive list of experiences (a helicopter tour of the Klein Constantia and Steenberg Farm vineyards, guided by Cape Town wine expert Shaun Terry; a visit to The Silo hotel and the Zeitz MOCAA museum; dinners at some of Cape Town’s trendiest restaurants; and a paragliding flight from the top of Signal Hill) so that guests can enjoy the trip and see how the VMG 53 is coming to life.
And it’s taking shape quickly. The launch of the first VMG 53 is scheduled for December in Cape Town. Don’t miss it.