If you follow the world of high-performance sailing—I mean, the really high end, where carbon fiber is cheaper than a cup of coffee and the boats are named after mythological beasts—you know that the word "superyacht" often implies a certain degree of compromise. We’re talking about luxury, space, and comfort inevitably weighing down the raw thrill of sailing.
But then, a project emerges that seems to reject this compromise entirely. It breaks the mold, tears up the rulebook, and demands a level of engineering so audacious it makes even seasoned shipbuilders pause.
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I’m talking, of course, about the 58-meter sloop NGONI, launched by the Dutch masters at Royal Huisman in 2017. And trust me, if you think you know this yacht because you saw a couple of photos, you are wrong. The NGONI is widely, and perhaps lovingly, known by its nickname: The Beast.
Why? Because the man who commissioned her didn't just want a fast boat. He wanted a weapon. He wanted a statement. And when you dive into the sheer level of innovation packed into this hull, you realize that “The Beast” isn’t just a nickname—it’s a design philosophy.
Let’s unpack how Royal Huisman took an outrageous, four-sentence design brief and turned it into the ultimate "anti-yacht," a vessel that simultaneously won awards for its luxury and its naval architecture.
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Chapter 1: The Legend of 'The Beast' and the Infamous Brief
I remember seeing the initial reports about Project 398, before she was officially christened NGONI. The industry buzz wasn’t about the size or the cost; it was about the owner’s mandate. It’s one of the most legendary, and frankly, perfect briefs ever given to a shipyard.
The owner—a highly experienced sailor and businessman, Tony Buckingham—didn’t send a ten-page document filled with architectural drawings and furniture swatches. He sent a challenge:
“Build me a beast. I don't want a wolf in sheep's clothing. This has to be an edgy and innovative weapon, fast and furious. I want to get off the wheel after a day of sailing feeling completely knackered from the excitement of hands-on fast sailing.”
Stop and think about that for a second. In an era where most large yachts are designed to be effortless, quiet, and stable—often guided by hydraulics and computer systems—this owner was explicitly demanding a boat that felt alive. He wanted to be tired, exhilarated, and challenged.
This wasn't a request for a floating condo. It was a request for a racing machine wrapped in the skin of a superyacht.
The shipyard, Royal Huisman, famous for its pedigree and obsessive quality, accepted the challenge. They partnered with the late, great Ed Dubois of Dubois Naval Architects, and this would tragically become the final superyacht design from the legendary firm before Dubois’s passing. What a legacy to leave behind.
The entire project was, from day one, driven by the desire to push engineering to the absolute limit to meet this emotional and performance-driven goal. The result is a vessel that looks, feels, and sails like nothing else in the 50-60 meter class.
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Chapter 2: The Exterior Revolution: Design as Structural Genius
Honestly, the first thing that hits you when you see NGONI is not its size, but that line. That sleek, low-slung, almost predatory profile. It's the kind of design that makes you lean forward and squint, because it visually defies what you expect from a luxury yacht.
The Reverse Sheer: Aesthetic vs. Engineering
The most defining exterior feature, the one that screams "anti-yacht," is the reverse sheer.
In traditional naval architecture, a sheer is the curve of the deck line from bow to stern, typically curving slightly upwards toward the bow to give the boat a graceful lift and prevent waves from coming aboard. NGONI flips this idea on its head. Her sheerline curves slightly downward from mid-ship towards the bow, creating an aggressive, almost menacing look.
This wasn't just an aesthetic choice; it was a stroke of structural genius. Ed Dubois discovered that by implementing this reverse sheer, the aluminum hull gained an incredible amount of inherent structural stiffness. According to Finite Element Analysis (FEA) performed during the design phase, this single feature delivered about 12% more strength and load resistance than a conventional sheerline built with the same materials.
Think about it: they created a stunning visual that also solved a fundamental engineering problem necessary for handling the massive loads of the high-performance rig. That's design intelligence at its peak.
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The Minimalist Deck and the Plumb Bow
To truly achieve the "fast and furious" objective, the deck had to be completely clear. A traditional superyacht deck is often cluttered with sunbeds, sprawling seating, and bulky machinery. NGONI is different.
1. The Flush Deck Aesthetic: Almost everything is hidden. Hatches are flush, mooring lines are concealed, and even the anchors are submarine anchors that retract completely into the hull, ensuring nothing disrupts the perfect aerodynamic flow or the visual clarity of the deck. Even the stem of the rounded plumb bow is clean, contributing to minimal wind disturbance for the headsail.
2. The Plumb Bow: That near-vertical bow cuts through the water with minimal fuss, maximizing the waterline length for maximum speed—a direct nod to racing yacht DNA.
3. The Paint Job: You can’t talk about the exterior without mentioning the finish. The topsides are finished in a bespoke metallic topcoat called “Claire de Lune” (Moonlight). This isn't just paint; it's a special finish applied with an electrostatic coating technique. The effect is mesmerizing—a color that shifts and reacts dramatically to light, giving the massive aluminum surface a depth and fluidity that makes it look like liquid metal.
The exterior design didn't just win awards (including Best Exterior Styling and Best Naval Architecture at the Boat International Design & Innovation Awards); it set a new benchmark for how a large sailing yacht could be both aggressively performance-focused and devastatingly beautiful.
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Chapter 3: The Towering Weapon: Unleashing the Power of the Rig
You don't earn the nickname "The Beast" for looking sharp at the dock; you earn it on the water. And to move a 58-meter, 396 Gross Ton aluminum hull at speeds up to 17 knots (which is blisteringly fast for a boat this size), you need muscle. NGONI’s power comes from a sail plan and rigging system that are nothing short of monumental.
The 75-Meter Carbon Tower
At the heart of NGONI’s performance is her incredible carbon composite rig, supplied by Rondal.
Mast Height: The all-carbon mast soars a colossal 75 meters (247 feet) above the waterline. This is a skyscraper of composite engineering, capable of supporting immense wind loads.
Weight Reduction: To make the yacht as responsive as possible, the designers mandated extreme weight saving aloft. They achieved this by using continuous carbon shrouds from the deck to the masthead. This choice resulted in a staggering 70% weight reduction compared to conventional Nitronic rod rigging. Lighter weight aloft means less pitching, less heeling, and faster acceleration—it’s pure physics tailored for speed.
Sail Area: When fully powered up, the yacht boasts an upwind sail area of around 1,950 square meters (over 20,000 square feet), which is a colossal canvas for gathering every ounce of wind energy.
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The Automatic Square-Top Mainsail Genius
Now, here’s a piece of innovation that truly blows my mind, and it speaks directly to the owner’s desire for a functional weapon: the square-top mainsail system.
Square-top (or fathead) mainsails are common on racing yachts because the flared top section increases the sail area dramatically where the wind is fastest and least disturbed. But managing a square-top on a massive superyacht is an operational headache.
This is critical: minimal crew intervention. The diagonal batten attaches automatically on hoisting and detaches automatically on furling. This level of complex automation, executed flawlessly by the Royal Huisman and Rondal engineering teams, ensures the owner gets the high-performance sail shape he craves without sacrificing ease of handling or requiring a massive, professional racing crew just to get underway.
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Precision Control and the Lifting Keel
The owner wanted to feel “knackered from the excitement of hands-on fast sailing.” To deliver this visceral, responsive feel on a 400-tonne vessel, the design had to be radical.
Manual Steering: NGONI features a manual steering system without power assistance. This means the skipper truly feels the load and the response of the massive composite rudder—one of the largest ever built for a yacht of this type. It connects the sailor directly to the water.
The Lifting Keel: The near 100-tonne lifting keel is a testament to the structural integrity of the hull. It allows the draft to be reduced from a deep, high-performance 8.1 meters (26.7 feet) to a more manageable 5.3 meters (17.4 feet). This feature maintains high stability and powerful lift while sailing, but grants access to shallow anchorages, perfectly blending racing capability with superyacht freedom.
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Chapter 4: Beyond the White Walls: The Rick Baker Interior Story
Now, let's talk about where the "luxury" element comes in, because the interior of NGONI is perhaps just as revolutionary as the exterior, again driven by a famously non-traditional brief.
The owner’s core instruction to the interior design team, Rick Baker Ltd. (led by Rick Baker and Paul Morgan), was beautifully simple, yet profoundly challenging: “Don’t design a traditional yacht interior!”
Most superyacht interiors follow a playbook: polished wood veneers, creamy white fabrics, traditional paneling. NGONI throws that playbook into the sea. It’s a space that feels more like a chic, contemporary art gallery in London or Milan than a boat.
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A Study in Contrasts and Textures
Rick Baker created a design that is minimalist, yet incredibly warm and tactile. The overall aesthetic is one of deliberate, powerful contrast.
Flooring: Instead of classic teak or neutral carpet, the main salon features wide planks of bleached wenge flooring, giving the space a raw, organic texture.
The Bar: The full wet bar features a stunning onyx top and a custom bronze-look front, creating a heavy, masculine focal point.
The Colors: While the lines are clean and architectural, the color palette is anything but neutral. Deep purples, greens, and vibrant turquoise are used as deliberate "punches of vibrant color" against the minimalist backdrop of white painted panels and glass. The owner's study, for instance, is famously wrapped in a bold, turquoise leather.
Custom Art and Sculptural Statements
The furniture is largely bespoke, and the space is defined by conversation-starting art pieces, confirming the brief's focus on an "edgy" feel.
The Rhinoceros: Perhaps the most famous piece is the suspended rhinoceros sculpture by Stefano Bombardieri, hanging dramatically in the salon. It’s heavy, unexpected, and completely unforgettable.
Seascape Collage: A seascape collage by Vik Muniz further reinforces the connection to the sea, yet in a thought-provoking, non-literal way.
The design team used custom finishes everywhere. Wall panels, crafted by Officina Coppola, serve as both wardrobe doors and bedside panels, featuring custom textures that evoke the serene beauty of a shallow seabed.
The Double-Height Owner’s Sanctuary
The owner’s suite on the lower deck is a masterpiece of spatial design. It’s structured as a double-height sanctuary, adding a sense of volume and dramatic scale rarely seen in a yacht accommodation.
A pewter free-form desk, a curved sofa, and the master bed all reside in this elevated space. Crucially, the owner’s accommodation is a self-contained zone. It includes:
A Private Gym: Complete with glass walls and a maple floor.
A Study: The aforementioned turquoise-leather-wrapped space.
A Secret Staircase: Providing direct, private access from the suite to the aft deck. This ensures the owner can enjoy an undisturbed flow from a morning swim or a workout straight back to his quarters without having to traverse the main, shared salon.
The interior, just like the exterior, achieved legendary status, winning the International Superyacht Society Award for Best Interior. It proved that "fast and furious" doesn't have to mean utilitarian; it can mean bold, refined, and utterly unique.
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Chapter 5: The Royal Huisman DNA: Building the Impossible
The challenge of NGONI wasn’t just in the design; it was in the execution. Building a yacht to this demanding brief required Royal Huisman to go beyond their world-class craftsmanship and into pure engineering innovation. They had to build a yacht that was both a racing shell and a luxury home.
The Complexity of the Hull
Welding a large aluminum hull is always challenging, but the unique shape of NGONI made it exponentially harder.
Managing Extreme Loads: The hull had to safely contain the immense loads exerted by the 75-meter mast, the 1,950 sqm sail area, and the near 100-tonne lifting keel. The reverse sheer provided a structural head start, but every frame and bulk head had to be meticulously designed using finite element analysis to ensure the structure would not twist or fatigue under full sailing power.
Lightweight Soundproofing: The owner wanted performance, which means a light, slender aluminum hull, but he also demanded luxury, which means peace and quiet. Royal Huisman worked with suppliers to develop custom-made sandwich panels specifically for NGONI’s interior floors. These panels were designed to offer the required soundproof properties while keeping weight to an absolute minimum—a perfect example of performance and comfort coexisting.
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The Deckhouse: Curved Glass Perfection
One of the most striking features of the main deck is the wraparound glass deckhouse. This is not off-the-shelf window glass; this is custom-engineered glass that provides near 360-degree views and floods the interior with natural light.
The glass panels are optically perfect, curved and tinted to the required specification, and meticulously laminated to be structurally sound. The precision required to mate these massive, curved glass panels seamlessly with the aluminum superstructure highlights the extraordinary standards of Dutch yacht building. Even the crew areas below benefit from this obsession with light, utilizing large skylights that offer intriguing glimpses of the towering mast above.
A System of Retraction
NGONI’s commitment to minimalism demanded that the technical systems disappear when not in use.
Retractable Propulsion: The yacht features a retractable propulsion system. When under sail, the propeller disappears into the hull, eliminating drag and maximizing sailing speed. When maneuvering in port or motoring in low wind, the powerful MTU engine deploys the propeller for easy, reliable control.
Deck Integration: The deck is punctured by giant, necessary cut-outs for the technical functions—flush sail lockers for storing the vast sails, a massive tender garage, the crane, and even a spa pool that is perfectly integrated into the deck line. Each aperture is a complex feat of engineering to ensure watertight integrity and structural continuity in the high-stress environment of a racing superyacht.
This build was a masterclass in collaboration, blending the visionary naval architecture of Dubois, the daring interior design of Rick Baker, and the peerless technical execution of Royal Huisman.
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Chapter 6: The Legacy of The Beast and What it Means for Sailing
So, what is the final takeaway from a day spent analyzing "The Beast," the NGONI?
The NGONI yacht is the perfect rebuttal to the idea that a superyacht must be a compromise. It is a vessel that excels in conflicting categories: it is an award-winning example of luxury and a high-performance racing weapon. It is visually bold and structurally rigorous.
An Exhilarating Experience
Ultimately, the goal was to create an exhilarating sailing experience. Shirley Robertson, a yachting world champion, once said that having driven many of Ed Dubois's designs, she felt he "saved the best to last" with NGONI. The combination of the slender, easily-driven hull, the huge power of the rig, and the incredibly responsive, direct manual steering system ensures that the owner and guests feel every ounce of the "fast and furious" excitement they asked for. It's a boat that demands attention, rewards skill, and delivers pure sailing adrenaline.
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The Awards Shelf
The proof is in the hardware. NGONI is a multi-award winning vessel, proving its success across the spectrum:
Best Naval Architecture: (Boat International Design & Innovation Awards 2018)
Best Exterior Styling: (Boat International Design & Innovation Awards 2018)
Best Sail 40m+: (International Superyacht Society Awards 2018)
Best Interior: (International Superyacht Society Awards 2018)
How many yachts can genuinely claim to have won the industry's highest accolades for both its exterior performance design and its interior luxury styling? Very few, which is why NGONI holds such a unique place in history.
I truly believe the legacy of NGONI is the permission it gave future owners and designers to be braver. It proved that you don't have to follow the classic superyacht formula. You can build an aluminum beast with a 75m carbon mast, a reverse sheer, and a turquoise leather gym, and still have one of the most celebrated and successful vessels ever launched. It’s a testament to Royal Huisman’s mantra: The Ultimate Expression of Personal Freedom. And on NGONI, that freedom is fast, furious, and absolutely unforgettable.