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FRERS 59 'MAXIMUS'

CLASSIC STYLE MEETS MODERN PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY ON THE GRANDEST SCALE!

St. Barths Bucket Regatta has long been a home away from home for yachts that combine beautiful aesthetics with high performance on an epic scale. Every time a new yacht joins this exclusive club, it offers something fresh to the mix. New doesn’t always mean breaking the mould with radical aesthetics and modern designs. Sometimes, the enhanced combination of modern technology and classic elements is most awe-inspiring. Epitomising this and poised to steal the limelight at the Bucket in 2024, is Frers 59 ‘Maximus’, constructed by Vitters Shipyard. Launched in October 2023, she’s ready to make her grand entrance.

Concealed within her graceful exterior, Maximus possesses a suite of performance features that have led Vitters to call her a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. This duality comes to life when she switches to racing mode. When we see her take to the water in the Caribbean in March, she’ll be full wolf – with removable bowsprit deployed, jib tacks lowered, and Vitters hydraulic system priming her for action.

At 59m, Maximus is the third largest Vitters yacht on the water, but there is plenty of subtlety and intelligent design behind her raw size. Her aluminium hull and superstructure are the backbone of a vessel that boasts extensive deck spaces, crafted for a life of leisure onboard. She’s equipped to host a wide array of tenders, providing amenities and sun protection that cater to every comfort. Adorning the decks, deck houses and sheltered cockpits offer a classic charm, blending seamlessly with the yacht’s beautiful lines. Maximus’ interior offers nearly 400 GT of volume that promises an ambience of opulence and comfort, with every detail meticulously crafted.

SOUTHERN SPARS

Southern Spars manufactured two 65.7m custom high-performance rigs for this project, constructed from hybrid-modulus carbon fibre. Maximus is equipped with the rig technology chosen across the board at the highest level of racing. The rigs’ lightweight construction and aerodynamic design allow her to enjoy fast, agile racing, while also delivering efficiency and stability for cruising.

Agility is a major focus when optimising a yacht of this size for racing, and this is boosted by a lifting keel, which will also benefit stability and comfort for cruising. Beautiful aesthetics are paramount onboard Maximus, and apart from aerodynamic designs bringing a naturally sleek feel, the boundless range of finishes from across our group facilitate any vision – even one so grand as this.

FUTURE FIBRES

When it comes to composite rigging, for combined reliability and performance, nothing comes close to ECsix. Maximus follows most of the performance superyachts around the world by choosing ECsix, dramatically saving weight for racing, while also minimising rolling at anchor. Its flexible, durable multistrand construction provides peace of mind that pushing hard doesn’t mean pushing rigging over the edge. Maximus is also fitted with a carbon fibre foil from Future Fibres. Drastically reducing weight aloft, when compared to conventional aluminium foils, Future Fibres’ CF foils provide more stability for enhanced comfort and performance.

RIGPRO

The RigPro team is used to taking the reins when it comes to stepping and commissioning, but in the case of Maximus, they have also provided their own performance technology. With running rigging solutions to match technologies from around the group, and the experience of working on almost all of the sailing superyachts around the world, no one was better equipped to provide running rigging and bring the project together.

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Xavier MecoyDale MorrisQuinny Houry
“With Highland Fling 18, we have looked to create a high-performance racer that allows an older owner to enjoy high speeds and excitement. The collaboration between Southern Spars, North Sails, VPLP and the Fling Racing team has made for what promises to be a very exciting new generation of yacht that will extend an owner’s racing enjoyment and comfort for many years.”
Xavier Mecoy
Manager, Highland Fling Racing
“The design process, through close collaboration with our sister company North Sails, was highly rewarding. We were able to really dive into the details of how the rig would influence the sail shape and performance across the entire wind range. There was plenty of focus on the load split between the luff of the sail and the headstays, to ensure we could take full advantage of North Sails’ Helix structured luff technology.”
Dale Morris
Group Head of Global Design, Southern Spars
“Highland Fling 18 has been an amazing project for North Sails and Southern Spars. The initial phase of the project was developed with JB Braun, Head of Design, North Sails. The collaboration with the owner’s team, VPLP Design, North Sails, and Southern Spars meant that a design was developed that was in line with the client’s expectations, with extraordinary attention to detail and a focus on performance. Once the sail shapes and mast profiles were determined, we were able a to build a comprehensive wardrobe of sails to cover the required performance, relying on Helix structured luff technology to give the sails the range required to keep the number of sails to a minimum, while covering the full spectrum of wind speeds and angles. This needed to be matched with the Southern Spars mast and boom setup to make sure we could achieve the required articulation and load. The collaboration between our group of companies enabled us deliver and a make the full sail trials on the spar, deck gear and sail package in less than a week. This was only possible with the vision and diligence of the owner and the Highland Fling team, who did an amazing job of keeping the project on track at all times.”
Quinny Houry
North Sails Superyacht Division
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