How long does a company owner spend on board their new model after she’s been launched? If the company is Sirius and the yacht is our 40DS, the answer is 12 weeks. Eight of those continuously.
We like our yachts to be the best they can be, with that in mind Torsten Schmidt, our owner (and son of the founder) considers a new design in meticulous detail. After three years of planning with all the details developed in 3D, full-size models were made of the interior – to make sure there was enough clearance to move around and the interior worked the way Torsten had envisaged.
We got our employees and existing owners along to use the models and everyone had input in the final yacht. Throughout the build process, every detail was considered. During the last three months of the build, Torsten would spend at least three hours a day on board, often when all our employees had gone home – when they returned the next morning the news wasn’t always good as a detail might need to change.
This process and our experience gave us confidence in this new design. So much so, that only three days after her launch, the press were allowed on board to conduct their trials.
After these, Torsten went sailing. From one boat show to the next, sailing to four countries in all weather conditions, gathering feedback from prospective buyers on the test sails following the shows. This process lasted twelve weeks in total, every berth and cabin were slept in and the yacht was cleaned daily for the boat show visitors.
After all the time Torsten had spent on board, you might expect a long list of modifications, you’d be wrong. The only faults with the boat Torsten was unhappy with were: the sill on the shower room door needed extending and one of the lights in galley needed to be moved – 1 inch further forward.
