Boatspeed Med Spirit

The yacht, known today as Med Spirit, was designed by Hugh Welborn at the Australian shipyard Boatspeed for the Dutch liquor company Bols and used for promotional purposes. The yacht was originally planned to attempt several speed records, including a 24-hour crossing and a transatlantic crossing. She had some serious problems during her attempted crossing of the Atlantic in 2005, however, and since then no further record breaking attempts have been made (due to Bols bankruptcy and change of ownership). The boat is characterized by original details rarely seen on sailing boats - for example, her propeller is retracted into the cockpit when sailing to reduce drag and she has transom plates under the stern chock to increase the recovery torque.