Compromise is a part of life – except when you have a 108’, smart, comfortable Superyacht that simultaneously handles with the daintiness of a dinghy. The Skipper and owner of Kiboko 4 – just voted Sailing Yacht of 2025 – explain how she does it.
The phrase ‘small is beautiful’ is one that is often relevant in the sailing world. Anyone who learnt to sail in dinghies will vouch for the fact that going out in a small sailing boat can be a wonderful experience. The sensation of skimming over the waves is a special one. Your closeness to the water, the feel of the helm and your relatively precarious position means you feel involved with the elements, at one, in a way that is truly life affirming, exhilarating and, yes, beautiful.
Imagine though if you could take all the sensations that a dinghy delivers and place them on the bigger canvas of a full-size yacht. That is what the designers of Kiboko 4, a 108’ long Southern Wind sloop were aiming for when they set about drawing up the lines for this custom-built cruiser/racer. We’re talking about finger-light dinghy-style handling on the most ambitious scale.
The result is Kiboko 4, a stunning all-carbon black beauty which is destined to turn heads wherever she goes. She’s already been voted Sailing Yacht of the Year at the recent World Superyacht Awards in Venice. Kiboko is the second Southern Wind 108 to be launched and, if her half-sister Gelliceaux is anything to go by, she looks likely to also cut a dash on the racecourse. Gelliceaux cleaned up at the 2024 St Barths Bucket Regatta in her debut season. If anything, Kiboko should be even quicker than her predecessor because she is a shade lighter. While Gelliceaux featured hybrid electric-diesel propulsion, Kiboko has dispensed with the heavy batteries and gone with a diesel engine. Farr Yacht Design, who worked up her hull lines, state that the emphasis was on producing a yacht that could sail well in light weather conditions while also being a fast passage maker which can compete effectively in regattas.
Such a wide-ranging brief could have led to an uncomfortable compromise, but this certainly does not seem to have been the case. Skipper Raimon Pasco, freshly arrived in Palma Mallorca after completing the 4,300 nautical mile trip from Southern Wind’s home base in Cape Town, is delighted with the performance of the new boat. “When there is wind Kiboko performs very well and is extremely fast and powerful,” he says. “From a sailing point of view, the boat has been amazing – better than what I was expecting.”
Kiboko boasts a carbon-fibre hull produced in three sections combined with a carbon deck and rig. The keel is incredibly deep at 6.2m but this can be partially raised when required, reducing the draft to 4.0m. “This long lifting keel gives us a lot of power so this is a big difference,” Skipper Pasco notes. Kiboko also features twin rudders which provide masses of grip and the very simple and direct Dyneema linkage between the wheel and the rudder quadrant goes some way to explaining why this boat is such a joy to handle.
The other half of the secret behind the almost dinghy-like feel of this big boat is the simplicity with which you can play about with the sail trim. The mainsail is set up on a captive winch under the aft deck that, along with the traveller, is adjusted hydraulically. Both are linked to a small joystick set on the binnacle. This means that if you are at the helm, you can tweak and play with the mainsail trim with the minimum of effort. This combination gives you a boat capable of reaching speeds in excess of 20kn with feather-light sensitive steering and effortless sail adjustment. It’s a seductive cocktail.
It’s fair to say that Kiboko’s owner had a clear-eyed vision of what he was after. This is, after all, his fourth Southern Wind – each yacht being a little larger than the previous model. “This yacht represents an evolution for me: building on my previous boats while reflecting Southern Wind’s continued advancement in crafting reliable yachts with increasingly elegant and aggressive lines,” he explains. “Compared to my earlier yachts, I’ve taken a leap toward performance with a lifting keel, an enhanced sail plan and a performance mast and rigging package which I hope will make her highly competitive in regattas.”
The styling of the yacht was done by Nauta and they have excelled themselves, producing a sporty, elegant yacht with a notably lower profile than many preceding models built by Southern Wind. The black hull also gives her a real sense of dash and the feeling that this boat is built for speed. “She’s very sexy,” Skipper Pasco reflects. The coachroof is low and barely interrupts the flush decks, while the big rig adds to the impression of power. The new boat has many interesting features and one of the notable details is that she boasts a wooden deck which, due to the sustainability issues surrounding teak, the owner eschewed on Kiboko 3 in favour of synthetic teak. However, the team at Southern Wind seem to have succeeded in finding a way around the problem by using maple as a teak substitute. Generally maple would not be considered hard enough to be durable but the problem has been dealt with by heat-treating the wood to toughen it up and increase durability. “It’s a real pleasure to have a wooden deck again,” Skipper Pasco reflects. “In some aspects this is one of the main differences between the new boat and Kiboko 3.”
Down below the interior features a four-cabin layout with the owner’s cabin located forward in the quietest area of the yacht, while three guest cabins are positioned amidship. This arrangement creates a spacious and inviting L-shaped social area forward of the saloon, comprising living and dining spaces as well as a TV lounge. The key down here was to produce areas bathed in light while the use of handwoven Mallorcan fabrics gives a more rootsy, homely feel which contrasts with the overall modernity of the yacht.
Kiboko 4 is all set for the summer season. Her owner says that she will primarily be a family boat. In the past he has preferred to explore the Mediterranean but, at the end of the summer he plans to take the boat over to the Caribbean and explore that area for the first time. He also has a dream of exploring the coastline of Maine. Wherever he takes her, she will arrive in style and is sure to make a big splash.
