Sailing I
A Sailing Legacy Kokomo
WORDS: SAMUEL JEFFERSON | IMAGES: CHRIS HUGHES + CORY SILKEN
Every yacht has its own tale to tell. Kokomo has one of the most storied histories of any Superyacht, and stands as a tribute to two great men and one fine boatbuilder. As well as being one of the masterpieces of the late, great naval architect Ed Dubois, she was the brainchild of her also late and great original owner, Lang Walker, a man who was extremely respected on the Superyacht circuit, and crafted by New Zealand yard Alloy Yachts before it closed in 2016.
With such a pedigree, it’s little surprise that Kokomo remains a remarkable and innovative yacht 14 years after her launch. When she splashed in 2010, this 58.4m sloop was the largest yacht ever launched in New Zealand. Her 74.3m carbon fibre mast was the longest spar ever built by Southern Spars and her gennaker was the biggest single sail that the Doyle sail loft had ever produced. This is a fast-cruising yacht on the biggest of scales, and her sleek hull and purposeful lines married to that powerful rig hint at her enormous potential.
It was the drive and vision of Walker, an Australian philanthropist and property developer, that brought about her construction. Sadly, Walker passed away in January of this year. He was well known and much loved in the sailing community, and his design brief for Kokomo reflects the vision, enthusiasm and exacting demands of a man who adored all aspects of sailing the world’s oceans. Walker frequently recounted how he placed an order for the current Kokomo as soon as her predecessor (a 52m Dubois design also called Kokomo) was launched in 2006. According to Walker, he immediately saw how he could improve on his previous boat and went back to the drawing board, where his final masterpiece took shape.
The design brief presented to British yachting architect legend and founder of Dubois Naval Architects Ed Dubois – who himself sadly passed away in 2016 – was for a fast-cruising sloop that could be raced on occasion. Kokomo features uncluttered decks only interrupted by the coachroof which incorporates a flybridge with twin helms. The boat certainly isn’t lacking in luxury, featuring a Jacuzzi and smart interior designed by the also UK-based Redman Whiteley Dixon studio. She sleeps up to ten guests in five cabins: three doubles and two twins. One of the key difficulties of her design was that Walker had specified a lifting keel – uncharted territory for the team on such a big boat. But Dubois rose to the challenge and the result was that the yacht’s bulbed keel lifted into the hull, giving her a draft of five metres, with the keel up as opposed to eight with it lowered. This relatively shallow draft increased the versatility of Kokomo and opened up many more cruising possibilities for such a large vessel. On the other hand, the height of her mast meant that both the Suez and Panama Canals were not an option. It also meant that she needed a certain level of toughness to weather both the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn.
Following the death of Walker, she was put up for sale and rapidly snapped up by a new owner. “I’ve followed her ever since her launch by Alloy Yachts in 2010,” he shares. “My first impression was that she was the most amazing and beautiful sailing yacht I had ever seen. Now I own her.” But his passion for Kokomo is about more than just looks. “I love the exterior profile and the interior design and layout,” he says. “Beyond that, of course, her sailing performance and pedigree are second to none. She is an incredibly exciting boat to handle and her interior is also exceedingly luxurious and spacious. Owning Kokomo, one of the best performance sailing yachts on the planet, is the culmination of a lifelong passion and a dream
come true.”
Prior to 2024, Kokomo had never been chartered. Now that has changed, and she is at present the biggest single-masted sloop in the world available to experience, managed by Cecil Wright, the brokerage and charter agency based in Monaco who also coordinated the sale. So what’s she like to sail? One man who knows better than most is her new Captain, Iain Bradshaw. He is no stranger to big sloops, having previously served aboard Anatta, a 66m long sloop and also the 58m Ngoni, among other yachts. When we chatted with him, he was in the depths of a refit in Palma ahead of Kokomo’s 15-year survey which will involve the mast being lifted out and a full repaint of what Bradshaw says is a “beautifully maintained boat”.
Fortunately, prior to this work, Bradshaw had enjoyed a month of sailing Kokomo, which had allowed him to get a true handle of her. “She is a performance boat,” he reflects. “Dubois designs have a history of performance design and it shows. She’s a good all rounder – fantastic for day sailing. She’s great in the Caribbean and can handle that big full main in big seas.
“She’s also got a good motion and an excellent turn of speed,” he continues. “We can do 16kn true if we’re going upwind. Off the wind a bit and 17-18kn is very achievable and feels good. Her best point of sail is a beam reach: the big mast and lifting keel mean she can be a little more tender than a motorboat and you have to be that bit
more diligent.”
Although Bradshaw says that Kokomo certainly has the potential to be raced, he does not anticipate this being a big part of her programme. He acknowledges the fact that she cannot go through the Panama or Suez Canals is a drawback but also sees it as a positive. “That restriction makes you follow a different itinerary [which] is no bad thing,” he explains. “There’s no reason why you can’t do Magellan Strait or the Beagle Channel with this yacht. She’s certainly capable of high-latitude sailing – she is built as a world cruiser and she can certainly do that.”
One of the big adjustments you also have to make with Kokomo is the hydraulic helm, which takes a bit of getting used to for those more familiar with the direct chain and rod steering on smaller boats. “You learn to sail a different way,” he says. “You use numbers and rudder indicators. The issue initially is that you tend to oversteer and go off course, but it’s about adapting. If you want to be the best, you have to learn.”
Kokomo’s latest cruising programme looks likely to take in the classic Caribbean/Mediterranean circuit, as her new owner has a particular affection for the Ionian in Northern Greece. However, he also harbours more ambitious plans. “We are planning a round-the-world trip, hopefully by the end of next year,” he says. “I would really love to sail around Cape Horn and also adore hiking, so I think exploring Patagonia has to be on the itinerary, as well as experiencing wildlife first-hand in the Galápagos. Beyond that, of course, there’s the stunning South Pacific, spanning French Polynesia and Australia. The best thing is, I can sail around the world but in Kokomo there is no compromise on comfort.”
Fittingly, it sounds like the next stage in the journey of this magnificent yacht has only just begun.
cecilwright.com
