Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design Brings Luxury Yachting to Town

Well-muscled and nimble, the design and engineering firm Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design may have less notoriety in its own hometown of San Diego than it has on the world stage. Internationally, the company enjoys an electrifying reputation for elite Superyachts, Sportboat fleets and Maxi racers. The company demonstrates with astonishing alacrity and dedication their award-winning designs that cut through the ordinary. From the engineering and craftsmanship of the 1992 winner of the America’s Cup America3 in San Diego to 2003’s Team Stars and Stripes and the 2007’s Team Desafio Espanol, Reichel/Pugh’s brilliance expresses itself in every imaginable type of keel boat, including the pocket rocket Melges 24. The current introduction of the 130-foot superyacht My Song elevates what it means to combine innovative design with engineering prowess. 

At the helm are the firm’s co-founders and visionaries: Naval Architect John Reichel and decades-long designer, Grand Prix racer and industry leader Jim Pugh. They both individually and collectively inspire and drive the finest talent available. "In this niche market, the goal is to take a vision, create it and exceed expectations," says Jim Pugh, adding, "for you to succeed, [clients] need to win." Inspired from the age of 16, when his family moved to the south of England, Pugh watched boats on the river, mesmerized, and ultimately incorporated sailing and design into his life’s work.

To further facilitate the company’s success, Reichel/Pugh has brought on board professionals of like minds. As if it wasn’t enough to fill their company with premium engineers, architects and designers, each staff member also rides the pro circuit. Because the designer/engineer becomes the sailor, the compelling process further inspires and informs innovation. The result? Reichel/Pugh is always pushing into the next paradigm of possibility.

With razor focus, the team takes the potential for beauty and combines it with impressive high-tech scientific applications. In the last two decades, Reichel/Pugh has turned yachts into ultra-luxury performance superyachts, and it’s morphed one-designs into astonishing Melges sportboat worldwide racing fleets. Integrated into this effort is crew safety and ship seaworthiness, a driving philosophy that balances robust design with minimum weight. With that, Reichel/Pugh has become an international leader—recognized by shipbuilders and clients alike—for their integrity as well as their science.

Hetairos—The largest yacht to ever compete at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Photo courtesy of Baltic Yachts

Reichel/Pugh Designs

The ultimate in luxury cruising, superyachts combine pleasure with the thrill of the race. These dual-purpose, multi-role hybrid boats serve two masters: a cruising experience with luxurious appointments, and a high-performance, optimized-for-speed craft for the racing circuit. Cruise the Caribbean or Mediterranean with friends and family for a week, then strip down the yacht for racing––it’s the best of both worlds. 

Case in point: Reichel/Pugh’s 130’ My Song has set the tone for performance superyachting. In collaboration with Baltic Yachts, Italian design house Nauta Design and MCM created one of the most remarkable state-of-the-art, all carbon superyachts launched this fall. Built by Finland’s Baltic Yachts, their world-class staff provided precision manufacturing based on Reichel/Pugh’s co-located design and engineering team—a collaborative relationship fostered and nurtured through 

previous projects. With designer Nauta’s deck and interior design collaboration and Reichel/Pugh’s naval architecture and structural engineering, My Song provides just one example of superyachts of the future.

With the advent of Reichel/Pugh’s innovative Melges 20 sportboat debut in 2008, the company has become a quintessential leader of the most popular and competitive one-design sportboats in the world. Nearly forty Melges 20s sailed the 2015 Worlds of San Francisco; the 2015 Melges 24 Worlds boasted ninety-five boats, and over a hundred Melges 24s are expected at the upcoming world championship in Miami this November. 

RP130 My Song—My Song was launched in the summer of 2016 and was constructed by Baltic Yachts in Finland.

No question, the Melges fulfills the demand for a more compact yet comfortable well-built sportboat. From the company’s exclusively designed introduction, Melges has brought to market a new standard in sportboat racing. With a highly organized global event circuit that encompasses North America, Europe and Australasia, this revolutionary style of boat has attracted sailors hungry for one-design racing. The Melges 20 is easy to launch and has top-of-the-line equipment that results in a complete sailing experience. 

Innovation has led the Reichel/Pugh team to create some of the fastest racers in the world. However if one defines the confluence of water and speed’s ecstasy, its exhilarating effects are made manifest in Reichel/Pugh’s offshore distance racing boats. A recent distance race serves as an excellent case in point as the company’s canting keel design dominated the 2016 Brisbane to Keppel Race with a win and course record set by the RP100 Wild Oats XI.

Setting Reichel/Pugh Apart

The company consistently outperforms itself by re-inventing racers and superyachts. An example of their strive for perfection? The company recently launched a 68’ Cruiser for a repeat client whose goal included sailing along the California coast. Says Jim Pugh about the project, "While comfort and aesthetics were a priority, the owner was also focused on a high-performance design that would offer exhilarating rides." The result has been an "all-carbon, nomex kevlar-core with a focus on high performance sailing, lightweight engineering and a simple, well-lit and functional interior."

Reichel/Pugh 200' Classic—Recreating the natural beauty of a classic yacht on the fluid surfaces of a modern hull combines the romance of the past with modern performance and vastly improved seakeeping.

Reichel/Pugh was chosen for the project based, in part, on their previous demonstration of design and engineering excellence. Yet the collaborative relationships the company has established with global giants such as builder Baltic Yachts and interior designer Nauta, as well as their own fully integrated design and engineering team’s ability to problem-solve in real time, were persuasive Is it any wonder Reichel/Pugh prevails as a global leader in design and engineering excellence?

What’s next for the company? When asked about his vision for the future, Pugh comments, "We appreciate what we’ve achieved and want to provide opportunity for young talent who could have taken another route with their skills. We want to be an inspiration [to them], to realize and act on [their talents]." 

In an industry spread across several continents, providing a vehicle for this next generation to realize their own dreams is a dedication Pugh supports. The young guns who make their mark on this industry generally demonstrate "passion that is pretty amazing. Two of our guys just came back from winning two European regattas on our designs," says Pugh. When asked about his own drive, Pugh declares: "It’s hard to put into words, [but] once you leave land and you’re out there… It’s quite amazing, something about it, it doesn’t go away." Passion for design and talent for engineering fuel Reichel/Pugh and the high-quality yachts and superboats they craft. With a dedicated team at the helm of their luxury yachts and race boats, it’s easy to see how Reichel/Pugh can help you sail into the sunset. 

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