Description of ISMERIA 59′
The ISMERIA 59′, our new design, is conceived for sailing in extreme latitudes (far North and far South).
The optimization of the vision towards the outside has been a real point of reflection for our agency. Thus, thanks to the use of reversed glazing, the owner will be able to sail without the constraint of the sun’s reflection or the accumulation of rainwater, while attenuating the effect of heat perceived by the windows. Equipped with an exclusively indoor helm station, which also serves as a lookout and chart table, the ISMERIA 59′, an aluminium sailing centreboarder, fully designed for sailing from the inside.
The captain and owner of this boat wanted to sail protected from rain, cold and sun. His proposal to have an interior helm station and a roof cap extended to the mainsail track fully met his needs and was totally in line with our design expectations.
On the outside, an imposing roof finished by a large cap covers and protects the manoeuvring cockpit. The whole thing is covered with solar panels to make our sloop fully autonomous in energy. Under this large canopy, a spacious and perfectly protected cockpit will welcome owners and guests and will offer the latter all the rigging manoeuvres. The sail plan is composed of a mainsail and a genoa as well as a staysail on a self-tacking system. It is also possible to add a gennaker or an asymmetrical spinnaker at the end of the gaff.
Inside, in a deck saloon on the same level as the cockpit, there is a fully equipped kitchen opening onto a large saloon. The view through the windscreens is totally panoramic and allows the boat to be steered away from the heat or cold outside. Steering wheel and engine controls are grouped together in a protected helm station with a comfortable watch seat.
Below the living area is a spacious owner’s cabin and two comfortable double cabins. These cabins have two well-equipped bathrooms. At the front of the boat, there is a large enclosed storage area. An aft locker is accessible from the cockpit and from a staircase dedicated to the interior of the boat (additional storage, and technical hold).
This aluminium dinghy is equipped with a twin shaft engine and two suspended rudders. It is offered here as a full dinghy but can easily be fitted with a fixed lead keel.
The ISMERIA philosophy
For several years now, our agency has been working hard to design the ideal travel boat. A yacht designed for deep-sea sailing but with the ergonomics that come from living at anchor.
This is the concept of the “mono-maran”: an ergonomic design on the same level as the cockpit and deck saloon to optimise and simplify movement between the interior and exterior.
It was the meeting with an experienced shipowner, who fully shared our feelings about contemporary ocean sailing, its expectations and solutions… that initiated the project and the development of the ISMERIA concept.
How many times a day do we use these famous stairs ? 4 or even 5 steps, sometimes steep, which all too often seem to take us “down to the cellar” when the light and the vision of the sea are “up there”… Why go down when the cockpit, the guests and life is upstairs? These steps are numerous and potentially dangerous when bringing up dishes, plates or simply a pocket book while the boat is moving at sea and sometimes even at anchor. Having an interior in line with the cockpit is the choice that we, the catamaran designers and builders, have adopted. And what a pleasure it is to go from the outside to the inside without having to lose visibility, to continue to keep an eye on the surrounding boats during a watch and not to take any risks in your movements! This is our philosophy of the sailing boat of voyage, it is the philosophy of our range ISMERIA!
So, what about the helm station and the view from the cockpit ? The view forward is certainly disturbed by our superstructure, although it is almost completely glazed:
Nowadays, when sailing, the helmsman is not really behind his helm anymore. He moves, with a pilot’s remote control around his neck, between the galley, his electronics area (or former “chart table”), the saloon, the winches and the mast step. With the exception of manoeuvring periods of course, when do we actually use the tiller or wheel on a travel unit?
The wheel takes up space in a cockpit that is already too small. If the tiller is used so infrequently, why install it where space is at a premium and most exposed? On the ISMERIA range of boats, we have opted for the interior helm station!
The steering wheel and engine controls are located in the middle of the boat, right in front of the panoramic windscreens, which are inverted to prevent reflections, and allow a perfect view forward, both when sailing on the high seas and when manoeuvring in port. The electronic displays are centralised. There is no need to duplicate them on the outside AND on the inside. The engine controls are protected and the chart table remains close to the helmsman during manoeuvres. During the day, but especially at night, the captain is protected, inside, much less exposed.
Of course, the cockpit retains its winches, blockers and blocks. Numerous hat windows allow the sails to be seen and trimmed just like on a conventional sailboat. We luff with the autopilot, we adjust then we shoot… it is the navigation of today and ISMERIA wants to be in the era of time!
