The second Shipman model was designed on feedback and practical experience of the 50. We understood that to design the ultimate open ocean cruiser, we needed help from the French singlehanded school based at the “vallee des fous” in Brittany. 

Michel Desjoyeaux, arguably the best singlehanded racer of all times, came to our office with a young IMOCA 60 feet class designer, Guillaume Verdier (whose designs would later win the Vendée Globe around-the-world race several times and the America’s Cup twice, among others). Michel worked with us on the deck and rig design to make the 63 really shorthanded, while Guillaume designed the structure and participated on the naval architecture philosophy. Not to mention Giorgio Provinciali, who supplied most of the VPP work. 

We were all astonished at the result: a cruising yacht with hydraulic winches, with a washing machine and all bells and whistles on the comfort side, which sailed much better than we expected. She could do 12 knots of boat speed in 12 knots of true wind, cross the Atlantic in ten to twelve days, and sail around the globe, typically with a short- or single handed crew. There was good communication between the interior and the cockpit enabled by the pilothouse design, and a wide-open companionway made life aboard very comfortable. Her ease of handling was possibly the most important element, but no one complained that the Shipman 63 Carbon also sailed faster than any other boat around… The trials we ran with twenty-six different owners showed that the lowest maximal speed seen on the log was 24 knots, and the fastest 31,7.

Shipman 63 Carbon became the world’s most popular carbon yacht and won the Croatian, Slovenian, and European Boat of the Year 2006 title.