SUNREEF & NADAL: The Great White
Rafael Nadal—where to start with this Spanish tennis superstar who is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players in the world. Before turning 20, Nadal won 16 victories at the start of his professional career, including his first French Open and six Masters events, making him one of the most successful youths in ATP Tour history. In 2008, Nadal won his first major match off clay by defeating Federer in the historic Wimbledon final, which propelled him to the top of the global rankings for the first time. He backed up his victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with an Olympic singles gold. Then 24 years old, Nadal became the first man to win a major on three different surfaces (hard, grass, and clay) in the same year after defeating Djokovic in the 2010 US Open final. He also became the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam during the Open Era.
It is not at all difficult to see that Rafael possesses a natural gift for the game of tennis. In addition, did you know that he is fluent in Spanish, Balearic Catalan, and English? I mean, does he ever stop?
You would think that after all of that hard work, he would give himself a minute to relax and treat himself to something special, and he has done just that with the purchase of his brand new yacht, Great White. This is not your typical yacht; it has a double hull, which is something that, in my opinion, does not receive nearly enough attention in the yachting world. One of the oldest shipyards in Poland, Sunreef Yachts, built and designed it.
Who is Sunreef Yachts?
Francis Lapp, as founder and CEO of Sunreef Yachts, is the company’s inspiration and primary force. Born in 1958 in France, he started his career in electric power and building. He founded his own company after managing significant industry companies. He participated in a Warsaw Automobile Club rally for the first time. He established his business in Poland in the 1990s after discovering its immense development potential. He soon became a successful manufacturer of electrical equipment for some of the biggest global brands and expanded to designing and installing electrical, sanitary, and air conditioning systems for large industrial facilities.
After seeing small racing catamarans in Poland, Francis Lapp became passionate about sailing. This inspired him to acquire his own, larger cruising catamaran in Madagascar. He launched an Indian Ocean charter trip agency with other comparable vessels. He found no appropriate yachts while searching. This led him to create larger, more specialised luxury multihulls, which gave birth to Sunreef Yachts.
Francis Lapp founded a shipyard in Gdansk, a city with a rich history of naval construction and the best workers, to begin a lifelong yachting career. Sunreef Yachts launched the first 74-foot luxury oceangoing catamaran with a flybridge in 2003, marking a new era in yachting and multihull design.
Over 140 Sunreef Yachts, both sailing and motorised, are currently cruising the world, and the shipyard is widely regarded as the go-to for multi-hull yachts. This explains why Rafael chose Sunreef for his own yacht.
What makes a multi-hull so special? Multihulls made for cruising are naturally stable because they have a wide beam and good buoyancy. With less heel than a monohull, they provide a level platform even when sailing, making movement around the yacht easier and safer. Because they are stable, cruising multihulls are also comfortable when they are at anchor, even when there is a swell.
The “Great White.”
Because of her spacious and luxurious 4-cabin configuration, the Great White can host up to 8 people simultaneously. The owner’s suite, one of the guest cabins, and the staff quarters are all located in the starboard hull of the yacht. The master stateroom has ample space for living, and it comes equipped with a walk-in dressing room, a sofa, a flip-down ceiling TV that is mounted above the double bed, and a private balcony that folds down. The kitchen and two guest cabins that are much bigger than the others are in the port hull of the catamaran.
The light-filled saloon of the Great White yacht features two extra-large sofas for relaxing by the aft cockpit, a dining area with seating for eight forward, and two televisions measuring 77 inches each that are mounted back-to-back. An additional place for lounging was created just close to the entrance to the bow terrace. The full-beam stern cockpit of the catamaran offers an exceptional alfresco dining spot that is shielded from the wind and sun and outfitted with a television that is resistant to the elements. Great White’s aft garage conceals a giant jet-ski and a collection of water toys, in addition to a refuelling station behind the large sofa that is located in that area. A large hydraulic swim platform has been erected on the yacht in order to accommodate the tender and provide additional space for sunbathing next to the water.
The flybridge features an outside salon that offers comfortable lounging places, a bar, large sunpads, and a television that can be retracted into the ceiling. The Great White is powered by two engines that each have 1200 horsepower. This gives the ship a top speed of 23 knots and a speed for cruising of 16 knots.
Rafael’s three favourite places onboard the Great White.
“If I had to choose three favourite spots on the yacht, they would be the flybridge, cockpit, and salon. Why? The FlyBridge is an amazing space to enjoy time with the crew when they are driving. With your friends, you have different places on the flybridge to enjoy. You can have a barbecue here and a lunch party with friends and family. There are plenty of sun loungers behind, in an area with 360-degree views and constant fresh air.
One of my favourite places is without a doubt the cockpit, because it is the most quiet place on the yacht, there is a large table to have dinner or lunch at or to spend the evening watching TV even while navigating, and you are covered from the sun. It’s a very quiet, very stable place, and a place where you can relax after lunch.
The third place is the main salon. The salon is just huge. We can’t forget that this yacht is 12 metres wide, so that creates a space in the salon that is difficult to imagine if you are not inside the yacht. So I love spending nights on the yacht and having the feeling of being in the salon watching a movie or sports with the windows open; it’s just amazing now because being on the water is such a homey feeling. “