SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

distinguished and lithe, najiba certainly lives up to her name, meaning ‘noble’. briand’s distinctive minimalist lines create a simple, elegant profile, while the running surface provides excellent seakeeping qualities. The main deck has a long midsection of glass extending up toward the foredeck, with an open area aft for entertainment, while the upper deck has a second salon in the centre, with an open sundeck above. najiba is the second-largest aluminium vessel built by de Vries. “based on our extensive experience, we ensured that najiba’s design provided comfort at sea, as well as fuel efficiency,” says briand “All the Vitruvius hulls are highly characteristic featuring the plumb line bow; it’s become a signature of Vitruvius, and the starting point is always focusing on the point where the hull will penetrate the water. najiba’s hull benefits from our vast knowledge of sailing yacht design; it’s a careful balance between art, design and efficiency. once we have the hull lines, the rest of the boat follows in the same spirit.” designed with graceful proportions, serving as a floating connector between science and art, najiba is also ultra-efficient. With a fuel consumption of 11.5 litres per nautical mile at a cruising speed of 12 knots, this 880GT yacht can achieve a range of 4,400 nautical miles. “We keep it simple and pure, and our designs are without superfluous elements. All of the lines in our yacht designs are there for a reason, they serve a purpose, and are not included just for the sake of design. if something has no function, we don’t include it,” says briand. “We try to be as minimalist as possible, as again this improves efficiency, but also in terms of aesthetics. This discipline stems from my background as a sailing yacht designer, where lines have to be straight and simple.” najiba’s transparent glass guard rail is another fantastic example of a feature that looks simple, but requires architectural knowledge to know how to design it correctly. “Many shipyards would believe it’s not possible to build a guard rail out of glass that is strong enough to withstand the power of the sea, and comply with all regulations,” smiles briand. “We worked very closely with Feadship to make sure that we made this possible—it wasn’t easy, and we spent three months on this alone— but i felt it was highly necessary from both a design point of view and for the owners’ experience on board.” “We have to consider people’s experience on board,” adds briand. “Their line of sight, how they will interact with the environment, it is fundamental to their level of enjoyment when on board. We spent a lot of time devising various