Weatherbird — Full Specifications

Built 1931 · Chantiers Navals de Normandie, Fécamp, France · Refitted 2020–2021

Dimensions

31 m / 101'8"

Length overall (LOA)

6.5 m / 21'3"

Beam (maximum)

3.47 m / 12 ft

Draft

47 GT

Gross tonnage

Unusually generous for a 1931 yacht — inspired by American clipper ships

Beam note

Construction & build

Builder

Chantelot & Lemaistre — Chantiers Navals de Normandie, Fécamp, France

Year launched

November 1931

Naval architects

Victor Orloff (Russian aristocrat, original captain) & Henri Rambaud (French)

Hull material

Original oak hull — intact and preserved through all refits

Deck material

Teak deck throughout

Wheelhouse

Original teak wheelhouse — preserved

Hull profile

Reminiscent of American clipper ships — long, elegant bow, generous sheer

Original sails

E. Mariole & M. Hémet loft of Le Havre

Original engine

Benz diesel auxiliary motor (replaced in refit)

Former names

Weatherbird · Java · Irina

Rig & sailing performance

Gaff-rigged schooner

Rig type

2 masts

Mast configuration

Staysail + jackyard topsail

Original sail plan

8–9 knots

Cruising speed under sail

11 knots

Top speed (engine)

3 minutes

Electric sail deployment

Sails are electrically operated — fully deployed in approximately 3 minutes. The gaff rig gives Weatherbird her unmistakable silhouette under sail.

Engines & mechanical Replaced 2021

Engine

Cummins Mercruiser — 295–300 hp (sources vary slightly)

Engine configuration

Diesel auxiliary — twin shaft

Generators

New generators installed in 2021 refit

Electrical system

Full refit — Lutron smart lighting & control system throughout

Watermaker

Yes — installed during 2021 refit

Navigation equipment

Full modern nav suite — replaced 2021

VHF

Channel 9 (Olympic Marine base)

Guest accommodation

8 guests

Maximum guest capacity

4 cabins

Total staterooms

4–5 crew

Crew complement

Master suite

Full double bed · en suite shower · Ralph Lauren linen · smart lighting

VIP / double cabin

Full double bed · en suite shower · oak panelling · satellite TV

Twin cabin 1

Upper & lower single berths · shared bathroom with bathtub

Twin cabin 2

Upper & lower single berths · shared bathroom with bathtub

Total berths

6 berths — 2 doubles, 4 singles

Linen

Ralph Lauren throughout all staterooms

Hardware

Custom brass & silver Art Deco hardware in all cabins and salon

Interior & on-board features Refit 2021

Salon table / piano

Yamaha F01 grand piano — closes to form the salon coffee/dining table. Searched across Europe; final unit found in Switzerland.

Fireplace

Gas-electric fireplace in main salon — operated by touch-screen panel

Lighting

Lutron smart system — multiple pre-set "scenes" controlled by touch-screen panels throughout

Salon views

Panoramic windows — 270° views from interior salon

Lamps

Opaline (not glass) — period-authentic to 1930s Art Deco style. Sourced to match original design from period magazine articles.

Cocktail bar

Art Deco cocktail bar — built into salon

TV frames

Custom geometric brass — Art Deco design throughout cabins

Audio / visual

Apple TV · satellite TV · touch-screen A/V control panels in all cabins

Wi-Fi

Throughout — all areas

Interior cabinetry

All new — sympathetic Art Deco style. Designed by owner using period artist sketches of original 1930s interior.

Keel detail

A copy of the 1928 Louis Armstrong "Weatherbird" jazz record is sealed / melded into the keel

House flag / burgee

Original design by Pablo Picasso — an abstraction of the human eye in black, white and red on yellow, designed to appear to wink as it waves

Deck, tenders & water toys

Tender

Williams Jet Tender — 3.85 m / 12'8"

Jet ski

Yes — 1 unit

Paddleboard

Yes

Boarding

Side boarding ladder — sea-level access

Deck dining

Al fresco dining table on deck — full crew service

Bow area

Large sun deck at bow — sunbathing and lounging

Refit & maintenance history

1931

Delivered — Fécamp, France. Original Benz diesel, staysail schooner with jackyard topsail.

1969

Refit

1980

Refit

1993

Refit

1995

Refit

1998

Refit completed — Cantieri Dell'Argentario, Italy

2011–2012

Refit at Marmaris, Turkey

2015

Rudder removed — bearings replaced

2016

Full rig refit — new rigging and electric / electronic cables

2020–2021

Complete 17-month mechanical refit by current Greek owner. New Cummins engines, generators, full electrical system, Lutron controls, electric sails, watermaker, all interior design, all fabrics, all lighting. Oak hull preserved. Teak deck preserved. Deckhouse preserved.