A racing yacht designed by Rob Shaw, Head of MIT’s New Zealand Maritime School, has featured on Boating NZ’s website.
Illuminate’s owner, Scott Fyfe, says he decided to commission the design after Rob’s boats caught his eye.
Illuminate is a Shaw 1050 which means it is 10.5m long and designed by Rob Shaw. (credit: Boating NZ/Roger Mills)
“I’ve seen how they perform and always been impressed. It’s a reminisce of the old days. I really wanted to build a fun boat. All my kids have done the competitive centre-board stuff, up to 29, 49 level and the dream was to get them together on a race boat,” he says.
Mr Shaw has extensive experience as a boat designer, having been a director of Shaw Yacht Design for more than 20 years. He says it keeps him current, connected and to deliver research outputs.
Mr Shaw being interviewed by Sarah Ell from Boating NZ. (credit: Boating NZ/Roger Mills)
“People don’t generally come to me if they’re looking for a standard boat. Generally, they come to me with something a bit different and a bit interesting which is good.”
“This boat was the development of the concept of a boat that relied on crew weight for power and stability rather than just keel weight.”
“It’s come out amazing, better than I would have ever hoped for. As a designer, you’re at the mercy of the builders and engineers to put it all together and they’ve done a brilliant job.”
Mr Shaw has been the Head of MIT’s New Zealand Maritime School since 2018. The school is located in Auckland CBD with programmes in marine engineering, domestic maritime, nautical foreign-going and super yacht crewing. The programmes include diplomas, certificates and short courses.
Illuminate can be seen racing in the Waitemata Harbour. (credit: Boating NZ/Roger Mills)
