Bill Tripp interview: 4 cool features of sailing superyacht Cinderella IV

Cinderella IV is a sailing superyacht built by Vitters in composite to a design by Bill Tripp. Launched in 2009, she was designed for an owner who wanted to undertake long passages and travel to unexplored superyacht destinations.

In an interview with Y.CO - who has listed Cinderella IV for sale - Bill Tripp tells us, in his own words, about some of the coolest design features of this sailing superyacht.

"Cinderella IV's layout is quite unique. This yacht needs to be seen from aboard to really understand her personality. The surrounding protection and the roof of the cuddy make a great circular arrangement to the cockpit for big parties. The cuddy itself makes the aft cockpit, offering an office, a watch cabin, a nav area, and an indoor/outdoor space when the doors are open."

Talking about Cinderella IV's owner, Bill Trip explained that he liked his guests to be just as comfortable as himself on board. "So we designed a democratic boat with four equal cabins," Tripp said.

"For charter he believed in separation of crew and guests, hence there are two cockpits, and the crew area aft. Crew could walk straight on for service without walking over the guest cabins."

Because Cinderella IV's owner liked to check in on the navigation from the helm cockpit and take shelter on a nights watch, he wanted a cuddy cabin for offshore passages.

"We liked the owner’s idea for a cuddy cabin," Tripp said. "We were already challenging him with a vertical bow, for reasons of sailing performance and to add more room below. With the cuddy request, we realised that having two cabins could function best by being vertical in form, and that this form could tie in through sailboat design all the way back to Bristol Cutters. We felt we had a package reflecting very classic boats (the 1890 Bloodhound, for example), yet entirely modern and ultimately practical. This has given Cinderella IV an unmistakable profile."

But it's not just the cuddy cabin that Tripp thinks is cool: "It's the two-level salon that really makes the boat. Unusually long and wide, it offers great sight lines from every point by virtue of the vertical windows."

Cinderella IV is a refined version of the first lift keel designed by Bill Tripp, featured on an 88 foot sailing yacht built in the mid-90s.

"Her lift keel gives her access to atolls, and enhanced sailing characteristics that can't be offered with a fixed keel," Tripp explains. "The carbon composite construction helps keep the loads down and the responsiveness up when she is under sail, and easy on fuel when she is under power. Working with Green Marine and Vitters brought together the best of composite work with the best of systems and interior quality.

"The best sailboats have a good motion at sea and can carry sail well, exuding power. And they don't fight their bow wave. Cinderella IV sails on and over the water rather than digging a hole and loading up."