A regatta sailor in iYacht's team
Beyond the main office in Hamburg, iYacht has a presence in Kiel, where three key team members contribute to our projects: Veit Spohr, who, as explained in this article, is, among other tasks, responsible for CE marking, Dennis Bull and Piers Oest, both naval architects.
Oest is iYacht’s sailing and structural engineering expert. Thanks to his background in naval architecture, experience working for a rigging supplier, and years spent as a regatta sailor, he plays a vital role in our sailing projects.
A passionate regatta sailor
A dedicated sailor, Piers has continued to participate in regattas while enjoying the new adventure of fatherhood, as his two sons have joined the family in recent years.
He manages to compete in a few medium-distance races each season, and has achieved remarkable results in his class, including a 3rd place finish in the Gotland Runt and a 1st place finish in the Skagen Rund.
“Luckily, my wife and kids fully support my passion. Since many races start from Kiel, close to where I live, the whole family is with me before the regatta starts. My eldest son loves hopping on board before the start and taking a turn at the ‘big wheel.” the naval architect stated.
Studying and working in Kiel
Piers studied in Kiel, where he earned his degree in Naval Architecture and Maritime Technologies. He later worked as Technical Director at Bente GmbH, overseeing boat development and construction at the shipyard. His next role was at Kohlhoff GmbH, a yacht outfitter, where he focused on rigging and deck hardware projects.
He then joined iYacht as a naval architect, contributing to a wide range of innovative projects.
“Since joining iYacht, I’ve worked on many exciting projects. One of the most memorable was a 90-foot catamaran, where I was the project leader. From an engineering perspective, this project introduced several innovations, including an adsorption cooling system.”
iYacht always considers production feasibility during the design phase, but for this multihull, we took it a step further by taking into consideration the automated production from the early design stages, all while ensuring the use of sustainable materials.
“Another challenging project was a catamaran with hydrogen propulsion. This kind of propulsion was completely new, so first of all, we involved DNV (the certification body) from the beginning to determine how the vessel could be certified. It was a fascinating project from a management perspective, involving multiple stakeholders, including the shipyard, the owner, and the flag state authorities.”
Among the current projects he’s taking care of at iYacht, Piers is designing the rig for a 48-foot aluminium catamaran.
Oest commented on this multihull: “This project covers everything from defining operational load cases and running finite element analysis on the structure to selecting the right fittings and accessories.”
Future of foiling in sailing
Foiling is undoubtedly the technology that has been reshaping sailing in recent years.
Piers, with his dual expertise as a naval architect and a competitive sailor, brings a well-rounded perspective to the topic. He not only understands the engineering and manufacturing challenges behind foiling technology but also experiences its impact firsthand on the racecourse.
We asked Piers whether he sees a production foiling yacht emerging in the near future and invited him to share his insights.
“Foiling is definitely an exciting development, and I think it will become more prevalent in the coming years. However, I don’t expect to see a classic production yacht as a cruiser or performance cruiser with foils just yet. The target market for such a yacht would be quite small, and foiling does have some downsides for cruising. These challenges start with docking in the harbor, and the higher speeds achieved while foiling introduce not only additional stresses on the ship but also on the sailor and crew.”
If a production foiling yacht does emerge, Piers predicts it will likely come from a French shipyard:
“French builders seem more willing to embrace bold solutions, and their customers are closely tied to competitive sailing. Offshore racing is a bigger part of the sailing culture in France than in Germany, which makes them more open to these innovations.”
