VMG (Velocity Made Good) is a new shipyard focused on high-performance luxury trimarans, with its first vessel, the VMG 53 now in build.
Headquartered in New York, the shipyard’s co-founders Michael Schwartz and Karl Reed aim to bring advanced multihull technology into serial production.
And the founders say the yard will deliver a new generation of offshore cruising trimarans which combine performance, comfort and practical long-range capability.
Schwartz and Reed first met as crewmates taking part in an offshore sailing race off the coast of New England.
Following a challenging passage, the two sailors had a conversation on what the ideal sailing yacht would look like, with both believing that sailors should not have to choose between speed, comfort, safety and ease of handling.
Ocean-racing trimarans
The two joined together with yacht designers, engineers and yacht builders and began work on the concept VMG 53 trimaran three years’ ago.
The project is now in build in Cape Town, South Africa, in partnership with composite boatbuilder Evolution Marine Manufacturing in Cape Town.
The shipyard has partnered with French naval architecture studio VPLP Design, known for creating ocean-racing trimarans.
Interior design for the project is being led by Christophe Chedal Anglay, while Thorne Yacht Design is responsible for engineering and technical development.
The inaugural model for VMG is designed to offer speed and efficiency, together with comfort and liveability.
“From the beginning, our goal has been to create the yacht we wanted to own ourselves,” said Schwartz.
“We believe that we have the unique opportunity to combine world-class design, practical cruising capability and true sailing performance in a way that hasn’t been achieved before in a production trimaran.
“Through the VMG 53 and our future models, we aim to make the most cutting-edge trimaran technology accessible to all.”
The VMG 53 is set to launch in January 2027.
