Performance Sailing Yacht — 38m Galley Refit

Project Overview: 38m Performance Sailing Yacht Galley Refit

This project was a targeted galley equipment replacement for a 38-metre performance sailing yacht preparing for a transatlantic passage and Caribbean charter season. The vessel had been racing extensively in the previous two seasons, and the galley — which had been operating at the limits of its capacity for the crew-focussed provisioning of a racing programme — was now required to meet charter standard for eight guests in a demanding Caribbean itinerary.

The project was notable for the constraints under which it was undertaken: the vessel was at anchor in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, with a three-week window before the transatlantic crossing. No shipyard access was available, and the work had to be completed alongside the vessel's crew with equipment delivered to the yacht berth and installed aboard without yard facilities.

Pre-Project Condition Assessment

A remote assessment based on the captain's detailed questionnaire and photographic documentation revealed:

• A seven-year-old combi oven that had been heavily used throughout the racing programme and was beginning to show inconsistent temperature results on its upper trays — acceptable for crew feeding but below charter standard for guest service
• A domestic refrigerator positioned directly behind the companionway — inadequate for the Caribbean ambient temperatures that the vessel would encounter and with a door mechanism that had failed and been repaired several times
• No dedicated food preparation equipment — the chef was improvising with hand tools where a food processor or mixer would significantly speed the preparation workflow
• An undersized domestic washer for the linen volume of an eight-guest charter programme

Specification and Implementation

Given the constraints of the project — no yard access, limited time, equipment delivery to a marina berth — we specified replacements that could be installed by the vessel's own engineer with minimal tools and without specialist installation support:

• Unox ChefTop 6-grid 1/1 GN — specified in preference to the Rational as the Unox's dimensional footprint matched the existing installation position precisely, requiring no structural modification. Delivered to Porto Cervo and installed by the vessel's engineer in a single day
• Dometic CoolMatic CRX 80 undercounter refrigerator — marine-rated, rated for tropical ambient temperatures, with secure mechanical door latching for offshore passage use. Self-install with existing cabinet opening
• Robot Coupe R 301 — compact food processor for the preparation station, secured with custom anti-vibration mounts fabricated by the vessel's engineer
• Miele Marine WTD 130 WPM washer-dryer combination — compact combined washer-dryer footprint fitting the existing laundry position without structural modification

Project Outcome

The entire equipment replacement was completed within the three-week window, with all equipment delivered to Porto Cervo via road freight from our European suppliers and installed by the vessel's engineer using our technical installation documentation. The vessel crossed the Atlantic on schedule and commenced the Caribbean charter season with a galley that met the charter standard required. The captain reported that the Unox oven performed consistently throughout the passage — the chef used it daily for crew meals at sea — and the Dometic refrigerator maintained temperature throughout the Atlantic crossing's range of ambient conditions.