Maine-based shipyard Rockport Marine has unveiled a first look inside its 29-metre custom sailing yacht Ouzel, following delivery to her owners earlier this summer.
Designed by studio and naval architect Langan Design, Ouzel was born from a brief for a "modern interpretation of a classic pilothouse cutter" - her owners experienced sailors and previous owners of a 20-metre Baltic Yachts build.
She was constructed in cold-moulded Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar, with a carbon-fibre hull and a foam-cored, plywood-fibreglass deck, and hit the water in November 2025 as the largest vessel from the shipyard.
British designer Mark Whiteley was chosen to lead her interiors, after impressing her owners with his work on the 56-metre Aquarius and 36.4-metre Audrey the First.
“The style of the interior is modern classical, with proportions and detailing that reflect that,” said Mark Whiteley. “The inset white panelling, hand-painted and brushed straight, is a real backdrop for the beautiful mahogany timber work and jewel-like metal detailing throughout the boat. It feels relaxed but also gracious and elegant, and I think that links into the look of the outside as well, which is elegant and timeless.”
New images reveal her low-profile deckhouse, designed to be a versatile outdoor living area. Styled with deep sofas and a folding dining table for al fresco entertaining, with a large navigation station and a desk starboard, this space unifies practicality and comfort.
The lower saloon is accessible through a companionway, where guests will find a more classic seating and dining arrangement, complemented by the same warm cabinets and a mix of hatches and hull lights. Accommodation includes three guest cabins and one crew cabin.
Rockport Marine president Sam Temple added: “It’s so satisfying for us to bring a project of this quality from raw materials to completion. In Ouzel, I see the product of so many well-considered choices. The best of our combined abilities has delivered a balanced yacht where each of our disciplines finds full expression."
He continued: “I’m pleased but not surprised that we are seeing increased acceptance of wood-composite building. The resulting yacht is low maintenance, doesn’t corrode, has excellent strength-to-weight properties and is beautiful."
According to MCM president Peter Wilson, the yacht is "a wolf in sheep’s clothing". Ouzel touts a classic sheer line, low-profile deckhouse and generous overhangs while also benefiting from a performance-oriented rig and "modern underbody", including a high-aspect rudder and contemporary keel.
Above deck, Ouzel boasts a towering mast and a Park Avenue boom, both built in carbon fibre. Her "powerful" sailplan from Doyle Sails (more than 4,500 square feet of sail upwind) comprises a mainsail, Yankee (a high-cut jib) and staysail, plus a Code Zero headsail for off-wind sailing.
Below the waterline, she is fitted with a fin keel surmounted with a hydrodynamic bulb for optimum balance between stability and upwind performance. This was a conscious decision by the owner to turbo-charge the yacht. Powered by an EPA Tier-3-compliant engine and a "state-of-the-art" hydraulic power pack, Ouzel delivers more than 1,000 nautical miles at a maximum cruising speed of 14 knots and a cruising speed of 10 knots.
The update comes following Ouzel's completed sea trials in July, where she reached speeds of 12-plus knots in a modest breeze and demonstrated her performance as a "sailing thoroughbred", according to MCM Newport.