New trimaran combines ocean-racing DNA with luxury accommodation and practical offshore capability.
VMG (Velocity Made Good), a new shipyard focused on high-performance luxury trimarans, has launched with the goal of bringing advanced multihull technology into serial production. With its headquarters in New York, and backed by an international team of sailors, designers and industry specialists, VMG has been created to deliver a new generation of offshore cruising trimarans which combine performance, comfort and practical long-range capability. VMG’s origins can be traced to an offshore sailing race off the coast of New England, where co-founders Michael Schwartz and Karl Reed first met as crewmates. Following a particularly challenging passage, conversations turned to what the ideal sailing yacht would look like, with both sharing the belief that sailors should not have to choose between speed, comfort, safety and ease of handling.
This offshore conversation soon became a challenge: could they transform their vision of this ideal sailing yacht into reality? To find out, Schwartz and Reed joined forces with some of the world’s leading minds in yacht design, engineering and construction. Three years ago, work began in Cape Town, South Africa, where the project steadily evolved from a concept into the VMG 53 trimaran, which is now in build. In terms of the founders’ backgrounds, Schwartz brings more than 25 years of experience in product development, manufacturing and commercialisation to the company, having built and scaled multiple businesses across the industrial, food production and cycling sectors. Reed has built his career across yacht operations, management and brokerage, working as a professional captain, delivery skipper and multihull specialist. His hands-on experience managing and delivering yachts has given him a practical understanding of owner requirements and offshore cruising that now informs the development of VMG.
The company’s name, ‘Velocity Made Good’, reflects the philosophy that underpins the project. In sailing, VMG measures how efficiently a yacht converts speed into meaningful progress towards a destination. For the founders, it represents a broader commitment to pursuing the most effective route forward through intelligent design, engineering and innovation. To bring the concept to life, VMG has partnered with some of the most respected names in yacht design and construction. French naval architecture studio VPLP Design, famous for its pioneering work in multihull design, leads the design of the vessel. Responsible for creating some of the fastest ocean-racing trimarans ever built, this French firm brings decades of innovation and performance expertise to the VMG 53.
Interior design for the project is being guided by Christophe Chedal Anglay, while Thorne Yacht Design is responsible for engineering and technical development. Construction of the first VMG 53 is currently underway in partnership with Evolution Marine Manufacturing in Cape Town, a specialist composite boatbuilder known for delivering advanced performance yachts. This inaugural model for VMG is designed to offer the speed and efficiency associated with modern trimarans alongside the comfort and liveability expected from a premium cruising yacht.
“From the beginning, our goal has been to create the yacht we wanted to own ourselves,” said Michael Schwartz, Founder and Principal of VMG. “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.”
With its build currently progressing on schedule, the VMG 53 is set to launch in January 2027.
