The world has so many beautiful harbors and anchorages that it would be impossible to see them all but that does not stop some sailors from trying. The thought of lowering an anchor down through crystal clear, turquoise water to catch on a sandy bottom while surrounded by tropical beauty is a thought that has driven some people to do some pretty extreme things. Sailors run to the sun in all kinds of boats, but the owners of Ganesha, the latest Superyacht to be launched by the Dutch Shipyard Vitters will be heading to their remote anchorage in one of the most stunning and powerful yachts ever built for world cruising. Ganesha is an impressive 151-feet of carbon, stainless and glass combined into something that is more than a yacht; it’s a piece of floating art.
Ganesha is the result of a clear mandate laid out by the owner. That mandate was to take performance sailing to new heights while at the same time ensuring complete seaworthiness and the ability to sail in comfort and with complete reliability. To carry out that mandate the owners went to the highly experienced team at Dubois Naval Architects knowing that they could translate their vision into a reality. With performance a priority the architects knew that in order to achieve high performance you need a lot of power and power on a sailboat comes in the form of sail area. Job number one was to increase the mast height beyond what they had done before and to offset the increase they added depth to the keel. The result was the highest power/weight ratio of any superyacht to come out of the Dubois design office. But they also knew that a deep keel would present a problem if the boat could not get into that “one particular harbor” that the owners had seen in his mind’s eye and so they made it a lifting keel. The boat has a draft of 21 feet when the keel is all the way down, but ‘only’ 15 feet when raised. With that amount of lead under the boat there may still be some harbors and anchorages that are off limits for Ganesha, but not as many had the keel not been lifting.
The towering mast is certainly an eye-catcher, but it’s the sheer size of the sleek hull that can leave one breathless. From a plumb bow, the hull extends aft toward a 30-foot maximum beam before curving into an elegant transom. The foredeck is clean and is so expansive that it looks like a teak tennis court. There are numerous hatches for stowage but the big items, the tender, and other toys, are kept off the foredeck. These items are stowed in a large area in the transom where they can be easily launched with minimal inconvenience and for maximum fun for the owners and guests. The cabin/cockpit area starts just aft of the mast with an enclosed day area where guests can come up from below to enjoy the scenery without actually going out into the elements. There is a comfortable seating area where you could imagine yourself enjoying morning coffee or relaxing with a book. Or simply doing nothing other than watching the world go by in a cocoon of comfort.
