Once again the Monaco Yacht Show, which is held in the south of France each summer, did not disappoint. As usual, it was a stunning array of some of the most innovative and advanced sail and power boats from the world’s top designers and builders. Each year the show seems to outdo itself by featuring the very best of the best when it comes to luxury and styling. There was so much gold, chrome, stainless steel and glass glittering in the sun that it was hard to choose which boats to visit and like previous shows there were simply too many yachts to visit them all. The yachts we did visit reflect a growing trend toward more sophistication, opulence and comfort for discerning owners.
Our visit to the Monaco Yacht Show was made especially memorable because of My Driver, an affordable yet luxurious chauffeur service. Their courteous drivers were on hand to whisk us to wherever we wanted to go in the latest Mercedes and BMW’s. Their service was superb and highly recommended if you plan to visit the show in the future.
There were so many new boats to choose from but here are some yachts that really impressed us including one quite remarkable “toy.”
Heesen Yachts - Galactica Super Nova
A yacht that lives up to its name
Heesen Yachts have been crafting some of the most luxurious powerboats for the last 30 years and their latest design, Galactica Super Nova, is just one more stunning example of their skill as a world-class boatbuilder. The Galactica Super Nova is a fast displacement yacht whose hull form reduces resistance by up to 20% which in turn decreases the amount of power needed to achieve a top speed which is close to 30 knots.
The sleek exterior styling was done by the renown naval architect Espen Oeino and while the lines are beautiful, it’s the spacious interior that is a real eye catcher. The yachts is 70 metres long but has an incredible 357 square metres of deck space from a luxurious sundeck to a touch-and-go heli pad, to a beach club where guests can enjoy an array of activities including sunbathing, dining, spa, jacuzzi, jet-pool or just lounging around in the sun or shade watching the world go by.
Perini Navi - Sybaris
Awarded best interior at the Monaco Yacht Show
Sybaris from Perini Navi won the Best Interior Award at Monaco Yacht Show and for good reason. The 70-metre yacht is just one more example of why Perini Navi is regarded as one of the best builders of luxury Superyachts. At the awards ceremony Fabio Boschi, President of Perini Navi said, “A Perini is not only a yacht, it is a style of life and Sybaris proves this.” We could not agree more. The bright interior was styled by PH Design, a Miami-based studio that creates some of the most elegant living spaces both on land and on the water.
The yacht is aluminium construction and was designed by Perini Navi with help and input from Philippe Briand. In addition to the living spaces, there are six staterooms with six crew cabins for maximum comfort for all on board. The generous sail plan features a five-spreader main mast with a four-spreader mizzen and double headsails for easy gear changing as the wind fluctuates. The rig features Perini Navi’s latest generation of sail handling and stored power systems to make sail handling as easy as a push of a button.
Feadship - Vanish
Exquisite attention to detail in this new Feadship
A new Feadship Motor Yacht is as much a work of art as it is a sailing vessel and Vanish, launched earlier this year in the Netherlands, is a superb illustration of this. The yacht is a stunning 66.25-metre example of floating art that has pushed the boundaries of style and elegance and indeed chartered new territory with a free-standing staircase that is flanked by a glass wall that reaches the height of the top deck three stories above. It also includes an extendable balcony for the owner’s stateroom. With the push of a button, a teak-covered platform slides out from under the starboard companionway using an innovative pull-out mechanism. It then locks in place flush with the floor level of the stateroom to give a seamless transition through glass sliding doors.
All of this exquisite attention to detail came as a result of the owner’s energy, enthusiasm and desire to be involved in many aspects of the design. They worked closely with Eidsgaard Design, a boutique design studio based in London that has quickly become one of the most sought after names in the Superyacht design industry. The exterior and interior look and styling reflect the owners desire to live close to the water from a spacious “sea terrace” that runs from the transom to the main saloon area to an inviting sun deck bar. The yacht also includes a beach club spa with a sauna and 6-person Jacuzzi, a massage room and a hairdressing salon as well as an outdoor cinema. The unusual transom was designed to provide intimate contact with the water while meeting the owner’s desire not to feel intimidated by the hull’s bulk when arriving by tender or swimming from the sea terrace.
Vanish operates with a crew of 17, and in addition to the owner’s stateroom, there are four fully contained guest suites as well as a large VIP stateroom on the main deck that can, if necessary, be converted into two guest suites. Guests can arrive by helicopter as the yacht is equipped with two helipads; one on the sun deck aft and a second helipad on the bow. Vanish has a range of 5,200 nautical miles at 12 knots but can be pushed to a top speed of 17.5 knots.
Nautors Swan - Shamanna
A true passagemaker with Scandinavian pedigree
Nautor’s Swan has been building performance sailing yachts for a half century and their latest launch, Shamanna, is 115 feet of pure elegance. Once again German Frers, the Argentinian-based yacht designer, has collaborated with Nautor to come up with a stunning design. The yacht is optimized for performance with a flush deck, a plumb bow and a wide stern with twin rudders for increased responsiveness and better control when the boat heels. While the exterior may be all about performance, the interior has a more classic feel to it. The owners had previously owned a Swan and liked the traditional teak interior so the interior of Shamanna reflects this and teak woodwork with a white oil wax finish can be seen throughout the yacht. While the woodwork looks traditional and heavy, it is in fact very light having been built with a combination of veneered lightweight sandwich construction and classic woodworking.
Shamanna was built as a true blue water cruiser, and much consideration was given to storage space which is unlike many modern yachts. There is a lifting keel trunk that divides the saloon into a comfortable lounge on port and a dining area on starboard. The galley is fully equipped and has countertops in Corian for durable and practical use. The crew quarters were designed with the same level of detailing as the rest of the yacht with the mess sofa being convertible into a large lounging pad for relaxing. Shamanna will be equally comfortable moored stern-to in a marina or somewhere out in the Trade Winds.
Southern Wind Crossbow
High-performance cruiser with a racing pedigree
The stunning backdrop of Cape Town’s Table Mountain is only fitting for the newest yacht built by South African boat builder Southern Wind. The Farr designed Crossbow is a sistership to Seawave, a yacht that enjoyed some success in Europe by taking first place at the Rolex Capri International Regatta and third place at the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta in Porto Cervo. From the look of it, Crossbow has the same winning pedigree. At 31.71 meters on deck, the yacht is just over 100 feet in length and is a total masterpiece from the plum bow to the broad transom.
Crossbow looks to be an ideal cruising boat from a spacious flush deck to an ample cockpit that is perfect for guests to enjoy while watching the crew get the most performance from a yacht that clearly has speed written all over it. While Crossbow comes with a flush deck, there is an option to have a raised saloon which might allow more light below, although the modern saloon area on Crossbow was clearly designed to have an open plan with a light and contemporary look and feel to it. The interior styling was done by Nauta Design and features light oak paneling set off by walnut flooring and stainless steel details. The upholstery is a distinctive off-white and coral-red color scheme.
Many modern high-performance cruising boats hide their racing pedigree, but Crossbow embraces it from a towering sail plan to a carefully laid out deck designed to get the most out of the boat’s speed potential.
Wider 150
Award winning eco-friendly super power yacht
Wider 150, built by Wider Yachts, the exciting and revolutionary Italian shipyard founded by Tilli Antonelli, won the prestigious MYS-RINA Award at the Monaco Yacht Show. This highly regarded trophy rewards the most eco-friendly Superyacht, whose construction complies with a series of performance specifications as defined by the Italian classification company RINA. This award came soon after Wider 150 was crowned winner of the prestigious Neptune award at the World Superyacht Awards held in Florence earlier this year.
One of the reasons Wider 150 was chosen for these awards is because of it’s innovative diesel and electric propulsion system that is used in combination with azipods. Azipods are a marine propulsion unit that consists of a fixed pitch propeller mounted on a steerable pod. With this combination of power and propulsion Wider 150 cruises comfortably at 13 knots but can reach 15 knots and the yacht has a range of 3,000 nautical miles.
In addition to the eco-friendly nature of the design, Wider 150 features indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a jacuzzi on the upper deck and a modern stylish interior that feels open to the ocean through the use of large glass windows. The yacht has an extremely contemporary feel to it. The carbon epoxy hull was built by Wider S.R.L. in Italy in 2015.
Mangusta - Oceano 42
A true blue water yacht
The Mangusta Oceana 42 is the latest creation by the Overmarine Group, an Italian boat builder that since its founding in 1985 has built 300 yachts over 30 meters in length. The Mangusta Oceano 42 is one of their long range series and is a true blue water yacht that has a range of 4,000 nautical miles at a comfortable cruising speed of 12 knots. Both the interior and exterior of the yacht is impeccably styled with the designing and styling done by an in-house design team that can custom design any area of the boat to suit an owners preference. The airy and light interior is enhanced by large windows that invite the outside world into the yacht. Step out of the interior through a spacious and comfortable dining and bar area and onto the aft deck where water toys are available for all kinds of adventures. This very practical 43 meter (141-foot) yacht has a beam of 8.7 meters (28-feet) and is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure for a combination of rugged durability combined with performance.
Sunseeker 131
Innovation and elegance in a tri-deck package.
The Sunseeker 131 has been variously described as seductive, inspirational and versatile and we think that it’s all of that and more. Sunseeker has been selling dreams since the company was formed in 1969 in the English seaside town of Poole. Through a series of serendipitous events company founder Robert Braithwaite has been able to build Sunseeker up to become one of the preeminent boat builders in the world and the Sunseeker 131 is just one more example of turning one owner’s dream into a sumptuous reality.
There are four living areas; luxurious accommodation on the first deck, a stunning living area on the main deck and an upper deck where you will find the sky lounge, cocktail bar and access to the skydeck where guests can enjoy a jacuzzi or relax in the sun taking in the view. Each area of the boat epitomizes elegance and lavishness yet there are some unique features that make the Sunseeker 131 an iconic yacht. The owner’s suite is all the way forward and features a bath as well as study area while the captain has his or her own cabin right off the bridge. The main deck features a lounge, separate dining area, and full galley all with large windows so that no matter where they are on the yacht, the owners and guests can enjoy a spectacular view while they relax in splendid luxury. The yacht is 40.05 meters (131 feet 4 inches) in length, has a beam of 8.09 meters (26 feet 6 inches), has a range of 1,500 nautical miles and a maximum speed of 25 knots. The Sunseeker 131 is as impressive out on the open water as it is in the harbour.
Projects
Royal Huisman Shipyard contemporary three-masted schooner.
Royal Huisman Shipyard revealed their later project at the Monaco Yacht Show having recently secured the build of an 81-meter contemporary three-masted schooner. The yacht is for an Asian client who wants a truly unique design and from our eye it seems as if the client is going to be very satisfied. The yacht sports a massive sail plan with three towering masts, a vast foredeck perfect for sunbathing, and a very distinct plumb bow that makes a statement that this is definitely not your traditional schooner.
Once again Royal Huisman Shipyard has teamed up with Gerry Dykstra at Dykstra Naval Architects for the overall design of the yacht, and with Mark Whiteley Design for the interior styling. The combination of these three powerhouses leaves everyone certain that this is going to be one of the most amazing yachts ever built at the Royal Huisman Shipyard, indeed it is the largest yacht ever to be built at the shipyard in Vollenhove, Holland.
The Royal Huisman Shipyard was established in 1884 but really only came to prominence in the mid 80s when Walter Huisman, on the back of the success Flyer, the yacht that won the 1981/82 Whitbread Round the World Race, took it to new heights and since then they have built some of the most exquisite yachts for discerning clients. Their credo, “if you can dream it we can build it” certainly applies to this incredibly ambitious project.
Aston Martin AM37 - small yacht, high performance
Aston Martin, the luxury British sports car manufacturer known for their unique cars, unveiled their first foray into the marine industry with the Aston Martin AM37 powerboat. The project is a collaboration with Quintessence Yachts who strive to provide a highly exclusive maritime experiences in terms of style, performance, and design. There is no doubt that their vision combined with the brand excellence of Aston Martin will result in a stunning yacht. The AM37 is the result of two years of research and development that challenged the status quo of the nautical world and combined the best in innovative technology and bespoke craftsmanship.
The yachts are available in two versions; the AM37 which has an estimated top speed of 45 knots and the AM37S that has an estimated top speed of 50 knots which is derived from twin 520 hp Mercury engines. There is a wraparound windscreen created from a single piece of sculpted glass there to protect the driver from the elements at high speeds. Indeed sliding deck technology allows for the cockpit, with just a touch of a button, to be completely covered if so desired.
While the AM37 is essentially a day cruiser it can be transformed into a place to spend the night. The saloon table can be lowered into a comfortable bed. The cabin is well appointed with mood lighting and air-conditioning and has a refrigerator, microwave oven, and even a coffee machine. There is also a lavatory on board, so absolute comfort is guaranteed. While the AM37 does have many features found in an automobile, there are some things that you won’t find on an Aston Martin car such as a swimming platform and an electronic anchor system which is deployed via an iPad-like control screen. This collaboration between a leading car manufacturer and an innovative boat builder is certain to take the marine world by storm.
ARROW460-Granturismo
The ARROW460-Granturismo is a collaboration by Mercedes-Benz Style and Silver Arrows Marine to produce a whole new breed of exquisite performance power yachts. The aim was to transfer Mercedes-Benz’s unmistakable design idiom of sensual purity, high standards of luxury and aesthetic appeal to a yacht that reflects the Mercedes-Benz style and with the ARROW460-Granturismo they have succeeded.
Much of the innovation such as electronically-dimming ‘smart’ glass which is used for the windows and roof of the cabin has come from the automobile world. Just as in a luxury car the side windows open at the press of a button, as does the large ‘sunroof’: the glass rises to create a ‘pergola’ effect that opens the dining and lounge area to sea breezes while still retaining UV protection. There is, however, one innovation that is distinctly nautical and that is a retractable ‘terrace by the sea’ in the stern, in other words, a built-in sun deck.
In terms of styling the ARROW460-Granturismo very much reflects the look of a brand new Mercedes-Benz automobile. With a long foredeck, a flowing, arched roofline and a slightly descending rear, the yacht has classic automobile proportions. The sides of the hull are structured with a feature line that descends gently toward the stern and the concave and convex interaction along the entire flank creates a hull that conveys both dynamism and serenity. The overall composition is accentuated by elegantly styled yet functional details.
The yacht is 14.17 meters long (46ft 6in) and has a beam of 3.97 meters (13ft 3in) and is anticipated to have a cruising speed of 26 knots yet be capable of reaching 38 knots in ideal light-load conditions.
Toys
Deep Flight
Personal submarine for underwater flight.
There is a growing market for more and more exotic ‘toys’ for Superyacht guests to enjoy when they are not lounging in the sun, and Deep Flight is most certainly one of these high-end toys. At the Monaco Yacht Show DeepFlight introduced its newest submarine, the DeepFlight Super Falcon 3S, a personal submarine that allows guests to experience underwater flight and enjoy being immersed among the amazing sea life all within the safety and comfort of a high-tech watercraft. In the Super Falcon 3S, two passengers and a pilot can sit comfortably in individual cockpits watching the world go by through polished acrylic viewing domes that allow for 360-degree visibility.
The hull is manufactured from a propriety composite material that has been tested to withstand the pressures encountered as the submarine dives deeper. The submarine has positive buoyancy meaning that it will always float to the surface no matter what happens. The electric engine results in a silent experience, and the DeepFlight Super Falcon 3Ss is completely eco-friendly.
As the world of Superyachts continues to grow with the yachts getting larger and the interior and exterior styling more innovative and sumptuous, there seems to be no limit to where the designers and builders can go. Same too with the toys that compliment these incredible works of art that are a modern-day Superyacht. With that as a fact, we can only imagine what yachts we will see at next year’s Monaco Yacht Show.
