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Standing beneath a 102-metre hull in a misty polder, the prefix “super” feels insufficient. Nicolas Shammas tours Yacht Valley, the lowlands constellation of yards and craftsmen quietly building the most coveted boats on Earth.
A 42.5-metre transatlantic explorer conceived by buy.com founder Scott Blum, the Sea Rover marries sporting versatility with serious spa indulgence as the first of just ten vessels from new builder Dutch Design.
The result of her owner's third attempt at building his dream yacht, Kismet is an incredible thing. Coming in at 122 metres with six decks, she can briefly cruise on electric power, boasts an array of amenities, and a style that fuses Louis XIV and Interstellar.
The most extraordinary boat at this year's Monaco Yacht Show, Royal Huisman's 52-metre, six-deck Special One was commissioned by Prince Turki bin Muqrin of Saudi Arabia and resembles an American convertible scaled three times over.
Hotel and resort brands are extending their hospitality far beyond dry land, launching a fleet of branded yachts. We chart how the finer things now reach remote destinations, carrying loyal guests with them.
Over two decades the power-catamaran has been reinvented many times, from mastless sailing cats to efficient planing hulls and design-led cruisers. We chart this restless evolution and the latest generation now leading the multihull pack.
Tyde is an unconventional new boat brand. Founded in 2021, it manufactures emission-free electric motorboats that use hydrofoiling technology developed by America’s Cup sailing boats to maximise efficiency (and cut energy usage by 80 per cent). “Everyone in the boating industry knew the…
“In addition to motoryachts and sailing yachts, I believe that submersible superyachts will be an additional and appealing third category of private vessels,” reveals Christian Gumpold, the CEO of Migaloo PSY (Private Submersible Yachts), the Austrian design company behind this 166-metr…
With superyachts getting bigger – just think of the 180-metre Azzam or 162-metre Eclipse as perfect reminders – and cruise ships getting smaller (so as to cater to a growing demand for longer, more immersive journeys alongside fewer passengers, and with a lighter carbon footprint), it s…
Wally launched the WallyWHY series in the summer of 2022 with the debut of the 200. The name was formed with the ‘W’ standing for Wally, the ‘H’ for hybrid and the ‘Y’ for yacht, and the 200 ushered in a bold new chapter in wide-bodied yachts for the Ferretti group. Of course, other yac…
Commissioned by Canadian billionaire Michael Lee-Chin and dressed by Nuvolari Lenard, this 115-metre Lürssen superyacht weaves Jamaican, Canadian and Asian heritage into an Olympian exercise in maritime luxury.
Designed inside and out by Nuvolari-Lenard, this custom yacht reunited the team behind the owner's first vessel, the eighty-six-metre Quattroelle. This time the brief was simple yet exacting: make her better, nicer and decidedly richer.
The largest new build to emerge from Turkey, the eighty-five-metre Victorious is an explorer fitted for world circumnavigation with Jacuzzis, a steam room and cinema. Yet its open fires and gentleman's snug prove most surprising of all.
At a remarkable 2,990GT, the diesel-electric Artefact is the world's largest eighty-metre yacht by volume. A genuine platform for innovation, it showcases what modern superyacht builders can achieve, complete with a strikingly sculptural interior.
While hotels, airports and everyday normality shut down in 2020, explorer yachts came into their own. Built for autonomous world-cruising in the deepest of remote corners, they epitomise what we’re all craving these days – a private, personalised sanctuary away from civilisation where w…
Some yachts are bought to look pretty on the Med. Others are born to sail the Caribbean trade winds. And then there’s Ragnar; half yacht, half commercial vessel. A beautiful mongrel designed for exploration and built to last. In her former life, she was a 68-metre icebreaking support ve…
The future of yachting is electric. Not hybrid propulsion or batteries that support yacht households, but all-singing, all-dancing, fully electric. You didn’t hear it from us though. This is the opinion of Jochen Rudat, former director of Tesla Central Europe and newest member of Silent…
Delivered in 2019, Flying Fox is an extraordinary 136m luxury megayacht, built by Lürssen. She’s the kind of vessel that would normally be wrapped in a shroud of mystery, except she’s not, as she was made available for charters (for which you’d need a spare $4M a week …
Why pay to spend your holiday trapped on an overcrowded floating mall when there’s a way to have an affordable superyacht experience. Three years ago, the Ritz Carlton announced it had begun building a fleet of ships that would bridge the gap between 20-guest-superyachts and 650-person-…
The sixth vessel to bear the name and the fourth from Abeking & Rasmussen, 80-metre Excellence is a masterclass in discipline. Launched in 2019, Winch Design unites exterior and interior in symbiotic harmony.
Unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show, Sinot's 112-metre Aqua is conceived as the world's first hydrogen-powered superyacht, pairing fuel-cell propulsion with an owner's pavilion of rare ambition.
Just another personal watercraft (PWC)? Certainly not. Taiga’s Orca’s suspended “floating” seat design betrays how this one has no engine and instead relies on electric power for a quiet yet powerful ride. Taiga’s Orca isn’t cheap – at 24,000 USD (for the carbon vesion) – b…
Beyond length, weight and speed lies a yacht's true purpose: escape, adventure and privacy. For most owners it offers a precious chance to reconnect with the ocean, their surroundings and one another, a philosophy Arcadia embodies.
When the mighty Ferretti Group acquired the boutique builder Wally in 2019, it was not chasing volume. With barely fifty sailing yachts to its name, Wally clearly offered something altogether more valuable to its new owner.
Conceived as a seafaring family home for nine months a year, the 111-metre Lürssen-built Tis was crafted to feel light, fresh and open with a classical twist. Its designer calls the vessel a genuine work of art.
Riva is to yachting what Givenchy is to haute couture, a heritage marque built on exquisite craftsmanship. From Brigitte Bardot's Saint Tropez days, its classics remain enduring symbols of an elegant, sun-soaked seafaring life.
Every September the luxury world casts an eye around the new nautical offerings tied up along the quays at Port Hercules in Monaco. But it’s not just the world’s largest collection of superyachts (for sale or charter) that makes the Monaco Yacht Show so special, it’s t…
Do you love the sea but are bored of cruising the Mediterranean? Do you crave adventure but don’t have the means to fork out for a custom-made explorer? Then this one’s for you 1. Founded by 54-year-old Jasper Smith, a digital gaming entrepreneur, Arksen launched in January at Boot Düss…
When launched in 2015, Savannah was a yacht of firsts. Now four years on, Feadship’s groundbreaking hybrid 83.5m continues to not only stand the test of time but lead from the front. The Dutch shipyard Feadship is renowned for its full-custom deliveries, but it surpassed even its own hi…
A 143-metre, sail-assisted megayacht designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug for Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, 'A' is the most technically complex vessel afloat.
From her glass-bottomed pool to her hammam, sauna and sun-deck mega bar, Sanlorenzo's Seven Sins, the first model in the 52Steel range, distils three guiding pillars into one supremely well-conceived yacht.
This futuristic vessel offers far more than size and good looks. The proposed eight-hundred-million-dollar superyacht would house a casino, theatre, art gallery and convention hall, and you needn't befriend a billionaire to board.
Designed to remove the clutter from their mother vessels, support vessels are inherantly utilitarian. Yet Damen’s Power Play is defying the status quo as an extraordinary global explorer in her own right. Far from being a yacht owner’s opulent extra, support vessels serve a very real pu…
Emily Penn is a remarkably tireless activist who founded eXXpedition in 2011 and is now a leader in inspiring individuals to make their communities take action on stopping plastic pollution. Like a deadly assassin, stealth and foreboding, the issue of ocean plastic has gradually crept u…
Stretching a lengthy 74.5 metres and comprising 2,065 gross tonnes of steel and aluminium, superyacht Elandess appeared more than comfortable alongside the myriad vessels anchored at Port Hercules at the latest Monaco Yacht Show. Far from meek in the mild waters, she is the owner’s thir…
Baglietto is one of the yachting industry’s most storied brands, with a history that dates back to 1840 when Pietro Baglietto started building small fishing boats in the backyard of his house. After a few years, Pietro switched to larger pleasure vessels and by 1888, he had built a smal…
Money may not buy happiness, Nicolas Shammas concedes, but it can buy a yacht to moor right beside it. He shares years of daydreaming about how, when you go big, his ultimate vessel would be built.
A hypercar for the sea, it’s their fastest boat yet.
The 26th Dubai International Boat Show set records: 26,389 visitors, 350 exhibitors and over 800 brands. Gulf Craft alone reported more than twenty-three million dollars in transactions across the bustling four-day event.
Build me a beast, the British owner told Royal Huisman, not a sheep in wolf's clothing. The result, Ngoni, is an edgy, innovative weapon of a sailing superyacht: fast, furious and uncompromising.
In the superyacht world, what goes up need not come down. Baglietto's former owners built the thriving upstart Tankoa, while a white knight is restoring the bankrupt yard to its former glory.
Heesen’s 50-metre Home takes innovation and fuel economy to a whole new level. She is the first fast all-aluminium displacement build that can also be labelled as a hybrid. In fact, Home is the sixth incarnation of Heesen Yachts Fast Displacement Hull Form, but unlike her predecessors, …
From yacht parties to submarine rides, the new members-only app Velocity Black promises the ultimate lifestyle at your fingertips. If you do not sign up by the end of this piece, the writer vows to eat his hat.
Hidden from public view for 22 years, the late Jon Bannenberg's 73-metre Lurssen superyacht has re-emerged after a refit, its Polynesian beach-house interior as cutting edge as ever.
Launched by Italy's Admiral shipyard, the E-Motion hybrid Quinta Essentia is her owners' second yacht to bear the name, a markedly different proposition from their earlier high-volume Heesen, now renamed Quite Essential.
Dynamiq has propelled the superyacht industry forward with an online configurator that allows potential owners to tailor their boats to their wishes while immediately knowing the final price and delivery date. Ordering a 40-metre superyacht via an online configurator might sound counter…
Italian shipyard Rossinavi is betting on a younger breed of owner with three eco-conscious superyachts. The standout, a 53-metre cruiser called Attitude, reimagines the classic lobster boat as a luxury villa at sea.
Perini Navi's seventy-metre Sybaris was the belle of last September's Monaco Yacht Show, and the Italian yard's most significant launch since the revolutionary Maltese Falcon of 2007. A different animal entirely, says Burak Akgul.
As builders once known for pleasure craft move into semi-custom yachts of ever-greater size, we examine how the most understated of the trio, Princess, long valued for solid craftsmanship, is reaching this rarefied market.
A remarkable flying pyramid of a yacht is surely the most futuristic vehicle we have encountered in years. And the Tetrahedron, conceived by an emerging London-based architect, is no mere fantasy: it is coming soon to a marina.
Experience what it’s like to be the owner of Ulysses (now renamed Andromeda), an incredible 107-metre expedition yacht by Kleven Maritime. With space for 30 guests and an extensive inventory of tenders and toys, including a 21-metre catamaran motorboat capable of 50 knots, an elev…
Decked out in new Santoni and Wider trainers, we climbed aboard a 47-metre yacht for a short cruise along the French Riviera. Built entirely in aluminium with hybrid diesel-electric propulsion, this boat makes all the right waves.
Sanlorenzo’s latest yacht, the 460Exp does not, as you might expect, take her name from her length – the 460 actually refers to her displacement (all 460 gross tonnes of it) and the Exp is an acronym for Explorer (which is the industry term for a go-anywhere self contained vessel). She’…
Unveiled by ART Marine ahead of the Dubai International Boat Show, Riva's largest open yacht hides a 27-metre powerboat behind impeccable proportions and a patented, automotive-inspired retractable hardtop.
Shipbuilding began on the Mondomarine site in 1915, but new owners Alessandro Falcai and Roberto Zambrini are charting a modern course, streamlining the yard to design and construction while relocating commercial operations elsewhere.
Behind superyachts such as Cakewalk and Madame Gu, Andrew Winch is among the industry's best-known designers. Now, in collaboration with China Business Aviation Group, he turns his celebrated eye to private aviation.
Genoa-born Stefano Pastrovich designs yachts he calls functional, unique and beautiful. Their unconventional character, he suggests, owes much to a childhood spent designing and building model gliders by the historic maritime port.
Instantly recognisable for their elegant lines and game-changing automation, Perini Navi yachts set the standard for sail. Our Ultimate Yacht, the boldly styled Melek, draws an unexpected line between angels and luxury sailing.
London-based designer and naval architect Philippe Briand is enjoying a career-defining year. The media-shy Frenchman, whose mantelpiece already groans with awards, has unveiled new sailing superyachts under his own name and fresh projects for the Vitruvius motoryacht brand.
Giorgio Armani is Italy’s most successful fashion designer and a self-described perfectionist so it’s little wonder then that he couldn’t put up with chartering others’ substandard yachts and created his own. Twice in fact, because Maìn is his second custom build, and it perfectly encap…
Few luxury brands ever attain acknowledged supremacy, yet ask anyone versed in superyachts who builds the finest and one name resounds: Feadship. In this rarefied world, where Boat International ranks the largest vessels, size still matters enormously.
Dressed all in black, its cutting-edge lines slicing through the water at phenomenal speed, Otam's Crazy Too is astonishing in its own right, yet it was conceived as a chase boat to accompany a far larger yacht.
Today's design-savvy superyacht owners want more than the mother ship alone. Smaller chase boats now accompany them, engineered with outstanding sea-keeping and performance profiles to rival offshore race winners, with no compromises on amenities or style.
Chances are you have heard of Sunseeker, whose boats grace almost every marina. But having built ever bigger models and been acquired by China's richest man, this English motoryacht maker is now returning to its Dorset roots.
We awarded the Kormaran as a toy, yet it may prove far more than that. This shape-shifting craft hints at the future of luxury boating, even if for now it remains one extraordinary indulgence.
Some owners prize aesthetics, others volume or speed. For the owners of Grace E, the defining ambition was how everyone aboard would feel, extending guests and crew alike not merely comfort but genuine wellbeing.
Iguazu, the first Alen 68 completed, will appear at September's Monaco Yacht Show. This versatile 20-metre motorboat promises to stir buyers as a chase boat, a striking day boat or a comfortable overnight cruiser.
Once a cramped, utilitarian workboat offering little comfort or protection, the superyacht tender was an afterthought. Today these vessels are reimagined with the style and luxury their elegant motherships have long deserved.
Pushing the boundaries of design and technology, the sleek, spacious DART 80 is an innovative collaboration between Andrew Winch and Royal Huisman, ingeniously combining a motor yacht and a sailing yacht within a single, arresting vessel.
This year's boat show offers a rare chance to view spectacular vessels, both afloat and as maquettes, never before seen together in the Gulf, with nearly twenty yachts above 25 metres on display.
A new superyacht's renown usually tracks its length, yet with vessels over ninety metres now unremarkable, size is not everything. At just sixty-five metres, Heesen's outstandingly innovative Galactica Star stands out as our 2014 winner.
Superyachts promise freedom and adventure, floating islands from which to explore the natural world. Yet as these vessels grow ever larger and more complex, their dependence on fuel and intricate onboard systems grows too.
Our writer's assignment to Redman Whitley Dixon begins with an unplanned tour of the deepest New Forest, courtesy of a disorientated taxi driver, errant ponies and a capricious GPS, before the real craftsmanship begins.
Damaged by fire before completion, the superyacht Ulysees was relocated to Brisbane for two years of work involving 200 people from 30 specialist firms, who replaced the entire superstructure and 1,500 square metres of interior.
An exercise in well-studied compromise, the Wally Ace is small enough to skipper yourself yet roomy enough for ten guests and four crew. Maya Khoury finds its frugality, stability and originality utterly winning.
Launched in 1999 as the seventy-metre Boadicea, then lengthened and lavishly refitted, this transformed vessel boasts five decks and a double-height atrium. We survey the breathtaking craft redefining life aboard the world's finest yachts.
Riva claims its breathtaking new Virtus defines a fresh category of motorboat. What it really does is remind us what we have been missing: ever since the early 1990s, whatever happened to the glorious open motorboat?
Young, handsome and well-travelled, Johan Attvik could pass for an international playboy customer of J Craft. In fact, he was exactly that, until he bought the company. Born in Gothenburg, he has always loved boats.
Somewhere between Captain Nemo's Nautilus and a Star Wars escapee, the 42.5-metre Adastra looks science-fictional yet is gloriously real. Built for a Hong Kong businessman, it ranks among the largest trimarans ever launched.
Less boat than floating palace, and a sleekly designed, eco-conscious one at that, the Arcadia 115 M'Ocean may yet persuade Kevin Hackett to abandon dry land along the breathtaking Costiera Amalfitana coastline.
It may seem odd to feature a yacht commissioned back in 2005, but Eclipse was only delivered to Roman Abramovich in December 2010. Originally due a year earlier, its completion was delayed by mishaps and spiralling costs.
Twizzle is a high-performance, high-technology sailing yacht, equally at home racing a regatta or cruising the high seas in luxurious comfort. It is a vessel that ticks every box, named for a famously inventive marionette.
On one side stands the defence: the Bersagliere, a 113-metre Italian Navy frigate crewed by 188 men. Its arsenal is formidable, from a 25-tonne main cannon to two dozen missiles and an array of heavy guns.
Who imagined the comfort of a luxury yacht charter could be paired so smoothly with adventure in the harshest reaches of the Arctic and Antarctic? Bespoke discovers just how robust the explorer Big Fish is.
Founded in 2007, Art of Kinetik launched its Mazokist and Hedonist models at Cannes and Monaco in 2010. Behind the young firm lies more than a decade's expertise in building high-end wooden powerboats.
The Louis Vuitton Trophy is the gateway to sailing immortality, a meeting of the finest sailors in the world. Our very own Tatyana Majaroff was there and claimed a world first for the Bespoke team.
At first glance it may look like a small futuristic battleship with its sleek lines and metallic figure, but in reality the long-range all-aluminium 50-metre Exuma motor yacht from Perini Navi is the ultimate luxury-meets-pleasure cruiser. The word ‘pleasure’ takes on a particularly powerf
When it comes to the luxury yacht business, one company stands out as a rising star: Greenline Yacht Interiors. Based in the UAE, the firm has worked with some of the most recognised names in the industry.
You don’t need to own a floating palace to enjoy the high seas. In today’s eco and cash-conscious world, smaller runabouts are enjoying a renaissance. Bespoke selects some worthy examples.
Super couturier Elie Saab has just designed his very first superyacht. Not only did he create the exterior and interior of this sleek vessel, he even added his touch to its helicopter, car, submarine, tenders and water toys too.
Lürssen’s latest launch is the 75-metre long-range cruiser named Northern Star. The boat’s owner had previously built a 63-metre superyacht with the same name (now called Polar Star), but felt a 12m upgrade was in order. Upon seeing the result, we quite agree.
Sunseeker, a long time fixture of the luxury pleasure craft market, and Caterham, the makers of lightweight, high-speed sports cars came together to present a truly unique offering at this year’s London International Boatshow. The result of this all-British union was the new Predator 108 S
The 115-foot Pershing has an incredibly cool spec secret: a 3.5 million USD gas turbine. Imagine a boat of over 35 metres and 130 tonnes, powering over the waves at close to 105 km/h thanks to close to 12,000 hp – amazing or what?
The brand new 86’ Riva Domino is a boat unlike any other. It is stunning both internally and externally, it is fast and it is so well executed it deserves to sit in an art gallery not a port. This is far-and-away Bespoke’s 2009 Ultimate Vehicle.
WHAT Cayago Seabob F7 PRICE 18,500 USD SPECS 7hp, 64kg weight, 22 km/h over the water (16 km/h under the surface), 10-12 hours for a regular charge (110 mins quick charge) gives 60 minutes of usage. WHY The fastest water and diving sled in the world is also emissions-free. www.seabob.com T
Bespoke recently toured Riva’s factory in Sarnico in order to gain a proper appreciation of the iconic brand. With a history that dates back to 1842, the Italian shipyard has been producing uniquely stylish boats for well over a century-and-a-half.
Five years ago the venerable watch brand Officine Panerai created a sailing competition for vintage and classic sailing boats. Celebrating fine craftsmanship, attention to detail and solid teamwork, the series has proven to be a great success.
The world of shipbuilding is in for a shock as Abu Dhabi MAR disturbs the otherwise tranquil waters with some eye-catching innovation. The Middle Eastern company has boldly renovated two warships, recasting them as things of extreme pleasure.
Mochi’s Long Range 23 spectacularly combines state-of-the-art technology and design to create the ultimate eco-friendly yacht in which to take the whole family around the world.
Ken Freivokh is a man gifted with many talents. He has navigated his way through uncharted waters to become an internationally renowned creator of intriguing and ground-breaking luxury yachts. But it doesn’t end there. His company, Ken Freivokh Design, and its multi-disciplinary team of wo