May 31, 2012
General Marine News
Belle Anna, Latest Megayacht Launch at ISA
PHOTO: Paolo Zitti
The third 164-foot (50-meter) megayacht built by ISA, Belle Anna was launched and christened on May 24.
ISA’s 50m series megayachts (a.k.a. the ISA 500 series) all share the same engineering and propulsion packages, but they offer owners the ability to customize interior design and exterior styling. A good example of a sistership: ISA’s Liberty, launched last year.
PHOTO: Paolo Zitti
Belle Anna bears naval architecture by Andrea Vallicelli in collaboration with ISA’s in-house team. A full-displacement design, she has a steel hull and is intended for long-range cruising, with a top speed just shy of 17 knots.
Inside, Belle Anna’s owner wanted the handiwork of Zuretti Design. Details on the décor haven’t been released, though there are accommodations for 10 guests, in addition to the master suite. There’s also a beach club just off the swim platform.
Look for Belle Anna to depart ISA in July and spend time in the Med.
The 53 metre Delta superyacht Silver Shalis
Historic trophies donated to J Class Association
Perini Navi Sloop Xnoi Set for Delivery
While her name may seem tough to pronounce, Xnoi (“per noi,” meaning “for us) is anything but tough on the eyes, wouldn’t you agree? She launched last Saturday at Perini Navi’s Picchiotti shipyard.
Of particular note, Xnoi is constructed nearly entirely of carbon fiber. One exception: her deck fittings, made of titanium. It’s a marked departure for Perini Navi, but it’s in keeping with modern-day megayacht demands, which call for for lighter and higher-performing sailing craft. Indiana Yachting was the subcontractor for the carbon fiber hull and superstructure. (Indiana Yachting, a fellow Italy-based shipyard, works with a number of yacht builders with similar needs.)
Xnoi was designed by Nauta Yacht Design and measures 100’6” (30.65 meters), with a 23’6” (7.2-meter) beam. Since she’ll start chartering in the Med (via Perini Navi USA) this summer, after the owner enjoys a cruise, she meets RINA’s charter class requirements. Imagine the reaction her 10 guests will have upon seeing the 4,521 square feet (420 square meters) of sail area unfurled. And imagine the number of photos they’ll take of the spectacle, with cameras pointed straight up the 131-foot-high (40-meter-high) mast.
Perini Navi expects to delivery Xnoi before June.
Superyachts Silvie VI and Regine Splash at Sanlorenzo
There was twice the usual activity last week at Sanlorenzo, with two of its SL superyacht models launched within days of each other.
First up was Silvie VI (above), part of the SL94 series. In fact, she’s the third megayacht in the series to hit the water so far. (You may recall our Megayacht News Onboard feature from January, which focused on hull number one.) Constructed entirely of fiberglass, Silvie VI features interior touches like burned oak paneling in most rooms, with bamboo adorning the walls of the en suite baths. There’s also, of course, marble throughout Silvie VI. Just like the other two megayachts in the series, Silvie VI should see a 29-knot top end and 26-knot cruise speed, given 1,890-hp Caterpillars.
Regine (pictured above), meanwhile, should be just a bit speedier, with a 30-knot top end. She’s part of the SL108 megayacht series, again constructed entirely of fiberglass. Power comes from twin 2,600-hp MTUs. In terms of decor, her owner selected teak paneling, with the grains made more prominent via bleaching. Teak with wenge inlays lays underfoot, while limestone lines the master bath.
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Rossinavi Launches 2 Ladies
Rossinavi’s hull number FR025, christened 2 Ladies, is now in the water. She measures 151’9” (46.3 meters).
The Italian shipyard describes 2 Ladies as “a perfect union between Nordic style and contemporary Italian flair.” It’s due to her multinational design teams. Holland-based Mulder Design handled styling and naval architecture for the grey-hulled megayacht. Meanwhile, Italy-based Design Studio Spadolini was tapped for 2 Ladies’ interior design.
2 Ladies is intended for leisurely passagemaking, equipped with twin 1,300-hp Caterpillar C32 ACERTs. Top speed should be 15½ knots, while cruise speed (at half load) should be a knot slower. At 12 knots, 2 Ladies should see a healthy 4,500-nautical-mile range.
Whether cruising or at anchor, 2 Ladies is also intended to keep her two sets of owners (two couples, in which the wives inspired the yacht’s name) content. Each of them has a master suite, a nice touch. They’re accompanied by four guest staterooms. Everyone has use of a gym and sunning and soaking space, like the flying bridge’s hot tub. A staircase comprised of steel, ebony, and marble connects all the decks. However, something tells us the entertainment systems will get the most attention no matter what room someone is in. The owners wanted a large variety of movies and music on demand, with iPads as controllers.
Other highlights of 2 Ladies: a 9’2” (2.8-meter) draft, a 28’3” (8.62-meter) beam, and a good crew-to-guest ratio, too, given 10 crewmembers. There’s further a side launch for the tender, making the aft area a beach club when the toys are offloaded.
The megayacht is set for delivery toward the end of July, after which she will be available for charter, via the central fleet of Ocean Independence.
Megayacht News Onboard: Kestrel Superyachts’ Kestrel
PHOTO: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images
Kestrel Superyachts was founded by an Irish husband and wife in search of a sailing yacht that that say they couldn’t find. They wanted one that looked traditional, performed comparably to other modern sailing megayachts, and bore copious entertaining space. And, equally important, they wanted a sailing yacht that was “genuinely family-friendly, especially for people unfamiliar with yachts,” explains Peter Cooke, the husband. “We found people built the yacht of their dreams but left their family behind.” By this, he means men who commission projects while their wives just select curtains or, worse, situations where families falling overboard due to the heel of the yacht.
It took six years of planning and gathering a team of investors, many of whom are experienced yacht owners, engineers, and/or have vetted yacht layouts previously. It also took meeting Ron Holland of Ron Holland Design. Enter the first Kestrel Superyachts launch, the Kestrel 106 Kestrel. She’s what the Cookes call a “both worlds” megayacht, combining generous entertaining and relaxation spaces with sailing amenities and performance that reward sailors and non-sailors alike.
Built by the Aganlar boatyard in Bodrum, Turkey, the all-aluminum Kestrel was “a stimulating project” for Holland. “Here was an initiative to create a yacht that could be equally at home undertaking a luxury charter in the Eastern Mediterranean or long-distance passage making in the open ocean,” he says. “We are delighted with the result. This is a very attractive yacht that really does challenge conventional wisdom by demonstrating that you can have exceptional amenity without prejudice.”
To that point, Kestrel has four staterooms for the Cookes and guests. The full-beam owner’s cabin is the star, something you’d expect to see on a 120- to 140-foot megayacht, not a 106-footer. Further, the twin guest stateroom also has pullmans, taking total capacity to 10 people, more than the usual six to eight. Even with these owner and guest amenities, crew get two twin cabins and a workable galley, none of which seem compromised. A concession was made in the engine room in terms of it being a crawl-in space, but the single Skania and two gensets are fully accessible.
PHOTO: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images
While the deck saloon is airy, thanks to great headroom, the best place to be is out in the cockpit. Tables and benchseats can remain outboard or slide to amidships for dining, depending on the size of the crowd. With the seating outboard, the tables can be removed for dancing. Yes, dancing—the Cookes had the original stars of Riverdance perform onboard Kestrel during the Antibes Yacht Show, to onlookers’ great delight. The fact that the deck is clear of winches and other equipment underscores the concept of catering to non-sailors. (Sail-handling gear is, obviously, within reach of the helmsman, positioned forward to port.)
Equally important for non-sailors and sailors alike is how Kestrel handles. Cooke says he and his wife are delighted that Kestrel has an easy motion at sea, sailing at a more upright 15 degrees than other sailing yachts. In addition, the inclusion of a clipper bow with huge flare serves to soften the ride and keep her dry. This came in handy during a cruise in April from Antibes, France to Genoa, Italy for the annual Genoa Charter Show. Conditions that Cooke calls “lively” involved winds upwards of 30 knots and breaking waves from astern. Even with these, Cooke says Kestrel rode softly and remained mostly dry, topping out at 13.8 knots, her fastest so far.
Kestrel is available for sale through Watkins Superyachts for €7.5 million (about $9.385 million). She’s also available for charter through Select Charter Services for €49,000 (about $61,316) per week. Cooke says other models of Kestrel Superyachts are in the works, too.
Here’s a closer look at Kestrel.
