Yachts International Spring 2024

I was lying in bed early one Saturday morning last summer watching Formula 1 practice on TV when my phone rang with a video call. It was an old pal who’s done lots of time in the superyacht-building business. It had been a while since we’d spoken. Given the odd day and time, I decided to pick up. “Dude, what on earth are you doing calling me at this hour?” I asked. “I’m doing a trans-Atlantic on my brother-in-law’s boat,” he replied. “We’re 500 miles west of Fastnet Rock headed for Portsmouth. I’m talking to you on Starlink.” He panned around the yacht’s deck to show me the conditions they were sailing through. It took me a moment to wrap my head around what I was seeing. He went on…

Grey, the fifth hull in Tankoa’s 164-foot (50-meter) S501 series, centers around the first-time owner’s fondness for sun, the silver screen and soirees. He’s a seasoned charterer who drew up a long wish list of amenities for the shipyard to add. At the top was an attention-grabbing C Seed 144-inch cinema TV that folds—yes, folds—out at the bow, transforming the space into an outdoor theater. That high-definition screen stands above a glass-encased pool with custom, submerged seats to keep guests cool on hot days. The pool—flanked by sunpads, sheltered by a temporary sunshade and supported by integrated speakers—pairs the grandeur of a Roman amphitheater with the latest technology. “Our usual flexibility in satisfying customer requests is evident in the customizations made on board Grey, such as the installation of a…

It’s been nearly 20 years since I was on a Pershing this size. It was the shipyard’s first 115. On a gray, choppy day in October 2004, it carried me along Italy’s Ligurian coast from La Spezia to Genoa, about 45 nautical miles, in not much more than an hour. That yacht packed a little more horsepower than the new GTX116, but this “SUY” still has plenty of punch with 6,000 horsepower, triple waterjets and an impressive top speed. The shipyard can’t help itself: Pershings just have to be fast. And with the GTX116, Pershing added the sort of spacious, family-friendly accommodations that yacht owners generally expect from something bigger, or slower, or both. With a beam of more than 25 feet (7.7 meters), this yacht feels huge on board.…

‘For a 53-meter, the yacht seems to offer as much space as a 90-meter yacht,’ says Patrik von Sydow, CEO of Turquoise, ‘She is very large, a whopping 713 gross tons.’ Istanbul-based Turquoise Yachts initially conceived the 174-foot (53-meter) Jewels as Project Tala for a client who wanted as much volume as possible within the length overall. Twenty months into the custom build, with only 18 months left on the schedule, another prospective client came on the scene. He wanted a yacht that could accommodate his large family. As it turns out, the first client was already thinking about an even bigger build, so a deal was done as a win-win for all parties. After that, the work began on determining how best to reconfigure the sizable spaces. “For a…

Picture stepping into a superyacht foyer and seeing a beautiful arrangement of flowers with vibrant, variegated blooms. You might be tempted to reach out and feel the softness of the petals. Like the rest of the guests who pass through the doors, you’re also likely to assume that earlier in the day, the crew either picked up fresh flowers at a local market or had the arrangement specially delivered. What if you learned that the flowers had been picked months—possibly six to 12 months—prior? Welcome to the world of preserved flowers. Specifically, welcome to the way that London-based Ethereal Blooms keeps about 70 superyachts as large as 289 feet, plus high-end boutiques and residential clients, fully decked out with stunning bouquets that appear fresh far longer than their untreated cousins.…

After completing culinary school in the Netherlands, Freek (pronounced “Frake”) Van Den Brenk went backpacking and adventuring for several years throughout Australia, Southeast Asia, Europe, Canada, the United States and South America. He got a taste of the world, and a taste of its cuisine, before ending up on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, preparing food at a beach club. “As Curaçao is a Dutch island, it was easy to get a work visa,” Van Den Brenk says. “My life was fun, but I knew I needed more of a challenge.” Curaçao is a popular cruise ship port, and Van Den Brenk applied for a line cook position on the upmarket Seabourn line. He ended up aboard a ship for three years—and met his future wife among the crew. Then,…