Imagine a megayacht a few feet longer than Rising Sun but a few shorter than Al Salamah. That’s project Victory, which began construction this week at Fincantieri.
At 140 meters LOA (459 feet), the yacht is thought to represent the largest contract signed since the global financial meltdown began in 2008. Fincantieri revealed the project at the end of last year. There is, of course, always a chance that another shipyard signed an equally large yacht but is minding strict confidentiality requirements.
Fincantieri itself is apparently under a confidentiality clause for the time being, as it is not releasing drawings of what project Victory will look like. Nor is it providing too many details on the general arrangement. So far Fincantieri and Camper & Nicholsons, which represents the owner, have revealed project Victory will have seven decks, six pools, and a floodable garage for the 14-meter (46-foot) tender, which, I imagine, will also likely be a drive-in/drive-out garage, similar to the one aboard Princess Mariana. She’ll adhere to SOLAS regulations and incorporate several eco-minded systems--though again, no specifics have been provided.
The design team behind project Victory includes Espen Oeino for the styling and Alberto Pinto for the interior.
Meanwhile, Fincantieri anticipates launching its first megayacht, Hull No. 6154, this fall. She’ll make an impressive entry into the megayacht market for the yard, given her LOA of 134 meters (about 440 feet). For those of you who track the world's largest yachts, that's nearly the same size as Savarona.
The tall red cranes in the foreground of the photo here may block part of your view of the newest Oceanco, Y706, but you can still tell her styling is unmistakably from the drawing boards of Nuvolari & Lenard. The 86-meter (282-foot) megayacht, whose name is being withheld at the owner’s request, splashed last Friday.
With naval architecture by Oceanco’s in-house team in collaboration with Azure Naval Architects, Y706 has other features that also make her unmistakable. There’s the popular aft-deck pool, set up as an infinity pool, which first appeared on an Oceanco with the launch of Alfa Nero. When the pool isn’t in use, it can be covered to permit touch-and-go helicopter operations.
Nuvolari & Lenard not only styled the superyacht, but also oversaw the interior design. The six guest staterooms are all set up as VIPs and should be plenty commodious, given the 14.2-meter (nearly 47-foot) beam. Understandably, the most space is reserved for the master suite, featuring a sitting area and a private alfresco space with a spa tub. Interior decor is by Beverly Hills-based Molly Isaksen Interiors. To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time the firm has worked on a yacht. Y706 features a handful of rich-tone woods: rosewood, teak, and walnut.
Anticipated to top out at 20 knots thanks to twin 4,680-hp MTUs, Y706 should be delivered by the end of the year.
When I visited Mi Sueño in June, I was impressed with the aesthetic solutions that Trinity Yachts and Patrick Knowles Designs came up with for the technical challenges on the aft deck and for the saloon entry. The alfresco seating area on the aft deck is raised and centered, providing better views of an anchorage while simultaneously ensuring there’s enough room below decks for the tender-launching system. And the nearly 500-bottle wine-tasting area just inside the aft-deck doors is a spot I can easily imagine getting more use than the skylounge, as it’s a truly inviting room unto itself. You’d never know that the floor-to-ceiling wine cabinets (with humidors below) flanking each side conceal the air trunks from the engine room.
These are just two of the ways that you should expect the unexpected aboard Mi Sueño.
Further proof: a wheelchair-friendly elevator and wheelchair-friendly stateroom. Among the five guest cabins below decks (a gym/massage room on the bridge deck can convert to an extra stateroom if needed), one positions the bed slightly farther to one side of the room, leaving the opposite side plenty open for a chair to pull right up. The accompanying head includes a seat in the shower and handrails, too. Even those of us so-called able-bodied people might find those features helpful.
Yet another example, and something I think will be particularly appreciated by charter guests, is the emphasis on extra fun on the sundeck. Sure, there’s a bar and a hot tub, but there’s also a dip pool just forward of and adjacent to the hot tub. And the bar is adjacent to the hot tub, so no one need reach more than arm’s length for a cool beverage.
Here’s a look at all of those areas, plus more of Mi Sueño, the first launch in Trinity Yachts' new 33-foot-beam series.
