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The 25 Greatest Superyachts of the Past 100 Years

Yacht design and technology—from steam engines to hydrogen fuel cells—have changed dramatically over the last century. these 25 standout vessels have been at the forefront of that revolution., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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A Century of Sea Change

Yachts have seen remarkable transformations in design and technology in the last 100 years. The lengths and shapes have changed decade by decade, from the mini-ocean liners of the 1920s to a more glamorous, fuller shape by the 1950s, eventually giving way to the layered wedding-cake construction that was so popular until about a decade ago. Now, just about anything goes, judging from the list below, with yachts boasting vertical bows being the most popular.

Technology also changed over the years, from steam engines to diesel to a growing list of hybrid diesel-electric powerplants. In the next five years, expect to see the first generation of superyachts with hydrogen- or methanol-powered fuel cells. What really hasn’t changed in the last century are owners’ desires to create superyachts that are unique, often clashing with the accepted design norms of the time.

Here are the 25 greatest superyachts from the last 100 years.

'Delphine' (257 Feet 9 Inches) 1923, U.S.A.

Delphine is the original 1920s oceangoing queen. American automobile magnate Horace Dodge commissioned the vessel, rumored to have once hosted former President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, and Michigan shipbuilding company Great Lakes Engineering Works built it in 1921. At 258 feet, Delphine remains the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. that is still in operation. She is also the largest active steam-driven yacht in existence. The two original 1,500 hp steam engines were re-equipped with two modern water-tube boilers during a 2003 refit, which provide 18 metric tons of steam per hour. Surviving a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II, several fires, and multiple owners, Delphine is today fully restored to her 1920s glory, including original teak on the main deck and a revived Tiffany-designed interior.

'Talitha' (247 Feet) 1929, Germany

Talitha is one of the world’s first superyachts with an exceptional pedigree. F. Krupp built the vessel, which was originally penned by naval architects Cox & Stevens (leading designers of their day), in Kiel, Germany. First known as Reveler , Talitha was delivered in 1929 to Russell Algar, chairman of the Packard Car Company. A string of high-profile owners ensued, including John Paul Getty Jr. in the 1930s, son of one of the richest men in the world at the time. Getty commissioned an exterior and interior redesign by late superyacht designer Jon Bannenberg and, in 1993, a full reconstruction was completed at the Devonport shipyard in Plymouth, U.K. Regular refits since, including a 1999 newly installed wheelhouse, has made Talitha successful as a popular charter yacht.

' Malahne' (164 feet) 1937/2015, UK

Originally designed and built for the owner of renowned J-Class yacht Velsheda , classic motor yacht  Malahne enjoys a period interior designed by Scottish designer Guy Oliver (best known for styling London’s 10 Downing Street and Claridge’s). Original Art Deco features include Baccarat crystal, Willer porcelain, Georg Jensen silverware, and a lamp by 1930s designer Edgar Brandt. The yacht was once used as the production headquarters for Lawrence of Arabia and had luminaries such as Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra walking the teak decks. In 2015, it underwent an extensive restoration at British shipyard Pendennis, which focused on maintaining its old-world glamour, including the yacht’s 25-foot custom-built Cockwells varnished Brazilian mahogany high-speed tender.

'Savarona' (446 Feet 9 Inches) 1931, Germany

Launched in 1931, Savarona was built for an heiress, enjoyed by royalty, and starred on the big screen. Built by Blohm & Voss for Emily Roebling Cadwalader, granddaughter of Brooklyn Bridge engineer John Roebling, 446-foot Savarona was featured in the German science-fiction film Gold . The Turkish government bought the vessel in 1938 and leased to Turkish businessman Kahraman Sadıkoğlu in 1989, who spent $45 million refurbishing the yacht. The original steam turbine engines were replaced with modern Caterpillar diesels, but the original 282-foot gold-trimmed staircase remains. Today, Savarona is the official presidential yacht of the Republic of Turkey.

'Shemara' (212 Feet, 2 Inches) 1938, Great Britain

Within a year of being built in 1938, 212-foot Shemara was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and used throughout World War II as a training vessel for anti-submarine warfare. Following the end of its service, the superyacht returned to her owner Bernard Docker, who entertained high society aboard its decks. Later in life, Shemara endured long periods of neglect until current owner Charles Dunstone acquired her in 2010, starting the long road back to refurbishment. Alongside much of the original teak and steel exterior features, Shemara is now fitted with a Rolls-Royce diesel-electric system, including two electrically driven azimuthing pods and a bow thruster.

'Christina O' (325 Feet) 1943/1954

Possibly one of the most eminent superyachts of all time, 325-foot Christina O didn’t begin life in the spotlight. Built in 1943 by Canadian Vickers, the vessel served as a frigate in World War II until 1954 when Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis bought it as war surplus for a mere $34,000. He spent $4 million on the refurbishment and then entertained the world’s elite on board, from Maria Callas and Grace Kelly to Jack and Jackie Kennedy, prior to Onassis marrying Jackie. Named after Aristotle’s daughter, Christina O enjoys a bronze-edged swimming pool with a mosaic dance floor that rises at the push of a button. The stools in Ari’s Bar retain the original leather upholstery.

'V2V' (ex-Carinthia VI) (137 feet, 7 inches) 1973, Germany

The first major yacht designed by Jon Bannenberg and a breakthrough build for German shipyard Lürssen, Carinthia VI is a star of the decades, commissioned by supermarket magnate Helmut Horten as the sixth yacht in his Carinthia fleet. However, Carinthia V was in fact the original version but sadly hit an uncharted rock on her maiden cruise in the Mediterranean and sank. Horten ordered an almost identical replacement (this time with extra watertight bulkheads) and used Carinthia VI until his death in 1987. In 2016, the yacht suffered severe damage in a fire. Its new owner then bought the yacht, undergoing an extensive rebuild in Turkey to its original Bannenberg lines that was completed in 2023 when the yacht was renamed V2V.

'La Sultana' (214 Feet 56 Inches) 1962, Bulgaria

A Bulgarian passenger ferry turned Soviet spy vessel, 214.5-foot La Sultana has a checkered past. Built in 1962 for operations in the Black Sea, it was absorbed into the Russian fleet during the Cold War and sent to the North Atlantic for unofficial reconnaissance on the United States and United Kingdom. In 2015, La Sultana  completed a seven-year refit, which saw the addition of a raised bow, seven guest cabins across six decks, and a diesel engine installed to drive the original propeller. Several spying instruments were also discovered, including a radioactivity detector and thick aluminum insulation across the entire boat. The original push button steering controls are still in operation.

'Highlander' (164 Feet) 1986, Netherlands

American media mogul Malcolm Forbes commissioned the 164-foot Highlander , built by Feadship to a Jon Bannenberg design with De Voogt naval architecture, in 1986. The yacht’s historic guest list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood stars, from Elizabeth Taylor to Robert De Niro. Two bathrooms in the master suite are offset by six guest cabins. Those lucky enough to charter this piece of yachting history also have use of Forbes’s original cigarette boat, now re-painted in jet black with a bold red stripe.

'Tatoosh' (303 feet) 2000, Germany

Built by Nobiskrug for cellular pioneer Craig McCaw, the 303-foot Tatoosh was more famously owned by the late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, who bought the yacht off McCaw in 2001. Penned by German designer Claus Kusch—with input over the years from Jon Bannenberg, Terence Disdale, Martin Francis, and Stefano Pastrovich— Tatoosh is arguably one of the foremost explorer yachts of the modern age. The vessel was conceived to be a world cruiser with all the toys and entertainment that a yacht could carry. Alongside two helicopter landing pads, it has 11 staterooms for 19 guests, a heated swimming pool with a lifting floor, a cinema, and a dive center with a nitrox refilling station for deeper dives.

'Al Salamah' (456 Feet 10 Inches) 1999, Germany

At the time of its construction in 1999, 456-foot Al Salamah was the third largest yacht in the world. The build began at German yard HDW in Kiel but was completed by Lürssen in Bremen, the only yacht builder at the time capable of meeting the owner’s demanding timeline. Al Salamah was commissioned by the late Saudi Arabian crown prince Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz. Estimated to be worth in the region of $200 million and accommodating 36 guests, the ample amenities include a cinema, a fully equipped onboard hospital, two full-time beauticians, a business center, and a spa.

'H' (ex-NEOM) (311 feet) 2000, Netherlands

Delivered in 2000, the 311-foot  H   remained the largest Oceanco yet built and the largest yacht built in Holland until the delivery of Kaos (ex- Jubilee ) in 2017. Originally named Al Mirqab , the vessel was a highly private yacht under the ownership of the Qatar royal family before ex-politician and co-owner of Formula One Force India team Vijay Vittal Mallya took ownership in 2006. The Maltese government seized the lavishly outfitted yacht, which includes a helipad large enough for a twin-engine helicopter, Elton John’s baby grand piano, a full medical suite, and triple engines each delivering 10,000 hp, in 2017 over unpaid maritime bills. NEOM was auctioned off to her current owner in 2018.

'Rising Sun' (453 Feet) 2004, Germany

Built for Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison in 2004 and currently owned by business mogul David Geffen, Lürssen’s Rising Sun is another Jon Bannenberg success story, completed two years after the designer’s death. Even with her 453-foot length and 7,841-gross tonnes volume, Rising Sun achieves an impressive top speed of 28 knots. The owners were impressed enough with the speed to build a suspended, tube-like walkway so visitors can see the four MTU 20V 8000 M90 diesel engines providing the power. A bank of full-height curved windows run along the entire length of the superstructure, flooding the interior with natural light and giving the yacht a striking exterior profile.

'Motor Yacht A' (390 feet, 4 inches) 2008, Germany

Few yachts divide opinion like M/Y A . Designed by Philippe Starck, engineered by naval architect Martin Francis, and built by Blohm + Voss, the yacht is rumored to have cost in the region of $300 million to bring to life. Characterized by its head-turning reverse bow and vertical superstructure, the vessel is a private floating fortress where guests’ access to the water is restricted to the stern. It boasts a cathedral-like tender garage and three swimming pools; it’s also the predecessor to the even more controversial S/Y A , which emerged nine years later and briefly held the place of world’s largest sailing yacht before being displaced by Koru.

'Dubai' (531 Feet 5 Inches) 2006, Germany

Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei first commissioned Dubai in 1995 to be built in collaboration by German shipyards Blohm + Voss and Lürssen. But the superyacht was not completed until 2001 by Platinum Yachts when current owner, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, took over the project. British studio Winch Design crafted the exterior, and the vessel is reported to have cost in the region of $400 million to build. Dubai  was the largest yacht in the world until 2010, when she was replaced by Roman Abramovich’s 533-foot Eclipse . Dubai ’s amenities, spread across eight decks, include a helipad, two 33-foot chase boats, a squash court, and 20 Jet Skis.

'Savannah' (273 feet, 11 inches) 2015, Netherlands

Savannah is renowned for being the first hybrid yacht on water, with fuel savings of up to 30 percent. It blends a single diesel engine with three gensets, batteries, a propeller, and an azimuting pioneering electro-mechanical propulsion platform. Built by Feadship, the yacht’s 41-foot beam was such a tight fit for the Dutch canals during delivery that the builder wrapped her in protective film and used plywood on the sides to serve as fenders. With its interior and exterior designed by Cristina Gherardi Benardeau, the yacht was also ahead of its time, with a corridor of double-height video walls, a floating superstructure, and an underwater Nemo lounge.

'Maltese Falcon' (289 Feet) 2006, Turkey

The legendary Maltese Falcon broke the mold of yacht design when launched in 2006. Perini Navi’s 289-foot, three-masted schooner was the result of its adventurous owner, the late Tom Perkins, and naval architect Gerard Dykstra’s radical design idea. The show-stopping Dynarig concept, now coined the Falcon Rig, catapulted Maltese Falcon to becoming the world’s most instantly recognized yacht, not to mention one of the most complex and largest sailing vessels ever built. The contemporary, computer-controlled sail system is based on freestanding carbon masts and yard-arms into which the sails furl. This system allows for easy sailing in all sea conditions. Famous charterers include Tom Hanks, Hugh Jackman, and Google cofounder Larry Page.

'Eclipse' (533 Feet) 2009, Germany

Aside from stealing the title of world’s largest yacht from 531-foot Dubai by a mere 1.5 feet, Eclipse is an exercise in amenities. Delivered to her owner Roman Abramovich in 2009, the vessel features a 52-foot swimming pool within an extensive beach club, two helipads, and a helicopter hangar under the foredeck. The 533-foot yacht is powered by a diesel-electric system driving azimuthing pods, one of the first of its kind. Eclipse retained the title of world’s largest yacht until the arrival of 590.5-foot Azzam in 2013. Designed inside and out by Terence Disdale, Eclipse took five years to build and is reported to have cost in the region of $590 million.

'Chopi Chopi' (262 Feet) 2013, Italy

Tasked with an experienced owner’s brief for a private yacht on which to spend long family holidays, CRN delivered with  Chopi Chopi . The largest yacht built by CRN at the time of her 2013 launch, the 262-foot Chopi Chopi remains the Italian yard’s flagship. A 656-square-foot owner’s suite with private terrace is complemented by a helipad capable of landing a three-ton helicopter. The interior ceiling heights are in excess of seven feet. But the focus of the design is on comfortable outdoor living, realized by a large beach club with an adjoining sauna, hammam, and spa with a treatment room.

'Azzam' (590 Feet) 2013, Germany

At a whopping 590-foot, Azzam has held the title of world’s largest yacht since her launch in 2013. Azzam was built by German yard Lürssen in a record three years for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the current President of the United Arab Emirates. Alongside a 95-foot main saloon, Azzam carries a submarine and its own missile defense system. Two gas turbines and two diesel engines propel the yacht through the water more than 32 knots.

'Black Pearl' (350 Feet) 2018, Netherlands

Delivered by Oceanco in 2018, the 350-foot Black Pearl is only the second yacht in the world to be fitted with Dykstra’s DynaRig carbon masts and sailing system. Its eye-catching black sails span 9,514 square feet and can be set in a record seven minutes with the push of a button. The hybrid propulsion system combines wind power with two electric propulsion motors, and its controllable pitch propellers generate enough energy to support the yacht’s hotel load. A waste heat-recovery system is just one of the onboard features that helps to realize the owner’s vision of a “zero-impact” yacht.

'Excellence' (262 Feet) 2019, Germany

Built for an experienced serial owner, American automobile magnate Herb Chambers, the Winch-designed 262-foot Excellence was delivered in 2019. The vessel takes its design inspiration from Motor Yacht A , which Chambers at first didn’t care for but then began to love. The piercing reverse bow (that mimics the beak of an American eagle) and triple-height glass-fronted atrium give it curb appeal but has also led to the yacht being likened to a spaceship. Driven by the desire to have a connection to the outdoors, the design rests upon a symbiotic relation between the indoors and out and was ultimately successful, partially due to the use hundreds of square feet of curved, mirrored glass panels.

'Koru' (417 feet) 2023, Netherlands

Oceanco’s 417-foot Koru , commissioned by Jeff Bezos, is a three-masted, black-hulled schooner with a bowsprit, classic lines, and white superstructure. Reportedly costing $450 million to build and accompanied by a 246-foot custom Damen support yacht  Wingman , the new vessel is the world’s largest sailing yacht (knocking S/Y A off the top spot). Koru also holds the title of the largest superyacht ever built in the Netherlands and the tallest sailing yacht in the world, with masts that measure over 230 feet.

'Obsidian' (417 feet) 2023, Netherlands

Feadship’s 2023 delivery Obsidian has the appearance of a spaceship. But the boat’s technically advanced propulsion package, described as having a 90 percent reduction in total CO2 emissions, is what places it on this list, carrying the Dutch builder one step closer to its goal of achieving a zero-emission superyacht by 2030. The hybrid diesel-electric system is designed into a single-floor engine room creating additional interior space for owners, guests, and crew. With no drive shafts or rudders, the steering is done through a pair of electric Veth contrarotating thrusters. The diesel generators will also run on HVO, a second-generation biodiesel that manufacturers describe as a net-zero CO2 fuel. A low profile, horizontal styling features, and clean exterior shapes are a preamble for the yacht’s interior, which includes an underwater observation area—known as the Aqua Lounge.

'Luminance' (417 feet) 2023, Germany

Delivered in late 2023, Lürssen’s eighth largest build, Luminance , ranks as the 12th largest yacht in the world and is the 30th yacht built by the German shipyard with an exterior design by Espen Øino. The six-deck behemoth is one of the most significant yachts to be launched this year, with an internal volume of 9,000 GT, a beam of 66 feet, and an interior by Francois Zuretti. The gigayacht features two helipads, two Jacuzzis, a large swimming pool, and a distinctive stretched bow.

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1928 Article: The Grand Yachts of the 1920's

https://abrushwithsail.blogspot.it/2012/06/grand-yachts-of-1920s.html

The Grand Yachts of the 1920's

Adapted from 'The Major Yachts' by Bennett Fisher.

Published in ‘Sailing Craft’ in 1928

The New York Yacht Club , founded in 1844, is the oldest American yachting organization and it has always maintained it’s present position as the most important single club in the country.

It is natural therefore that the finest yachts on the coast had almost invariably been in its fleet and had taken part in its Cruise. So great is the reputation of this Club that the winners in its races have been looked upon as the outstanding boats in their respective classes. Other clubs however, notably the Eastern, hold important regattas for the big boats each season, but the entrants are practically the same.

During World War I there was no Annual Cruise and it was predicted that the day of the large yacht was passing. This has not been proved the case because the cruises of recent years have been very successful. The change has been in the spirit of the sport and now cruising qualities receive greater attention and schooners take precedence over sloops. The fleet that goes east now is composed chiefly of wholesome two-stickers that require comparatively small crews. Refinements in sail plan have made possible this advance and there is little doubt that the modern staysail schooner is faster than the full-rigged cutter of fifteen years ago with her clumsy club topsail and complicated gear.

When racing was resumed after the War the fleet was small but the schooners were of the first rank and well handled, the most conspicuous being the VAGRANT , owned by Harold S. Vanderbilt, Commodore of the club from 1922 to 1924. He sailed her almost faultlessly and was successful in winning both the Astor and King’s Cups two years, an achievement that has never been equalled. Almost a sister ship this 109 foot Herreshoff schooner is Carll Tucker’s Ohonkara, which took part in a number of races. The Marriette of Boston completes a trio of combined racing and cruising yachts that would be hard to improve upon for accommodations and seaworthy qualities. Besides these there were the big Sonnica, Princess, Irolita and others.

The short high-sided Queen Mab played an important part in the squadron runs, because her low rating of 46 gave her a liberal handicap and she never lacked competent handling. Her owner, Nathanial F. Ayer, had the foresight to put a jib-headed mainsail on her and thus started the fashion that is so common among two-stickers today. While Mr Ayer owned her, she won the Vanderbilt Cup in an ocean race and also the Puritan Cup, the most important trophy regularly competed for, east of Newport. The fact that the handicaps are not quite sufficient to make up for the actual difference in speed adds to the significance of the long list of wins that Queen Mab has to her credit.

In 1923, Charles L. Harding of Boston, commissioned the Herreshoff plant to build a 68-foot waterline racer. This new schooner from Bristol named WILDFIRE , was the first to be built for a jib-headed mainsail. She was a roomy boat and her success, is shown by her winning of the Astor Cup for schooners. The King’s Cup winner that year was the Enchantress owned by C. oliver Iselin, who has had a great deal to do with keeping the America’s Cup in this country. The late A. Cary Smith, the master of the schooner rig, designed this 136-footer 1911. Before being cut down and sold to the Pacific Coast, she was the largest yacht without power.

The VAGRANT repeated her 1922 performance in 1924 and captured both the major cups, in spite of the close competition. William Gardner, who was long Herreshoff’s rival, was well represented by Flying Cloud , a beautiful craft which won the Astor Cup the next year. E. Walter Clarke, of Philadelphia, raced the Irolita, formerly a sloop of class K.

No deliberate attempt since 1914 had been made to build to the limit of the Universal Rule, so a great deal of interest was aroused when John S. Lawrence of Boston ordered a large schooner to be built to W. Starling Burgess’ design. The well known ADVANCE was constructed by Anker and Jensen in Norway and arrived in America after a forty-eight day crossing, just before the Eastern Yacht Club cruise in July, 1925. She immediately attracted great attention, partly because her hull was the result of knowledge gained from racers in the small Universal Rule classes, but more because of the rig between her masts. The faults of the gaff foresail and its topsail had been recognised for some time, but it was Burgess who discarded it entirely and set what amounts to a large jib below and an over-sized ‘Queen staysail’ above.

Originally it was planned to fill the larger part of the intervening space with sails hoisted on tracks on the foremast, but this proved impractical. Between the Eastern and the New York Yacht Club Cruises a new sail was devised to take care of the waste space. This rig, which is illustrated below (in the painting ‘Summer of ‘26’) has been variously described, but in spite of its odd appearance, it is fundamentally a refined fisherman’s staysail rigged so that it need not be lowered when the boat tacks.

Mr Burgess and Mr Lawrence in this way started the staysail rig so much talked of since. The last thing they added was the ‘sky staysail’ to fill the triangle above the quadrangular staysail. Many have copied this rig, incorporating their own ideas and 1926 saw a strange medley of sails between the masts of the schooners.

The reappearance of the two America’s cup candidates, Herreshoff’s successful Resolute and Gardner’s handsome sloop VANITIE excited popular interest in the 1926 racing. These 75-foot waterline sloops built in 1914, were bought by E. Walter Clark, owner of IROLITA , and Robert E. Tod, owner of the KATOURAS and completely refitted for cruising. Mr Tod sold his yacht to Mr Harry Payne Whitney before he left City Island. Their new schooner rigs were radically different, because the Bristol designer developed a clever but complicated spritsail arrangement, while Gardner reduced the number of sails to a minimum.

The WILDFIRE, FLYING CLOUD and VAGRANT all turned to the new rig and the Owen designed Lynx, designed in Italy and bought by Nathanial F. Ayer also used it. The early races proved that the Vanitie was better than the Resolute and Mr Clarke discarded the sprit for sails like those of the Advance. The invincible combination, of Charles F. Adams and Robert Emmons , which made the Herreshoff sloop go so fast in the Cup races, was now in command of the Vanitie and turned the tables on the boat they used to sail, for Resolute hardly won a race in which the Vanitie took part, with the exception of the Commodore’s Cup on the New York Cruise.

When the staysail rig was being adopted after the Lawrence schooner’s success in 1925, Herbert L. Stone suggested that it might be her hull that gave her the remarkable speed she showed. The wisdom of this was demonstrated when she won more races in 1926 than in her first season, in spite of the fact that the others had similar sail plans. It is not meant that this rig is not faster than the conventional one, but rather that it does not wholly justify the claims at times made for it. The difference in speed between a schooner with the most modern arrangements of sails and a Marconi sloop of like size and sail spread is probably much the same as the difference between the schooner and sloop rigs of the days when jib-headed mainsails were unknown. The improvement however, is readily apparent and the gaff can no longer compete with the staysail when speed is the object.

The result of the season’s racing gave the Advance a slight lead over the Vanitie, which was more than made up for by the winning of the King’s Cup by the Whitney schooner. She was the fastest in the fleet boat for boat and could save her time on the smaller craft as often as not. No finer craft has raced in many years.

The Astor Cup race brought seventeen two-stickers to the starting line, a number that has never before been equalled. The Advance finished well within her handicap but was disqualified, thus giving the race to the Pleione, owned by J. V. Santry, Commodore of the Corinthian Yacht Club. This little schooner was a New York Yacht Club 50-footer, re-rigged with staysails under L. Francis Herreshoff’s direction. She was also successful in the Vice-Commodore’s Cup race for the run from Vineyard Haven to Mattapoisett.

Taken as a whole it is apparent that the popularity of racing major yachts is increasing. The pleasure experienced in sailing a boat is recognised by thousands, but what arouses the interest of the average person is a story or picture of one of the great schooners in a cup race off Newport or Marblehead. It matters little to the general public what small craft do – the grace and beauty of the big yachts will always appeal to the greater number.

Posted 6th June 2012 by Jim Bolland

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The Lasting Appeal of 1920s Commuter Yachts: Here’s a Slideshow of Six of Today’s Best

The idea – and then the reality – of commuter yachts started in the Roaring Twenties, when newly rich (and old-monied) Wall Street masters of the universe wanted a faster, and much more fun, way to commute to work from their estates on the golden North Shore of Long Island Sound than on the railroad. Think Gatsby, but with longer lives. As a result, sleek, low-profile, 20-knot yachts, usually with enough mahogany inside to populate a small forest, were born.

The elegant designs of commuter yachts, with their clean, graceful and often awe-inspiring lines, have lived on. Here’s a slideshow of six of today’s best from the Robb Report , ranging from Doug Zurn’s 45-knot Zurn Lynx, which looks like a modern version of a classic commuter yacht, to the futuresque Yachtwerft Meyer Silverline.

The Hodgdon Liberty Commuter Yacht, pictured above, is probably closest to the original commuters,  with its long sheerline, low profile and pronounced reverse transom. Built in Maine, this 80-foot Hodgdon has the mahogany interior of the original commuters, but it also has some carbon-fiber parts, including the mast, boom and rudder stocks. And it’s powered by state-of-the-art twin 1,100-hp MAN diesels, producing a 25-knot cruising speed. Read more and see the slideshow:

https://robbreport.com/motors/marine/slideshow/commuter-yachts-the-great-gatsby-would-have-loved/

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An Historic Mathis-Trumpy Yacht Makes Her Daring Return

The 1920s Freedom is restored to her original splendor, recalling the lavish era of classic motor yachts.

She must have been irresistible. What wasn’t to adore along the 104 feet of this regal watercraft? To Jessie Woolworth Donahue, daughter of retail magnate F.W. Woolworth and then one of prewar America’s wealthiest women, the vessel was indeed perfect. A slender beam ideal for gliding the intracoastal waters surrounding her Palm Beach house. A plumb bow that rose straight up from the waterline like the aquiline forehead of an aristocrat. A divinely proportioned counter stern with an elliptical fantail that curved gently up and aft with the grace of a ballerina’s gesture. Bronze scrollwork that glowed in the sun. A low, sturdy stack nestled alongside one heaven-reaching, raked mast. Behind, the romance of sail. Ahead, the power and promise of engines.

And within, the ultimate expression of how one lived: a trio of expansive double staterooms (plus one single), three baths, lounging and dining saloons (with mahogany walls, beams, and deckhouse), and interiors decorated in grand style by famed retailer Wanamaker (the decor alone was advertised to have cost $30,000). Irresistible.

Wealth. Opulence. Assurance. And perhaps most symbolically, a signal of one’s freedom to roam from enclave to enclave, from season to season, in high luxury. Sold, then, was the 1926 Mathis-Trumpy Freedom to Donahue. She was, of course, a member of the Gilded Age class that commissioned or acquired yachts with the same alacrity they built mansions and seized the goldenmost layer of the American dream.

“In these days, newly minted millionaires had their list of things to acquire, to check the box to be a proper millionaire,” says Earl McMillen III, a Newport, Rhode Island–based yacht restorer and de facto historian of the period. “You’d have a house in Palm Beach, Newport, or Bar Harbor in the summer,” he continues, “a shooting plantation in South Carolina or Georgia, and on that list was a proper yacht. It was a lifestyle that everyone saw.”

This maritime striving, according to author Ross MacTaggart, spawned a century’s worth of high-profile boats. The wave began in 1830, he notes, with an Englishman who commissioned the first known motor yacht: the steam-driven Menai, complete with paddle wheels that made her look like a hybrid of a submarine and a Mississippi riverboat.

While the design may have seemed maladroit, the outcome was profound: “For the first time,” MacTaggart writes in his book Millionaires, Mansions, and Motor Yachts, “an individual could control his or her vessel’s schedule.” No waiting for tides, currents, winds. And while the late 1800s saw the addition of luxury rail travel, the promise was more confined than the private yacht: “A millionaire still had to accept the fact that trains went where they could, not where you wanted,” MacTaggart writes. “What was the point of being a millionaire if one could not do whatever one wanted, whenever and wherever? And comfortably?”

Yachting's Gilded Giants

As the 20th century opened, and as industrialists and other millionaires like Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, their offspring, and rising nouveau riche joined the elite rosters, naval architects strove to create vessels that matched those aspirations. Private motor yachts diversified: some built for ocean-going explorations, others—like Freedom— for cruising protected waters along the Eastern seaboard, and others still for speedy commuting from one’s estate, say, on Long Island to the New York Yacht Club’s dock at 26th Street on the East River. The costs to build these crafts (in the millions of dollars at the time), not to mention maintain them—all the way down the ledger to stylish nautical dress for every crew member—were monumental.

“If you have to ask how much a yacht costs, you can’t afford one.” -Attributed to J.P. Morgan

And in the 1920s, many agree the form reached its design apogee. Designers like Jonah Trumpy were working at the peak of their craft, creating silhouettes of grace and proportion that carved their way elegantly through water and spaces throughout that matched those of mansions and country homes on land. It was a bright era that was snuffed out nearly entirely by the combined economic effects of the imposition of income tax in 1914 and the Depression thereafter, not to mention the rise in the use of automobiles, the improvement of roads, and finally, the new promise of air travel. As happens to all empires, the glory days of the great private yacht were closing.

But for McMillen, there were survivors to be found, restored, and relaunched. “If they’re lost, they’re lost forever,” he says, recounting how Freedom, in fact, nearly suffered that fate. From the hands of Mrs. Donahue, the houseboat (Trumpy’s term for his class of luxury yachts, whose interiors were emulations of all the comforts of home) had been sold in 1939 to a real estate developer in Florida who renamed her Sunset to promote his own Sunset Islands development near Miami. A succession of Florida owners followed, but by 2001, the craft was languishing in a warehouse in Jacksonville and slated for demolition. McMillen learned of the boat’s grim, looming fate from MacTaggart and moved quickly. He bought her for one hundred dollars and undertook the near-Herculean process to move her up the coast to his facilities in the greater Newport area (one of the nation’s centers of boatbuilding and restoration) and to raise the funds—$7.5 million—to restore her. In May of 2009, rebuilt painstakingly plank by plank, the yacht returned to service, thanks to a creative fractional ownership syndicate assembled by McMillen, and took her original name back. In 2010, Freedom won the World Superyacht Best Rebuilt award in London. “It’s the Oscars of the yachting industry,” McMillen says.

It’s no wonder. Brought back lovingly in full splendor, Freedom represents the very finest expression of the age and its aspirations. “Freedom was the most refined and finest-looking of the boats that [Trumpy] built,” he says. “The joinery, the details, the hardware…everything about her is sort of perfect in my opinion.”

McMillen laments a turn away from that balance and proportion among this generation’s newly minted billionaires. “Everything I see today, it’s glitzy and shiny and big, but you lose me there,” he says. “In my opinion, the billionaire of today is most interested in building bigger. They’ve lost sight of how to build a beautiful boat.”

“These wooden boats are organic,” he says, returning to the crafts he loves like family. “You get a sense that they’re a living, breathing organism. They have almost a human-like attachment. There’s something about going to sea on a wooden boat.”

One might almost consider it irresistible.

Featured in our July/August 2019 issue.

The Ultimate Yachting Guide

Breezy Yacht Party Across the Caribbean

A Yacht's Timeless Design Refresh

What To Wear on the Water This Summer

The World’s Most Beautiful Yacht Clubs

The Fastest Superyacht of Its Time

VERANDA Insiders' Guide to Yachting

18 Outdoor Fabrics for Summer

7 Luxury Watch Brands Saving Our Oceans

New Video Offers Rare, Intimate Look at Waleses

Kate Middleton Finishes Chemotherapy

What Is a Cape Cod House?

A Look Inside Netflix’s ‘The Perfect Couple’

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Boat of the Week: This Vintage Superyacht Blends Classic 1920s Design With Modern Tech

For Jonathan Turner, owner of the authentic 1920s yacht Fair Lady , the marriage of classic design with modern technology is a match made in heaven. The 121-footer, built and launched by Camper & Nicholsons in 1928, bears all the hallmarks of the fabulous flapper era, but remains a yacht designed for adventure, owned by a man intent on finding one.

The exterior is by Charles E. Nicholson, one of the most famous names in yacht design in the early years of the last century, while the interior comes from the drawing boards of modern yacht designer John Munford. This unlikely dream-team of two designers separated by a century has resulted in a unique yacht. Fair Lady ’s mahogany-paneled walls and Art Nouveau furniture ooze original character, while the contemporary adaptations provide every modern comfort on board. The 1920s ship’s wheel and brass binnacle, for example, sit alongside the very latest electronics and navigational equipment in the wheelhouse.

The card room on the main deck retains the original pearwood detailing and the “chairs are the same as when it was built,” says Turner. “We know that because we’ve got the original photos.”

The 121-foot yacht has been refitted to retain its 1920s Art Nouveau charm without compromising modern comforts.  Burgess

What began as a whimsical purchase of a Triumph TR3 over 20 years ago for Turner has grown into a passion for “old things.” Fair Lady is his first yacht, and she is part of Turner’s sweeping collection of vintage cars and motor memorabilia, including an XK140 Jaguar and eight vintage Bentleys, one of which he drove in the Monte Carlo Rally. He’s also raced the Orient Express across Europe (and won), completed the Peking to Paris Rally twice, and says his first experience of the Peking endurance race dramatically changed his life.

“We were the first people to drive through Iran since the fall of the Shah in 1977, and the first non-Chinese citizens ever to have Chinese driving licenses–all of this in a 1928 Bentley,” says Turner. “That car has been part of my life for 20-plus years. I realized then at the age of 30 that you can go anywhere in the world with old machinery that everybody else thinks is going to break down and have a phenomenal adventure.”

Since undergoing a significant refit at Pendennis in 2006, Fair Lady has had several return trips to the U.K. shipyard for maintenance. “It costs a fortune every year to get the timber varnished,” Turner says. “It’d be so easy to cut costs and paint it, but that’s not what you do with antique furniture. I love old furniture, it’s got character and was built properly. Fair Lady is basically an Edwardian house on the water.”

Some of the equipment like this brass telegraph is original, but just about everything else has been modernized, with a period-correct overlay to hide the latest technologies.  Burgess

A sheltered alcove on the sundeck makes a popular spot for breakfast. The expansive sunpad and wooden sun loungers aft catch the sun, and on the main deck a chic Parisian bench bends around the stern. Each of the guest cabins have vintage 1920s telephones that have been converted to plug into a modern socket. An old-fashioned radio has been reconditioned to hold an MP3 player. “Everything on board–the doors, the handrails, the master cabin–is the same as when it was built,” says Turner. “I don’t want anybody to go on that boat, with all its charm and beauty, and see anything modern.”

Along with Turner’s appreciation for authenticity is his palpable sense of fun. “I bought a yacht with a funnel and a horn that properly honks because it’s really cool,” he says.

For those looking to share in the adventure, a seven-day charter itinerary along the Scottish coastline could be just the ticket. Fair Lady will sail via the Inner Hebrides, the Treshnish Isles, all the way up to the Talisker whisky distillery in Stein, before returning by Loch Drumbuie, one of the best yachting anchorages in Scotland. Turner’s private Cessna 208 seaplane and private estate on the shores of Loch Sunart can be included in the trip.

Now located in Scotland, Fair Lady offers a retro lifestyle in some of Britain’s most charming cruising grounds.  Burgess

“I don’t spend as much time on board as I’d like, but hopefully this year with Fair Lady being in Scotland, that will change. What I really want to do is get 12 friends together and have some fun on board. When I’m racing my cars I’m by myself, and that’s a bit selfish, whereas when you’ve got a sociable boat like Fair Lady, then you can really enjoy yourself.”

Fair Lady is available to charter through Burgess from $73,000 a week. Here are some other shots of this very classic lady.

The 121-footer had an extensive refit in 2006 to bring it back to her former glory. She returns each year to Pendennis to have all mahogany revarnished.  Burgess

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Manhattan II

Certified vessel for 130 passengers. 

Year  2015  LOA  = 100 Ft.  Beam  = 22 Ft.  Draft  = 4.5 Ft.  Power:   2 X John Deere model 6135 rated at 500 HP  Manhattan II has a cruising speed of 18 knots. 

Operated by Classic Harbor Line in New York City. 

www.classicharborline.com  

This epic, white-hulled 100-foot long & 22-foot beam yacht echoes everything that the first Yacht  Manhattan  is, but with more space, more glass and more accommodations.  Manhattan II’s  1920s-inspired design continues with her hull shape and fine features, including teak decks and mahogany finishes. Like her predecessor,  Manhattan II  also features a spectacular cabin with an all-glass observatory, cushioned seating and intimate tables, and a large, well appointed bar. The main salon is additionally air-conditioned in the summer and heated during the cooler months. Fantastic un-obscured views and comfort are boundless. 

Additionally, Yacht  Manhattan II  is equipped with a sound system throughout offering perfectly executed narrated tours. She hosts the renowned AIANY Architecture Tours, Around Manhattan Brunch Tours, and Wine Tasting Cruises, to name a few. 

Down below is an expansive full-service galley. She is Coast Guard Certified for up to 130 guests. However, for private parties she is ideal for up to 110 guests in mild weather and up to 80 in the harsher seasons. 

The  Manhattan II  is available year-round with Classic Harbor Line NY

Contemplating a new build? A restoration? Tell us a bit about your project in the provided form or give us a call. We are anxious to hear about it.

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Beautifully Restored 1920s Superyacht

17 aug 2020 by carrie in boats , lifestyle , luxury , vibe.

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[imagesource: Burgess]

A new trend in yacht design is emerging that combines retro-style with state-of-the-art technology.

Gresham Yacht Design recently released their concept plans for a gigayacht that looks like something out of a  Star Trek  film, with 1960s inspired interiors encompassing spaceship-esque curves, a floating glass floor, and 20th-century furniture.

Yacht enthusiast Jonathan Turner has taken things in the other direction. Instead of building a new yacht, he has updated a yacht from the mid-20th century with modern amenities.

Robb Report is impressed, and has named it ‘Boat of the Week’.

The authentic 121-footer ‘Fair Lady’ was built in 1928 by Camper & Nicholsons, with interiors designed by Charles E. Nicholson, one of the most famous names in yacht design in the early years of the last century.

The upgrades to the interior were conceptualised by yacht designer John Munford.

This unlikely dream-team of two designers separated by a century has resulted in a unique yacht.

Image: Burgess

Fair Lady’s mahogany-paneled walls and Art Nouveau furniture ooze original character, while the contemporary adaptations provide every modern comfort on board.

The Yacht’s original wheel and brass binnacle, for example, are installed  alongside the very latest electronics and navigational equipment.

The card room on the main deck retains the original pearwood detailing and the “chairs are the same as when it was built,” says Turner. “We know that because we’ve got the original photos.”

Fair Lady is Turner’s first yacht, but not his first vintage acquisition. He also owns a series of vintage cars, including a XK140 Jaguar and eight vintage Bentleys, one of which he drove in the Monte Carlo Rally.

If you want a vintage Bentley, there’s one for sale in Jozi for R400k.

Back to the yacht:

Since undergoing a significant refit at Pendennis in 2006, Fair Lady has had several return trips to the U.K. shipyard for maintenance. “It costs a fortune every year to get the timber varnished,” Turner says.

“It’d be so easy to cut costs and paint it, but that’s not what you do with antique furniture. I love old furniture, it’s got character and was built properly. Fair Lady is basically an Edwardian house on the water.”

The yacht boasts a sundeck with a breakfast nook, while each of the guest cabins is fitted with 1920s telephones (when was the last time you used the word ‘telephones’?) that have been converted to plug into a modern socket.

An old-fashioned radio has also been converted into an MP3 player.

“Everything on board–the doors, the handrails, the master cabin–is the same as when it was built,” says Turner. “I don’t want anybody to go on that boat, with all its charm and beauty, and see anything modern.”

Turner says that he doesn’t spend as much time on the yacht as he’d like.

He does plan on getting 12 friends together to “have some fun on board” in the near future.

Sounds like a good time.

[source: robbreport ]

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Haida 1929: How Pendennis restored a classic

First published in the November 2018 edition of BOAT International

Launched in 1929, this classic motor yacht has had 11 owners, saw service in the Second World War and had long been admired by owner No 12. Having finally bought her in 2015, he set about reviving this piece of maritime history and making her fit for a whole new charter adventure. Risa Merl reports on a 16-month labour of love

From the moment her owner first laid eyes on this classic beauty, he knew it was the only yacht for him, but it would be a decade before they could be together. “He has loved this boat for 10 years,” says Haida 1929’s captain, Daan de Witt. “He told me once that he won’t own any other boat if he can’t own this one.”

Haida 1929 is indeed the owner’s first yacht, and his passion for her propelled a thorough 16-month refit, set on restoring the 66.5 metre (71.1 metre with bowsprit) motor yacht to her former glory, and then some. The yacht’s new name gives away her advanced age – she was launched in 1929 by Krupp Germaniawerft for the American yeast tycoon Max C Fleischmann, who christened her Haida , after a native Alaskan tribe. Over the course of a long and storied life, she’s had 11 owners and varied roles, including heroic service in the US Navy during the Second World War. She’s also gone by many monikers, such as USS Argus, Sarina, Rosenkavalier, Haida G and Dona Amelia.

As Dona Amelia, she had been laid up on the River Fal in Cornwall, not abandoned but certainly in disuse. After a few years, brokerage firm Edmiston was tasked with finding a new owner – and so in 2015, her current owner finally had his chance. Though he had pined for Haida from afar for many years, he took his time with the courtship. Before inking a deal, he visited her on the River Fal for a year. “And every time he would come back with new ideas,” says de Witt.

Restoring a classic yacht is quite an undertaking, and certainly for a first-time yacht owner, but Haida 1929’s owner was nothing if not prepared. Some owners come to a project with magazine clippings or a mood board of ideas. By the time Haida 1929’s owner had finalised the purchase of his long-sought yacht, he had three MacBooks full of in-depth designs as well as his own hand-drawn sketches. He just needed the right team.

“He has a good eye for detail,” says de Witt. “The boss didn’t want a designer – he wanted someone to make his ideas work.” While the owner had created an extremely comprehensive brief, he had to collaborate with a professional who could make his ideas technically viable.

“He was an unusual client in that he had a very, very clear idea of what he wanted to achieve,” says designer Adam Lay , who was introduced to the owner by Alex Busher, sales broker at Edmiston. “I thought it was a fantastic design brief – it’s exactly what I would’ve done with the vessel.”

A word used frequently in the brief was “fresh”, both in terms of freshening up the exterior spaces and creating a light, bright and natural interior. Yet everything also had to be elegant and chic, evocative of the romance of the 1920s and 30s whence she came. The refit plans were sympathetic to her history and included maintaining her original direct-drive engines and moving the tenders back to a position on the side decks. This would not be a modernisation so much as a restoration and any modern updates, such as the addition of new exterior staircases, a sundeck paddling pool and spa room on the main deck, were thoughtfully considered and employed with care.

“The Edmiston yacht management team prepared the initial refit specification, which expanded considerably, and identified a number of potential refit yards to visit with the owner,” says Nick Edmiston, the company’s founder. As chance would have it, the yacht had been left near Pendennis , a yard renowned for its experience in classic restorations. “[They] did an extremely good restoration of Malahne and understand classic yachts,” Edmiston adds.

Edmiston’s project managers remained at the yard throughout the refit, along with Captain de Witt, who knew the yacht well having been with her since 2011 during her days as Dona Amelia. Prior to that, he crewed on her big sister Talitha . The captain’s second in command has also been with the yacht for a long tenure – Haida has this way of casting a spell and making people stick around.

Haida 1929 arrived at Pendennis in July 2016 a ghost of her former self. The time she had spent on the river without continual maintenance had caused her steel – much of it original – to corrode. “The fact that steel plates that are nearly 90 years old were heavily corroded didn’t surprise us much,” says Nick Kearton, of Pendennis’s project team. “More surprising was the more recent steel repairs [from 15 to 20 years previously] were so poorly executed below the waterline.” This work from an earlier refit had overlapped with the original hull plate in some areas, acting as a doubler plate, which accelerated the corrosion of the original riveted hull.

“In total, we replaced well over 100 tonnes of steel within the hull structure,” says Kearton, “mainly below the waterline, including 100 per cent of the engine room plating, the majority of the hull boundaries of the three freshwater tanks and the chain locker.” The black and freshwater tanks and the chain locker were totally ripped out.

Replacing the steel in the engine room proved particularly challenging. “We discussed removing the engines to do this or leaving them in place, because they weigh 40 tonnes, and then you have to realign them when you put them back in,” says de Witt. In the end, the engines were left in place and propped up while the steel was cut out from under them. It would have been far easier to tear out the original engines and replace them with modern propulsion – from the outside no one would have been any the wiser. The twin diesel Krupp engines are a relic from 1929 and start via compressed air. Pendennis says they might be the oldest working engines of their type still in situ. There is no manual and you can’t buy parts off the shelf.

“We had to open up the gears and work stuff out,” says de Witt. There are no throttles in the wheelhouse; the captain steers the boat but doesn’t control its speed. Instead, a telegraph system transmits down to the engine room where his engineers – there are four on board – receive the signal and slow the engines accordingly.

There were pleasant surprises – the original riveted steel above the waterline was in fantastic shape, with some areas showing less than 5 per cent wastage of thickness – however, much of the original pipework was condemned. “There are always challenges with old boats. Sometimes you open something up for a small job and there are bigger problems,” de Witt says. “At some stage, I wanted to make a T-shirt with a boat on the back and the funnel as a tin can with worms coming out.”

Was the owner ever daunted by the growing scope of work? “He likes a project,” assures de Witt, “and he says he only wanted to do it once. We should do things in a way that we don’t have to do it again.” Every six weeks the owner visited the yard, staying for a few days each time and making decisions on the smallest details. As challenges arose, he never wavered from his original plan: to return Haida 1929 to her original beauty while improving the functionality.

A priority was placed on the enjoyment of exterior decks and the ease of traffic flow. Narrow, steep ladders common to classic yachts wouldn’t do; a new staircase now connects the main deck to the owner’s deck, another links the main deck to a lounge area on the fantail, a pair of staircases were added from the owner’s deck to the sundeck as well as one on the starboard side going to the sundeck. “They needed to look like they’ve always been there,” says Lay. This was a case where 3D designs alone couldn’t be relied upon. Full-scale mock-ups in plywood were created at the yard to ensure the stairs matched.

“Following the owner’s priority that the yacht be restored as closely as possible to its 1929 origins created several significant conundrums,” says Kearton. “One of the largest of these was fitting new tender davits back in the original side deck positions. To conform with current rules, one of these had to be certified to launch a SOLAS rescue boat in five minutes. Creating a traditional looking but technologically suitable solution required the input of a specialist company.” When the tenders are launched, exercise equipment is rolled out in their place, creating an al fresco gym.

Moving the tenders opened up the owner’s deck for a dining table for up to eight, where he will enjoy breakfast. The preferred dining space to host guests is the main aft deck, with a table that extends to seat 16 but is usually set up for 12. The formal dining saloon, forward on the main deck, is ideal in inclement weather, especially with the addition of a fireplace. “The owner likes to have a formal dinner in there once a week – he thinks it’s fun when his guests come in black tie but without shoes!” says de Witt.

The sundeck saw the biggest refresh, with an extension over the owner’s deck, a new bar forward of the funnel, a rebuild of the awning shade structure, new seating and sunpads and the addition of a pool, replacing a small spa pool. The latter was by far the most complicated procedure owing to the weight that needed to be supported. “The solution we settled upon was a steel rack built on the sundeck beneath the pool, which was then supported by a series of connecting columns down through the vessel to the hull,” says Kearton. “This meant we not only had to transfer the load down to the hull, but also fit the support columns where they were hidden from view.”

Some of these steel columns had to go through extremely tight spaces and required pipework, cabling and joinery modifications. One cut right through the owner’s bathroom – far from ideal, but Lay was able to hide this cleverly. Now two architectural columns frame the entrance to the bathroom – one holding the steel support, and the other one faux to match it. The owner’s bath has an enormous tub athwartships at the centreline, while the shower incorporates a steam room.

The owner’s cabin was redesigned to create a fresh, clean and calm look. The previous four-poster bed was cut down, and the complexity of the mouldings on the bulkheads was simplified to make them look more refined. The windows in the master open, letting a fresh breeze and plentiful light into this space.

The new interior is, as the owner desired, light, bright and calming. The yellow-cream paint from Dona Amelia has been replaced with a gleaming white. The white soft goods help lighten the interior, while the carefully chosen furnishings help keep her in her era. Floors throughout are mahogany, and the joinery is mahogany or teak, to accent the white Calacatta oro marble. Soft, white carpeting from Loro Piana is used in the guest cabins, while a plush white rug is under the bed atop a wood floor in the master.

Five guest cabins are on the lower deck – two twins, two VIPs and one double, as well as a single berth for a nanny. The air conditioning had to be updated throughout the guest cabins to bring it to modern standards, and new grilles were incorporated into the interior décor with care. “Things that seemed quite easy to do, because of the nature of the vessel, wound up being more complicated,” says Lay of this task.

The owner’s lounge is on the upper deck and can be used privately or as a shared saloon. The bar was redesigned, with a refrigerator, sink and coffee machine added behind doors. “We were always trying to incorporate modern conveniences, but in a discreet way,” says Lay. To use it as a cinema, a projector is hidden in a round detail in the bookshelf, so you wouldn’t know it’s there until a movie screen drops down from the ceiling. The lounge also acts an office space, with a desk area.

The main deck has decorative storage for wine, which had previously been relegated to a storeroom on the lower deck, a space that’s now been cleared for the spa. From the start, it was planned that Haida 1929 would charter – “[the owner] knew it was no good to have crew just sitting around”, says de Witt. The spa and wine storage are a few things you might not expect to find on a classic, but will be very welcome on a charter yacht. Set all the way aft on the main deck, the spa has a hammam and hosts guests for massages, hairdressing or cut-throat shaves from a resident barber among the crew.

From those original inspiration-packed MacBooks, the owner had a good idea of what he wanted for the furnishings, much of which he sourced himself. For the plush sofas, Lay suggested Dudgeon in London. Wicker chairs, a reference to the furniture on board the original Haida , are found in the guest cabins and the dining saloon. This loving attention to detail is why, despite the updates, the refit has kept Haida 1929 so faithful to her history. “ Talitha is more a modern version of a classic,” says Lay, comparing the Krupp-built sisters. “ Haida 1929 is more true to her era.”

The luxury of a fireplace

Curling up with a good book on a cold day in front of a roaring fire – is there anything more romantic than that? “The owner wanted to reinstate the fireplace in the owner’s saloon,” says designer Adam Lay.

He also wanted a fireplace added forward in the formal dining room. Along with one in the main saloon, there are now three fireplaces on board Haida 1929 . Designing fireplaces or fire pits on a yacht is never easy. So to be able to have a fireplace where you can actually feel a bit of heat on a cold day is a luxury indeed. The fireplaces on board Haida 1929 “burn small blocks that are like biofuel, which are the same sort of fireplaces that would be installed in apartments in New York City”, explains Captain Daan de Witt.

“If you retrofit a city apartment, you can’t build a chimney, and these don’t require a chimney or flue.” What makes bioethanol fuel fireplaces ideal for blocked chimneys or flat walls in a home is what makes them an equally handy solution on a yacht. Unlike some onboard “fireplaces” that use steam and LED light to produce a fire-like effect, the biofuel used on Haida 1929 generates some real warmth without the need for a chimney. “They don’t create a lot of smoke, but they do create a bit of heat,” de Witt says. Even when not being used in the summer, the fireplaces add a touch of elegance to the décor all year round.

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97' 1920's Style Motor Luxury Yacht in Boston

This 1920′s style Yacht boasts a traditional salon area with a full bar, connecting to a wicker furnished fantail.  Her extended bow is ideal for capturing that perfect photograph or experiencing breathtaking views of Boston Harbor.  A large canopy deck offers a magnificent setting for a wedding ceremony, cocktail reception accommodating up to 100 guests, or an elegant dinner with 60 guests.  Our 97′ Luxury Motor Yacht departs from Liberty Wharf and Fan Pier with other docking options available upon request.

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