Yachts International Fall 2021

kwooton@aimmedia.com I spent a few too many dozen evenings this past summer bingeing the History Channel’s “Vikings” series. The production was supremely entertaining with superb acting, great cinematography, compelling locations and all the gore you’d expect from 8th- and 9th-century heathens who gleefully raid and pillage lands beyond their Scandinavian shores. Referred to as “historical drama,” it hews roughly to the story of the real Vikings and their seaborne expansion to Britain, France and beyond, albeit with soapy, salacious relationships between oddly attractive, well-spoken actors with perfect teeth, professional-grade coifs and couture clothing. Overlooking these historical inexactitudes is part of the fun—and challenge—of the screen arts. But I found one element of the story impossible to let go. The lead band had a resident boat designer and builder named Floki. His character…

‘The point of departure was a profound restyling exercise to bring the 40-meter version up-to-date while preserving its sporty, coupé look. The new yacht mirrors the personality, style and approach to life of its owner: elegant, refined, attentive and demanding, but also well-traveled and open-minded.’—Luca Dini In 2013, the 131-foot Columbus 40M Sport made its debut as a hybrid-powered motor cruiser designed by Hydro Tec. Palumbo Superyachts in Italy has now resurrected the Columbus Sport concept with a new design aesthetic by Luca Dini. The 164-foot (50-meter) Columbus Sport 50 K2 was built for an American owner who upgraded from the smaller model (the name K2 refers to his first boat, Katia). The athletic looks, scimitar-shaped bow and full aluminum construction remain, but at just under 500 gross tons with more than…

‘Everything on the 62Steel is bigger than usual,” says Antonio Santella, Sanlorenzo’s vice president of superyacht sales and director of new product design. The Italian brand’s nearly 202-foot (61.5-meter) steel and aluminum flagship was built for owners who wanted self-sufficiency to spend as long as six months a year on board and travel the world. “There are dry stores and walk-in fridge-freezers on the tank deck, as well as a trash compactor, refrigerated garbage room and a large laundry,” Santella says. Fitted with twin Caterpillar diesels, the 62Steel has a top speed of 16.5 knots. For extended cruising, she can throttle back to 11 knots, where she burns just over 52 gallons (196 liters) an hour for a range of 5,000 nautical miles, giving her transatlantic range. Even with her sleek exterior lines, Cloud…

The Italian brand Mangusta made its bones with its fast Maxi Open line, and today has two other lines: the long-range Oceano and the GranSport, which combines rollicking performance with cushy interiors. The 109-foot (33.3-meter) Mangusta GranSport 33 is the baby in that line, and it packs a walloping punch, with a reported top speed of 26 knots and a cruise speed of 21 knots. The range, according to Mangusta, is 330 nautical miles, enough to cruise from Mallorca, Spain, to Sardinia, Italy, on one tank with fuel to spare. Hull No. 1 of the Mangusta GranSport 33 is expected to reside in South Florida with an owner who often cruises with his family, which includes a gaggle of grandchildren. Shiny surfaces in the interior were a big no-no, since they’d…

At 109 miles long and nearly 33 miles wide, Gotland is probably the largest island you’ve never heard of. It is a picturesque piece of Sweden plonked down in middle of the Baltic Sea. The main town of Visby has cobblestone streets dating back to the Middle Ages. Sandy beaches and limestone sea stacks punctuate the low shoreline. Like most islanders, the people of Gotland have close links to the sea. Descended from Vikings and German merchants who settled there in the 12th century, many come from farming families who were part-time fishermen. The coast is still dotted with the red-painted wooden huts of old fishing stations. Gotland is also home to J Craft, which builds the Torpedo runabout. The boutique brand is moving into a new construction facility in Visby, where…

Being the designer of Royal Huisman’s 192-foot (58.5-meter) motoryacht Phi carries a fair amount of gravitas and rock-star status. Phi, notable as the longest motoryacht in the world under 500 gross tons, is one of this year’s most talked-about yachts. Dutch designer Cor D. Rover created her distinctive exterior styling, as well as that of her shadow boat built by Alia. “The owner wanted the exterior to be cobralike and aggressive,” Rover says. “I made a million sketches and went way too far in that direction. He reeled me back in, and thank goodness he did.” Phi’s technically savvy owner commissioned Rover largely based on the designer’s yacht swimming pool design, DEPP, which heats and treats the water when the pool is not in use, reducing the amount of fresh water used…