Yachting November 2019

DURING A RECENT OVERSEAS FLIGHT TO A YACHT SHOW, I watched as the Delta flight attendants diligently separated the paper products from the plastic ones for recycling. When I arrived in Cannes, France, I was served a drink with a paper straw. There were three separate containers along the sidewalks for people to place trash, paper and plastic products. Sipping from my glass, I looked across the salt and thought about how these efforts—and many more I observed at the show from boatbuilders and gear manufacturers—are working to ensure that generations will enjoy the pastime we cherish. ¶ During a press conference at Seakeeper about its large-yacht gyrostabilizer, the Seakeeper 18, the company handed out reusable water bottles and had a fill-up station at its display in an effort to…

MARNIX HOEKSTRA, a creative director at the Dutch design firm Vripack, says it has always bugged him that when guests step aboard a yacht aft, they’re often at least one level of stairs away from the space where they want to be with other guests. Solving that problem became one of the influences behind the 184-foot concept yacht that Vripack recently released with German builder Nobiskrug. Stepping aboard and moving throughout the yacht is intended to feel less like being on, well, a yacht and more like entering a free-flowing, high-end residence in Hong Kong or Dubai. Spaces are asymmetrical, the use of glass as a structural element is profound, and design elements actually change the way guests can feel while moving about. ¶ “What is prime is the flow…

01. A PLACE FOR ITALL Buben & ZŌrweg created the Illusion (price on request) with drawers and trays that are sized to hold watches, jewelry, passports, documents and cash. 02. STRENGTH INSIDE While the fabric covering the Illusion is customizable, it conceals a standard housing of high-resistance stainless steel to protect the valuables inside. 03. SEE IN THE DARK Note the light-blue glow cascading onto the top trays. It’s LED lighting with a fading function, allowing access to the items inside even in the dark.…

READERS OF YACHTING have long known the name Onne van der Wal, the photographer based in Rhode Island whose images regularly grace the magazine’s pages. Now, van der Wal has released the 308-page coffee-table book Sailing America, which includes 200 photos amid vignettes that describe the sailing lifestyle in its many forms. ¶ The images capture dinghy racing off Newport, Rhode Island; maxis competing off Key West, Florida; cruising boats around the Hawaiian islands; wooden schooners harnessing the winds of the Pacific Northwest and more. Several gatefold spreads fold out into panoramic visuals, so readers can see the full details within each image. ¶ Rizzoli International Publications out of New York, which also published van der Wal’s 2013 book Sailing, is the publisher of the new book. America’s Cup sailor…

01. HEESEN YACHTS PROJECT CASTOR Heesen Yachts in the Netherlands has sold Project Castor, the latest vessel in the 55-meter fast-displacement hull form Steel class. Construction of the 180-foot yacht, scheduled for delivery in May to an American owner, was started on spec to shorten the length of time between purchase and delivery. Power will be a pair of MTU 8V 4000 M63 diesels with a projected top speed of 15.5 knots and an estimated cruise speed of 13 knots. At cruise speed, according to Heesen, the yacht will have a range of 4,500 nautical miles. Inside is interior decor by British firm Bannenberg & Rowell. 02. LEVEN 90 Designed by Vripack and built at Van der Valk in the Netherlands, this is Hull No. 1 of a new brand…

42'7" LENGTH OVERALL 12'5" MAXIMUM BEAM THERE IS THE STRAIGHT SHEER LINE. A raised trunk cabin with oval ports. And the gently cambered hardtop. These ingredients help create the ageless lines of the Hinckley Sport Boat 40x: a positive attribute when thinking about the yacht’s long-term value. However, this vessel is also packed with modern features, starting with what lies beneath profile. ¶ The hull is carbon fiber (inner layer) and Kevlar (outer layer) with Corecell foam coring, all infused with epoxy via the Seemann Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process. The relatively lightweight hull—20,000 pounds with full fuel, half water and four people—is then post-cured to further enhance strength. Hinckley guarantees its hulls for life for the yacht’s original owner. ¶ The Taylor Made windshield is a single pane that…