Heesen Yachts 40mt Galatea

Dutch shipyard Heesen Yachts have announced the launch of their first 40 metre ‘sportster’, christened M/Y Galatea.

The yacht, which was launched during a private ceremony at the Heesen shipyard in Oss, features advanced aluminium hull technology, powerful performance, uncompromising interior design and peerless Dutch construction standards.

She has been billed as offering “the optimum balance of comfort and power”, with marble bathrooms among her luxurious interior design features, whilst boasting an impressive speed capability of 27.5 knots.

Built for private use, the vessel’s sun deck offers maximum space for relaxing and dining. Her open flybridge layout gives a huge 85 square metres of deck space that includes a helm station and a shaded dining area that is protected even underway by glass side panels.

Bespoke teak furniture, including a built-in teppanyaki grill, completes the upper deck. Inside, a 10 metre long saloon includes a large square lounge and a dining area aft adjacent to full-height glazed doors. With the doors open, guests can dine inside while enjoying fresh air and panoramic views.

A total of ten guests can sleep in five cabins, comprising a full-beam main deck master, two full-beam VIP doubles and two twin cabins on the lower deck, all of which house marble ensuite bathrooms.

Frank Laupman of Omega Architects has created an interior design that has a distinctive personality based on a theme of Dutch expressionism. Contrasting woods, simple clean lines, marquetry and glass detailing create an atmosphere of calm, contemporary elegance.

The ride will be as graceful and luxurious as the interior; comfort and handling are further enhanced by Active Interceptor stabilizers and the very latest zero-speed Seakeeper gyro stabilizers.

Galatea will be tested in the North Sea and be delivered to her owners at the end of next month.


Heesen Yachts

( www.heesenyachts.nl )

Heesen Yachts 50mt Ventura

Heesen Yachts announce the launch of their latest yacht in the 50m all-aluminium series introduced in 2011 with the World Superyacht Award winner Satori. This new sistership, sold by the yard at the end of 2011, is called Ventura

However, the layout of superyacht Ventura is completely different from her sister vessels. The owners chose to have two suites: A romantic one with panoramic 280 degree views on the bridge deck aft and a second “passage cabin” which will be more practical when under way, traditionally located forward on the main deck.

The owners chose a custom dark metallic grey for the hull and a light metallic grey for the superstructure. This innovative colour scheme gives Ventura a very elegant and distinctive look. In total twelve guests are accommodated in six cabins. As well as the two master suites, on the lower deck there’s a full-beam VIP cabin plus one twin and two double cabins.

Acclaimed Italian designer Francesco Paszkowski created the sophisticated minimalistic interior décor. The richly patterned polished ebony parquet floor contrasts with whitened oak panelling further enhancing this very chic environment.

Paszkowski comments: “I’m extremely proud to work with such an important and efficient shipyard I was honoured to work with a long-time ago. I’m also very happy to hand over the Italian design and the experience of our team abroad, for the excellent relationship established with the shipyard and the ideas we could share. Though we’ve always been keeping in touch since 1996, when we designed the first project for Heesen, the interior design of this 50m yacht looks very much like a dream I could achieve: feeling part of the Dutch group”.

One notable feature of Ventura is the attention paid to integrating the controlled ambient lighting. Every area of the yacht can be adapted to suit the mood and atmosphere required. Throughout the yacht the designer has purposely created focal points and niches for the owner’s artworks and sculptures.

Generous exterior areas allow the owners and their guests to enjoy life outdoors: The 70 square metre sundeck has been designed as a massive open-plan space where loose furniture can be removed if space is needed to host big parties. Ventura has three further outdoor areas including dining options on the main deck and bridge deck aft.


Heesen Yachts

( www.heesenyachts.nl )

Heesen Yachts AIR

Heesen Yachts has announced the delivery of the sixth vessel in the 47-Metre displacement class, a design that resulted from the close collaboration of Heesen Yachts’ in house naval architects and Frank Laupman from Omega Architects, who conceived her stream-lined exterior design with its pelican beak bow – a style that is now Heesen’s very recognisable trademark.

The 47-Metre displacement class is renowned for its fine entry at the bow, which incorporates an efficient bulb, its notable top speed of 15,5 Knots and an excellent range of 4.000 Nm at 12 knots. The yacht’s elegant superstructure combined with the sloped wheelhouse windows give Air a particularly sleek appearance.

YN 15147, Air is sister ship to YN 12247, Yalla (2004), YN 13147, Let it Be (2006), YN 13547 Mon Plaisir (2007), YN 14047 Elandess (2008), and YN 14347, Blind Date (2009). Three further 47-metre yachts are currently in build: YN 15347 scheduled for delivery in 2011, YN 15747 and YN 16347 for delivery in 2012.

Air’s interior has been designed by Frank Laupman from Omega Architects, who created a classic contemporary style that makes use of ultra-modern loose furniture to create a cosy environment. The décor incorporates details in leather, brushed stainless steel and burl to make the atmosphere even warmer. Frank Laupman comments: “The aim of the design was to create a high-contrast modern interior, while avoiding a cold minimalistic theme. We used beige and warm accents throughout, blending these with a black-and-white overall mood and incorporating a few elements of intrigue, such as the frosted gemstone lights set into the leather column that strikes down through the central atrium.”

For strategic wood finishes, Laupman chose Japanese elm (Sen) veneer, an exotic pale timber whose strong veins have been brushed and lacquered in satin gloss, and skilfully positioned these adjacent to a darker American walnut to create a sophisticated and at the same time natural atmosphere.

Air accommodates the owner and ten guests in five cabins, four of these on the lower deck, and an owner’s suite traditionally located on the forward part of the main deck. Like the owner’s suite, one of the two VIP cabins that extend across the yacht’s full-beam offers a full bathroom, while all the other guests cabins have en suite shower rooms. The remaining two guest cabins are located on either side of a central passageway, with the cabin on the port side being a double, while to starboard is a twin cabin fitted with additional pullman beds that descend from the deckhead. For added versatility, the two single beds in this latter cabin can be easily transformed into a double.

The yacht’s eight crew members are accommodated in four cabins, all provided with ensuite shower rooms, while the captain’s cabin is located on the upper deck with direct access to the bridge.

The main saloon is divided into three areas, a lobby, lounge, and a formal dining area where all twelve guests are able to be seated around a rectangular table finished in matt wengé.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Air’s interior is the theatre room located on the upper deck. This incorporates a Panasonic 103" (262 cm) HD Plasma Screen (one of the biggest currently available on the market) complemented by a full 7.1 Steinway Lyngdorf Audio System. This unique audio installation, designed specifically for M/Y Air, includes two flagship Model D speakers standing nearly 7 feet tall on either side of the plasma screen. These speakers, together with the center and four surround speakers, are hand-finished in the same high-gloss black piano finish famously used on Steinway & Sons pianos and accented with 24k gold. To complete the system, are five Dual Woofers, three located below the plasma screen and two custom-built woofers in the deckhead to the rear. The system uses 6.400 Watts of power to provide flawless reproduction of music and movie sound tracks. A Custom iPad controls the whole system with both Crestron and Cisco.

Heesen Yachts
+31 (0)412 66 55 44

( www.heesenyachts.nl )