UPDATE, OCTOBER 24, 2014: With steelwork nearly finished, Skyfall is being offered for sale. According to Sunrise Yachts, the reason is that the owners, John and Jeanette Staluppi, have two other yachts at present. This summer, the Staluppis acquired the ex-Mi Sueno, built by Trinity Yachts, and had the ex-O’Khalilia, built by Palmer Johnson, refitted by Sunrise Yachts. The latter two yachts, renamed Skyfall and Skyfall II, respectively, are also for sale. As for the in-build Skyfall, a buyer can take delivery in early 2017, benefiting from the engineering work already completed.
Read on for the original story about the project from February 2014.
Certain things in life, like taxes and birthdays, are guaranteed. Add one more: John and Jeanette Staluppi building a new megayacht. And yes, the megayacht’s name follows their love of James Bond. She’s Skyfall, being built by Sunrise Yachts.
Skyfall measures 221’5” (67.5 meters), marking the largest megayacht to date for both the Staluppis and six-year-old Sunrise Yachts. The Staluppis have assembled quite an international assortment of companies to create Skyfall. There’s Turkey-based Sunrise Yachts, joined by Italy-based A. Vallicelli & C. and Holland-based Mulder Design for naval architecture and styling. Interior design is from Germany-based Focus Yacht Design. Out of all of these firms, only Mulder Design has previously worked with the Staluppis. However, Sunrise Yachts and Focus Yacht Design happen to be collaborating on a 206’7” (63-meter) megayacht under construction. Overseeing everything for the Staluppis on Skyfall, set for delivery in 2017, is U.S.-based Worth Avenue Yachts.
The Staluppis, who selected Sunrise Yachts for their 19th yacht, are known for placing a premium on performance. Skyfall will follow suit, equipped with a fast-displacement steel hull. (Draft will be 10’3”, or 3.15 meters.) She’ll also have a Voith Linear Jet drives. Created by Voith just a few years ago, these drives combine the best properties of traditional props with those of waterjets. Skyfall marks the first usage aboard a megayacht—or any yacht, for that matter. Coupled with twin MTU 16V4000 M93 diesels, Skyfall should see a 23-knot top end and 5,000-nautical-mile range at best cruise, typically several knots lower. Further of note, the Staluppis are putting Microturbine Marine Energy (MME) gensets aboard. MME’s gensets offer several advantages, including only one moving part, reportedly no vibration, cleaner emissions, no need for lubricants, and a more compact design. John Staluppi is a self-described gear head, so it’s no surprise that Skyfall will be quite high tech.
Of course, the Staluppis also love lavish design. Specifics on how Skyfall, with accommodations for 12 guests and 16 crew, will look inside aren’t available. For now, Focus Yacht Design and Sunrise Yachts simply say the decor will be contemporary, glamorous, and fun, complementary to the styling. There will be quite a lot of space to reflect those ideas, given the 37-foot (11.3-meter) beam and (count them) five decks. That translates to immense volume, too: 1,300 gross tons.
The Staluppis and their Worth Avenue Yachts team will host a press conference at next month’s Palm Beach show. We’ll be there and share the new details.
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