If you’re on the West Coast of the USA, keep your eyes open for this new launch from Christensen Shipyards, Casino Royale. The 163-footer will soon be handed over to her owner, John Staluppi, a car dealer and collector who’s renowned in megayacht circles for naming his yachts after James Bond flicks. He’s also renowned for commissioning speedy yachts—which is what makes the Christensen all the more noteworthy.
If you’ve been a yacht enthusiast for some time, no doubt you recall Staluppi’s 116-foot Moonraker, which broke the motoryacht speed record in 1992 by officially topping just shy of 67 knots. (I say “officially” because she actually registered a few knots more, but, if I remember the story correctly, either someone didn’t have the stopwatch active, or some other protocol wasn’t in place when the higher speed occurred, so it didn’t count for the record.) Staluppi’s most recent megayacht prior to the new Christensen, The World Is Not Enough, was a Millennium 140 that launched in 2005 and was designed to hit 70 knots. But Casino Royale is a far more traditional yacht when it comes to speed: 18 knots max, 12 knots cruise, with twin MTU 12V 4000s.
So why the change? Well, Christensen doesn’t build super-fast superyachts, so that’s one obvious reason why Casino Royale doesn’t fit the profile. But judging from what Staluppi said at the christening a few weeks ago, it seems he was more attracted to the customer service he received in speaking with the yard’s management and was impressed with the builds he had seen. “Christensen in my eyes is the best-kept secret in all of yacht building,” he says. “I’ve built 15 boats, and this has been the easiest and best-assembled yacht I’ve ever been in. When they build a boat, you really feel good about it, and when you’re done building the boat, it really feels like your boat.” He went on to add, “Building this boat has been the most customer-friendly and enjoyable experience I’ve had.”
There’s still some final fit-out going on at the Vancouver, Washington yard, but when she’s finished, Casino Royale and Staluppi will head up to Alaska. The yacht will then travel on her own bottom to Fort Lauderdale to be on display at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October.
I’ll get a good look at her then, so I’ll give you my impressions shortly thereafter.
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