ISA is known for having informal press conferences, and yesterday’s was no different. Journalists were sprawled everywhere, from lounge chairs to the teak deck, on the sundeck of Alexandar V, hull #1 in its 48-meter (158-foot) series. We all listened as Marcello Maggi, the head of ISA, recapped what the seven-year-old yard has accomplished to date and where it’s headed.
Referred to as the ISA 740, seen above, the project developed out of a friendship Maggi fostered with Ali Al Jafla, a broker in Dubai. According to Maggi, the two met well more than a decade ago, and they’d long planned to work together to create a yacht. Jafla, who joined Maggi for the announcement, reiterated this, saying he made a promise just before Maggi helped found ISA that he’d sign a yacht contract with him once he was settled.
Since the interior design is not yet set, and since the styling could even change a bit, Maggi purposely held back from revealing much. But he did say that Andrea Volacelli “won against other architects” to craft the styling for the project. Volacelli is also the stylist behind ISA’s 50-, 60-, and 63-meter megayachts (164-, 197-, and 207-footers, respectively).
Steel plates for the hull will be cut in about 10 months’ time, and launch will be in 2012.
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