Earlier this week, I visited four of the five Lürssen shipyards in Germany and toured a number of yachts under construction, ranging from 60 to 110 meters (197 to 360 feet). Project Scout, a.k.a. Northern Star, was among them, and she was a hotbed of craftsmen activity, given that she was being prepared for launch from the Rendsburg facility on the 16th.
And launch she did, as you can see in these photos. Built for a repeat customer who had commissioned a 63.4-meter (208-foot) superyacht christened with the same name in 2005, this Northern Star measures 75 meters (246 feet). Moran Yacht & Ship represented the owner once again for the build. Also returning were Espen Oeino, who was responsible for the go-anywhere exterior styling, and Pauline Nunns Associates, who worked with the owner’s wife on the country-home-inspired decor. Judging from the owner’s intentions the first time around to cruise out-of-the way places over the more traditional Med and Caribbean locales, she’ll probably pass ice floes in her travels, rather than pass out the ice cubes onboard.
Lürssen anticipates an on-time and on-budget delivery by the end of the summer. She won’t be exhibited at the Monaco Yacht Show, unfortunately, for those of you wanting to get a closer look. Instead, the yard will feature Arkley, which was equally bustling with craftsmen when I toured her at Lürssen’s Bardenfleth facility, just a bit down the river from the Rendsburg yard. This 60-meter (197-footer) megayacht also boasts Espen Oeino styling and a sleek, contemporary interior from Mark Berryman, which combines a number of dark and light woods as well as stamped leather and other textures. (Check my twitpic.com page for a photo of my fellow journalists and me standing on her bow, courtesy of Klaus Jordan.)
I’ll have a full feature on Arkley following the boat show. In the meantime, more news will appear about Lürssen in the July edition of the Megayacht News newsletter; sign up at left if you haven’t already.
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