Given the name they chose and the top speed they requested for their new yacht, a European couple likes to get up and go while cruising. In fact, Espresso, from Horizon, is capable of a reported 26-knot maximum speed – 1 knot better than the contract stipulated.
Espresso is the second launch in the Horizon Elegance 120 Raised Pilothouse series, styled by Espinosa and built on a semicustom basis. Despite the “semicustom” label, Horizon allows owners quite a bit of freedom to adapt items. Espresso is a good example. She’s actually 122 feet LOA, extended two feet over the base design to adjust for the speed requirement. Horizon conducted tank tests at National Cheng Gong University in Taiwan to determine the best hull length and shape, power package, and shafts placement. As a result, Espresso is equipped with twin 3,650-hp MTU engines and five-bladed propellers. Horizon additionally added insulation at the waterline to damp the sound of waves hitting the hull and vibration-absorbing materials beneath various machinery. The structural and mechanical changes meet the classification requirements of DNV.
Inside, Guido de Groot Design combined whitewashed oak and zebrano wood as the backdrop to an overall minimalist décor. But that doesn’t mean it’s without some decorative elements. If you look closely at the saloon shot here, you’ll see what appears to be branches painted on sliding doors located forward to port and starboard. These are the works of Robert Vanderplas, a Dutch painter, who flew to Horizon’s shipyard while the yacht was under construction. He finished the works on site.
Artwork adds punches of color in the rest of the accommodations, too. The owners wanted flexibility in those accommodations, so they requested the eight staterooms feature beds that can be pushed together or slid apart to be queens or twins, respectively. The master suite is a split-level affair, with the bedroom, study, and bath in an open layout rather than cordoned off by bulkheads. To preserve the owners’ and guests’ privacy, crew have a dedicated staircase leading from the galley to their two staterooms below decks; the captain naturally gets his own stateroom down here, too.
Espresso is intended for world cruising and totes a Novurania tender and PWC to be used in those waters. There’s also a hydraulic ladder for the use of swimmers and divers. Whether it’s the toys or the people who need a little assistance, Espresso’s swim platform can lower a little more than three feet below the water’s surface.
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