If her black mast and black hull don’t grab your attention, you’re probably not looking in the right direction. The 55-meter (180-foot) Marie was unmistakable in her debut at last month’s Monaco Yacht Show.
Built by Vitters Shipyard to a design (naval architecture and interior) by Hoek Design, she’s a sequel of sorts to Adèle, the famed sailing yacht produced by the same team five years ago. But while she features the same hull configuration and sail plan, she’s lighter in weight and has her own interior and deck layout.
That interior has a baby grand piano (black, naturally, and self-playing if desired) as the primary focal point, positioned in the saloon. The idea is to host singing and playing performances whenever possible, enjoyed by large groups of friends and family. To ensure everyone has a prime viewing and listening position, the main deckhouse is quite large.
In between performances, guests can admire the owner’s collection of antique armor and firearms, including a handful of cannons, one of which reportedly fired the last shot of the Civil War. (On a side note, the owner is pretty passionate about history, having two restored P51 Mustangs in his collection at home. If you’re not a fellow history buff, the P51 Mustang is widely considered the best fighter plane of World War II.) Other highlights aboard Marie include an antique mirror skylight above the dining area, three guest staterooms (including two twin cabins that convert to queens), a private owner’s cockpit, and an inviting hammam (steam room) in “his” side of the owner’s bath. Light-tone anigre wood flows throughout. Not to be missed outside is the crow’s nest, which can take two people up 37.5 meters (123 feet ) of the 57-meter-high (187-foot-high) mast.
Performance-wise, the owner and crew are anxiously awaiting Marie’s trip to the Caribbean in the coming weeks to put her sail plan to the test. In 20 knots of breeze, she’s said to be capable of 17-plus-knot speeds. She has an in-boom, roller-reefing system for her mainsail and mizzen, as you’d expect of a modern sailing yacht. All told, she features 1,445 square meters (15,548 square feet) of sails, by North Sails. Imagine how they’ll look when Marie races in the Spirit of Tradition Class competitions in the Caribbean and the Med, for which Andre Hoek of Hoek Design says she was engineered.
Before she does that, though, Marie will participate in the industry-only yacht-charter show in Antigua in early December (Fraser Yachts has her central charter listing). She’ll then head to a private island in the Exumas that’s said to be the first “green” certified island in the Caribbean.
Enjoy more of Marie.
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