If you haven’t heard of Yacht Island Design, fasten your seatbelts. The design studio, whose directors have experience in the automotive industry plus 3D yacht renderings, has a 155-meter (508-foot) proposal. The Streets of Monaco superyacht concept has, among other things, has a scaled-down version of the Monaco Grand Prix course as a focal point.
The course is no mural. In fact, it’s a go-cart track that winds its way through rooms and even entire deck areas. Each mimics the famed Casino, Hotel de Paris, Port Hercule, the tunnel, and more. The Streets of Monaco concept specifically comprises four areas. There’s Casino Square, a.k.a. the upper deck, complete with a glass-bottomed fountain and gardens. Next is the Loews hotel—or rather its roof, as it’s the expanse of superstructure extending forward from Casino Square down to the bow. Included are sunning spaces, a pool, and a hot tub. Next comes the main aft deck’s pool, meant to bring Port Hercule to mind. Accompanying it are another hot tub, this time fitted with a swim-up bar. Last is the Prince’s Palace, or the master suite, located forward on the port-side bow.
“Port-side bow?” Yes: The novel decor approach isn’t the only thing setting this design apart. Yacht Island Design, with naval architecture and engineering input from BMT Nigel Gee, planned the general arrangement for a steel and aluminum SWATH. SWATHs are incredibly stable in a variety of sea conditions and, though they’re used nearly exclusively in the commercial sector, they can be adapted for recreational use. In fact, Silver Cloud, built by Abeking & Rasmussen, was the first megayacht to employ the design, and Trinity Yachts is yet another builder with expertise in this arena that will offer it to clients.
I asked Rob McPherson, co-director of Yacht Island Design, why his team selected anything but a mainstream platform. “That is what draws us to it, the fact that it is so different, which encourages creativity and allows us to create designs that don’t have to look like a standard yacht,” he explains. For proof of concept, his team partnereBMT Nigel Gee also has experience with SWATH vessels, bolstering the decision. Together, the firms determined that the yacht should see a 15-knot top end via diesel-electric propulsion.
The volume of a SWATH further allows for 70 crewmembers and 16 guests to stay aboard and work or play in two additional themed areas. (Yacht Island Design is keen on promoting themes, to better distinguish its work and in turn a custom yacht from other choices.) The second themed area is “The Oasis” (above), aft on the main deck. It replicates more of the gardens near the casino in Monte-Carlo, complete with intimate seating areas, further with a waterfall. The waterfall is actually water flowing down from an upper-deck pool.
The last themed area aboard The Streets of Monaco superyacht concept is “The Grand Atrium.” Yacht Island Design intends this to be the main area where everyone will spend time. It spans the upper and lower living spaces, connected via a spiral staircase surrounding yet another waterfall. This waterfall is courtesy of the fountain on the upper deck. A library, cinema, office, and balcony are all on the lower living space, along with the guest staterooms. The upper deck contains the saloon, with a vividly named Havana room and wine cellar. It also has the formal dining room, “Dance Hall,” and even a casino. Last but not least on the upper deck is the master suite, a three-level affair. The owner gets a private sundeck with a pool, a handful of balconies, even a “courtyard.” (This is, after all, a yacht with multiple gardens.)
Other highlights of the design: a sports court that can be used for basketball or tennis, even as a helipad; a gym; seven guest suites, each with small saloons and balconies; a beauty salon/spa; tender garages that can accommodate and deploy a mini-sub and an assortment of other tenders; and an extra gym and sun terrace dedicated for crew use.
Will this SWATH and her multiple Monaco-minded features ever get built? Never say never; there’s a renewed desire for distinctive luxury these days, after all. If someone does commission the design, though, let’s hope the guests behave themselves on the go-carts. No sense in careening off course and interrupting dinner…
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