Seventeen years after he became the first owner of the first significant superyacht made in Turkey, a gentleman witnessed the launch of his new yacht from the same shipyard.
On January 31, the 55.4-meter (188-foot) Turquoise slipped into the water at Pendik shipyard, better known as Proteksan Turquoise. She’s larger and more voluminous than the owner’s previous yacht, a same-named 50-meter (164-footer) delivered in 1994. Even though that Turquoise was the first large yacht built at the yard, the owner says he felt confident due to the work of naval architect Ed Dubois of Dubois Naval Architects and surveyor Don Patton of Patton Marine, two highly respected individuals and firms. “Taking delivery of the first Turquoise also started a long friendship with the yard along with many others like Ed Dubois,” he adds, in a statement released by the yard. “It has been very satisfying to see how, from this high-profile beginning, the whole enterprise has resulted in the Proteksan Turquoise shipyard success we see today with 13 fine superyachts to their credit. I am very proud to have been a small part of this story and being able to place a significant order for a new Turquoise with a team of people I trust.”
Besides featuring engineering by Dubois Naval Architects, the new steel-hulled Turquoise has interior design by two firms, USA-based HOK Design and Turkey-based Suntay Design. A beam of 9.3 meters (30 feet) should ensure good spaces topside down to the lower deck. The saloon photo (with the dining room visible forward) gives you a good idea of what the overall decor will look like, once it’s completed in a few weeks. Twelve people in the owner’s party and 13 crew are accommodated aboard, a good guest-to-crew ratio, especially for the yacht’s intended charter service. Further to that purpose, there will be a variety of watertoys at everyone’s disposal: sea kayaks, wakeboards, towables, waterskis, two-person PWCs, dive gear, plus a 7.5-meter (25-foot) custom Dariel tender and same-size Novurania custom RIB.
As for her own performance, Turquoise is expected to top out at 17 knots and cruise between 12 and 14 knots, powered by twin 1,500-hp Caterpillar 3512B diesel engines. Range should exceed 5,000 nautical miles at 12 knots (with 10 percent reserves).
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