The megayacht Chopi Chopi is the “launch of change,” in the words of CRN chairman and CEO Lamberto Tacoli. He made the statement on Saturday, when the 262-footer (80-meter) slid down the ways at the shipyard’s headquarters in Ancona, Italy, before a crowd of 3,000, comprised of craftspeople and their families, the owner and his family, government dignitaries, and residents of the city. Chopi Chopi is not only CRN’s largest megayacht to date, but also, Tacoli says, a sign of all that has occurred in the yachting industry over the past several years. “This will have to be the springboard for our brand worldwide,” he adds.
Chopi Chopi and her launch are noteworthy for a handful of reasons, besides her sheer size. She’s the second steel-hulled megayacht contract signed by the same family with CRN. Though launched a few years after the first one, both projects were signed simultaneously. Chopi Chopi also marks the first CRN megayacht launch attended by Tan Xuguang, the Ferretti Group’s chairman. (You may recall that Xugang is also chairman of SHIG-Weichai Group, which acquired a 75-percent stake in the Ferretti Group early last year.) Xuguang echoed the sentiment many of CRN’s staff had when he explained in a pre-launch press conference, “Today is a very special day. We are very emotional today.”
A few things make Chopi Chopi’s interior notable, too. The glass partition you can see outboard along her superstructure flanks the dining area. Partitions are present on both sides, as are sliding glass doors in the dining area. The master suite is really a master deck, with a private alfresco area, a helipad, and a TV lounge separate from the bedroom so that the husband can watch TV late at night while he wife prefers to sleep. All guests can access the beach club, outfitted with a sauna and massage area, via stairs aft in the saloon.
Chopi Chopi should be delivered in April and attend the Monaco Yacht Show this fall. If you get aboard, make sure to take special note of the wheelhouse. It’s like a set from Star Trek, with five huge Kelvin Hughes monitors ringing the helm and separate comm and chartplotting areas.
For more photos from the launch, visit the Megayacht News Facebook page.
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