UPDATE, NOVEMBER 8, 2013: Solandge was delivered to her owners this week. The megayacht is expected to make her way across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, since the cruising and charter season there is about to get underway. We expect to have photography of her decks and interiors in a few weeks’ time.
Read on for our initial report on her launch this summer.
The anxiously awaited Project Niki, now bearing her true name, Solandge, made her way out of her finishing shed at Lürssen this morning.
Measuring 279’2” (85.1 meters) and bearing a beam of 46’6” (14.2 meters), Solandge is still a few weeks away from delivery and a few months from being available for charter, the latter occurring in the Caribbean this winter. The megayacht is also a few weeks away from having a full photo shoot done. When that occurs, it should be interesting to see her interior, created by Rodriguez Interiors. Aileen Rodriguez, principal of the eponymous company, mixed an astounding array of stones and woods: 49 of the former, 33 of the latter. She also describes the megayacht’s decor as mixing classic and contemporary elements, from the common areas to the accommodations for 12 in the owner’s party, in a total of eight staterooms.
A 29-person-strong crew, experienced in charter, will see to Solandge and all those aboard. Several of them were brought into the build process early on by the owner’s representative, Richard Masters, CEO of Master Yachts. (Note to future yacht owners: a wise move to emulate. After all, who better to tap than the professionals who will be working aboard?)
Solandge, with striking styling by Espen Oeino, will soon undergo sea trials, which are expected to confirm a top speed of 18 knots and a cruising speed between 12 and 14 knots. Her range at 12 knots should be 6,000 nautical miles, while at 14 knots it should be 4,000 nautical miles; either way, plenty to do transatlantic crossings.
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