Fourteen years is a long time to wait. For the owner Victoria, happily, that wait is nearly over. His 233-footer (71-meter) motoryacht slipped into the water first week of April. It’s thanks to the Turkish shipyard AES Yacht, http://www.aesyacht.com/ which took her completion over from her original builder.
Victoria started on paper in the studio of H2 Yacht Design. Steve Gresham, who worked for the firm before establishing Gresham Yacht Design in 2013, says, “I remember putting pen to paper for the project back in 2004.” He adds, “To see it finished is a proud moment.” She began construction in 2006, at the Russian facility Sevmash Shipyard. Sevmash is the largest shipbuilder in that country, primarily focusing on naval submarines. Despite that, Victoria was in build simultaneously with a larger sistership, Graceful. The 269-foot (82-meter) Graceful ended up at Blohm+Voss for completion in 2012, reaching it in 2014.
Victoria got delayed because of Graceful, Gresham explains. He adds that the owner asked him to finish the exterior styling. That includes floor-to-ceiling, cantilevering windows. That also includes conical-shaped doors both on the main deck and upper deck. Victoria departed Russia for Italy, but later settled in at AES Yacht. “It has been a privilege to design this yacht for an owner with foresight in developing new build facilities and thus expanding yachting horizons,” Gresham concludes.
Together with H2 Yacht Design, the owner has created an interior for 14 passengers. That interior, containing two master suites, spans a 37’4” (11.4-meter) beam. In addition, a crew of 16 takes care of operations for the steel-hulled megayacht.
Sea trials should confirm Victoria is capable of a 14-knot cruising speed under MTU power. She should see an impressive 7,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, too. At 1,553 gross tons, she’s also in compliance with Lloyd’s classification rules. Even though she did not start construction in Turkey, she will be among the biggest megayachts built there so far.
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