Yacht Carinthia VII Showing Off New Looks at MYS

Just prior to last year’s Monaco Yacht Show, a new owner acquired the yacht Carinthia VII. Weeks later, the famous megayacht headed to Hamburg, Germany for a refit, which created new rooms as well as refreshed ones. You can walk through them and get a taste of what chartering her will be like—a first—at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show.

Lürssen, which built the yacht in 2002 and performed the refit, is presenting her with Fraser Yachts. Fraser not only represented the buyer last year, but also is the exclusive charter agent. Though the 319-footer (97-meter) cruised the Med over the last two decades, she remained an intensely private yacht. (That privacy extended back to construction, too, when she bore the code name Project Faberge.) The late Heidi Horton, an Austrian renowned for her art collection and love of yachting, was the original owner. She died in June 2022, a few months prior to the sale taking place. (Listing, meanwhile, occurred in the springtime.)

While the previous intense privacy naturally will attract interested parties, other facets of the yacht Carinthia VII are notable, too. For instance, her size was still unusual for her time. Additionally, her lines, the unmistakable work of Tim Heywood, have captivated several other yacht owners. In fact, Heywood has stated that “several yachts were consequently designed and built that owe their DNA to her.”

Still bearing a Carinthian blue hull color (which inspired her name), the megayacht preserves Heywood’s styling while re-imagining her exterior and interior areas. Detailed specifics aren’t yet available, although some highlights are. Firstly, the alfresco spaces are much more modern, in line with what today’s charter guests expect. You’ll therefore find areas featuring bars and lounging/sunning spaces. Furthermore, you’ll find a 39-foot-long (12-meter-long) pool. Inside, meanwhile, the bridge deck has gained a gym. Overall, throughout the decks, the décor is more up to date as well. Interestingly, though, the new owner liked how Horton had made the yacht a family place, and chose to preserve that feel. Therefore, the six guest staterooms that sat on the main deck remain there.

Finally, and most importantly, the refit of Carinthia VII brought this 20-year-old yacht in line with commercial (a.k.a. charter) classification standards. It required mechanical changes, made all the more noteworthy for the short refit timeframe.

“I am very proud that after building Carinthia VII, we have now been able to participate in her new lease on life,” says Peter Lürssen, the shipyard’s managing partner. “She remains a very particular vessel.”

“Bringing any yacht to the charter market for the very first time is always a joy and a challenge,” says Daniela de Marco, Fraser’s head of charter management. It essentially means starting from scratch, de Marco explains, leveraging experience and building upward from there. “To be able to create all that for such a renowned yacht as Carinthia VII, one we know well, built and refitted by such a yard as Lürssen, is really a privilege and a pleasure.”

Fraser Yachts fraseryachts.com

Lürssen lurssen.com

Monaco Yacht Show monacoyachtshow.com