Yacht Iris Blue Bound for Blue Seas and Sandy Shores

After sea trials involving gusting winds up to 28 knots and five-and-a-half-foot (1.7-meter) seas, the yacht Iris Blue, Heesen Yachts’ first delivery of 2024, is off for more enjoyable cruising conditions.

The shipyard welcomed the north to northwest seas and westerly to north-westerly winds on the North Sea, however. They let Iris Blue, which began as Project Apollo, prove her mettle as part of its 55-Meter Steel series. Heesen reports her responding well to the helm and hitting her requirements, which include a long-range cruising speed of 13 knots.

the yacht Iris Blue by Heesen Yachts ex-Apollo — PHOTO: Ruben Griffoen

Among the biggest appeals to the owner who stepped in to buy the on-spec project, of course, is the styling. Heesen Yachts’ longtime collaborator, Omega Architects, designed the original 55-Meter Steel series and freshened it up a few years ago. The yacht Iris Blue is the first delivery resulting from the redesign. “As much as we love our original design with the vertical windows, we felt it was time to make an evolutionary step,” explains Frank Laupman of Omega Architects. That evolution includes a few things. For instance, no mullions exist between the main-deck or upper-deck windows, which are further floor to ceiling. Additionally, Omega Architects used uninterrupted tinted glass to lend the profile “a slightly more aggressive look,” he continues. “The horizontal lines stretch the optical length and balance the air draft.”

Interior and on-deck changes, from Luca Dini Design, coincide with the styling changes. For instance, the master suite opens to a fixed balcony to starboard. It makes the 840-square-foot (78-square-meter) private area even more enjoyable. Guests have a wider, more contemporary-looking stairway in the central atrium. Furthermore, a bar wraps around the hot tub on the sundeck, the latter of which is larger, too. Finally, for the crew’s convenience, an extra companionway connects the upper deck to the sundeck.

Heesen Yachts heesenyachts.com

Luca Dini Design lucadini.com

Omega Architects omega-architects.com