Mediterranean cruising is the first thing the owners of the yacht ALP are doing now that she’s in their hands. Of course, many more areas like the Bahamas may be in store, too, given the shared goals of the owners and Heesen Yachts.
ALP is the latest delivery in Heesen’s 50-meter semi-displacement series. (LOA is 163’10”, or 49.98 meters.) This means, among other things, all-aluminum construction and a shallow-water-friendly draft of 6’9” (2.1 meters). It additionally means sporty performance matching her sporty looks. Sea trials confirmed a top speed of 23 knots, for instance. Best range should come at 11 knots, upwards of 3,000 nautical miles. This is more than enough to spend the summer exploring every anchorage between St. Tropez and Portofino. It’s also more than enough to go island hopping on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Although construction started, as Project Jade, in December 2021, the owners acquired her just this past January. Thankfully, their tastes matched well with what Heesen and Cristiano Gatto Design had already envisioned for the variety of onboard areas. Overall, the look and feel onboard is contemporarily luxurious, yet also sociable and relaxing. Of course, the owners had a few requests they wanted the design and construction teams to incorporate. Since Heesen has its own cabinetry division, Heesen Interiors, it custom-made some furnishings for their interior areas.
There are quite a lot of interior areas, too, since the yacht ALP has nearly 4,090 square feet (380 square meters) of enclosed spaces. They include a main-deck master suite along with five staterooms below deck for family and friends. Yet another interior area is the skylounge, which naturally becomes an indoor-outdoor lounge thanks to sliding glass doors that tuck away flush into the superstructure when they are open. This makes the alfresco dining area just a few feet away more inviting.

Outdoor living, though, is probably going to be the priority for the owners and their guests. The yacht ALP has an especially noteworthy sunning and cocktail area on the aft main deck. Sunpads sit elevated in comparison to the adjacent bar, and the rest of the deck actually. The elevation lends a little more privacy to the owners and their guests when they’re at the bar or otherwise nearby. Additionally, the elevation allows more headroom in the beach club directly below. The area is unquestionably the ideal place to relax at anchor. Frank Laupman, head designer of Omega Architects, got the raised-sunpads idea from another Heesen his studio penned, that being Galactica Star.
With yet more sunpads, along with a hot tub and a bar, on the sundeck, the yacht ALP is not short on amenities. But, chances are that beach club will be the preferred place this summer season, and beyond.

Interestingly, the owners took delivery at the same time that they christened their new yacht. Mark Cavendish, Heesen’s CCO, notes, “This time-honoured maritime tradition not only forges a bond between the vessel, the shipyard, the crew, and the sea but also invokes a sense of pride and anticipation for ALP’s future journeys.”
Cristiano Gatto Design cristianogattodesign.com
Heesen Yachts heesenyachts.com
Omega Architects omega-architects.com

More About the Yacht ALP
LOA: 163’10” (49.98 meters)
Beam: 29’5” (9 meters)
Draft: 6’9” (2.1 meters)
Guests: 12 in 6 staterooms
Engines: 2/3,435-hp MTUs
Range: 3,100 nautical miles at 11 knots
Builder: Heesen Yachts
Stylist: Omega Architects
Naval Architect: Heesen Yachts
Interior Designer: Cristiano Gatto Design
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