Yacht Orion on Memorable Maiden Voyage

Like the constellation by the same name, the yacht Orion is a star in her ownerss eyes. The owners have just taken delivery from Heesen Yachts, in fact, in time for the summer—and to offer select charters.

Keel laying took place on spec in 2022. The owners acquired the yacht Orion, which went by the code name Project Orion, several months ago. Although construction and interior design, the latter by Cristiano Gatto’s studio, were far along, time remained for personal touches. For instance, Gatto himself designed some furnishings to reflect their tastes. These complement the overall contemporary décor, which according to Heesen Yachts features upwards of 37 different materials. Among them, woven leather, glossy rich wood, and Italian marble particularly catch the eye. The materials characterize all of the spaces from saloons to the main-deck VIP suite and main-deck master suite.

Cristiano Gatto Design vision for yacht Orion

Since the yacht Orion is part of Heesen’s all-aluminum 50-meter FDHF series, the hybrid-powered engineering package is proven. The fast-displacement hull form promises a top speed just over 16 knots, for example, with her MTU main engines. Orion is capable of crossing oceans on her own bottom as well, thanks to a 3,750-nautical-mile range. This comes at a 12-knot cruising speed. Notably, Heesen says she burns just 26 gph (98 lph) at that same speed., excluding air conditioning and other hotel loads. However, she’s even more fuel efficient when the captain puts her into hybrid mode. Specifically, fuel burn should be just 12 gph (45 lph) at 10 knots.

Although the owners’ cruising schedule isn’t public, they can feel confident heading to some shallow waters. Their yacht has a draft of just 7 feet (2.15 meters).