The world of luxury motor yachts balances between conservatism, futurism and cheerful worry-freeness, GW discovers. Those who want to go as fast as a moped consume 447 litres of diesel per hour
Text: Hans van Wetering Photography: Fairline Yachts"Basically all boats are the same, they have more or less the same shape, almost all of them are white: the boating world is a conservative world." The marina of La Napoule, just beyond Cannes. An incomprehensibly warm autumn day. Whereas Cannes is mostly associated with jet set, is a place where the nouveau riche wide open, there Napoule breathes old money. Old money from old people. Youth is not much in La Napoule.
Fairline Yachts' helmsman Ed talks passionately about his love of sailboats as we walk through the Napoule marina, en route to the brand new Fairline Squadron 68 lying ready for a trial run a little further down the road. The yachts are imposing, gleaming dazzlingly in the morning sun.
The names are sometimes puzzling. Relax speaks for itself. Ultra you can also imagine, but Tam Tam? And what on earth possessed the owner who had his motor yacht Cool a Flo named? The name of the largest yacht in the harbour, the 57-metre-long Taiba, gives at least a clue as to the origin of the owner. Taiba is another name for Mecca, the holy city of Muslims. That yacht is for rent, by the way, for those interested, for 310,000 euros a week.
TAX FREE
Three quarters of the yachts have 'Georgetown' as their home base and fly the flag of the British Cayman Islands. This has little to do with the origin of the owners, but rather with the tax regime: corporate tax, income tax, wealth tax - it simply does not exist there.
Lost among all the violence, a small sloop floats. The David is less than four metres long. "In England, boats don't have men's names," says Ed, "that's bad luck." Superstition the French don't bother with apparently. A vendre it says.
The second-hand boat trade is massive, says Ed. What is said for planes also applies to boats: "There are two moments when it makes you soulful: the moment you buy one and the moment you sell it again." He laughs: "And many people who can afford these kinds of yachts have a boat for three or four years, then they are fed up with it. Then they want something new, they want bigger."
FIXED CREW
We arrive at the Squadron. English flag, immaculate white, impressive. The Squadron was designed by World Yacht Trophies Yacht Designer of the Year winner Alberto Mancini and built in Britain. Won first prize in the Interior Design category for yachts between 18.5 to 24 metres when presented in 2019 at the same World Yacht Trophies (the most prestigious of all, called the Oscars of the boating world).
20.62 by 5.23 metres the vessel measures. The light mast reaches over six metres in the air. Imposing it certainly is. The luxury radiates from it. The teak floor, the white leather sofas, the finish of the furniture, the various sleeping quarters with sea views - the Squadron has room for 16 people. There is also a separate crew room, accessible from the aft berth. "You can easily drive this ship yourself," says Matt, "but for a trip you actually need a crew. A driver who knows something about mechanics would be handy, and someone to serve and do the beds. On yachts from 80 feet, a crew on permanent duty is usually the case. The Squadron is actually a bit on the borderline."
447 LITRES...PER HOUR
Built for tomorrow's world is in the leaflet. In terms of style, it certainly hits the mark. But a small question mark may also be placed on that, as it turns out when we set off. "800 revs," says Matt, pointing to the display screen showing the ship's data. The cockpit looks impressive, beautiful screens, a steering wheel like that of a sports car. "8.4 knots, and this here shows how many litres of fuel are then consumed per hour," he says. 32.4 litres per hour it says. "Now give me some throttle." 1400 rpm, over 13 knots, 135 litres per hour. Matt gives a nod, next step. Cruising speed: 16 knots, 191 litres. It goes harder and harder, the ship pounding the waves, fuel consumption flying up. "Maximum power," Matt says after a while. 2400 rpm is on the screen, the two Caterpillar C18-1150 diesel engines (2300 hp) propel the yacht to over 28 knots (almost 52 km/h), and a sloppy 447 litres of diesel per hour (the tank holds 4680 litres, so at maximum speed you can still sail for over 10 hours). "Electric yachts are already out there," says Matt, "and with hybrid propulsion. But for most people buying these kinds of yachts, that consumption is not an immediate breaking point, not in terms of climate and not in terms of cost."
SEPARATE LIFT AND CINEMA
The Squadron 68's bare price is £1,695,000 ex VAT (or about €1.9 million). The list of options is long and goes through little niggles like a dishwasher (£2,000), ambient lighting package (£5,000) or satellite TV (£20,000) to more pricey options like an electric hardtop with integrated lighting (£108,362) and a gyroscope stabiliser á £109,096. If you take all the options, the boat will cost £432,988 (ex-VAT), or about €492,000 more.
Down to 1400 rpm. The top deck. The wind, the sun, the salt. Advertising endorsements tend to violate reality, but there is no such thing in the Squadron 68's leaflet today. 'Take in your surroundings from the elevated flybridge, with the breeze on your face and the horizon all around you. Dine with friends in the single-level saloon, served from the well-equipped galley. Lightness, space and a fluid design make time above or below deck both graceful and free-flowing.' That's just the way it is.
Just outside the Marina, a superyacht is anchored. "The Octopus," Matt clarifies. It turns out to be the yacht of Microsoft founder Paul Allen, who died in 2018. 126 metres long it is, and it is for sale, for $295 million, payable to Allen's sister. That makes it one of the 10 most expensive yachts in the world. But then you get something: what about a separate owners' deck with private bar, jacuzzi and 'al fresco dining area', accessible via a separate lift (fine though, in times of corona). Cinema, spa, library a basketball court, two helicopter landing pads, a glass floor so that marine life can be observed, it's all there. The piece de resistance (and the reason the Octopus is considered the world's most famous superyacht): there is a real submarine on board. Guests who want to get off the ship for a while can use one of eight tenders: speedboats, in other words.
PURE FUN
Speedboats as the Fairline 33 is another. For sale from £278,000. That 33 too - nominated for european powerboat of the year - was designed by Alberto Mancini. The conservative world that helmsman Ed talked about earlier is far from here. The 33 is a magnificent sculpture, according to Mancini inspired by the sports cars of the 1960s, the golden age of Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar. As we sail out of the harbour in the afternoon with one of the 33s, we meet curious, admiring glances: what is that!? People take pictures. Of course, you can take it out for a weekend, in the cabin (standing height) of the ten-metre-long ship there is sleeping space and comfort enough. A short cruise with your family, why not? But before anything else, the 33 breathes speed. The 33 is not for the faint hearted, not for the seventies and eighties who shuffle through La Napoule here at least.
That the 33 is a monster proves a little later on the open sea. Ed makes sense of it. "A fun boat," he says. The throttle opens. The two Volvo Penta V8-430 petrol engines (860 hp) roar. Faster and faster it goes. Never been in anything that feels so fast. That Porsche 911, that Kawa - the speed experience is incomparable. The boat bounces on the waves, shoots up, dives down, bangs down. Holding on tight is the motto. "This here is the dead man's button", shouts Ed. If the helmsman becomes unwell or falls overboard, the engine cuts off sub-zero. Good to know. And if the boat itself tips over too, I think to myself. "Wanna hear some Music?" You can't always get what you want, sing the Stones. That the music is not completely drowned out by the roar of the engines and wind noise is actually incomprehensible (option: eight extra speakers and subwoofer at €2,300). "Lets go find an island!" Ed is really enjoying himself now. Moments later, we shoot between two islets. We approach the Octopus. "44 knots," shouts Ed, "46... 48... 48.4..." It's the day's record: 90 kilometres per hour. Now we're going to do eights says Ed. Under the watchful eye of the Octopus, faster and faster, smaller and smaller the eights become, sharper and sharper the turns, further and further sideways the boat tilts. We are in danger of falling out, the boat is almost 90 degrees on the water. Ed looks back as the boat takes the turn like a madman, he laughs: 'Okay, now tell me: you wanna go really game?"
Fairline Yachts is originally a British yacht builder, started in 1963 by Jack Newington, in Oundle, Northamptonshire. Since 2016, after a series of acquisitions, the brand has been owned by Russian businessmen Alexander Volov and Igor Glyanenko. Check for more info: www.fairline.com
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