Every month, superyacht owners share where they are and where they’re heading. This time, Frank Binder reveals how his 120-apartment residential yacht project Ulyssia is taking shape, from its €1.2 billion in pre-sales to its expansive onboard amenities, while sharing plans for a spontaneous summer cruising on board 33.5-metre Riva yacht Xeia.
Frank Binder
Yacht: Xeia
Length: 33.5m
Year: 2021
Location: Saint-Raphaël, France
How is your Ulyssia residential yacht project coming together?
We just announced the construction contract and we’re going to start building in the fourth quarter of this year. I’m very excited. It’s such a fun project and just amazing to realise something groundbreaking like this. It’ll be a beautiful home for so many people who will enjoy travelling the world in the ultimate comfort of their homes, and we look forward to that ourselves. We will spend a lot of time on board, I’m sure.
How have pre-sales been?
Very, very successful, with €1.2 billion (£1m) in pre-sales already. And it will be an amazing group of people. We are making sure that we curate a community of like-minded people, but also diverse age-wise and geographically nation-wise.
How will it compare to the residence ship The World?
There will be 120 apartments, all fully fledged homes; that number is the perfect balance between intimacy and not feeling like you’re on a crowded ship, but still lively enough that you don’t feel like you’re on a ghost ship. The World has 165, and they’re only a little bit more than half as big as we are. We have much larger apartments; we also have two helicopters, two submarines, two indoor padel and pickleball courts, even a school. We have space for more amenities.
Will yours be the largest apartment?
We will have the top floor of the boat and 1,000 square metres. We’ll share it with just the helicopters and the nightclub.
Meanwhile, how is your summer looking on your personal yacht?
We usually spend around eight weeks a year in the Med because it’s a boat for the Med. What I enjoy most is steering the boat myself. I do have a captain, but when I’m on board, I do all the manoeuvres, dockings, etc. This summer we’re going to spend some time in Saint-Tropez, which is my favourite place in the Med, then the coast of southern France towards Marseille and Sète, over to Barcelona, to the Costa Blanca, down to Alicante and cross over to the Balearics, then over to Sardinia.
But we like to be spontaneous as well. I hate nothing more than trips where you already know exactly what you’re going to do at what hour of the day. If you have your own boat, it’s all about having the freedom to go where you want, more or less when you want.
First published in the August 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.
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