Every month, superyacht owners reveal where they are in the world and share their future plans. BOAT catches up with the owner of the 51-metre Lusben yacht Masquenada, who spills all on his most recent memorable highlights...
Pier Luigi Loro Piana
Yacht: Masquenada
Length: 51m
Year: 2006
Location: Indonesia
You’ve covered a lot of ground in South East Asia...
And the South Pacific! We’ve explored Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Raja Ampat and we’re now near Komodo. I try to spend three or four weeks every three months on board visiting new parts of our fantastic planet. As everyone knows, I lost my beloved sailing yacht My Song in 2019.
I didn’t want to wait three years to build a new cruising yacht so bought Masquenada, a big explorer, which could be ready for me in a single season. In 2021, I started my explorations, which she’s perfect for. Masquenada can navigate for over 5,000 miles; she carries 80,000 litres of fuel and only burns around 150 litres at 12 knots.
Read More/Masquenada: Inside the eight-month refit with owner Pier Luigi Loro PianaSo it’s fair to say the yacht is performing well?
Extremely well. She cruises very comfortably and we’ve made some changes to improve her even more. We installed a big crane for our Castoldi 28 tender, which gives us great independence, and we also carry a 4.5-metre Williams Jet Tender.
What have been your voyage highlights?
We’ve been to so many amazing places, but two stick in my memory most of all – Wayag Island in Raja Ampat and Fulaga atoll in Fiji. They are dreamy destinations, the kind of island paradises we all grow up imagining. We spent a fair amount of time before Indonesia in Thailand, which was special for its beaches and corals. We’re loving Indonesia so far.
Has anything surprised you?
Yes, and it’s a negative, sadly. We’ve been to some of the most remote and stunning locations on earth, but we’ve been consistently disgusted by the amount of waste and garbage we humans leave in the sea. We’ve genuinely been shocked by the levels of plastic waste we’ve seen. It’s not impossible to fix this damage, but it needs a concerted effort by the local people and visitors.
What’s next for Masquenada?
We will be back on board in October and November, visiting Madagascar and the Seychelles. We’ll then make our way back to our beloved Med. I could talk for hours about the fun we’ve been having, but this summary brings you up to date!
First published in the October 2025 issue of BOAT International's Life Under Sail. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.