7 new superyachts to look out for in 2017

Built for Russian Andrey Melnichenko, who already owns the equally distinctive Motor Yacht A, Sailing Yacht A is officially designated a “sail-assisted motor yacht”. She has three rotating, free-standing carbon fibre masts, the middle one of which rises 100 metres above the waterline, and carries a total sail area of 3,747 square metres.

Her eight decks, which are connected by multiple superyacht elevators and free-floating spiral staircases, are thought to include accommodation for 20 guests and 54 crew. Among her records is the longest piece of curved glass ever made, measuring 15 metres long and weighing 1.8 tonnes.

Uniquely, for a yacht of this size, Dream Symphony is being built in timber: the African hardwood iroko, in varying multiple layers throughout the hull. With four masts and a sail area of 4,800 square metres, she will easily be the world’s largest yacht designed to be powered by sail alone. Styled inside and out by Ken Freivokh, Dream Symphony features naval architecture by Dykstra.

The owner’s suite will include a private deckhouse with main and lower saloons, while other guest areas will accommodate 20 people. The yacht was due to be delivered in 2016, but was delayed. Time will tell if she emerges in 2017.

Project Jupiter is the first experience of working with Lürssen for both H2 Yacht Design and March & White. The project is shrouded in secrecy but Lürssen has revealed that the “contemporary interior is defined by timeless styling, nautical details and innovative bespoke finishes”, and Jonny Horsfield, of H2 Yacht Design, explained the central balconies on the side decks are to “open up the centre of the yacht… we wanted to create a living space in the middle of the yacht.”

This is only the second superyacht built by Kleven, which is better known for commercial offshore vessels, and both of them have been for the same client: New Zealand billionaire Graeme Hart. As the first, Ulysses, was completed only in 2015, the build of the two boats overlapped.

Many of the statistics regarding Hart’s two Kleven-built yachts are remarkably similar: same beam, draught, max speed (16.4 knots) and range (8,500 nautical miles). Meanwhile the extra length (8.75 metres) and GT (925) of Project 370 provide accommodation for, among other things, eight more crew.

When asked about the thinking behind the larger vessel, Hart said: “There’s a lot of people that don’t have the appetite for a build project. It’s a long process and it’s not without tears. I happen to really enjoy it.”

Oceanco has several boats in our definitive list of the top 200 largest yachts in the world but Project Jubilee will be bigger than all of them: in fact, she will be the largest yacht ever built in the Netherlands, and the first to be completed in Oceanco’s new 140 metre dry dock.

Exterior design comes courtesy of Igor Lobanov, while Sam Sorgiovanni created the interiors and the naval architecture was developed in collaboration with British studio BMT Nigel Gee.

Recently launched Project Solar is the largest sailing yacht ever built in the Netherlands and has three rotating, free-standing DynaRig masts, each of them about 60 metres high. When she was launched, a cover shielding her bow was removed to reveal a radical wave-piercing stem. Her interior — described by her designers as “a celebration of the true Louis XVI French style” — will provide accommodation for 12 guests.

Another super secret project, it has been reported that Amadea was built for an experienced owner, who has specified Francois Zuretti interiors, and that she will be based in the Middle East when completed. Working on his 25th Lürssen superyacht, designer Espen Øino added that she is “quite a unique design in terms of external styling”.