When we took a look at this innovative 44m design two years ago, in BI263 (May, 2008), construction had just started at the MMGI Shipyard at Montfalcone, Venice. The result of a collaboration between naval architect Mario Grasso's Navirex, which drew the hull, and Marina Grasso and Federica Giovannone's A-LAB design company, which undertook the interior and exterior design along with the styling of the furniture, there was little doubt that the yacht would be something a little, well, different when launched.
Two years later, and the yacht, named H2OME, has hit the water. Not only does her interior design and exterior styling – inspired to a considerable degree by her owner – live up to the original renderings, but she also packs a powerful punch on the water... Under her sleek, slender lines – which have been drawn to mimic to some extent the minimalistic lines of sailing yachts – she carries twin CAT diesels which power waterjets to give the yacht a displacement cruising speed of close to 20 knots. This is helped by her long and narrow 'double speed' hull design, coupled with a wave piercing bow, but the performance doesn't end there. Her chine hull gets an additional boost from a 4,500hp Vericor gas turbine which, when used, takes the top speed to over 40 knots. At her top end speed she is still capable of hitting a range of 500 miles, while at a more sedate 18 knots the range increases to 1,000 miles.
The yacht features a superstructure comprising acres of glass for a real inside-outside living experience, while her transom is laid as three terraces gently heading down to the water. With good guest accommodation below decks – including a vast, full-beam midships owner's suite – and all mod cons thrown in, she is destined to be a charter yacht and comes part of a lifestyle charter package: a Bentley Continental GT and a Hawker 400XP jet are available to make the experience complete.