Splendid Sea, a company co-founded by superyacht captain Matthias Bosse and hospitality and private club entrepreneur Michael Hehn, is unveiling a new cruising concept at this year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show: a 155-metre club model around a superyacht and her support vessel, in partnership with Mercedes-Maybach.
The idea for the new Maybach Ocean Club was born during the Covid pandemic. Bosse was then captain of the iconic 104.9-metre Lady Moura, which, after a long happy life with the same owning family, was listed for sale. But this was 2020 and not much was happening around the world, or in Monaco. Lady Moura bobbed at her berth in Port Hercules with hardly any visitors. Still, there she was in the heart of one of the global communities most qualified to enjoy her. And her captain had an idea: How about converting Lady Moura into a private club, which surely would attract many residents of Monaco?
He polished that idea with hospitality entrepreneur Michael Hehn, with whom he was working on a separate project. And soon, they realised they had something. They held a cocktail, and it created a buzz – but then Lady Moura found a buyer.
Even as Bosse waved goodbye to Lady Moura after 15 years as her captain, the partners did not want to give up on their idea. They felt there was a need to offer yachting’s most exclusive experiences to a younger generation interested in the lifestyle without the worries of ownership. For so many weeks a year, many private yachts sit idle at the quay, unused. Surely there was a better way, they thought, so they continued developing the idea.
Lady Moura was an icon, but it had been built many years before for use in the Middle East, and it did not have many open-air spaces. As Bosse recalled, "We started developing a boat – a proper one, more suitable [for a club experience]." By that he means, with open decks, modern-day amenities like a beach club, guest cabins of equal footprint and comfort. "And then we thought, we’d better we have a brand… create an image, create trust," he added.
They took their idea, articulated under their new company Splendid Sea to potential additional partners, which eventually led them to Mercedes‑Maybach.
"This is the important bit," said Splendid Sea’s managing director. "[Mercedes] happened to be looking into the yacht space," Hehn explained, and such branding would add weight to their project.The marque wasn’t looking to build a cruise ship nor a yacht (they had done that before and it had not worked out as they had expected), but the idea of a club around a yacht appealed to them. Mercedes, after all, already has several active clubs. Lengthy negotiations ensued and about a year later, the Maybach Ocean Club was born.
The Maybach Ocean Club applies the members’ club model to a purpose‑built, ultra‑luxury vessel and its 70-metre shadow vessel. The goal is to achieve a community of 300 co‑owners, each entitled to four weeks onboard the mothership (including private suites) per year. They will also have access to the yacht’s common areas, the restaurants, beach club, etc. if they happen to be in town when the yacht comes calling.
Accommodations are in 30 identical residential‑style suites each measuring 74 square metres and with private balcony. "We didn’t want categories," said Bosse. "No master suite upstairs and tiny cabins below. All 30 suites are equal."
Online reservations for convenience follow a concierge‑supported system that pre‑allocates prime‑season time equitably, with the flexibility for members to trade weeks or invite friends and family. Membership includes core activities – from tender rides and water sports to yoga and wellness – while an annual fee of roughly five percent of the initial investment covers crew management, fuel, port fees, insurance and ongoing maintenance.
Fractional ownership in yachting has not been a typically successful model over the years. The founders think they know why: "There’s (typically) a fairly small boat. If you share between two friends, that’s typically the beginning of the end of a friendship," explained Bosse. "One partner drops, the others ends up paying more, or the chef leaves…"
Their model offers scale and professional management of the ship, itineraries and the crew, which removes such troubles from the experience.
The inaugural vessel, Beyond Horizons, is a 155‑metre ship of more than 15,000GT with a crew of 80 to 85 – large enough to be run like a world‑class hotel at sea, nimble enough to retain the feel of a yacht. This is also, emphatically, not a cruise ship. With only 72 guests when fully occupied, the yacht has the social density of a high‑end club rather than a resort.
Splendid Sea tapped German design firm Dölker + Voges to create the ship’s concept and worked hand‑in‑hand with the Mercedes‑Maybach design team. Early concepts explored daring flourishes – even a striking hull colour – before landing on an elegant, timeless profile. A ship model will be in public view for the first time at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show’s Superyacht Village.
The Ocean Club will follow a yacht‑style rhythm with shorter passages and more time in the water, offering by intent a more economical fuel consumption. The ship is also specified for green methanol or biodiesel propulsion, a significant step down in lifecycle emissions. The biggest energy draw on any large yacht – the hotel load – is addressed through next‑generation systems and material choices, from cruelty‑free leathers to durable, lower‑impact finishes. "We don’t need to invent new tech, it already exists," added Bosse.
The dedicated 70‑metre (230‑foot) Shadow Vessel, designed by Laurent Giles, will travel with Beyond Horizons, carrying water toys, limousine tenders, and technical staff. The ship will follow the sun rather than the clock: the Mediterranean from mid‑spring through mid‑autumn then the Caribbean, Central America, or the Indian Ocean following leisurely itineraries.
Splendid Sea has completed specifications, and competitive tenders went to multiple European shipyards. The company expects to sign a build contract after early member commitments. Their current target for the maiden season is 2029.
Partners include Mercedes‑Maybach (brand), Columbia Blue – The Leisure Group (operations), Dölker + Voges (design), Laurent Giles (shadow‑vessel design and engineering), Ship Design & Consult (yacht engineering), AgencySacks (marketing), FINN Partners (PR) and Sevengage (club development).