Ringing in 2024: Yachts on the scene in St Barths for New Year's Eve

2 January 2024 • Written by Dea Jusufi

According to BOATPro, there were over 190 yachts docked in or around St Barths during New Year's Eve – a notable increase from the 131 recorded at last year's celebration. Regulars such as Rising Sun and Moonrise returned for the festivities, while noteworthy absences included the 162.5-metre Eclipse and the legendary Christina O (which was seen anchored off Gustavia last year). BOAT takes a closer look at the yachts ringing in 2024 in the Caribbean waters...

1. Ahpo

Builder: Lürssen
Length: 115.1m

Creating this Caribbean-inspired superyacht reunited owner Michael Lee-Chin, design firm Nuvolari Lenard, Lürssen and Moran Yacht & Ship – the same team that had worked on the 86-metre Quattroelle. She was recently sold in one of the biggest brokerage deals in history, making headlines with her €330 million price tag. Onboard leisure includes a private duplex for the owner and a nature-themed spa complete with a massage room, Himalayan salt sauna and a Turkish-style Hammam.

2. Bravo Eugenia

Builder: Oceanco
Length: 109m

Famously commissioned for Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Bravo Eugenia has the svelte proportions of a sports yacht with an elongated bow and slender form. Her design is the work of studio Nuvolari Lenard and she is powered by a hybrid engine with a waste heat recovery system and single-tier engine room. This layout helps free up valuable space for two helipads, a wellness centre, and a large tender garage beneath the foredeck. She was recently sighted at Butler's Wharf Pier in London before arriving on the scene in St Barths.

3. Carinthia VII

Credit: Tom Van Oossanen

Builder: Lürssen
Length: 97.2m

Carinthia VII has sailed into St Barths following a comprehensive, 10-month refit at Blohm & Voss. Key alterations include the addition of a slender 11-metre pool on the aft deck and a brand-new 85-square-metre gym encased by glass on the bridge deck. The iconic yacht also shed her signature "Carinthia Blue" exterior shade for an updated "Majestic Blue" shade. This is her first time showing off her new look in the Caribbean, after impressing show-goers at the Monaco Yacht Show.

4. Faith

Builder: Feadship
Length: 96.6m

Faith is one of the biggest Feadship launches to date and was originally commissioned for Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll. Her list of amenities includes a nine-metre glass-bottomed swimming pool, a sundeck gym and two 10-metre custom tenders to whisk guests to shore. Alternatively, evenings on board are best spent on the sundeck, where guests will find a wood-fired pizza oven and wine cellar. Guests can also retreat to a private deck for aperitifs around a firepit or make use of a basketball court that can be arranged on the foredeck – perfect for enjoying the New Year's Eve festivities.

5. Madsummer

Builder: Lürssen
Length: 95m

Lürssen's Madsummer was commissioned by an owner in the market for both a new plane and a boat. As a result, the sundeck was reinforced to serve as a seaplane berth with a crane hidden in the bulwark. Other highlights of this 95-metre include a helideck on the foredeck, a brightly coloured interior by Laura Sessa, a spa and a 12-metre swimming pool.

6. Viva

Builder: Feadship
Length: 94m

Commissioned by a keen charterer of Feadship, the owner was eager to keep the environmental impact of Viva at the same as his previous 62-metre Feadship superyacht. This resulted in a hybrid propulsion system, a waste treatment plant and heat recovering systems on board. Viva is characterised by "great edifices" of glass, according to the yard, including floor-to-ceiling windows. She won Motor Yacht of the Year at the World Superyacht Awards 2022.

7. Mayan Queen IV

Builder: Blohm & Voss
Length: 93.3m

Designed by Tim Heywood, this superyacht made headlines last year when she rescued at least 100 migrants following a sinking in Greece. She's otherwise stayed pretty firmly out of the spotlight, with her Terence Disdale interiors still undisclosed since her delivery in 2008.

8. Lady Lara

Builder: Lürssen
Length: 91m

Delivered in 2015, the elusive Lady Lara made her "semi-public" debut at the Monaco Yacht Show eight years later (and invited BOAT International onboard for the very first time). She's designed inside and out by Reymond Langton Design with features that include a comprehensive spa and wellness area, a custom gym on the bridge deck and a dedicated owner's deck. At night, a 1,000-metre-plus architectural rope light system sets every facet of the superyacht alight, making her a particularly impressive sight in St Barths.

9. Nero

Credit: Stuart Pearce

Builder: Corsair Yachts
Length: 90.1m

You’d be forgiven for thinking that she had been sailing the seas for centuries, but this motorised replica was actually delivered by her shipyard in 2007. After failing to find a suitable renovation project, British entrepreneur Neil Taylor commissioned Nero and modelled her after JP Morgan's 1930s steam yacht Corsair IV. She was finished just in time for her scheduled debut at the Antigua Charter Show and remained in the Caribbean to enjoy the New Year's Eve celebrations.

10. Olivia O

Builder: Ulstein Verft
Length: 88.5m

Olivia O is believed to be the first time commercial shipyard Ulstein integrated its trademarked X-Bow onto a superyacht. Her hardy, explorer constitution and impressive gross tonnage – just shy of 5,000 – also makes her one of the roomiest yachts in her size bracket. Designed by Espen Øino, stand-out features include a spa, cinema room and her eight guest cabins, which boast "hotel room" heights of 2.7 metres. Olivia O is a regular fixture at the St Barths New Year's festivities.

11. Project X

Builder: Golden Yachts
Length: 87.6m

Project X was aptly named for her defining triple-X design down the waist of the boat's superstructure, courtesy of exterior designer Ken Freivokh. Onboard highlights include a three-deck atrium connected by a circular glass elevator, an aft deck pool and a private office-conference room spanning the width of the vessel's 14.8 metre beam. She is the Greek shipyard's second largest delivery, following the 95-metre O’Pari in 2020.