Yacht Insider: Berth for Sale, plus a 144-foot Motoryacht
Finding space for a superyacht to tie up to the dock has led one builder to make its slip the headliner.
May 13, 2009
Nowadays, when you buy a motoryacht to cruise in the Western Mediterranean, it can be excruciatingly hard to find a place to dock it. Marinas from Monaco to Cannes are fuller than a supermodel’s collagen-injected lips, and dock masters who control the precious few available slips can demand “gratuities” that exceed your annual fuel bill.
Here's a computer rendering of what Free Spirit will look like underway in 2010.
That’s why the new promotion for Free Spirit, a 144-foot motoryacht scheduled to launch from the Bloemsma Van Breemen yard in February 2010, includes a note stating that the seller is also making available “what is widely regarded as one of the best 40-meter berths anywhere in the South of France, based in La Rague.”
Yachting Partners International (which, incidentally, just unveiled this spiffy new website http://www.ypi.co.uk complete with updated logo) announced the availability of both the €25.8 million yacht and the price-to-be-determined slip in mid-April. Vripack is handling naval architecture, and Free Spirit’s design is by Pieter Beeldsnijder, the Dutch naval architect whose previous work includes interior and exterior design on Internet giant Jim Clark’s award-winning, 115-foot Royal Huisman sailing yacht Hyperion.
The open-air deck saloon of Free Spirit
Free Spirit’s plan includes an owner’s deck with private terrace, Naiad zero-speed stabilizers, a sundeck with an “enormous” whirlpool, dimmable windows and sliding doors for ultimate privacy, and €500,000 worth of communications and entertainment systems. Everything about the build is being marketed as typical of motoryachts in a larger size class, including Free Spirit’s volume of 500 gross tons.
Specifications call for a pair of Caterpillar 3508 diesel engines, a maximum speed of nearly 16 knots, and a range of 3,500 nautical miles. That’s a good bit of cruising away from that unique marina berth in France, of course, but with all the creature comforts and top-dollar amenities being built into Free Spirit, it might be worth booking a few other slips elsewhere in the Med, as well.
Master stateroom of Free Spirit
Just be sure to call for those slips now, even if you’re not sure about buying Free Spirit herself. A lot more motoryachts will be launching between today and Free Spirit’s splash date, and the dock master “gratuities” are likely to go up yet again before next summer.
