Neptune would be proud. Every year at the World Superyacht Awards, a total of 17 elegant trophies – custom made by Baccarat and bearing the name of the fabled Roman God of the Sea – are handed out to the finest ocean-going vessels on the planet. For the winners, this is the Academy Awards of the superyacht world, recognizing and honoring their work as the pinnacle of excellence in a highly demanding and competitive design industry.
And one of last year’s major winners was no exception. At a glittering awards gala at the C?iragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul, Turkey, the sleek and stylish 47 meter motor yacht Loretta Anne sailed off with the prize of the Motor Yacht of the Year Award.
For the designers, builders and owners of Loretta Anne, the award is a richly deserved accolade for one of the world’s most beautiful and contemporary ocean-going motor yachts.
The creation of Dubois, a leading British naval architecture, yacht design, brokerage, charter and management company based on the south coast of England in the port of Lymington, Hampshire, Loretta Anne is the third Dubois-designed motor yacht to bear that name.
Launched in March 2012, the vessel was constructed at Alloy Yachts in New Zealand, the 22nd Dubois design and fifth motor yacht of the successful Dubois-Alloy Yacht alliance. The vessel is a new concept, albeit with some similar characteristics to her older sisters, Loretta Anne IV and SQN. “As her designers, our aim was to combine excellent sea-keeping with an efficient hull and pleasing, timeless looks,” says owner and head architect Ed Dubois of Loretta Anne’s polished aesthetics.
Interesting features include her vertical bridge screen, which is both practical and contemporary, and unusual for a two and a half deck yacht, the galley is on the main deck.
“At 47 meters (154 feet), most yachts would have three full decks,” adds Dubois. “However, the pleasing streamlined appearance of the two and half deck model was preferred.
“The extensive flybridge, which is much larger than on a tri-deck yacht of this length, can be made weather-proof by lifting or lowering windows all the way round.” Although the intention is for Loretta Anne to remain as a private yacht, she has been built in compliance to the Large Commercial Yacht Code (LY2) and is classed by Lloyd’s Register.
Powered by Caterpillar engines, she cruises at 14 knots, with a maximum speed of 17 knots, and a range of 3,500 nautical miles at cruising speed while four-fin, zero-speed stabilization keeps the vessel sailing smoothly.
Like her predecessor, which has a draft of 2.06 meters (6.75 feet) to the underside of her keel, a requirement of the new yacht was to have a shallow draft to allow access to the Bahamas and Belize, which will be her main cruising grounds.
This has been realized with a draft of 2.2 meters (7.2 feet), which will allow the yacht access to many of the world’s shallower anchorages, and gives much greater destination flexibility.
As with her sister motor yachts, the new Loretta Anne has a sleek and stylish interior by the acclaimed British designer Donald Starkey, who has been creating some of the world’s finest yachts since 1989 and has won to date no less than 26 design awards for his work.
The motor yacht features five deluxe cabins, sleeping eight guests plus the owner and offering the last word in luxury and comfort. The owner’s suite comprises a full beam master stateroom while one of four VIP guest suites is fitted out as a gym.
“Loretta Anne is the 11th motor yacht of over 30 meters that we have designed,” adds Ed Dubois. “While we’re known primarily as luxury sailboat designers, we nevertheless delight in the challenge of marrying seaworthiness with practicality and good looks in our motor yacht designs – the same priorities that we always apply to their wind-driven sisters.”
Editor’s Note: The 2014 World Superyacht Awards took place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on May 3, just after this issue of Ocean Home went to press.