“This boat is all about the glass,” says Peder Eidsgaard, director of the design studio Harrison Eidsgaard. The 203-foot (62-meter) yacht Project Monte-Carlo, a concept that he revealed this first day of the Monaco Yacht Show with Heesen Yachts, further embodies the openness that the shipyard’s customers, and most yacht buyers at that, specifically request these days. In fact, her arrangement should simultaneously surprise and delight owners seeking a creative twist on maximizing space.
Based on Heesen’s Steel FDHF hull form, the yacht Project Monte-Carlo taps into a few significant trends. Firstly, the four-deck megayacht is for cruisers who intend to spend much more time onboard. (On a side note, four decks is uncommon for Heesen, but the shipyard notes that several previous clients have requested the configuration.) Secondly, she maximizes volume in a size range that has remained steady contract-wise while other size ranges are trailing off from post-pandemic highs. Volume should be well upwards of 1,000 gross tons if she does start construction, one of the largest sums in Heesen’s history. Just as importantly, the design rethinks how to keep owners and guests feeling immersed in the cruising environment.
One of the ways that Harrison Eidsgaard does this, of course, is through an abundance of glass. It’s not just floor to ceiling in lounges, though. The stairway from the upper-deck master suite is adjacent to glass, too. The suite itself prioritizes openness, deliberately avoiding compartmentalizing areas like the office and the en suite bath. Instead, there’s an open flow among them. “The benefit of this arrangement is that an incoming owner can easily toy with the space devoted to each area,” Eidsgaard explains. It further allows the owner to walk directly out onto a balcony from the office, if the suggested layout remains. Plus, there’s plenty of additional space for a private foredeck lounge with a hot tub.
Perhaps one of the more creative ways that the yacht Project Monte-Carlo delivers on the promise of openness is the main-deck guest suites. A full-beam VIP suite and four guest staterooms all lie off a foyer. Friends and family can, quite literally, walk out of their cabin and see all the way aft to the so-called beach lounge cascading over a few levels from the main deck to the sea.
This, too, is an important reimagination of space and a popular trend: open-air beach areas. The yacht Project Monte-Carlo beach lounge features a glass-sided pool, plus fold-down bulwarks capable of holding seating arrangements. Combine this with the nearly 38-foot (11.5-meter) beam, and the sensation of spaciousness and openness is even stronger. It’s a complete day-to-night area as well, with a dining area for 14.
Speaking of dining, Eidsgaard says clients are increasingly requesting areas onboard for meals that have different ambiences. That’s why the studio created an outdoor kitchen and dining area on the sundeck, just aft of the skylounge (below). Eidsgaard believes the area will get used a lot, as will the firepit observation lounge accessible via stairs, tucked beneath the mast. The firepit lounge level even has its own name: the roof terrace.
Still-in-demand amenities like a large wellness area with space for a hammam and a gym are part of the design. So is abundant watertoy stowage. Finally, in recognition of owners’ wishes for less reliance on fossil fuels, serial hybrid propulsion is available. A methanol-ready tank configuration is as well, should owners wish to convert to fuel cells. Regardless of choice, the superyacht should see a 12-knot cruising speed and top end up to 16 knots.
Harrison Eidsgaard he.design
Heesen Yachts heesenyachts.com
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