Project: Heesen 72m Project Ananda

Heesen present Project Ananda, a 72 meters project.  To be build on a smart custom platform Project Ananda also represents the largest steel build to date by Heesen and is developed in collaboration with Sinot Yachts, with this build also showing a new strategic direction from the Dutch super yacht builder. At 72 metres, Project Ananda marks a significant step forward in Heesen’s engineering capabilities, pushing the boundaries of speculation-built yachts while reinforcing the shipyard’s focus on owner and guest wellbeing, exceptional build quality, and unparalleled seakeeping. The project reflects a highly client-focused approach to yacht building, with flexibility and personalisation embedded throughout the design. The name Ananda meaning “inner joy”, encapsulates the philosophy behind the yacht’s onboard experience. A highly collaborative process between Sinot and Heesen’s in-house engineering  ensures the exterior design could be realised without compromise. This integrated approach aligns design intent with technical feasibility, maintaining consistency from concept through to construction. The result is a yacht that retains Heesen’s characteristic sleek profile, interpreted through a softer, more organic design language. Built on an ultra-efficient steel hull, Project Ananda combines proven Dutch shipbuilding expertise with advanced performance. Tank testing at the University of Southampton’s Wolfson Unit successfully validated resistance, trim, heave, and wave response. The hybrid propulsion system incorporates twin MTU engines and PTI/PTO gearboxes, delivering a range of 5,000 nautical miles at twelve knots and a maximum speed up to sixteen knots. Guest arrival has been carefully considered as part of the overall onboard experience. A midships shell door opens onto a docking platform leading directly to a central glass elevator. This arrangement transforms a functional operational feature into a ceremonial arrival experience, allowing guests to bypass social areas and access their quarters with complete privacy. Spread across five decks, the general arrangement prioritises fluid movement and layered privacy. The layout remains highly adaptable, with two configurable Owner’s Deck arrangements allowing the owner to choose between a forward-facing private deck or an aft-focused deck experience. Both Owner’s Deck concepts serve as blank canvases, enabling clients to incorporate highly specific lifestyle requirements. Conceived as an apartment-like environment, the master suite on the foredeck features a private office and extensive panoramic sightlines. A second master suite on the Bridge Deck mirrors the scale and comfort of the primary stateroom, removing traditional hierarchies while offering flexibility for charter operations or multi-generational family use. All interior spaces will be crafted in-house at Heesen Interiors in Winterswijk. Operating its own luxury interior company provides Heesen with a strategic advantage, ensuring complete control over execution while guaranteeing impeccable Northern European quality. Among Ananda’s standout features is the travertine-clad swimming pool area connected directly to a Teppanyaki-style bar within the main lounge. Rather than using traditional teak decking, Heesen selected travertine flooring that extends seamlessly from the outdoor pool area into the fully openable indoor lounge, creating a refined indoor-outdoor living experience. The deck space is entirely flush and free from visible mooring equipment, creating a serene environment that can easily transform into an entertainment and party deck. The midship spa and beach club spans approximately 100 square metres, offering an unrivalled wellness experience complete with a sauna, steam room, ice bath, snow shower, hyperbaric chamber, massage and medical treatment room, and bar. Developed in collaboration with Heesen’s Human Health Engineering department, the space delivers a uniquely integrated wellbeing experience. Project Ananda is scheduled for keel laying in November 2026, with launch and delivery anticipated for 2030.

www.heesenyachts.com

Motor Yacht Saved from Fire in Besiktas, Turkey

A nineteen meter motor yacht went ablaze in Besiktas in the province of Bebek, Turkey at around 19:44 of Sunday 31 May.  The yacht was fast assisted by fire teams from Ortaköy, Beşiktaş, İstinye, Beyoğlu, Üsküdar, Kavacık and İSAK Underwater Search and Rescue who attacked the fire, and towed the yacht to the shore.  No injuries are reported with a video on Instagram showing two persons onboard the yacht at the time of the fire, with the yacht being saved from destruction and or sinking.  The cause of the fire is not reported, but in the video this is shown as coming from the engine room.

The nineteen meter motor yacht in this fire is not of any particular make, but made in Turkey of wood, in one of the local yards.

New Model: Numarine 27XP

Numarine, the Turkish yacht builder renowned for its long-range explorer yachts, has delivered the first unit of its all-new 27XP model. Following the project unveiling at last year's Cannes Yachting Festival, the 27XP has already generated strong interest, with five hulls sold and three currently under construction. The second and third units are scheduled for delivery in the coming months. The owner of the first hull is a repeat Numarine client upgrading from a 22XP, a reflection of the loyalty the XP range has built among experienced owners seeking greater volume and cruising capability without the complexity of a significantly larger yacht. Delivered in Istanbul, the yacht is expected to spend much of her time cruising the Greek islands and wider Aegean region. The 27XP is the natural evolution of the highly successful 26XP platform, of which thirty hulls are currently cruising worldwide, developed through years of feedback from owners and captains. The result is a larger, more capable explorer yacht with increased interior volume, expanded outdoor living and enhanced onboard functionality while preserving the core characteristics that made the XP Series so successful. The first hull has been delivered in the four cabins layout, prioritising a full beam flybridge and expanded exterior living spaces. A five cabin version is also available for owners with different cruising requirements.  Designed inside and out by Can Yalman, with naval architecture by Umberto Tagliavini, the 27XP retains the sharp, purposeful profile of Numarine's explorer range while introducing a more open onboard experience. Oversized windows maximise natural light throughout, a sliding glass door  off the main salon dissolves the boundary between interior and cockpit, and the flybridge is among the largest in its class.  The 27XP introduces Numarine's new Mk2 Super Silent Pack, developed in partnership with Sleipner. Built around a 48 volt energy architecture and integrated Hybrid Power Center, the system combines a 92.8 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate battery bank with 5.6 kW of solar generation, shore power input and intelligent load management. Operating at higher voltage improves efficiency across all onboard systems, reduces energy losses and enables quieter, more stable electrical performance throughout the yacht.  Powered by twin MAN 560 engines, the 27XP offers a top speed up to thirteen knots, a cruising speed of ten and a transoceanic range of 2,200 nautical miles at eight knots .  The 27XP will make her world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2026

Technical Data:

LOA - 26.97 m (88.4ft)

Beam - 6.90 m

Draft - 2.12 m

Displacement - 92 t loaded, 150 gt *volume

Fuel Capacity - 11,000 l

Water Capacity - 2000 l

Accommodation - eight guests in four cabins, or ten in five cabins, four crew in two cabins

Engines - 2 x MAN D2676 LE438 560hp, optional MAN D2862 LE433 1800hp

Propulsion - line shaft 

Speed - thirteen knots max, ten knots cruise, eight knots long range with MAN 560hp

Range - two thousand two hundred nautical miles at eight knots

Construction - fiberglass 

Project - Can Yalman exterior, Umberto Tagliavini naval architect

Certification - CE A

www.numarine.com

competition = Princess X90

Joseph Scott Harrell 1928 - 2018

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of Albemarle Boats founder, Joseph Scott Harrell aged ninety on 23 January 2018. Scott was born on January 3, 1928 to the late Bessie Cecelia Leary and Rodney Tuttle Harrell. Raised on rich Rocky Hock dirt and his mom's locally famous southern cooking, Scott and his three siblings enjoyed an idyllic childhood, or so we believe from the indelible tales we never tired of hearing. He grew up in Rocky Hock Baptist Church, and was baptized in the Chowan River. Scott married Beverly Ann Moore and joined Edenton Baptist Church, where he served as a Deacon. In 1951, Scott founded Edenton Tractor and Implement, the beginning of a lifelong love affair with tractors and delighted in mowing and moving dirt until just last year. In the early fifties he began carving out Edenton Marina from a run of Pembroke Creek. In 1978, Scott founded Albemarle Boats, and a legacy of fine offshore fishing boats lives on. Harrell's vision for a high-quality, trailerable, offshore-capable fishing boat was born with the first Albemarle 24 in 1978, which with it's soft, dry ride became an immediate success. The owners of these first boats quickly demanded larger ones, ensuing years saw the introduction of several larger models, and Albermarle expanded over the years up to 41 foot. Scott had a big time growing the Albemarle brand, and thoroughly enjoyed travels and friends made through the Albemarle network. Scott's greatest pleasures were lively gatherings with family and friends, working on his tractor, mastering the art of frying, NASCAR racing, good books, classic country music, and putting up enough Silver Queen corn to carry a half dozen families through winter, earning him a “King Corn” title. He was a keen business man with a quick wit, a load of charm, and an impish sense of humour, loving nothing more than a good practical joke, but also generous and stubborn as a mule, and stood firm and proud of his role as supervisor of most everything. Joseph Scott was preceded in death by his wife, Beverly, and his second wife, Shirley Williams Harrell, whom he married following Beverly’s death, and is survived by his three children: daughters, Ann Harrell Perry and her husband Warner, Elizabeth Harrell Johnstone, and her husband Hall; son, Joseph Scott Harrell, Jr, and his wife Missie, all of Edenton; Grandchildren: Burch Perry and wife Julie, Mary Scott Perry Haigler, and husband Ted, Bess Harrell Little and husband George, Catie Harrell Salyer and husband Stephen, Francie Harrell Winslow and husband Wyatt, Cole Johnstone and wife Ashlea, and Lex Johnstone and wife Michelle; and sixteen great grandchildren: Bryson and Warner Perry, Eloise, Bear and Cecelia Haigler, Ros and Scott Little, Cece and Averett Salyer, Wade, Marjorie, Abigail, Mary Frances, and Drew Winslow, Bennett Johnstone, and Addison Johnstone; three siblings: sister, Marion Cross Goodman and brothers, Rodney Tuttle Harrell and Robert Shirley Harrell, all of Edenton; and a host of nieces and nephews. Additionally, he is survived by his wife Shirley's children: Howard Glasgow and wife Eileen, Del Bilagody and husband Jim, and Mark Glasgow.

Improve-it = Grady White Canyon 386

Grady White introduce a new aft facing mezzanine seating option on the Canyon 386.  When customers started asking for added seating options on the Canyon 386, Grady-White engineers went to work designing a new option that checked all the boxes: more seating without sacrificing storage, cockpit and helm space, or overall fishability.  Attributes of this new option include: luxurious seating for up to three with enough width for a person to comfortably lounge, elevated height so anglers can relax under the protection of the cockpit SureShade with clear vieww of the lines in the water, more storage with four large drawers a dedicated trash bin and a knife, plier.  Comfort features such as lumbar-supporting backrests with angled seat bottoms to hold passengers securely in place, two fixed arm rests on the outside and two fold-down on the inside, and diamond stitching both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.  The seat also come with cup holders, grab rails, fold down footrests, and two rod holders.  The Grady White Canyon 386 was introduced in the fall of 2023, as a replacement to the Canyon 376 and since then has become a favorite center console in it's class also for its perfect mix of cruising and fishing amenities.

www.gradywhite.com

Project: Pearl 73

Pearl Yachts announced the 73 project during the 2026 Düsseldorf boat show. As the latest refinement in the award-winning Pearl fleet, the Pearl 73 continues the shipyard’s legacy of combining ground breaking innovation with the world-class design of naval architect Bill Dixon with interior design by Kelly Hoppen. The Pearl 73 continues the design language established by the award-winning Pearl 72 while introducing a series of contemporary enhancements. Dixon Yacht Design has reinterpreted the exterior with a sleeker, sharper profile, creating an elegant yet purposeful stance that aligns the 73 with the latest generation of Pearl Yachts. Expanded glazing, refined detailing and a riviera aft deck which incorporates fold-down balconies, creating an extended waterside terrace give the yacht an unmistakably modern and international appeal. Inside, Kelly Hoppen has introduced a new Monochrome décor scheme interior but also a main deck layout with aft galley creating a natural hub between the cockpit and the interior saloon. The Pearl 73 is standard powered by twin MAN 1400hp, and or optional 1550hp, with the large engines delivering a 32 knots top speed and a 25 cruise.

www.pearlyachts.com

New Model: Cayman Yachts 560 Sedan

During the fall 2025 boat show Cayman Yachts presented its new 560 Sedan.  Designed by Ferragni the 560 Sedan is based on the 540WA which arrived in 2023, with the difference that it features a fully enclosed hard-top, making the boat easily liveable all year round.  The enclosed area offers a living area complete with dinette to starboard and opposite galley to port side, with forgetting its Summer sporty vocation, which offers a central sun-pad, forward facing dinette, drop-down balconies which extend beam to over six meters, fore deck sun-pad, fore chaise-lounge, and aft looking bench settee.  The interiors are offered in two layouts, with two cabins four berths and a lower deck saloon in between the cabins, three cabins six berths, and an optional crew cabin berth.  The Cayman 560 Sedan is powered by twin Volvo 600hp as standard with IPS pod drives.  Other engine options are larger 725hp diesels also with IPS pod drives, and or quadruple Mercury 600hp outboards.   

Technical Data:

LOA - 17.16 m (56.2ft)

Hull length - 15.1 m

Beam - 5 m

Draft - 1.45 m with IPS drives

Displacement - 27,900 kg

Fuel Capacity - 2100 l

Water Capacity - 760 l

Max Persons - sixteen

Accommodation - four berths in two cabins, or six berths in three cabins, optional crew cabin

Engines - 2 x Volvo D8 600hp, D11 725hp, 4 x Mercury Verado V12 600hp

Propulsion - Volvo forward looking duo-prop IPS pods, Mercury outboards with dual props 

Speed - 35 knots max with Volvo 725hp

Project - Ferragni

Certification - CE B

www.caymanyachts.it

competition = Solaris Power 52 Coupe

Engine: SeaTek 800 CR 800hp

Seatek presents a new line of six cylinder engines with this 800 CR and its 800hp being the middle of the trio of engines based on the same block. This new trio of Seatek engines are all based on the Common Rail technology of the high performance engine specialist, using the 10.3 litre block with a bore of 127 mm and a 135 mm stroke, as used from the legendary Plus series as available in 620 and 800hp and produced since 2001. With 800hp at 3000 rpm, the Seatek 800 CR is the middle engine in this new common rail six cylinder range, suited for a variety of uses from military, recreational, but also racing use. The Seatek 800 CR is compliant to CE 2013/53/UE rules.

www.seatek-spa.com

Project: Tiara 35 LS

Tiara Yachts present the 35 LS project, a ten meter family sports cruiser, and a replacement to the 34 LS after seven years of production. The Tiara LS line is an expression of maximum entertainment, and the entry level of the range 35 LS does not escape this, with bow to stern seating everywhere, deep gunnels and thoughtfully placed handrails provide confidence moving around the boat, while excellent visibility at the helm helps the pilot keep an eye on everyone onboard. Forward, the bow seating invites conversation and shared views, while the aft cockpit is the heart of the experience. It shifts easily from two seating zones into one generous lounge, giving your group the flexibility to spread out or come together. Below deck the cabin offers a forward U-shaped seating which converts into a double berth, and a private wet-head to starboard.  The Tiara 35 LS is to be powered by twin Mercury outboards of standard 350hp, and or optional 425hp.

www.tiarayachts.com

The Battle for Ferretti Group

The battle for leadership and ownership in Ferretti Group has been ongoing for over a year, with this looking to be nearing its end with the shareholders meeting held on the fourteen May.  The meeting saw two important figures from the last twelve years; Alberto Galassi and Piero Ferrari depart the group's management, and the Chinese keeping and showing a tight grip of it's Ferretti Group ownership.  

It will be interesting were Ferretti Group will move from now on, with both Galassi and Ferrari doing a brilliant job in moving the group away from its troubled waters of 2012, and to new growth heights of recent years.  This did not happen by coincidence, it happened because apart understanding financials both understood the product, and developed it very well in most areas.  I would have said it was near impossible to challenge Norberto Ferretti in product development, but Galassi and Ferrari came very close.

The new appointed CEO Stassi Anastassov as chosen by the Chinese ownership does not seem to have any boating and yachting in his curriculum, he has mostly a battery background, and was previous CEO for Duracell.  The same goes for the fully changed boardroom, which is now mostly filled by Chinese personnel, who again do not seem to have boating and yachting experience.  It will be interesting how Ferretti Group will move forward from now on.  

Ultimately this ending was very different from the one which was being speculated since the beginning of the year, with KKCG Maritime of Czech entrepreneur Mr. Komarek reported to take over Ferretti Group, also because the Chinese ownership had reduced it's stake in recent years, from 75% of 2012 to the current 39.5% it holds today, and were also reported to have lost interest in it.

Is this the end of the take over bid by KKCG for Ferretti Group? Probably not, as the news are saying that the Chinese did not fully respect the financial obligations and rules in this management overhaul, with the Italian Government reportedly ready to use the Golden Power, which is possible in this case also because Ferretti Group has the Ferretti Security Division which caters in the design, production, sales and servicing of naval platforms built specifically for Security and Defence clients including those of NATO.