10 ICONIC BOAT MAGAZINE COVERS -AND WHERE THE BOATS ARE NOW

As BOAT International celebrates its 40th anniversary, Katia Damborsky looks back at 10 of our magazine covers that made a splash, and asks what happened next

Kibo

81.8m | Abeking & Rasmussen | 2014

Now Grace, shot by Bob Marchant and Christopher Gonta for the October 2014 issue

BOAT International’s triumphant relaunch saw 80.1-metre Kibo grace the cover in a worldwide exclusive. Now known as Grace, the superyacht was the third-largest member of the Abeking & Rasmussen fleet when she hit the water in early March 2014, and she was handed over to her owner in June of the same year.

Terence Disdale worked on both interior and exterior design, giving her a butter-coloured hull and ample al fresco deck areas, but notably, no pool or Jacuzzi. She was highly private at the time of her launch and had a single owner until she was sold in 2018, with a last known asking price of €129,000,000. Since then, she divides her time between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

Okto

66.4m | ISA Yachts | 2014

Shot by Quin Bisset for the July 2015 issue

Almost a decade since delivery and Okto’s chiselled exterior remains as head-turning now as it was in 2015, when she became a BOAT International cover star. Her crisp lines and glossy black paint job come from Rome-based Studio Vallicelli, while her monochrome interiors are a signature of the late Alberto Pinto.

Aside from her needle-sharp look, Okto gained attention for her near-silent operation, technical innovations and 6.5 by 4.7 metre pool on the aft that takes no notice of her relatively slender stature. In 2023 she remains the flagship for ISA Yachts and the wider Palumbo brand and is a popular member of the Camper & Nicholsons charter fleet.

11.11

63m | Benetti | 2015

Now Soundwave, shot by Jeff Brown for the January 2016 issue

A fan favourite of the Benetti fleet, Soundwave started life as 11.11 when she was handed over to her owner in 2015. Prior to delivery, her commissioning owner walked away from the project just 10 months shy of completion. Fortunately for Benetti she was picked up by a new owner, who liked the style of the in-house design team’s curving lines and buff blow, but wasn’t a fan of the interior layout, which included a garage for a Rolls-Royce.

After massive modification, the yacht was transformed into a family-friendly home at sea and was enjoyed for many years, both privately and as a charter yacht, until she was quietly sold at the end of 2022.

Motor Yacht A

119m | Blohm & Voss | 2008

Shot by Christoffer Rudquist for the May 2017 issue

One of BOAT International’s most iconic covers saw designer Philippe Starck standing proud on the destroyer-style bow of 119-metre Motor Yacht A, and the remarkable cover earnt this issue a starring role in a 2017 episode of Top Gear. The industrialist French designer Starck famously took just a few hours to pen the designs of Motor Yacht A — a feat which was probably achieved, in part, by the fact her owner gave Starck free rein over the design, and wanted something divisive, much like his other yacht, Sailing Yacht A.

In 2022, the yacht's owner was subject to economic sanctions against Russia and she now spends most of her time in the UAE and wider Indian Ocean.

Black Pearl

106.7m | Oceanco | 2018

Shot by James Richardson for the June 2018 issue

When Black Pearl slid out of the Oceanco sheds in 2018, the yachting industry knew she would be a feat of incredible technical engineering and ground-breaking innovation. She was the largest sailing yacht on the water (excluding sail-assisted motor yacht Sailing Yacht A), but her inky-black hull and matching black sails also served to set her apart from other yachts on the water.

Harnessing naval architecture from Dutch firm Dykstra, the yacht’s sails can be set at the touch of a button in just seven minutes. Nuvolari Lenard worked with Villate Design for the yacht’s interior styling, borrowing plenty of gold touches to create an opulent Louis XVI style while incorporating the commissioning owner’s vast antique collection. The yacht made a first-time entry onto the charter market earlier in 2023 after checking in for a refit at new Montenegrin yard Adriatic24.

Scout

63.7m | Hakvoort | 2019

Shot by Jeff Brown for the November 2019 issue

Rugged styling, buttercup-yellow trimmings and the iconic mascot on the bow make Scout a yacht-spotter’s favourite, and in 2019 the Royal Hakvoort flagship landed a yellow-themed cover of BOAT International. The yacht has acquired impressive nautical mileage under her belt since then, cruising the sandy coasts of New England as well as the city canals of Dublin.

H2 Yacht Design crafted the highly-customised interiors of the yacht, working to upgrade the owner’s former 45-metre of the same name and translate an “underwater” theme into the spaces — which includes a squid sculpture in the observation lounge and an LCD screen skylight that can stream an underwater scene into the main saloon.

Bold

85.3m | SilverYachts | 2019

Shot by Guillaume Plisson for the April 2020 issue

Prior to Bold’s launch in 2019, Australian shipyard SilverYachts was best known for thin, pencil-like, bullet-style designs. The Silver Loft concept that later became Bold was a radical departure from that style, embracing themes of industrialism, utilitarianism and with explorer credentials that matched her chunky look.

Interestingly, her designs sprang up at a time when piracy was a widespread concern, which could be at least partially responsible for the yacht’s distinctive, non-superyacht look. Espen Øino penned the yacht’s lines and gave her the glass-encased “loft” feature with sliding glass panels that can be fully removed. Since delivery, she has taken full advantage of her 5,000 nautical mile range and has cruised as far as Oman, South East Asia and Australia, where she was born.

Blue II

55.9m | Turquoise Yachts | 2020

Shot by Guillaume Plisson for the March 2021 issue

With the heart of an explorer and the spirit of a steamship, the uniquely-styled Blue II is one of the most distinctive yachts to sail out of Turkish shipyard Turquoise in recent years. Andre Hoek has taken great care to pen her navy hull, teak decks and yellow funnels in such a way that you could believe she was a veritable classic.

“This design is a sensible step for us from our sailing superyachts,” he said. “We thought about this for quite some time: what type motor yacht would our sailing yacht owners want?” The yacht remains the only classic-looking yacht in the Turquoise fleet.

Octopus

126.2m | Lürssen | 2003

Shot by Thierry Ameller for the May 2022 issue

Still revered as the original explorer yacht, Octopus was shrouded in secrecy for years after she hit the water. It wasn’t until 2022 that the world got its first peek at the 126.2-metre yacht designed to traverse the very furthest reaches of the planet. Commissioned by the late Paul Allen and loosely based on the lines of a Finnish icebreaking vessel named Fennica — a boat which, fortunately, designer Espen Øino was familiar with it — she was one of the first yacht projects to implement the use of NDAs.

As well as incredible design credentials — including a timepiece made by 102-year-old German clockmakers that uses sound to tell the time and a 36-metre internal float-in wet dock — she also has an impressive past, having singlehandedly discovered the 1944 wreck of the 263-metre Japanese ship Musashi in the Philippines. After Allen died, the yacht sold in 2021 with a last known asking price of €235,000,000.

Marala

58.8m | Camper & Nicholsons | 1931

Shot by Stuart Pearce for the March 2023 issue

A two-year restoration saw the owners of 58.8-metre Marala breathe fresh life into an elegant classic, and in 2023 she featured on a BOAT International cover, shortly before her big win at the World Superyacht Awards in the Rebuilt Yachts category.

The restoration, which took place in both Malta and in Cornwall, at the Pendennis yard, saw her “dark and oppressive” interiors ripped out and her amenities modernised while still maintaining her Camper & Nicholsons lines. She retains the original portholes made by John Roby Ltd, who also made them for the Titanic.