Kiwi classics: 6 of the best Alloy Yachts

In memory of the late Tony Hambrook, we’ve been through our archives and picked out six of his yard Alloy Yachts’ finest creations.

Where better to start than with the yard’s flagship, the monumental 67.2 metre ketch Vertigo? Launched in 2011, she was met with widespread critical acclaim, being named sailing yacht of the year at the 2012 World Superyacht Awards. Legend has it that her designer Philippe Briand came up with the shape of her dramatically sloped coachroof after sketching on the tablecloth of an Italian trattoria.

Her 837GT interior, designed by Studio Christian Liaigre, saw the yard break through the 500GT mark for the first time. The result is six-star luxury accommodation with room for a plethora of sports equipment, meaning guests can work out and stay in shape during extended stays on board.

An early example of Alloy Yachts' burgeoning prowess in the superyacht sector, 28.1 metre Tawera was launched in 1995. She has gone on to establish herself as a mainstay of the New Zealand Millennium Cup, which Hambrook helped to found in 2000. Tawera scooped first place in 2016 and 2017 before being pipped to the post by regatta newcomer Ammonite in the 2018 edition of the cup.

Inside she boasts almost two metres of headroom and accommodation for six guests and four crewmembers all set in a welcoming décor by Peter Sijm.

Delivered in 2004 boasting sleek lines by Dubois Naval Architects and John Munford interiors, 54.27 metre Tiara holds the distinction of being one of the few sailing yachts in the world with an aft-deck helipad. Her innovative design and technical achievement was acknowledged at the 2005 Showboats International Awards.

Her key features include a split-level master suite, a 12-person dining table and a forward tender locker that can be converted into a Jacuzzi, while the interiors have been updated by Adam Lay Studio.

While Alloy Yachts was best known for its super sailers, the New Zealand yard also produced a handful of exquisite motor yachts, including the 47 metre Loretta Anne. Commissioned by a Canadian businesswoman and delivered in May 2012, she went on to win Motor Yacht of the Year at the 2013 World Superyacht Awards.

Her spacious interior is ideal for entertaining with copious amounts of natural light flooding in through large vertical windows. Donald Starkey’s décor draws on a broad palette of materials and textures to create complex patterns and finishes — for example the woodwork is inlaid with contrasting timbers and mother of pearl, while the bathrooms use heavily striated marble in the walls, floors and counters.

Commissioned by competitive yachtsman Lang Walker, the third yacht to be built at Alloy bearing the name Kokomo hit the water for the first time in 2010 measuring 58.4 metres. Long-term yard collaborator Dubois Naval Architects calculated that the best way to ensure high performance was not by reducing on-board weight, but by increasing the draught.

As a result, Kokomo III features a 100-tonne bulb fitted at the end of a 30-tonne keel that can be extended from 4.8 metres to 8.1 metres below the surface. This freed up interior designer RWD to create an opulent yet contemporary décor with marble bathrooms and bars as well as a ten-person wenge dining table.

Another yacht that was built for a repeat client in collaboration with Dubois Naval Architects, 56.4 metre Mondango 3 splashed down in December 2013 and embarked on a circumnavigation shortly afterwards. Ketch rigged, she boasts a lifting keel for cruising in shallow waters.

Guests can relax in the aft deck spa pool or the glass-sided cockpit before retiring to one of the five well-appointed cabins as styled by the Reymond Langton Design studio. A true globetrotter, Mondango 3 can cruise at ten knots for up to 6,500 nautical miles under power thanks to a 1,450hp Caterpillar C32 engine.

She is often incorrectly cited as the final yacht from Alloy, but in fact the yard completed one further project before ceasing trading in 2016 — the highly secretive 44 metre motor yacht Hey Jude, launched in November 2014.