The 73 metre Lürssen superyacht Coral Ocean has been pictured for the first time following a major €35 million refit at the Astilleros de Mallorca shipyard.
She was delivered as Coral Island by Lürssen in 1994 and was one of the yard's biggest projects at the time. Jon Bannenberg, often considered the godfather of modern yacht design, was responsible for her exterior profile. The yacht cruised privately for most of her life until she changed hands at the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show. She was purchased as Coral Ocean by Australian entrepreneur Ian Malouf who embarked on a "no expense spared" refit.
Coral Ocean made her post-refit debut at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix and is now available for Mediterranean charters with the Ahoy Club.
"We spent just one week on Coral Ocean straight after purchasing her at the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show, which was the fastest sale in superyacht history, and this gave us enough time to decide we were going to completely transform her," said Malouf. "The pandemic has served us a good period of time to rebuild the yacht with no shortcuts. What could have been a challenging task managing the rebuild via video from Australia was made almost seamless by our fantastic team on the ground in Palma and awesome technology."
The sundeck was a central part of the yacht's refit work and was rebuilt entirely to create an open and flexible space. The removal of the old communication domes allowed for the deck to be extended and increase the volume of Coral Ocean by approximately 120GT. The forward portion of the sundeck features a redesigned spa pool with a glass bottom, courtesy of the Four Seasons, surrounded by glass balustrades for protection from the elements without compromising the view.
Under the shade of a hard top is a sit-up bar, casual dining area and lounge that can be enclosed by floor-to-ceiling retractable glass windows, or left fully open for a single indoor-outdoor space. Sun pads are found forward of the Jacuzzi dressed in Dedar fabric with an umbrella that offers shade as required, while an 85-inch television offers the perfect set-up for movie nights. To top it off, there is a convertible indoor sunbed positioned beneath an electric sunroof.
The redesign of the interior builds on a Bannenberg & Rowell outfitting following a refit in 2015. Each space is fresh and bright with white reflective surfaces with accents of marine blues and greens. Coral Ocean can accommodate up to 12 guests in total across six staterooms, as before, but each cabin has been elevated and redesigned.
The master suite underwent the greatest transformation and now functions as a private apartment on the owner's deck. The space has doubled in size and now welcomes more light thanks to its two skylights – one above the super-king-sized berth and one at the entryway. The forward windows were also transformed by extending the glass to offer 180-degree views. The suite is complete with his and hers en suite bathrooms, an infrared sauna, a hair salon and a private lounge area with an adjoining treatment room.
Another cabin of note is the VIP suite which gives the master suite a run for its money. It has its own lounge upon entry that can double as a cinema room or office space. The remaining guest accommodation can be found on the lower deck and is comprised of four cabins.
Dining and entertaining spaces on board were fine-tuned during the refit, in particular the dining space on the aft deck. Sliding glass and heated ceiling panels provide protection from the wind and offer an indoor-outdoor dining experience. At the centre is a Paola Lenti table that seats 12, with two retractable lounge tables that allow for a party of 32 to dine all together, complemented by two bars, a pizza oven and a tepanyaki grill. Should the weather take a turn, a formal interior dining room seats up to 14 guests with a glass-fronted wine cellar to one side and sea views to the other.
Another notable area is the main saloon which features its original five-metre opening shell door that creates a balcony over the sea and a newly created sky lounge with curved sofas and a bar. Guests looking to keep active on board will enjoy the indoor-outdoor gym overlooking the ocean or take a dip in the 15-metre Funair sea-pool extension off the swim platform. Alternatively, those looking to relax can enjoy a spare area on the lower deck and a steam room fitted with mosaic tiles that form a jellyfish mural.
The Malouf family is no stranger to large-scale refits after transforming their 52.5 metre Baglietto motor yacht Mischief in 2016. Coral Ocean was the latest European upgrade for Malouf, who had simultaneously sent Mischief to the Southern Hemisphere from her base in Sydney, Australia. Malouf’s current fleet includes boats such as Rascal, Chaos, Double Trouble and Cheeky.
Speaking on the results of Coral Ocean's, Malouf added: “Coral Ocean has truly been transformed; she represents luxury in every way. The ability to accommodate up to twelve guests across six beautiful staterooms remains unchanged. However, all guestrooms and amenities have now been elevated to be of equal quality leaving every guest on board feeling like the owner. This is a unique proposition within the charter industry.”
Coral Ocean will now join the Ahoy Club, an online booking platform coined the AirBnB of chartering with a 4,000-strong fleet of vessels.