US-headquartered yard Nordhavn has delivered the eighteenth hull in its N96 series, named New Journey.
The owners are a recently retired couple who envisioned the 29.4-metre yacht as a “floating resort”, which would take them on a five-year journey around the world. The appropriately-named yacht has already travelled around 1,500 miles from the Sea of Cortez, in California, to Victoria, British Columbia, where she is currently exploring.
The owners will spend this summer in Alaska and intend to begin a world cruising itinerary starting in late spring of 2024.
New Journey is an all-GRP expedition yacht with a beam of 7.3-metres and a draught of 2.5-metres, as is conventional of the N96 series. What differed in the construction of New Journey was that she was built during the height of the Covid-19 travel restrictions, creating several challenges with regard to in-person inspections.
Accommodation can comfortably sleep up to ten, including three ensuite guest cabins, an owner's suite and a convertible guest cabin in the skylounge. There is further complement for a full-time crew of four.
Nordhavn’s chief of design, Jeff Leishman, collaborated with the owners to customise New Journey’s general arrangement. This involved tailoring the skylounge to suit the owner’s “free time” hobbies, including a dedicated music space so that one of the owners, an avid musician, could practice playing drums. They also requested the primary cabin be situated amidships below deck, at the most stable part of the yacht.
For the interiors and outdoor areas, the owners worked with designer Scott Cole of Ardeo Design. The entire interior is crafted from walnut, with both quartersawn and crown-cut veneers specified for different areas. Varying natural stone slabs were used for the countertops, including multi-colour quartzite selected in Seattle and White Spring granite.
Other details include raised door panelling, fabric-wrapped wall panels, mosaic glass tiles and leather-wrapped handrails.
On deck, the main convivial area is found on the flybridge, which features a barbecue, hot tub, and nightclub-inspired curved bar and lounge area. The bar is intentionally placed around the deck’s perimeter to leave open space for dancing.
loading...An eccentric conversation piece is the boat-shaped dining table for ten, located in the cockpit aft and outfitted with removable Eisenglass. A second dining area is adjacent to the flybridge bar, featuring a large L-shaped settee and two hi-low cocktail tables able to be converted into a large dining table for eight.