Refit? Had to be. Changes? Only a few. In 2016, what was there to improve about a design that, with a concept as imaginative as its unusual interior, left the now world's most important yacht shipyard as a new build in 1994, heading for the Middle East? The new build "Coral Island" with its 72 metres was the ultimate in a development that has not yet reached its end.
The first owner had commissioned the then successful designer Jon Bannenberg to build him an enviable yacht at Lürssen on the Weser. "The impressive stern landscape, including the retractable bathing platform and the open hull, suggest a yacht in the realisation of which the Bremen shipyard was able to apply all of its technical expertise," wrote BOOTE EXCLUSIV in issue 2/1994. That was all that could be seen. The interior of the "Coral Island" was one of the best-kept secrets in the industry until the Monaco Yacht Show 2016. The silence had been complete, including the discretion of the designer.
Bannenberg realised hundreds of owner's dreams
Australian Jon Bannenberg, born in 1929, had earned a modest reputation as a bar pianist in London before working on this project, a remarkable one with the design of several first-class suites on Cunard's cruiser "Queen Elizabeth 2" and an unmissable reputation with two yachts named "Carinthia" at Lürssen for the German department stores' king Helmut Horten. "Carinthia VI", 71 metres long, built in 1973, is still regarded today as a styling icon of the last century. Incidentally, Bannenberg did not like the term "stylist". For him, stylist meant being mistaken for a hairdresser.
Bannenberg drew the comparison with a conductor who, although unable to play an instrument in the manner of a virtuoso, is able to symphonise all the instrumentalists in a successful performance. And indeed, Bannenberg achieved far more than just a pleasing silhouette with undulating superstructures and glamorous interiors. With "Coral Island" in particular, he combined the construction, the technical architecture, the exterior appearance and the interior design to create a total work of art. He supervised hundreds of owner's dreams in England, the Netherlands, his native Australia and in Germany, at Lürssen. "Carinthia VI" is now known as "The One" and, after more than forty years, is now ranked 164th on the BOOTE EXCLUSIVE list but was still an eye-catcher until a devastating fire.
The world of the greats
For Lürssen, "Coral Island" represented another great leap forward in 1994. It cemented the Bremen-based company's entry into the world of the really big players.
Over twenty years ago, installing a gym with sports machines and a spa with a steam bath meant putting a yacht to a new use. Suddenly, travelling on a yacht resembled a stay in a sanatorium if necessary. The fact that today massage beds, hammams, hairdressing salons (!) and treadmill torture studios of a certain size are taken for granted is also thanks to "Coral Island", a pioneering act.
In the winter half-year 2015/16, Lürssen set about a second refit of the "Coral", following an overhaul in 2009 and quite independently of the regular maintenance in Bremen over the decades. This time, it wasn't just cosmetic repairs that were on the agenda; under a new owner, the legend also changed her function with a slight shift in her name: "Coral Ocean" has also been welcoming charter guests since 2016. She is freely available to the travelling yachting public. "CO" was presented to the charter public for the first time at the Monaco Yacht Show in the same year.
"Coral Ocean" unique in the class
What has remained is an exterior design that is immediately recognisable, even in the twilight and therefore independent of the hull paintwork, which has not been imitated to date, with a hint of iridescence between ivory and toothed beige. It remains unique in this class, as does the central staircase aft along the longitudinal axis over three decks and the extremely long sloping stern that simply won't stop.
The floor plan and room layout also appear unusual to this day. A patio in the style of Mediterranean courtyards with a circular, almost metre-long bulleye peephole into the pool through the inner wall opens up the top deck upwards to the sundeck with a curved companionway. During the day, a grating on the sundeck casts the sunlight down here.
And what has changed in the interior to please the charter clientele? Almost nothing. The Bannenberg interior with its beach house character from 1994 has been retained, you could say for eternity. Just as it was on display at the Monaco Yacht Show, "Coral Ocean Island" would have looked the same at the then still very modest Monaco 1994, if it had even been released for viewing back then. Bannenberg's son Dickie, who together with Simon Rowell has taken over the studio from the old master without any gaps, has once again looked at details here and there, presumably also to preserve the legacy, but this does not detract from the Made by Jon Bannenberg seal.
Unusual material and striking individual pieces on board the "Coral Ocean"
Changes to "Coral" were made to meet the requirements of the charter market, which in terms of safety go beyond the technical demands of a purely privately used yacht. A charter yacht requires additional effort.
But what stands out today? It's the curtains in front of the not-so-large windows of the superstructures, which seem to have fallen out of time. Today, designers work with blinds that darken the rooms via a smart mobile phone or pad. This feature may seem old-fashioned to some, but others call it cosy.
For the interior, Bannenberg did not rely exclusively on the effect of archaic-looking African sculptures; he favoured unusual materials and striking individual pieces of furniture design. Rough marble, brushed oak and shells are used to great effect in the large salon. Bannenberg used tree bark in the dining room. Hand-tufted new wool carpets with a pattern of breaking waves emphasise the beach house atmosphere in the guest cabins on the lower deck.
Refit is part of Lürssen's core business
The VIP suite on the upper deck welcomes important guests with birch panelling, oak parquet flooring and parchment coverings. Driftwood furniture creates a Crusoe ambience. In the second saloon on the upper deck, Indian elephant bridles catch the eye. Tables made of granite, driftwood and concrete centre seating groups. For his suite, the first owner chose the forward part of the top deck between the sundeck and the bridge. Here, feathers from Inca jewellery fascinate. A buffet quotes the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic with a collage of second-hand boards in Polynesian: beauty through simple imperfection, grace through flaws.
Refit is part of Lürssen's core business, which is hardly surprising given the number of yachts built in-house that call at the locations between Bremen and Wolgast. The maxim is that a yacht must be comparable to a new build after refit. The owners are grateful. 25 of the longest 100 yachts in the BOOTE EXCLUSIV rankings sail the seas with the logo from Vegesack. And the trend is still rising!
Technical data
- Length over everything:72,55 m
- Width: 13,04 m
- Depth:3,70 m
- Gross Tons: 1379 GT
- Material: Steel, aluminium
- Motor: 2 x CAT 3516
- Engine power: 2 x 2864 kW
- Speed (travelling): 17 kn
- Gearbox: Kamewa
- Control: Rolls-Royce
- Generator: 3 x CAT C9 200 kW
- Fuel: 157 000 l
- Range:6000 nm @ 11 kn
- Water:50 000 l
- Bow thruster: Jastram 165 kW
- Stabilisers:Quantum Zero Speed
- Styling:Jon Bannenberg
- Interior design: Jon Bannenberg Classification: 100 A1 LMC AMS
- Shipyard: Lürssen, 1994/2016
