If there were a Guinness Book of Yachting Records, "Victorious" would be guaranteed a place in it. The entry would have to read: Yacht that has travelled the most nautical miles on its own keel, but without its own propulsion. It travelled 37,000, which corresponds to a distance of one and a half times around the equator. The steel hull was laid down by a shipyard in Chile in 2006 as the 77 metre long "Gin Tonic II". When the owner ran into difficult financial waters, the New Zealand entrepreneur Graeme Hart took over in the middle construction stage and had the metal construction moved to his home country. After two years, Hart lost interest and decided to leave, "Ulysses" to build.
Hulls that fall into a deep sleep due to unforeseen financial misery are nothing unusual in yachting. And what happened now was also one of these curiosities, which is no exception in an industry characterised by drive. In 2016, the Fraser brokerage house found a new owner from Turkey, the country's most successful car hire entrepreneur: Vural Ak. He spent more than six months looking for a suitable shipyard that could complete his Explorer. To no avail. So he set up his own building site with Akyacht and organised a tow from Auckland to Izmit. An hour's drive from Istanbul, two air-conditioned halls with their own joinery and upholstery shop were built.
The highlights of the "Victorious":
The 50-year-old Ak has already owned several yachts, but is first and foremost a car enthusiast and collector (including 22 identical Porsche GT3s), off-road champion and operator of the Istanbul Park Circuit race track. This was also made clear by the metallic blue Bentley Continental, which basked in the sun on the 8.20 metre diameter helipad of the bow during the Monaco Yacht Show. When Formula 1 returned to Turkey in 2020 after nine years and the new asphalt did not have the necessary grip, Vural Ak had several vehicles from his fleet of 45,000 hire cars drive off the bitumen layer.
Exterior modifications and new interior design
At the eastern end of the Sea of Marmara, his 37,000-nautical-mile explorer project, now christened "Victorious", grew to 85 metres thanks to a bowsprit and a six-metre stern extension for the indoor pool in the beach club. Akyacht slightly altered the hull lines of Michael Leach Design and the steel superstructure and transformed the commercial finish into a finely smoothed superyacht finish. A separate team of engineers added a deck, the only one made of aluminium like the bulwarks. Although elements of the originally planned interior fittings travelled in containers, Ak opted for a new interior from H2 Yacht Design for the 1,316 square metre guest areas at short notice, creating a link to interim owner Graeme Hart. He also had his two "Ulysses" explorers designed by Jonny Horsfield and his team.
"Victorious" was designed as a family retreat, explains Akyachts project manager Kıvanç Nart on the main deck corridor, from which four double cabins lead off to the side and a VIP suite at the front. The middle lower deck has accommodation options for eight additional guests, some of which were started in New Zealand and are reserved for the crew during charter operations. Thanks to five Pullman beds, up to 13 people can sleep here alone. Plaques on each door bear the names of famous Formula 1 circuits. Naturally, the master suite on the aft bridge deck is named after Aks Istanbul Park Circuit. This is a particularly good example of how precisely Akyacht's carpenters realised H2 Design's specifications. There is anigré veneer on the walls, ebony on the built-in furniture and light oak on the floor, as well as teak as a room divider or ceiling element in an airy moulding design. Suspended ceilings are mostly cream-coloured and provide indirect lighting. The bathrooms add silver travertine stone and Calacatta marble to the mix of materials and, at the owner's request, the fittings comply with the American National Standard.
The owner and his wife share 85 square metres, which corresponds to the size of the bridge and the captain's cabin and is therefore rather reduced. There are two cabins for the twin sons in between. The boys are also quite happy on board; on the main deck, they use the raised cinema on the starboard side for gaming or pass the time in an oversized playroom at the front of the tender aft deck.
Humidor, real wood fireplace and wine and whiskey cabinet
It is quite possible that the design process took its course from the top deck downwards, top-down so to speak - in other words, it can be assumed that the head of the family gave his favourite room on board priority in the planning. Where there are usually airy sun decks with relaxation and tanning facilities, Vural Ak wanted a gentlemen's club covering 143 square metres. Although it dispenses with Chesterfield armchairs in favour of a crescent-shaped leather suite, it is generously lined with ebony and features black marble worktops.
The specifications included a bar, humidor, wine and whiskey cabinet and two full-height jukeboxes modelled on historical cinema sound systems. "They were handmade by a close friend of Mr Ak, an acoustics engineer," says project manager Nart, explaining the safety precautions required for the central real wood fireplace clad in white marble: a separate air conditioning system, a system to control the exhaust air temperature, carbon monoxide detectors and a CO2 fire extinguishing system. The storage area for the wood has connected crew access. Nart emphasises: "The owner loves fireplaces, he has them everywhere on land, even in his office." The ambience up here is cosy and relaxed, yet elegantly maritime. Most of the windows of the front oval can be opened for the winning cigar, or the aft cockpit can be used.
Tender fleet above, glamorous beach club below
The 232 square metres of the entire upper deck are used for social events. The contemporary style, characterised by light oak, appeals to many tastes and is extremely charter-compatible. The interior begins aft with the saloon, a small lounge - with bar -, dining room and conference room and observation lounge with piano. Outside, there is a spa pool at the aft end, in front of which is a long table for 16 people, heated by 14 spotlights in the ceiling.
All levels, except for the top deck, are connected by a lift, each with access for crew and guests. A beach club awaits them on the lower deck, which is rather unusual for an explorer: with a spa including a hammam, massage room and relaxation zones and, behind the lazarette, a six by three metre pool with a counter-current system and a depth of 1.20 metres. Project manager Kıvanç Nart points out that the space is suitable for parties: "Six loudspeakers and three subwoofers in the ceiling fill the room with sound." The two hull hatches, which benefit the gym on the port side and the combined hairdressing/beauty salon on the starboard side, have the same dimensions as the pool.
All areas of the beach club add up to a total area of 200 square metres, as tenders comme il faut for this type of yacht lie on the aft deck and are moved by two seven-tonne cranes. The largest berth is occupied by a 12.80 metre long aluminium catamaran built by Akyacht and used as a saloon. The 11.50 metre centre console from Fountain, with its three 224 kilowatt outboards, is entirely in keeping with the performance tastes of the "Victorious" owner. Another 6.10 metre wakeboard boat (Mastercraft Pro Series 190) promises family fun. With three Sea-Doos, two jetboards, two e-foilers and various surfing and diving equipment, water sports enthusiasts will have plenty to do during their week-long stay, for which Burgess charges 800,000 euros.
The challenge: adapting existing systems to the new requirements
Akyacht was faced with the challenge of adapting installed on-board systems or existing requirements to the latest technical standards. The Turkish engineers placed two additional generators on the lower deck in front of the beauty parlour and behind the engine control room. The tank deck is spread over two levels. The reason: the draught is an impressive 4.74 metres and is a consequence of the displacement of 2164 tonnes, which in turn results from the solid construction including the steel superstructure. The 85-metre explorer carries seven tonnes of oil and 160 tonnes of water ballast alone. Two Caterpillar twelve-cylinder engines, each with an output of 1100 kilowatts, operate on the upper level of the tank deck.
With 264,330 litres of diesel freshly stored underneath, "Victorious" would now be able to cover the 10,000 nautical miles from the original construction site in Chile to Istanbul under its own power and non-stop. And at a constant speed of ten knots, it would also be able to travel from the Bosporus to Monaco and back. The shipyard then states fuel consumption at 240 litres per hour; at a top speed of 16.5 knots, almost 600 litres of diesel flow through the fuel lines every hour. Generous storage options are intended to guarantee six months of autonomy. Kıvanç Nart informs us that owner Vural Ak requested an additional pair of stabilisers. The front pair of Quantum fins can be partially retracted, and both roll and pitch eliminators support zero-speed positioning.
Akyacht expands and hopes for large orders
Despite his remarkably personal commitment, Vural Ak is looking to sell at the time of our visit. He is asking 125 million euros for "Victorious", which at just over 2291 gross tonnes offers slightly less volume than classic white yachts of comparable length and current design. The 85-metre Lürssen "Solandge", for example, comes in at 2900 gross tons. In return, you get a genuine explorer with a raised bow and an unobstructed but full aft deck. Since the keel was laid over 15 years ago, the yacht has been certified to LY2, which means a maximum of 24 beds plus five Pullman berths for private use. In charter mode, there are up to twelve guests and 26 crew members on board.
Anyone who has their own shipyard, which is well booked for refits, will certainly want to use it for its actual purpose and build a "real" new building there. Two additional 120 metre halls are already being planned. Perhaps Vural Ak will surprise us in the next few years with a new entry in the Guinness Book of Yachting Records. "As project manager, I really hope so," concludes project manager Kıvanç Nart at the end of the "Victorious" tour. This could then become the first gigayacht built in Turkey.
Technical data "Victorious"
- Length over everything: 85,00 m
- LWL: 73,10 m
- Width: 14,20 m
- Depth: 4,74 m
- Displacement (empty): 2164 t
- Gross tonnage: 2291 GT
- Material: Steel, aluminium
- Motors: 2 x Caterpillar 3152B
- Engine power: 2 x 1100 kW
- Speed (max.): 16.5 kn
- Speed (travelling): 12.5 kn
- Range at 10 knots: 13000 sm
- Consumption at 10 kn: 240 l/h
- Fuel: 264330 l
- Navigation: Simrad, Furuno
- Exterior design: Michael Leach, Akyacht
- Interior design: H2 Yacht Design, Akyacht
- Class: Lloyd's Register, LY2
- Shipyard: Akyacht, 2021
- Broker: Burgess
- Price: 125 million euros
This article first appeared in our sister magazine BOATS EXCLUSIVE
