This upgrade can certainly be described as veritable. The owner treated himself to 22 metres more by switching from the 63-metre-long "Polar Star" (ex-"Northern Star") to "Solandge". While he bought "Polar Star" second-hand, "Solandge" is a new build from the Lürssen site in Rendsburg, where the yacht was built under the project name "Niki".
After her first trip to the Caribbean, Captain Brett Fillis has now set anchor in a prominent position off Monaco. Sylke auf dem Graben from Lürssen Yachts, owner's representative Richard Masters, exterior designer Kristian Pascoli from Espen Øino International and Robert Voges from Dölker +Voges are waiting on board. Together with the American designer Aileen Rodriguez, Dölker + Voges developed the interior, with Rodriguez taking on the creative part and the Hamburg-based company the architectural part. The result is an almost eclectic melange with a variety of materials. There are 35 types of stone alone, and woods with unusual names such as "Madrone Burl Pippi" or "Vavona Redwood Cluster Burl". "The yacht," explains Voges, "has influences from all over the world."
But first things first. The journey with the fjord tender from Port Hercule does not take long, but nevertheless gives a good impression of the exterior. "Solandge" is excellently painted in white and dark blue - the owner's favourite colour - and it's not just the hull that shimmers darkly. Kristian Pascoli and Espen Øino also gave part of the superstructure a blue look, giving the voluminous "Solandge" (85 x 13.80 m) a more interesting and sporty appearance.
The spacious aft outdoor areas and four balconies, two on each side, which were created by bulging the structure, are also striking. The lower two belong to the owner's suite, the upper two to the bridge. Captain Brett Fillis will later expressly praise his outside helm stations, which are located on his balconies; positioned almost amidships, he would not want to be without them when manoeuvring.
As usual, the entrance to the yacht is formed by the spacious bathing platform, into which the owner had a Lürssen development integrated, such as the 86 metre long "Quattroelle" (issue 5/13): a staircase folds out of the platform upside down and lowers into the depths with a precisely timed automatic mechanism to allow the owner and guests to enter comfortably.
From the very bottom, we now go to the very top: Captain Fillis leads us to the top deck, which the Lürssen brochure for "Solandge" appropriately calls a nightclub: Under the hardtop is a huge U-shaped bar with 14 seats, aft a chill-out tent à la Nikki Beach and in the bow area a jacuzzi that can be transformed into a dance floor if required.
The dance floor is supported by eight stainless steel poles and then "floats" above the whirlpool. The right sound is provided by a Dolby surround sound system and a DJ console, the design of which would also suffice for large discotheques. If, on the other hand, guests want to relax, the crew can set up a six square metre screen in front of the jacuzzi, onto which a beamer mounted above the DJ booth projects the desired entertainment. If the weather is bad, there is also an indoor cinema located at the very bottom of the tank deck - where the so-called "Tree of Life", which we will talk about later, begins.
One deck below, the yacht offers the next highlights for which many charter guests (weekly price: approx. 1 million euros) will love her: Firstly, there is the infinity pool, which is around six metres long and two metres
metres long and two metres wide, which offers an unobstructed view of the sea through a glass pane; a counter-current system allows you to swim several "laps" here. More sophisticated workout options are offered by the seven-station gym just a few steps away - the treadmill and cross trainer also offer a view out to sea.
And then Brett Fillis presents what many yacht designers and sales managers have been predicting for years: spa areas are becoming increasingly important on board.
A trend in which "Solandge" is at the forefront. Her spa may even be the largest in the world on a yacht up to 90 metres in length. The sauna on the starboard side can accommodate up to eight guests, while the hammam can accommodate up to six. The wellness ensemble also includes a room for aromatherapy baths, a massage room with a massage table and a small hairdressing salon. The owner also had a clever feature installed between the hammam and the aroma bath: A ten-litre basin with crushed ice, which fills up again immediately after use at the touch of a button, is available for cooling down after a sauna session. Together with the gym, the spa area takes up around half of the bridge deck. All that lies ahead is the captain's realm and, of course, the staircase, in which the treetop of the aforementioned "Tree of Life" now shines out towards us. This sculpture, which extends in the stairwell from the tank deck to the bridge deck, is around 16 metres high and has 1200 points of light symbolising raindrops, which are intended to make the glass flowers installed on the tree "blossom". The trunk and branches of the "Tree of Life" are made of gold-coloured composite, with a solid steel rod inside - a special but impressive feature that was developed in California and installed in several stages. It accompanies us to the owner's deck, where the owner and his suite occupy around 50 per cent of the interior space. A small lobby is followed by a private corridor with the owner's wife's bathroom to the left. Here, shades of pink, THG fittings and mirrored cabinets shine in the various areas that a woman needs: Dressing room, dressing table, wash area, WC, shower and bathtub. In the same area, directly opposite to starboard, the owner himself has his blue and white bathroom and a separate office ...
Forward, the couple sleeps in a generously glazed semi-rotunda with access to a private terrace with jacuzzi and balconies installed at the sides. A crystal chandelier measuring perhaps 1.5 square metres hangs above the centrally positioned bed, which - like almost all of the furniture on "Solandge" - is custom-made.
"The owner," says interior stylist Aileen Rodriguez from Fort Lauderdale, "wanted a very special yacht with an abundance of elaborate finesse." Rodriguez, who already knew the owner from previous projects, met with him about every six weeks. Working together with Dölker + Voges, the interior designers from Sinnex and Vedder then realised the ideas in the owner's suite, saloon, bridge, guest cabins, staircase and spa area.
The attention to detail is also evident in the Main Salon, which is surprising at first glance because the dining table is positioned lengthways in the centre of the room and not at the head of the salon as is usually the case. There is room for twelve guests under three Schonbek chandeliers, who are catered for by three chefs at star level. The aperitif is served at the bar on the starboard side, from where the view falls on two backlit amethyst panels and two display cabinets in which Murano glass musical instruments gleam. "The owner brought the instruments in very early on," explains Robert Voges. "They absolutely had to be on board, the display cases are customised."
While the owner has to climb or travel up one floor after dinner, his guests can reach their cabins on the main deck. Four of them are the same size and only decorated in different colours (blue, violet, copper, gold and green); two or three other accommodations are arranged in different ways.
Right at the beginning of the guest corridor, the owner had an office installed where the crew can pull out the sofa bed if required, and there is an en-suite bathroom anyway. The VIP suites at the very front are similar. They are either used individually or together across the entire width of the yacht - a flexible partition wall makes it possible. Thanks to their location on the main deck, all cabins benefit from plenty of daylight, which enters through three 160 x 50 centimetre windows.
One deck below, in the crew area, the cabins and windows are somewhat smaller, but are still well dimensioned so that the crew of 29 can feel comfortable on board. Aft on the lower deck, Lürssen has installed a spacious garage for ten-metre-long tenders and numerous toys as well as an excellently designed and finished engine room on two levels. At the centre are two Caterpillar engines, each with 2000 kilowatts of power, which propel "Solandge" up to 17 knots and allow her to travel 6000 nautical miles at twelve knots.
