Many hundreds of guests flocked to the construction hall of "Galactica Super Nova" shortly before the christening of the impressive semi-glider, which was built over the last 30 months as the "Kometa" project in the largest dry dock to date at the renowned large yacht shipyard. In addition to the owner and his family, friends from the large yacht shipyards and representatives from numerous suppliers, a large part of the Heesen workforce also took the opportunity to attend the ceremony. Even Heesen doesn't christen a flagship every day.
Almost 30 months passed between the initial discussions and the completion of the power format, which was welded from aluminium in accordance with ABS and LY3 regulations. The similarity between "Galactica Super Nova" and the 65-metre Heesen build "Galactica Star", which was launched in 2013, cannot be denied and is no coincidence. Shortly after delivery, the owners were already looking for a yacht with more space but just as much power.
Hardly anything was to change in the exterior concept, but the designers were looking for new experiences. The striking, sporty exterior was created on the computers of Espen Øino, while the owners engaged the Dutch design team led by Sander Sinot for the bright and timeless interior. The detailed interior décor was realised by the Monegasque company Sabrina Monte Carlo. The hydrodynamics experts at Van Oossanen Naval Architects, who are closely associated with Heesen, were responsible for the development and optimisation of the hull form, known as the Fast Displacement Hull Form.
In the engine compartment of the mt 1200 Gross Ton's rather voluminous four-deckers are two MTU twenty-cylinder 4000 series engines, each with 4300 kilowatts of power, which work on two Schaffran fixed-pitch propellers (diameter 2.0 metres). In order to reach the top speed of just under 30 knots, the captain has an additional MTU engine with 16 cylinders and 3440 kilowatts of power at his disposal, which supplies a Rolls Royce booster jet.
According to calculations by the Heesen engineers, "Galactica Super Nova" will travel a maximum of 4000 nautical miles at a speed of twelve knots with a maximum of 89,000 litres in the diesel bunker.
In addition to a variety of tenders and toys, the large pool on the aft main deck is one of the outstanding extras of the new Heesen flagship. A Jacuzzi area and a counter-current system are integrated into the pool, while a waterfall pours into the pool from the upper deck at the touch of a button. Long glass panels are integrated into the pool floor so that the beach club one deck below is supplied with plenty of daylight. The foredeck has several functions: it serves as a touch & go helipad, as a sun deck when at anchor and as an open-air cinema on warm summer evenings.
The last sea trials on the North Sea are due in a few weeks, and the owner will take delivery of his "Galactica Super Nova" in May. The maiden voyage will be to Montenegro.
Martin Hager
Editor in Chief YACHT
