WebreaderShopNewsletter

VSYStar of the sea

Martin Hager

 · 01.07.2013

VSY: Star of the seaPhoto: Martin Hager
Star of the sea | it
With "Stella Maris", the VSY shipyard has amazed the yachting world. The Italians installed 250 square metres of glass on the voluminous 72-metre displacer, which stands out thanks to numerous special solutions. We went on board the Espen Øino design for a full day of cruising.
boote/exclusiv/M3544588Photo: Martin Hager

Out in the bay off Portovenere, "Stella Maris" is waiting for me. Even from a distance, her genes are clearly recognisable. While I wait for the shuttle boat to arrive at the Porto Lotti marina, I have plenty of time to take in the exterior. The striking and angularly styled displacer with the wide, flat bow is unmistakably the work of yacht designer Espen Øino, who once celebrated his breakthrough with the visually related Lürssen design "Skat" and was also responsible for the VSY newbuilds "RoMa" and "Candyscape II". "I had complete creative freedom," says the Monegasque by choice, describing the design process for the exceptional yacht. "The owner wanted a yacht with a villa-like character that would offer maximum comfort regardless of the climate and weather."
The surprise of the day awaits after a short crossing in the pilot boat on the large bathing platform. "It's great that you can join us on today's test drives," Captain Alberto Neri greets me. "I hope you've brought plenty of time with you, there are a number of sound and vibration measurements on the programme today, and we certainly won't be back in the port of La Spezia before 7 pm."

"Stella Maris" in the bay of La Spezia.
Photo: Martin Hager


The fact that many test runs are scheduled for this day is reflected in the enormous number of technicians on board and the tight schedule. As soon as I step onto the bridge, "Stella Maris" moves out of the bay of Portovenere and sets course for Genoa. VSY hired the US company J&A Enterprises to carry out the noise measurements, sending one of its most experienced engineers, Darrell Milburn, to Italy. Together with a colleague and various highly sensitive instruments, he moves from cabin to cabin to measure the volume and vibrations at certain engine speeds.


Lorenzo Cerulli, Sales & After Sales Manager at VSY and my companion for the day, takes it easy. We slowly work our way through the interior designed by Michela Reverberi. The volume of the 72-metre displacer is enormous. "With a gross tonnage of 2114 GT, the 'Stella Maris' offers almost as much interior space as some much longer yachts," explains Lorenzo proudly. Expressed in other figures, this means that the owner and his guests on board have 1154 square metres of living space at their disposal, 628 of which are in the interior.

The full story can be found in BOOTE EXCLUSIV 4/13.

Share article:
Martin Hager

Martin Hager

Editor in Chief YACHT

Martin Hager is editor-in-chief of the titles YACHT and BOOTE EXCLUSIV and has been working for Delius Klasing Verlag for 20 years. He was born in Heidelberg in 1978 and started sailing at the age of six, in an Opti of course. This was soon followed by 420s, Sprinta Sport and 470s, which he also sailed on the regatta course with his brother. His parents regularly took him on charter trips through the Greek and Balearic Islands. Even at a young age, it was clear to him that he wanted to turn his passion for water sports into a career. After graduating from high school and completing an internship at the Rathje boatbuilding company in Kiel, it was clear that he did not want to become a classic boatbuilder. Instead, he successfully studied shipbuilding and marine engineering in the Schleswig-Holstein state capital and focused on yacht design wherever he could. His diploma thesis dealt with the “Testing of a new speed prediction method for sailing yachts”. In 2004, the superyacht magazine BOOTE EXCLUSIV was looking for an editor with technical and nautical background knowledge, a position that was perfect for Martin Hager. The application was successful and a two-year traineeship was arranged. After twelve years as an editor, the editorial team changed and he took over responsibility for BOOTE EXCLUSIV as editor-in-chief in 2017. After long-time YACHT editor-in-chief Jochen Rieker moved to the role of publisher, Martin Hager also took over the position of editor-in-chief of Europe's largest sailing magazine YACHT, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, at the beginning of 2023. When he's not working on topics for the two water sports titles, Martin Hager likes to go out on the water himself - preferably with kite and wingfoil equipment or on a little after-work trip across the Alster.

Home

Most read in category Boats