The managing director of Turquoise Yachts, Mehmet Karabeyoglu, and the "Go" owner share a certain love of bold manoeuvres: Karabeyoglu opened his shipyard back in 1987 with the largest yacht produced in Turkey, which was also built without an owner - an absolute novelty at the time. No less impressive is the story of the "Go" owner, whose first yacht measures 77 metres. Both men also seem to share a preference for a very specific colour. But only a tour of the decks of "Go" reveals how similar the two gentlemen really are.
A race to the finish
"There was something about this customer that I liked from the moment he came to the shipyard," says shipyard CEO Karabeyoglu candidly. "The contract was finalised very quickly because he is a very determined man. It was a real race to the finish. But in just one and a half years, he got his first new superyacht and we delivered our biggest new build to date."
Turquoise Yachts had commissioned the creative experts at H2 Yacht Design to create a distinctive exterior styling to match the shipyard. Jonny Horsfield, founder and head of the design studio, explains from his London office: "After Mehmet's partner passed away and his shares were bought by Oceanco's owner Mohammed Al Barwani, the shipyard wanted to start with a new flagship. Go' is the seventh yacht we have worked on with Turquoise. Before that, we realised the 72-metre 'Vicky'. We took it as a basis and updated the look from there. We kept the design flexible enough so that the new owner could still personalise it."
Turquoise Yachts had already started building the 77-metre yacht before the "Go" owner entered into negotiations with the shipyard. "We always start a new build on speculation because it saves the future owner a lot of time," explains Karabeyoglu. "When 'Go's' owner finally signed the contract, the hull was already finished and we had started on the interior."
Visually connected decks
The aluminium superstructure of "Go" has contours that visually connect all deck levels and end in a curve at the waterline. While the yacht's curves give it a characteristic look, "Go" stands out most clearly from the crowd with its extravagant hull colour. "The yacht's design concept is based on water that is in motion - so turquoise tones also became a theme that is omnipresent in both the interior and exterior," explains Ruth Thomas, Head of Design of the English H2 team.
As bold as the hull colour may appear, it will camouflage the yacht perfectly on its planned voyages in the Mediterranean - and it provides a refreshing change from the white and blue monotony of the superyacht hulls. But the owner's personal touch went far beyond the choice of colour. "He wanted to make the decor even more opulent," explains Horsfield. "The ten tonnes of highly polished steel we had to add for the details he wanted required a structural rebuild of the yacht," adds Karabeyoglu.
"Flowing water and light" are the themes in the interior
In the saloon, the concept of moving water and the turquoise theme are accompanied by another of the yacht's features: a woven chevron pattern carved into the white carpet and etched into the mirrored ceiling. Large windows, shimmering Tanganyika veneer walls and cream-coloured upholstery pieces are accented by turquoise cushions. A moulded metal band, reminiscent of flowing water, runs around the large and airy room. Glass doors can be opened wide to connect the interior with the surroundings around the yacht. As the "Go" owner is a big sports fan, the shipyard installed numerous flat-screen TVs on all decks, including a 100-inch 4K screen from Sony, which provides media entertainment in front of a window in the main saloon.
At the front end of the lounge, a round dining table with a band of turquoise enamelled metal catches the eye. This eye-catching piece of furniture made by Solomon & Wu is a work of art that wants to be used. Polished Macassar ebony forms a strong contrast to the central table element made of white onyx. The table reflects the dizzying pattern of the chandelier hanging above it. "It took us weeks to install the chandelier because each rope-like pendant has its own light source," says Ruth Thomas. The floor in the dining area is made of white Thassos stone, which flatters bare feet thanks to underfloor heating.
500 kilograms of glass in the foyer
The main salon is without question a marvellous space that breathes the elegance and beauty of the entire yacht. However, the visual highlight of "Go" is in the foyer. Here, a sculpture by Dale Chihuly towers three decks above. "The owner wanted a Chihuly work - but it was a big challenge to install a blown glass sculpture of this size on board," reveals designer James Bermudez. "The sculpture weighs almost 500 kilograms and consists of about the same number of individually blown parts. To make sure the sculpture would fit and to decide where to place the rods that would prevent it from swinging, we built a scale model of the staircase in Chihuly's Seattle studio. We numbered and disassembled the individual parts and sent them back to Istanbul. It took days to unpack."
There is no better place for this work of art. Hanging it in the centre of the staircase brings Chihuly's work close enough to touch and makes climbing the stairs an experience. Of course, the Turquoise flagship also has a lift that connects all decks from the sun deck to the garage. But using it would mean missing out on the glass Chihuly show.
Art in the guest cabins too
The guest cabins are arranged symmetrically along a long corridor in front of the foyer, with the last two cabins combined to form a VIP suite with separate day and night areas. All guest suites have king-size beds and elegant details in shagreen leather and mother-of-pearl. The bathrooms have heated floors in turquoise Amazonite and white Thassos stone. The showers have been embellished with splashbacks by artist Alex Turco. One deck up, there is a large dining area in the stern, which flows seamlessly into a saloon with sofas, a bar and a games table.
The forward area of this deck is reserved for the owner. In addition to an office, the suite has dressing rooms and bathrooms for him and her, which - like the entire interior - were designed according to the owner's specifications and are dominated by turquoise onyx and two crystal washbasins. The sleeping area features a central bed with a view of a curved wall of windows overlooking the owner's private foredeck and spa pool. "I have the shipyard to thank for the fantastic views in this suite," says H2 Studio founder Jonny Horsfield. "I wanted exactly this view but didn't think the large expanses of curved glass fronts could be manufactured."
"As far as I know, these are the largest curved panes that have ever been installed on a yacht," says shipyard boss Karabeyoglu with delight. "The huge window front consists of just five chemically hardened panes of glass laminate. We installed the same arrangement on the bridge. And the complete package comes from Turkey."
Selective affinities in the owner segment
The bed and the oval console table behind it are decorated with elaborate leather details reminiscent of rugby balls, one of the owner's favourite sports. The TV sports fan particularly enjoys watching important matches of his favourite teams in his suite, with a large TV screen extending from a chest of drawers in front of his bed. He is happy to accept the fact that the TV then blocks the marvellous view. After all, you have to prioritise. And the cheering of his team should clearly drown out all other noises - during the test drives, the shipyard engineers' sound level meters only showed 38 decibels in the guest and owner's cabins.
Beach club in the aft ship area
Sport is on the programme on the bridge deck. A gym with plenty of headroom is cleverly integrated into the layout and encourages you to work up a sweat. "But the owner also likes to use the sun deck for parties," says designer Bermudez. "Televisions from Aqualite Outdoor provide sporty TV entertainment. Most of the furniture is free-standing and movable on the top deck so that the seating can be easily adapted to the size of the party." At the centre of every "Go" party, however, is the impressive five-metre pool, into which an impressive waterfall splashes.
A lift travels amidships from the sun deck to the tender garage. Here, the crew parks two Pascoe tenders (9.60 metre limo tender, 8.60 metre beach lander) by gantry crane through a 10.60 metre wide hatch opening, leaving the aft section of "Go" free for use as a beach club.
And what a club it is: owners and guests relax on 160 square metres close to the sea. The nine-metre-wide, floor-level mirror hatch and the seven-metre-wide side hatch that opens downwards are hydraulically opened and transformed into sun-drenched terraces. "The beach club was a real selling point and an area that the owner paid a lot of attention to," says Jonny Horsfield. With easy access to the water and excellent light and air circulation, the beach club also offers comforts such as a backlit bar in Onyx and Makassar and - of course - another 100-inch TV. There are also separate massage rooms and a hammam.
The crew has also been thought of
As a large yacht only works with an excellent crew, the owner has provided his 19-strong crew with spacious living areas and comfortable mess rooms on the tank deck and lower deck, both of which naturally include XXL televisions. The crew use a staircase, storage rooms and passageways that are separate from the owner's and guest areas, so that the stewardesses and deckhands cross the owner's path as little as possible.
With "Go", Turquoise Yachts has succeeded in skilfully showcasing itself and drawing attention to itself. "Designing and building 'Go' was a real challenge that we were happy to take on," says shipyard boss Karabeyoglu with a touch of understatement. "We love this kind of challenge, it's the only way we can show what great and complex projects we can realise." Taking on a tough challenge and overcoming it is also the hallmark of any true sportsman - this must be the quality that most unites the CEO of Turquoise Yachts and the owner of "Go".
Technical data
- Length over everything: 76,75 m
- Width:13,05 m
- Depth: 4,10 m
- Displacement (empty):1592 t
- Gross tonnage: 2008 GT
- Material: Steel, aluminium
- Motor:2 x CAT 3516C
- Engine power:2 x 1920 kW
- Speed (max.):18 kn
- Speed (travelling):14 kn
- Fuel: 160 000 l
- Range:5500 nm @ 12 kn
- Bridge:Marine Technologies
- Bow thruster:Brunvoll, 250 kW
- Stabiliser: Naiad 8.44 square metres Fins
- Air conditioning: Heinen & Hopman
- Galley:Electrolux, Bosch, Gaggenau
- Tender: Pascoe, 9.60 m Limo, 8.60 m Beachlander
- Exterior styling:H2 Yacht Design
- Interior design: H2 Yacht Design
- Construction: Turquoise Yachts
- Classification: Lloyd's Register
- Shipyard: Turquoise Yachts, 2018
This article appeared in BOOTE Exclusiv issue 02/2019 and was revised by the editorial team in July 2023.
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