She is one of the most famous yachts in the world and one of Tim Heywood's timeless masterpieces. The designer and Peter Lürssen take an exclusive look back at the creation of the "Pelorus". But her chequered history, including long stays in Germany, remains without a happy ending, at least for the time being.
The story of "Pelorus" begins with another yacht and a look back to 1994: Lürssen delivered the current "Coral Ocean" under the name "Coral Island" with a length of 72 metres, which was remarkable at the time. Jon Bannenberg, for whom Tim Heywood worked for two decades before setting up his own business in 1996, was responsible for her striking exterior.
The following year, the then 47-year-old designer was contacted by the owner of the "Coral Island", Saudi Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh. He was asked to find a solution for additional accommodation on board. "I submitted various proposals to him and was delighted that he commissioned me to design a new 100-metre building," recalls Tim Heywood. "The most difficult aspect was the freedom he gave me and at the same time the mandate to do my best." Portrait Tim Heywood
115 metre design without fashionable gimmicks
So the London-based industrial designer set to work to create a benchmark design and establish his place in the industry, having just founded his own company. He created "Pelorus" and is as proud today as he was then of "her originality, a low, graceful design with full attention to every detail - be it hull, superstructure or layout". Even today, more than a quarter of a century later and after yacht icons such as "Al Mirqab", "Topaz" and "Maya Queen IV", Tim Heywood is still very satisfied with the design, which ended up being 15 metres longer, and its implementation: "I enjoyed the project every day. It was a remarkable collaboration with Terence Disdale and Lürssen. I have realised several more projects with both of them."
And looking back, what would he change about the conformation lines of "Pelorus"? Nothing! "From my point of view, she still doesn't need any changes or upgrades," says Heywood, "the 'secret' of timelessness for me is to create a unique design without fashionable details or gimmicks. After all, a yacht of this calibre could still be sailing the oceans in 100 years' time." Various customers requested a similar format from him.
"I always told them that I could only use 'Pelorus' as a starting point, but that each of my designs had to be unique." One of the interested parties was Heidi Horten, who saw the design and was immediately certain: "That's what I want!" She thus laid the foundation stone for "Carinthia VII", which Lürssen completed in Bremen in 2002, while "Pelorus" was built at the Kröger shipyard in Schacht-Audorf only a few months later due to its size.
The tender makes room for a dance floor
"The delivery of 'Pelorus' in 2003 was a milestone for Lürssen. Alongside 'Al Salamah', it was our largest yacht at the time and at the same time demonstrated our innovative strength and engineering skills," summarises Peter Lürssen, adding: "Together with Tim Heywood's exterior lines, we created a yacht that set new standards. Even today, more than two decades later, it still stands for the pioneering spirit and quality philosophy that characterise Lürssen to this day." Many of the innovations of that time were subsequently adapted and in some cases even became the standard in modern yacht building.
Four tenders, including an eleven-metre limousine designed by Tim Heywood and Sam Sorgiovanni and built by Vikal in Perth, were waiting aft on the main deck behind huge double doors. Launched into the water, the area was transformed into a dance floor with a DJ booth, party lights and a disco ball. More recent images, on the other hand, locate these together with displays integrated into the floor in the saloon on the upper deck. An integrated beach club and folding terraces are now almost indispensable.
Fossilised tree trunks for the interior
The experience of being at one with the sea was unheard of before "Pelorus". In keeping with this, the beach house interior by Terence Disdale exuded a beach ambience that was unusual in this era thanks to natural materials and exotic textures. The inspiration for this came from the 1998 Feadship "Sussurro", for which Disdale had realised a similar concept. For "Pelorus", he collected inspiration and materials from all over the world, especially Asia: bronze, nickel and pewter accents, antique hemp mats from China for wall panelling, fossilised tree trunks from Malaysia and Balinese driftwood for tables, banana leaves as ceiling panelling and oak planks for the floors. Although these were artificially aged, they contributed to the (actual) timelessness of the interior.
While the Saudi sheikh used his yacht intensively in the first few months, it was already being offered for sale away from the public eye. There were reportedly several interested parties, but in the end Roman Abramovich purchased the almost new Lürssen for around 300 million US dollars. That same year, 2004, "Pelorus" moored at Blohm+Voss in Hamburg. During the following six months, four zero-speed stabilisers and a second helipad were installed above the bridge, including access to the owner's deck.
Football stars on board the "Pelorus"
After the conversions, the yacht moved to the Mediterranean. As the owner of Chelsea FC, Abramovich invited his football stars and gave them the yacht for their honeymoon. By the summer of 2006 at the latest, "Pelorus" itself had become a media star. The owner had her moored in Lübeck harbour for several weeks in order to fly from there by helicopter and jet to the World Cup venues. She returned to Blohm+Voss in 2008.
The next chapter in the "Pelorus" story was the transfer to his ex-wife in 2009 as part of the divorce settlement. In May 2011, music manager David Geffen acquired the yacht for another 300 million dollars and sold it a few months later to the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for a reported 214 million euros. The last sale to date took place in 2016 to property billionaire Samuel Tak Lee from Hong Kong, or rather to one of his sons.
Shortly afterwards, the crew of more than 40 headed for the Peters shipyard. As part of the refit, which was completed in 2017, Mark Berryman redesigned parts of the Disdale interior. As if that wasn't enough, there were and are further plans for modifications, such as a larger pool on one of the main decks aft. These plans have been circulating for years among various brokers who would like to broker "Pelorus".
Yacht spotters love them as a photo motif
According to reports, the Lee family has not been on board for years and appears to have lost interest in the yacht. For some time now, there has only been a small regular crew on board, whose professionalism has been questioned by some observers. There are reports of trouble and crew parties. The last stay of "Pelorus" in Germany was correspondingly adventurous.
Another refit was planned at the Peters shipyard from spring 2022, with more than just the old outer decks on the agenda. This was recognised by yacht spotters, who from then on appreciated "Pelorus" as a photo motif. However, apart from some maintenance work - also to maintain the class - and inspections by brokers and interested parties, not much happened.
Industry insiders speculated whether the owner had also lost his appetite for yachting and whether Wewelsfleth was only intended to serve as a cheap mooring. Over time, the 115-metre displacement yacht became a real problem case, and due to other large refit projects such as "Al Mirqab", it became too crowded on the Stör. It was not due to the Peters shipyard that "Pelorus" left the Eastern Mediterranean in July 2024 almost without having achieved anything. According to the sales documents, maintenance work and a major survey were recently carried out. However, a major refit is now considered unavoidable, and in view of this, the asking price of 160 million euros, which has remained unchanged for a long time, seems excessive. It remains exciting for the icon.
Technical data "Pelorus"
- Overall length: 115.00 m
- Width: 18.30 m
- Draught: 4.66 m
- Gross tonnage: 5,403 GT
- Material: steel/aluminium
- Motors: 2 x Wärtsilä 12V26
- Engine power: 2 x 3,898 kW
- Speed (max.): 20 kn
- Speed (voyage): 17 kn
- Range @ 16 kn: 6,000 nm
- Fuel: 395,000 litres
- Water: 151,200 litres
- Guests: 24
- Crew: 46
- Construction: Lürssen Yachts
- Exterior design: Tim Heywood
- Interior design: Terence Disdale
- Class: DNV-GL, ABS
- Shipyard: Lürssen, 2003
- Price: 160 million euros
- Broker: SuperYachtsMonaco
