to boldly o

G OT O B O L D LY

PHOTOGRAPHY Gui l laume Pl isson

Turquoise Yachts’ new 252ft flagship shows off all of the Turkish yard’s skill and craft, says Clare Mahon

– and a rather special hull color

Even by the standards of superyacht owners, this man was particularly bold and decisive – two values the shipyard head appreciates.

Karabeyoglu inaugurated his shipyard in 1997 by starting a 160 footer on spec; it was the largest yacht construction in Turkey at the time. “The contract [for GO] was all very quick because he’s a very [decisive] man. And here we are, just a year and a half later, with a brand new superyacht and our largest launch to date,” he says. As for the owner, building a 250 footer as your first yacht is one seriously bold stroke.

Turquoise had already begun building what would become its new flagship before the owner stepped in. “We always [begin] on spec because it saves owners so much time,” says Karabeyoglu.

The yard hired London-based H2 Yacht Design to draw a distinctive yacht with Turquoise DNA. “After Mehmet’s partner passed away and his shares were bought by Oceanco owner Mohammed Al Barwani, the yard was looking to relaunch with a new flagship,” says Jonny

Horsfield, H2’s co-founder. “GO is the seventh yacht that we have collaborated with Turquoise on, the most recent being the 72 meter Vicky. That was our starting point and from there we updated the look, keeping the design flexible enough so that a new owner could really put a personal stamp on it.”

GO’s aluminum superstructure has sculptural curves that sweep down through the decks and end in an arch that plunges to the waterline. But noteworthy as these are, GO will most likely be remembered for her hull color: a show-stopping shade called Island Turquoise. “The turquoise is a theme that’s carried through the yacht,” says Ruth Thomas from H2. “The design concept of the yacht is based on water in motion, so shades of turquoise made sense.”

While moving water is the concept and turquoise is the theme, another element is repeated all over the yacht: a chevron-meets-basket-weave pattern that turns up carved into carpet pile or etched into the mirrored ceiling of the main salon.

“When the owner bought the yacht,” says Horsfield, “he kept the general

Opposite page: GO’s hull color is the aptly named Island Turquoise. “We build our own hulls and are very hands-on in engineering and naval architecture,” says

Turquoise Yachts’ CEO Mehmet Karabeyoglu. The engine room, left, is a tribute to the yard’s expertise

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“ T H E R E WA S S O M E T H I N G A B O U T G O ’ S O W N E R T H AT I U N D E R S T O O D F R O M T H E M O M E N T H E WA L K E D I N T O T H E S H I P YA R D ,” S AY S M E H M E T K A R A B E YO G L U , T U R Q U O I S E YAC H T S ’ C E O .

arrangement plan but decided to up the ante on the décor and make it more lush. We only had three months to do the redesign.” Karabeyoglu says that “we added 10 tons of mirror-polished steel for the interior details and inlays that he wanted, so much weight that it required re-engineering the yacht.”

In the salon, white carpet, leather-covered walls and Tanganyika veneer are topped with sculpted metal bands that recall flowing water. The windows are so many and so large that the owner, a sports fan, had no qualms about placing a 100 inch Sony flat-screen TV in front of one.

The main dining area is a compendium of the yacht’s decorative themes: the chevron in the flooring is in stainless steel

strips that contrast with white Thassos stone; the circular dining table is edged by a band of turquoise enameled metal by Solomon & Wu, contrasting with a band of polished macassar ebony, which in turn contrasts with a central element in white onyx; and the table’s shiny surfaces reflect the dizzying pattern of a chandelier made up of short ropes of glass. “It took us weeks to install the chandelier because every pendant has its own LED source,” says Thomas. “We had the same company, Lasvit, make the wall sconces.”

But all this is just preamble for the

Guests on the sundeck will enjoy what the owner considers to be the “party deck.” A waterfall coming from the mast feeds a 16ft spa pool. Details, such as pillows on the exterior deck spaces, pick up the hull’s turquoise color

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“T h i s i s n o t w h a t yo u’d c a l l a

p l a i n va n i l l a ya c h t . N o t t o b u i l d ,

n o r t o d e s i g n . B u t we l i ke t o

s h ow t h e wo r l d w h a t we c a n d o”

Dale Chihuly sculpture that hangs at the center of the foyer staircase: three decks of blue-green blown glass that looks like a magnificent conglomerate of paramecia or a coral reef crustacean that you don’t want to step on barefoot. In fact, Chihuly calls the nearly 500 pieces that make up this giant work “icicles.”

“To be sure that the sculptures fit – they aren’t technically chandeliers because they are not lit from within – and to decide where to place the thin steel rods that keep it from swaying, we built a full-scale model of the staircase at Chihuly’s studio in Seattle,” says H2’s James Bermudez. Chihuly’s own glass engineers prepared the custom stabilization each piece required for its unique installation. “We then numbered the pieces and shipped them to Istanbul. Just unpacking them took days.” It was worth the effort: hanging the sculpture in the stairwell brings Chihuly’s work close enough to touch and transforms walking up stairs into a truly memorable experience.

GO’s seven guest cabins feature king-sized beds and décor in tones that vary from suite to suite. Thanks to a door at the end of the long and wide hallway the final two cabins can be used as a larger suite with separate day and night spaces. The en-suite guest baths all have heated floors in turquoise Amazonite and white Thassos stone and all of the guest showers

are backed with eye-catching splash walls by Italian artist Alex Turco.

The owner’s suite on the upper deck has some notable glasswork in the shape of huge curved glass windows that are punctuated by thin mullions covered in beveled mirrors. “I have to credit Turquoise for the fabulous view in this suite,” says Horsfield. “At first, our design was busy, with too many mullions. I wanted the view but didn’t think that curved glass this large could be manufactured.”

“These are among the largest pieces of laminated, chemically hardened, curved glass that have ever been mounted on a yacht,” Karabeyoglu points out. “Just five panes to make this whole sweep, the same arrangement on the bridge. And all of this is made in Turkey.”

The centrally placed bed and oval console table behind it both feature stitched leather detailing designed to recall rugby balls, one of the owner’s favorite sports. The view from the suite over the owner’s private foredeck and beyond is fabulous – but still faces stiff competition on game nights from a large flat-screen TV concealed in a cabinet in front of the central window. Cheering for the owner’s team will be by far the loudest sound thanks to Turquoise’s engine installation: just 38 decibels were registered in the guest and owner’s cabins when the yacht was under way.

On top of a private study, large his and hers dressing rooms and separate en

The 1,700 sq ft beach club, left, opens on three sides to provide direct access to the sea. Inside,

there is a bar, 100 inch TV, massage room and steam room.

Above: the 31ft Pascoe Limousine tender has been “Turquoised”

to become part of the GO family and is accommodated in the

amidships garage


“T h e b e a c h c l u b w a s a r e a l s e l l i n g p o i n t f o r t h e ya c h t .

T h e ow n e r d e d i c a t e d s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n t o i t .” A n d i t s h ow s …

t h e w a t e r b u g a n d t h e b a r f l y a r e we l l c a t e r e d f o r

suites, the owners have a private foredeck complete with their own spa pool. This huge sweep of space feels like a ledge over the sea thanks to removable carbon fiber railings and a telescopic mast that disappears into the deck to leave the view totally unencumbered.

More turquoise, this time mixed with golden mosaic tiles, lines the 16ft long sundeck spa pool fed by a waterfall that cascades from a spout in the mast. “The owner wants to keep this as a party deck,” says Bermudez. “The onyx, teak and polished steel bars have TV screens by Aqualite Outdoor and all furniture is loose except for the lounging couch aft: its base hides the extra ceiling height we allotted to the gym on the bridge deck

below so that people can really run on the treadmill.”

The yacht has an elevator that runs from the sundeck all the way down to the tender garage, which has a 35ft long hull door made by Dutch company Newthex. “We are not an assembly shipyard,” says Karabeyoglu. “We build our own hulls and are very hands-on in engineering and naval architecture, but there are some things that other companies can do better and faster than we can. In the case of Newthex, we just have to tell them the opening size of the doors we want and they do the rest. We have a very good working relationship.”

Locating the tender garage amidships means that the yacht’s huge 1,700 square

The dining room chandelier is by Lasvit. “It took us weeks to install the chandelier,” says H2’s Ruth Thomas


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Turquoise Yachts’ largest launch to date, 252ft GO, is closely related to the yard’s former flagship Vicky, but her profile is leaner and more elegant than that of the 236ft 2012 launch. Turquoise describes GO as a “modern evolution from Vicky”

G O ’s a l u m i n u m s u p e r s t r u c t u r e h a s s c u l p t u r a l

c u r ve s t h a t s we e p d ow n t h r o u g h t h e d e c k s a n d e n d

i n a n a r c h t h a t p l u n g e s t o t h e w a t e r l i n e


foot beach club is purely for enjoyment and doesn’t do double duty as a loading platform. “The beach club was a real selling point for the yacht,” says Horsfield. “The owner dedicated special attention to it.” And it shows. The club area is accessed from the aft deck and has a 30ft wide transom that opens flush to the floor and a 23ft wide side shell door; indoors and outdoors blend perfectly. A storage area for watersports equipment and a fully stocked backlit bar in onyx and macassar mean that both the water bug and the barfly are well cared for. The

As with all Turquoise yachts, GO was started on spec. “When the owner bought the yacht he kept the general arrangement plan but decided to up the ante on the décor and make it more lush,” says Jonny Horsfield. A chevron-type pattern adorns many areas, including the guest cabin here


Through the looking glass

GO’s owner suggested that H2 Yacht

Design contact glass sculptor Dale

Chihuly for a statement piece for the

yacht’s central staircase. Chihuly,

born and raised in Seattle, has

become globally known since he

started making glass art in the

1970s. “The client first visited

Chihuly in Seattle in early 2017,

meeting Dale in person and touring

the Chihuly Ballard Studio,” says

Ruth Thomas of H2. “They have

their current projects in build there

and do full-scale mock-ups.” After

determining the basic design, next

came the palette. The predominant

color was to be GO’s turquoise with

shades of blue, white and clear glass.

Chihuly blew “icicles” in these tones

for approval. The piece was almost

fully developed when the client made

a second visit to see the mock-up of

the stairs and get an understanding

of the scale of the piece. The final

result is Sea Spray Chandelier. At

nearly 18ft high by 3ft wide, it weighs

800lb and incorporates 468

individually blown “icicles” hanging

on a vertical spine spanning three

decks. “Chihuly recommended the

sculpture be lit externally for a

dramatic wash of light over the entire

piece,” continues Thomas. “We

developed high-output LED lights

and integrated mirrors into the

design of the stairs so guests can

see Sea Spray Chandelier from all

angles.” GO has an elevator but using

it would mean missing the show.

aesthete will appreciate the art panel by Alex Turco, while the sports fan will be drawn to the 100 inch flat-screen TV opposite it. There was even space for massage and steam rooms.

“This is not what you’d call a plain vanilla yacht,” says Karabeyoglu. “Not to build, nor to design. But we like complicated jobs because we like to show the world what we can do.” Whether or not you know the intricacies of this spectacular yacht, with looks as bold as the minds that produced her, GO certainly does the job. B

GO’s owner’s deck wraps around a forward-facing master suite that includes a foredeck with seating and a spa pool

G O T U R Q U O I S E Y A C H T S

30ft

0ft

60ft

UP P E R D E C K M A IN D E C K L O W E R D E C KB RID G E D E C KSUND E C K

LOA 251' 9"

LWL 222' 10"

Beam 42' 9"

Draft (full load) 13' 5"

Gross tonnage 2,008GT

Engines 2 x 2,575hp Caterpillar

3516C

Speed max/cruise 18/14 knots

Range at 12 knots 5,500nm

Generators 4 x 200ekW Caterpillar C9 DITA

Fuel capacity 42,267 gallons

Freshwater capacity 21,794 gallons

Tenders 1 x 31' 6" Pascoe Limousine; 1 x 28' 2" Pascoe DT Beachlander

Owners/guests 16

Crew 19

Construction Steel hull; aluminum superstructure

Classification LR @ 100 A1 SSC YACHT MONO G6, @ LMC, UMS

Naval architecture Turquoise Yachts

Exterior styling H2 Yacht Design

Interior design H2 Yacht Design

Builder/year Turquoise Yachts/2018 Istanbul, Turkey t: +90 216 474 2590 e: [email protected] w: turquoiseyachts.com

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S P E C S

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The 16ft spa pool is lined

with turquoise and gold

mosaic tiles

The gym ceiling is raised under the aft sofa on

the sundeck

Huge, curved glass windows

enhance the owner’s view

Keeping the two tenders amidships frees up space aft for the beach club

The owner has a private spa pool

forward of his suite

THE BEST NEW SUPERYACHT DELIVERIES boatint.com/deliveries

Guests can take the elevator or the stunning staircase to the sundeck

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to boldly o

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