A stellar christening for Heesen Yachts

During a christening ceremony on 4th March in the company of the owner and the Heesen workforce, Galactica Super Nova — formerly known as Project Kometa — was officially named. At 70m LOA and 1,200GT she is the shipyard’s largest launch to date and was a tight squeeze inside the covered dry dock in Oss. With exterior lines by Espen Øino and interior design by Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design, the yacht is an evolution of the award-winning 65m Galactica Star, but during a brief pre-ceremony tour in the company of both designers it was clear that she is much more than just a larger copy.

(Images of Galactica Super Nova are by Guillaume Plisson)

“A major part of the brief was to bring in new elements while preserving the strong brand recognition or DNA that Heesen enjoys,” says Øino, who was also responsible for the styling and exterior furniture by Glyn Peter Machin. “So we stepped up the exterior design with the arches on the sundeck, the chamfered superstructure edges, and the level of detailing in general. To me she still looks very much like a Heesen, which was all part of the plan.”

 Espen Øino (image by Justin Ratcliffe)

“We tried to minimise the amount of materials and focus instead on introducing different finishes,” says Sinot. “So we have wenge that is bleached, brushed or treated with a silver inlay, along with ash, sycamore and lacewood. The result is a light and well-balanced interior characterised by monochromic and soft colours for an understated yet extremely refined atmosphere.”

Sander Sinot.

Galactica Super Nova utilises the efficient Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) devised by van Oossanen Naval Architects, which Heesen was the first to put into production. Thanks to the addition of a third engine to power a booster jet, she will be capable of a top speed of 30 knots plus.

Other key features include a 13,500-litre pool on the main deck aft with a glass bottom, waterfall and contra-flow system for swimming; a touch-and-go helipad that doubles as an outdoor cinema; a 146sqm beach club; and a forward garage housing an array of tenders and toys, including a quad ski — an amphibious  quadbike whose wheels retract to become a jet ski.

“Today is a milestone in the history of Heesen Yachts with the launching of our longest ever yacht, the boldly named Galactica Super Nova,” announced sales director Mark Cavendish in his address. “I would like to thank the owner and his wife for having the confidence to place the order for their new yacht with us. I can assure you that you have made the best possible choice … and on that basis I hope to see them back again soon for an even larger yacht!”

He went on to list some of the yacht’s stellar statistics: the 70.07m hull with a beam of 11.9m displaces 620 tonnes; 197 tonnes of aluminium were used in the construction and there are some 50km of cabling on board; the three MTU engines provide a total of 16,000 horsepower and the central booster jet delivers 121 kilonewtons of thrust at full power. 

Galactica Super Nova represents another rung up the size ladder as Heesen Yachts invests in facilities to offer new and repeat clients yachts of over 70m. When its new dry dock measuring 98m x 30m x 22m enters into service in November 2106, it will be able to accommodate yachts of up to 80m in length.

As her outfitting progresses, Galactica Super Nova will undergo sea trails in the North Sea before being delivered to her owners in May 2016. After her maiden voyage from the Netherlands to Montenegro, she will cruise in the Mediterranean for the summer season before finally making her public debut at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Profile links

Heesen Yachts

Espen Oeino International

Sinot Yacht Design

Van Oossanen Naval Architects

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