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Yachters just want to relax.
- Yacht trends are changing.
- More and more, people who order custom-made yachts no longer want offices onboard.
- Increasingly, yacht travelers want to relax during their excursions.
Yachters are sick of working.
At least, that's what a recent trend in superyacht design may signify. Andreas Iseli, head of Winch Design yacht exteriors, told CNN that those who order custom superyachts don't want offices on-board anymore.
"It used to be satellite domes and offices so they could keep working and now we get the request more and more 'I don't want to work on my boat, I'm off for two weeks,' so that's probably the ultimate luxury for these people," Iseli said to CNN.
A superyacht is like your typical, humdrum, run-of-the-mill yacht, except it's at least 78 feet long and may employ up to 50 people at a time to keep it running. There are at least 5,000 superyachts in the world, a number that the Warsash Maritime Academy says has been growing.
What kind of person buys a superyacht? Someone who can afford the price tag, which may total in the tens of millions before the yearly upkeep bill, and someone who wants to really get away from it all when they go on vacation.
"A superyacht isn't a toy, but it's the ultimate place to go and be away from it all," Iseli said. "We have clients who literally go two weeks a year on their yacht and switch off."
That demand for relaxation extends beyond just getting rid of the once-typical superyacht office. Arthur Brouwer, the CEO of Heesen Yachts, also told CNN that some clients request that they don't hear the boat, so they try to reduce the sounds and vibrations as much as possible.
In lieu of home offices, superyacht owners are adding a slew of interesting features to their pleasure crafts.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's superyacht, dubbed the Octopus, has a pool, a basketball court, 41 suites, and a recording studio. The Sultan of Oman owns a 509-foot-long yacht that can host more than 60 guests and a concert hall with room for a 50-piece orchestra.