I stepped on board a yacht for the very first time, a sleek Champagne-colored vessel for sale at an undisclosed price. Here's a look inside the 150-foot, Bugatti-designed superyacht.
At the end of September, I attended the Monaco Yacht Show, a glitzy four-day event that brings an estimated 30,000 yachting industry insiders, as well as yacht owners, buyers, and charter customers, to Monaco, a tiny sovereign city-state on the French Riviera.
The first yacht I was able to tour was Hokulani, a 150-foot superyacht with a distinctive, Champagne-colored hull.
The American-made vessel was built by the Palmer Johnson shipyard, which is based in Wisconsin.
The hull and superstructure were designed in collaboration with Bugatti along with Italy-based studio Nuvolari Lenard.
I wasn't allowed to take my own photos of the yacht, but I got a private tour with the captain, Luke.
Launched in 2007, Hokulani has been cruising the waters of the Mediterranean since 2011, Luke told me.
Before that, it was based in Miami, Florida.
Luke told me he's a big fan of its Champagne hue.
"It's so different; every other boat you see is white," he said. "Not everyone's gonna like it ... but when you pull up in Saint Tropez, in Monaco, you've got people queuing up to get photos because there's nothing like it around."
The yacht's main deck is decorated in neutral tones, with new dark-toned wooden floors put in this year.
The yacht has all new TVs, an all-new internet system, and all the latest 4K ultra-high-definition TVs.
"It's got a fantastic IT system because one of the requests of the clients was to have fast internet so he could game live," Luke told me.
The yacht also has a brand-new cinema room installed in 2019.
The spacious master suite comes with a king-size bed with a study area and walk-in wardrobe.
The luxe master bathroom comes with a deep soaking tub.
Hokulani can sleep up to 10 guests in five staterooms. In addition to the master cabin, there are two twin bedrooms ...
... and two identical VIP cabins.
The yacht also sleeps seven crew members, but the crew's quarters were not included in the tour.
The main deck salon and dining area seats up to 12 guests.
A folding balcony offers an additional spot to enjoy the sunshine and look out over the water.
The sun deck has plenty of space for sunbathing, as well as an al fresco dining area.
With its abundance of sun lounging areas and large cabins, Hokulani is "a great all-around family boat," Luke said.
And then there's bridge, where the captain cruises the boat at 20 knots, with a maximum speed of 24 knots.
Hokulani is quite a fast boat, according to Luke.
"You can get from here to Sardinia [or] Corsica very quickly in eight, nine hours," he said. "You can get to Capri pretty quickly, go to Ibiza. This sort of boat, the speed you can do gets you anywhere pretty quickly."
While touring Hokulani, I was impressed with its unique Champagne color and luxurious living quarters.
But as I would realize later that day and the next, the superyachts that I would see next — including Amadea and Tis, two of the largest and most extravagant yachts at this year's show —would be on an entirely different level.
- Read more about my time at the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show:
- I spent 2 days at the Monaco Yacht Show, and never in my entire life have I felt so out of place
- Here's what it's like to attend the Monaco Yacht Show — in a country where the poverty rate is 0 — when you are not a millionaire
- I got into a Monaco Yacht Show gala for VIP superyacht buyers and industry elite. Here's what it was like at the exclusive party, which overlooked $4.3 billion worth of superyachts in the port.
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