Whoever said to never mix business with pleasure hasn’t spent time aboard a Vripack-designed yacht. Breaking that adage was the sole aim of the owner of 50-metre Project Milky Ways. He envisaged a floating sanctuary where he can spend time in privacy with his family and friends, while also entertaining business associates and clients. Signing off on the largest private yacht to ever come out of Brazil was simply icing on the cake.
The brief was to develop a boat that is as multifunctional as possible, with areas dedicated to both the owner’s large family and business, and that meant the layout needed to be rather special
Bart Bouwhuis, co-creative director
It’s evidenced in the aptly named “people pad”, an overwater terrace that steps up from the main deck aft to create a separate lounge area that’s open to the elements. A double-sided bar sits between the people pad and the main deck aft seating area, servicing both areas. “The sun deck is usually the most exposed area on board, but you’re so high up that you don’t have that connection to water,” explains Bouwhuis. “The people pad is a like second sun deck that delivers a new level of owner experience.”
The owner’s desire for a plumb bow also translates into a new level of comfort for the crew, with the increased interior volume being used for generous crew cabins, a significant bridge and optimised service flow between the pantry and galley. Extensive comfort optimisation was carried out to ensure a smooth ride in most weather conditions. “The fact the yacht is long, light and relatively slender helps with comfort.”
Elsewhere on the lower deck is a sheltered beach club that directly connects to a sauna, dayhead and fitness area. It features an oversized SPA pool, and two side terraces that, when lowered, extend the footprint by 40 per cent.
Cosy seating around a firepit and al fresco dining is found on the bridge deck, which also houses a helideck forward for an Airbus EC145. When helicopter operations are not in use, the foredeck doubles as a basketball court for family fun. Beneath it sits the discreet enclosed tender garage holding a 7-metre Castoldi. On the sun deck, loungers forward, further seating, a sit-up bar and glass-fronted pool complete the exterior amenities, sheltered under a hardtop bimini.
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“The exterior layout is all about layering to ensure we maximise the yacht’s functionality,” says Bouwhuis. “The owner requested a lot of flexibility for business, along with large windows and plenty of flowing curves to keep him connected to his surroundings.” It’s answered in the uniquely shaped cutouts on both sides of the exterior, that give the yacht a singular profile, and in the unusual design of the full-custom Jacuzzi. A final owner request was for two offices; one large, dedicated office for himself, which is found on the bridge deck adjacent to the sky lounge where a bar and walk-in wine cellar that holds up to 250 bottles and 10 magnums resides, and a smaller secondary office for his wife, which leads into the full-beam main deck master suite. Two sizable VIPs and two twin cabins are found on the lower deck. Additional wow factor is reserved for the main deck cigar lounge with a fold-down balcony and TV. With a top speed of 21 knots and a range of 3,500nm when cruising at 11 knots, Project Milky Ways is scheduled for delivery in June 2027. |
| Current name | Milky Ways |
| Design number | 8168 |
| Length | 49.92 m |
| Beam | 9.06 m |
| Draft | 2.0 m |
| Designer | Vripack |
| Naval Architect | Vripack |
| Structural Engineering | MCP |
| Mechanical Engineering | MCP |
| Interior Design | Vripack |
| Interior Engineering | MCP |
| Builder | MCP |
| Type of vessel | Pleasure yacht |
| Hull type | Round Bilge semi-displacement |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Classification | Rina |
| Engine | Caterpillar C32B |
| Speed | 20kn+ |
| Fuel capacity | 45.36m3 |
| Fresh water capacity | 12.68m3 |
| Grey/Black Water Capacity | 3.90m3 |
| Owner & Guest | 12 persons |
| Crew | 10 persons |
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