Muscular, elegant, angular yet svelte, Vida’s exterior lines come from the board of Omega Architects’ Frank Laupman. Like other yachts in the 55m Steel series, Vida’s profile is clean and crisp, with characteristic floor-to-ceiling windows providing uninterrupted views while flooding the interior with natural light.
As with all Heesen series yachts, Vida includes several highly customised features designed to meet the specific requirements of her highly experienced owner. As she will serve as a mothership for a fleet of sportfish boats, Vida’s original design for a forward tender garage was reworked to create a larger owner’s suite, with the foredeck itself now catering to two tenders. Her sundeck hardtop has also been raised six inches to allow for more headroom – a feature that will likely be carried forward to future models – with the resulting design carefully considered so as not to upset the perfect balance of her profile.
Efficiency and cruising ability were key criteria for the development of the 55m Steel’s hull, and Heesen’s longstanding association with Van Oossanen Naval Architects means Vida gains maximum benefit from the Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) design. Powered by twin MTU 8V 4000 M63 engines, Vida’s top speed of 16.4 knots puts favoured bays within easy reach, while her FDHF hull allows for an impressive 4,500 nautical mile range at a cruising speed of 13 knots, opening up a vast array of opportunities for global cruising.
Vida’s engineering takes a step beyond pure performance and efficiency, however – she is the first yacht in Heesen’s fleet to meet the stringent IMO Tier III exhaust emissions regulations thanks to a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system developed with exhaust specialists Hug Engineering to reduce NOx emissions. The yacht is also capable of refuelling and recharging two sportfish support vessels, allowing for a high degree of autonomy for her guests for several days at sea.
Vida offers her guests a wealth of options for outdoor relaxation. The stern opens to reveal an indoor/outdoor gymnasium with an impressive 80 square metres of space, which will double perfectly as a beach club. The main aft deck provides for comfortable seating with two tables, while the upper aft deck serves as the main exterior dining area alongside expansive aft settees. Further seating with tables forward provides a view over the foredeck and bow.
The sundeck is the crowning glory, with a prodigious 100 square metres of deck space and the sorts of facilities that will prove a draw for anyone. An oversized spa pool includes a waterfall feature, while sun pads fore and aft deliver the perfect excuse to indulge in a bit of tanning. A large wet bar provides refreshments, with plenty of space under the hardtop to enjoy al fresco dining. At night, fibre optics turn the hardtop deckhead into a star-spattered sky, while sophisticated coloured lighting transforms the entire deck into a party area.
Stunning both in layout and in style, Vida’s interior impresses from the very first moment you step onboard. Based on architecture developed by Francsesco Paszkowski and Margherita Casprini, her finish and décor come from Be Design in Boca Raton, Florida – the studio’s first yacht interior project. Having worked with Vida’s owner on residential and real estate projects, however, Be Design founder Elmar Benavente had a firm idea of the owner’s tastes, and delivered a warm, contemporary, luxurious but practical style using stained oak as a feature wood, and a combination of satin and gloss finishes to create subtle variations and textures. Among the signature design elements are the use of wooden slats or battens over a variety of surfaces to create a parallel line motif that often serves as a divider between areas – for example, between the seating area aft and the dining area forward in the main saloon.
As a result of reshaping the original forward garage, Vida’s owner stateroom – located forward on the main deck – is a paradise of comfort. Moving the forward bulkhead forward means an expansive 80 square metres, divided into a luxury full-beam bathroom forward, extensive dressing rooms, a vast, airy sleeping area with divan and dresser to either side and a desk and study area from the entrance to starboard. Moreover, the main area of the suite features giant floor-to-ceiling windows which not only bathe the interior with light but which also create glorious vistas – so much so that Benavente has used dark gloss wood surrounds to effectively frame the views as if they were fine-art pictures.
The full-beam bathroom to the owner’s suite is finished in a clean, contemporary style with polished stainless steel, glass, and two different stones that share a white-grey palette, all offset with accents in dark gloss wood that ties the space to the rest of the yacht’s interior. A symmetrical layout spreads either side of a glorious athwartships bath, offering his-and-hers showers, heads, and dressing rooms.
A spectacular backlit onyx arch aft welcomes guests into the formal saloon on the main deck, with clever, tensioned wine-bottle holders serving as a cellar display for 21 bottles per side which each point like signposts to the welcoming seating area. Vida’s striking, contemporary interior style remains warm and sophisticated, with the saloon and its formal dining area forward showing the various combinations of finish, palette and motif to maximum effect.
As elsewhere on Vida, the upper saloon not only welcomes with warmth of finish and palette, but also invites relaxation with furniture that demands to be used as you would at home. A backlit onyx bar mirrors the main saloon’s entranceway, while the informal nature of the space is reinforced with a pop-up 75-inch television screen – perfect for catching up on the game or watching movies with family and friends.