Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXI

2 2 8 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I The story of the Solandge is a long one, and starts way back in 2007, when the owners of a smaller Lurssen craft decided they wanted to build their own yacht, refining and sharpening their ideas until 2010, when the project began. This extensive meditation on design and function is clear in the craft that was borne of it. Solandge is so muchmore than her predecessor - in scale, she sits firmly at 20 metres longer and a metre wider, offering an outstanding full-beamVIP extra guest cabin. Her predecessor is also nine years older, and in that time the technology available to her craftsmen has evolved immeasurably, making a difference that is clear to anyone who witnesses her. This evolution in technology has not just affected her design, however; she is even more comfortable, and leaps and bounds made in sound and vibration engineering have made her quieter. In fact, decibel levels were a part all of their own in Solandge’s construction contract, a testament to their importance. Based on a modern 80-metre hull and engineering platform seen in similar craft such as Phoenix II, Ace and Quattroelle, Solandge’s profile designer, Espen Øino, was tasked from the very start with creating a craft that had all the magic of the owner’s previous vessel on a larger, more impressive scale. With this in mind, Øino set about ensuring Solandge’s layout was mostly unaffected, thus she includes all the guest suites of her predecessor on the main deck, with a grand saloon and deck for the owners alone above. When the design period began, Øino realised just how prepared the owners of this craft were to push the boundaries of innovation to create new, effective exterior forms. The mix in the final product of beautiful and gracious soft shapes with aggressive hard lines is the result of this experimentation, a creation which generates energy with its unique look. The curves, Øino notes, are found in the longitudinal planes, with hard edges appearing on the transverse. The exterior paint scheme, namely the white sheer line, adds emphasis. This, in combination with the white boot stripe, serves to optically lower the yacht’s massive