This is a truly impressive living space, worthy of the swishest inner-city loft apartment


have been using it for some years in yachts of this size – but by creating a genuine two-storey apartment in the bows, Sunseeker has taken the concept to its logical conclusion and moved the game on. As, indeed, all shipyards have to do these days. While demand remains strong in the mini superyacht sector


exemplifi ed by this new 95 Yacht, it is increasingly to be found in non-traditional markets, where owners didn’t grow up sailing Mirror dinghies and basing their ideals of interior comfort on slightly mildewed memories of Dad’s Moonraker. “The new yacht owners aren’t boating people,” explains John Braithwaite. “Their yardstick of luxury is hotels and holiday apartments. They start boating by chartering a yacht, and base all their expectations on that unreality!” Other shipyards have already made their mark, with notably


strong offerings in the last two or three years from both Ferretti Yachts and Azimut in Italy, while more recently, and closer to home, there is Princess’s slightly larger but still keenly priced 30M. “We’re aiming for the Ferretti 960 and the Azimut 95 – mainly the 95,” John Braithwaite confi rms. Aft of the owner’s suite, the lower-deck layout aboard the


95 Yacht closely follows that of the 28m, with a huge full-beam VIP and a pair of ensuites amidships whose sliding beds allow them to be confi gured as doubles or twins. The crew quarters, too, are little changed: a pair of twin-bunk cabins in the stern, a small mess area and a single head, while the fl ybridge will also seem familiar to anyone who knows the 28m. Best of all, the 95’s engineroom can boast the same generous footprint of its sister yacht’s, offering excellent headroom and easy access to most areas. Rather like the owner’s suite, it appears to have been borrowed from a bigger yacht, even with three 20kW generators installed. While the optional Caterpillar diesels will appeal to owners in


many international markets, our test 95, the fi rst out of the shed, was fi tted with the 1,947hp MTU V12s. On a calm day outside Sunseeker’s home port of Poole, we clocked a two-way maximum of exactly 26 knots, as the big yacht revealed itself to be sure-footed and positive on the helm, and even with a two-thirds load of fuel and


The stunning duplex master cabin is a key improvement over the 28m


The 95 settles into a comfortable cruising lope at about 20 knots


water adding eight or nine tonnes to the bottom line, livelier and less ponderous than you might expect. With all of the engines’ numerous turbochargers fully engaged at 2,100rpm, the 95 settles into a comfortable cruising lope at about 20 knots, which equates to a safe cruising range, with a generous reserve, of more than 350 miles. Noise levels in the wheelhouse at that speed were excellent at 62dB(A), and not a lot more at 64dB(A) in the VIP suite, down on the waterline. With its rivals in this competitive sector already well established, it


might seem that Sunseeker has come late to the game with its new 95 Yacht. Had the Poole shipyard opted to concentrate fi rst on the mini


The two levels are linked by an expansive mirrored landing and two curved companionways


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