Heesen Releases 50m Erica for Sea Trials

The build of Project Boreas was a first-time collaboration between Heesen and MCM Yacht Management, with the Owner considering three different shipyards before selecting Heesen. Partner and co-founder of MCM Nigel Ingram represented the owner throughout the process.

Reflecting on the partnership, Ingram said “Heesen know exactly what they’re doing and I’m happy with the way the yacht turned out”. Though the project was already a year into construction when the owner became involved, Heesen has been able to tailor a yacht to fit the family-centric desires of her owner. “The owner was quite involved in the details,” continued Mr Ingram, “they handled it all very well and the yacht is exactly how he wanted it.”

The Owner, an experienced yachtsman, decided against pursuing a sailing yacht as he deemed a motor yacht more applicable for the comfortable family environment he wanted to create. This theme runs throughout the superyacht, with a children’s cabin on the lower deck and Pullman berths to cater for this need.

While incorporating the Owner’s wishes for a family yacht, Erica loses no sense of style or luxury in her design. With exteriors by Frank Laupman of Omega Architects and interior styling by Mark Whiteley, the full-aluminium fast displacement yacht boasts a bright design that makes the most of natural light.  Shorter aft overhangs, complimented by the use of whitewashed oak on the interior, create a flow of light through the yacht, and the neutral background plays well against the Owner’s fun art.

As Erica takes to the seas for the first time, she stands as a testament to how Heesen can orchestrate the construction of a yacht to fulfil the dreams of an owner. Erica also reflects a current market trend which has been noticed by MCM. In a statement on the launch of Project Boreas, MCM recognised that there is “less demand for large sailing yachts” at present, and expect that more clients will make the switch from sailing to motor vessels in the future.