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Yacht of the Week: M/Y Dubai
This week we spoke with Andrew Winch, of Winch Design, on one of his older, yet one of his most impressive, projects - 162m M/Y Dubai, our yacht of the week. Launched in 2006 by Lurssen, with naval architecture from Blohm + Voss and exterior design by Winch Design, this yacht remains one of the all-time greats, not least because of its incredible volume. It was custom built for a member of the Royal family of the United Arab Emirates, and therefore has a distinctly Middle Eastern influence. Winch lets us in on some of his favourite features of the yacht, as well as some lesser-known aspects of the project as it progressed.
M/Y Dubai is a beautiful yacht, both internally and externally. What are some of your favourite features of the yacht?
I have so many favourite features, mainly due to the sheer size of the project, but I particularly like her signature sharp exterior lines, unlike other yachts at the time. The dining room is an incredibly impressive space as it can comfortably seat 100 people, whilst cleverly allowing staff to discretely enter from the galley. Another favourite feature is how each VIP cabin has its own private balcony, offering the utmost in luxury and privacy.
How would you describe the style of M/Y Dubai overall?
She has a futuristic style that has stood the test of time, bearing in mind the design work started almost 20 years ago. She wouldn’t look out of place in a Star Wars film!
Did the owner’s brief dictate a specific style to adhere to or were you given a lot of freedom with the design?
We were given a lot of freedom with the design, to create a yacht of a size and scale that had never been done before. She followed the owner’s previous yachts so we had ideas in mind that we knew they liked but this time on a colossal scale!
What was the most challenging aspect of the project? How did the volume of the yacht have an impact on the design?
The volume considerably impacted the design and the decisions we made. Firstly, we had to create a completely new design studio for both the exterior and interior of the project. Her 162m length was nearly 3 times the length of our previous largest yacht; it therefore became a challenge to maintain the Winch Design signature on such a large scale, but one that we managed to successfully overcome. Transporting her to Dubai was no easy task either!
Can you tell us about any exciting new projects you have coming up in 2019?
The 111m M/Y TIS was recently launched at Lürssen and is due to undergo sea trials shortly before her delivery in a few months. She features both a Winch exterior and interior and we are incredibly proud of this beautiful yacht! We also have very exciting collaborations with Heesen in the works, more details will be revealed at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show!
"She has a futuristic style that has stood the test of time, bearing in mind the design work started almost 20 years ago. She wouldn’t look out of place in a Star Wars film"