Making a Splash

There are bigger yachts—the hundred-meter-long showstoppers one sees docked in Newport, Palm Beach and Cannes. But meter for meter, it’s hard to improve on a smaller Princess Yacht for style, elegance, spaciousness and, in the case of newer makes, sophisticated electronics and mechanical systems. The number you see here, a Princess 98 Flybridge Motor Yacht docked on Long Island’s North Shore, is a stellar example.

She’s owned by the same couple that built a grand new house on the grounds of Meudon, the old Guthrie estate overlooking the Sound (see Safavieh Style, fall/winter 2016). And like their house, the boat was styled by Safavieh. In the U.S., the Princess make is a unique partnership between Princess Yachts International of Plymouth, England and Princess Yachts America (formerly known as Viking Sport Cruisers).

The value of the partnership is to offer bespoke European vessels built to U.S. specifications, making the boats easy to maintain and service on these shores. The English side of Princess is a vertically integrated company with about 2,500 workers, who are capable of making most componentry in-house—a rarity among yacht builders. A craft built in the Plymouth yard is tested in the famously uncertain waters of the English Channel before being shipped to the U.S. Once stateside, the yacht undergoes further fitting and sea trials, so by the time it’s delivered to its owners, everything is, well, ship shape.

The yacht shown here was a model, first seen by its owners at an American broker, and they regarded its configuration as perfect. Seeing no need to bespeak a boat from scratch, they took delivery on the model. Although based on Long Island Sound, this yacht has, in a short time, plied the entire Eastern Seaboard. From Kennebunkport, Maine, to the Exumas in the Bahamas, its owners have enjoyed cruising in unparalleled comfort and style.