DATA SHEET
Exteriors designer: Paszkowski Design
Interiors designer: Giorgio Cassetta
Shipyard: Tankoa
Length Overall: 49.80 m
Beam: 9.4 m
Half Load Draft: 2.3
Displacement at half load: 274 T
Gross tonnage: 499 GT
Fuel Tank Capacity: 57,300 l
Water Tank capacity: 15,500 l
Main engines power: 2 x 1.600k W2100rpm– MAND2862LE489
Max speed half load: 17 knots
Cruising speed half load:15 knots
Range at cruising speed: 3,750 nm
Guests: 12
Crew: 9
Photos: Julien Hubert TWW Yachts
The new 50-meter yacht from the Tankoa S501 series, the Grey yacht is dedicated to entertaining, close contact with nature, and total comfort, designed by Francesco Paszkowski. This is the fifth 50-meter vessel that Tankoa, the Genovese shipyard, has delivered over five years, following Vertige, Bintador, Olokun, and Kinda (Bintador and Kinda also feature hybrid propulsion). A sixth will be added within a year, built on spec and available for delivery. Its success was based on many factors starting with the elegant.
Well-balanced lines of the exteriors with a straight bow immediately conveying that it is meant to sail safely and for long distances. Excellent naval architecture by NAMES (Naval Architecture Marine Engineering Studio) helped limit consumption and emissions. Many outdoor areas ensure optimal privacy with a well-considered interior layout that distributes the spaces over three decks in addition to the fly deck.
Born of an upgrade, Grey is highly customized and meticulously built to the highest standards, a hallmark of the Italian shipyard. It launches a new version of the S501, the EVO, developing and improving on the original design. For instance, the uprights of the windows on the main and upper decks are reduced to allow for larger windows, expanding the light inside, as well as affording unobstructed views, including from the living area.
Modifications to the guest cabins made for a single large window instead of two small ones so that natural light comes in the lower deck too. The sundeck is also redesigned and expanded by 10m2 compared to the earlier model. This is joined by the highest degree of customization to suit the desires of the owner, true to this boutique shipyard’s philosophy. Giuseppe Mazza, Tankoa’s sales manager, explains, “The customizations are perfect examples of our flexibility in meeting the customer’s requests, such as putting a swimming pool on the bow or a completely original fantastic cinema/sound system.”
For its large solarium, the owner requested a 144-inch high-definition movie screen suitable for outdoor viewing that could be concealed as needed. There is also a top-notch audio system on board designed by the French-English company Focal & Naim. The extra-large sundeck furnished with Hamptons by Flexform sunbeds is another beautiful area available to guests, including a second pool and a shaded area under the hardtop for outdoor lunches on a fold-away table.
There is also a combined kitchen-bar unit here made of painted aluminum and black teak, with a backlit black agate slab – the largest ever installed on a yacht. Naturally, it has a bathing platform that can be furnished with sunbeds for total, direct contact with the sea. Grey’s interior layout is much like that of her sisters. There is a VIP cabin on the front part above the main deck as well as the saloon and dining area. The full-beam master suite has a walk-in closet with two asymmetrical balconies that can fold down on each side.
The guest bedroom area is on the lower deck with the VIP cabins and two cabins with single beds; the front of the lower deck is for the entire crew and a large kitchen. Giorgio Cassetta designed the elegant, contemporary interiors adopting an eclectic approach. He explains, “The customer wanted an effect of lush luxury, featuring elegant craft pieces and exclusive materials. They also wanted the yacht to offer a warm, pleasant atmosphere to relax at length on board.
To respond to these requests and combine them as well as possible, despite them often being in opposition to each other, we re-did from scratch the entire interior design and decoration of Tankoa’s successful S501 line. In the larger areas, we imagined a layout that breaks up some of the traditional 0-90° bulkhead angles and actively sought interrupted and misalignments. We paired this approach with a broad selection of exclusive materials (such as high-gloss, natural flamed Indian rosewood, and incredible Azul Macaubas quartzite).
This toned down the “solemnity” of these materials created a naturally welcoming environment, where the use of irregularly oriented veneers and diagonal lines creates a special illusion as if a secret cave, where nature has created wonders through millennia,” Cassetta continues. “But nature’s work is not everything. There is also exclusivity in fine craftsmanship.
We added panels with saddle stitching and custom-designed floors, extraordinary fabrics, and wallpaper acoustic leathers that pair with the amazing sound system, metal trims, and high-end faucets.” The designer’s team completed the package with high-end custom light fixtures by Luce5, and a lighting design made to enhance the contrasts and highlight the beautiful colors of the furniture.
All of the major furnishing pieces are custom-designed as are many of the decorative panels. They are perfectly matched with select pieces from the catalogue of the best Italian design brands such as the Otium Soft sofa by Maxalto and the Tyles Y698 coffee tables by Longhi in the main saloon, and the Pilotis armchairs by De Padova, the Sophie chairs by Poliform paired with the custom-made table in the dining area. There is also a work of art made of rosewood and Azul Macaubas marble, which serves as a wall screen. It evokes the colors of the sea and establishes the color of the entire living room. The yacht’s defining high-level customization does not stop there. It also features a collection of art pieces specifically selected for its interior from the project’s inception. Because everything has a meaning here: the meaning of beauty.
