Every yacht owner and connoisseur knows that when a superyacht leaves a shipyard, she makes waves, literally and figuratively. A luxury vessel named ‘Graceful’ was undergoing a makeover at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, in January 2022. The ship was made to hit the waters despite the repairs being incomplete. The crew was ordered back on board, and the reason given was that the Russian owner of Graceful Yacht wasn’t satisfied with the work on his pleasure craft by the shipyard boasting 150 years of experience in building and servicing superyachts and wanted it back.
The owner may have been satisfied if he didn’t interrupt the refit that was a year away from completion. The desperate demand called for rushed solutions like patching up the holes on the ship’s surface to sail without hindrance for 883 nautical miles from Hamburg to the Russian port. The 269-footer left German waters on February 9th by towing the incompetent vessel to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad. It doesn’t take a genius to understand why this motoryacht was rushed to Russia in February 2022.
Dailymail shared information from the emails, ‘The owner is not happy with the retrofit. He is dissatisfied with the delays in the construction process. The owner wants the Graceful to be brought to the Russian Federation on February 1st (…). Please mobilize an uninterrupted crew – 2 shifts.’
Another email, sent on January 19th, 2022, read, ‘Please accelerate all works which may interfere with Graceful sailing out on February 1st. Please calculate the amount to be paid by Owners due to early departure. Crew and myself will provide full assistance to prepare Graceful for Towing.’ An employee of Sovcomflot sent the email – Russia’s largest shipping company. Graceful Yacht is undergoing a refit in St. Petersburg, Russia, looking resplendent with new elevators, a swimming pool, and the works. The features of motoryacht Graceful are discussed in detail below-
Grace is a given with the $100 million Graceful motoryacht-
There is s something about speed and Lürssen beauty Graceful Yacht. The 269 feet motoryacht was built with excellent efficiency in nearly two years and delivered to its owner in 2014. Blohm & Voss did her refit, and H2 Yacht Design rendered the ship beautiful.
Graceful is aptly named with a gorgeous 50-foot indoor pool featuring a movable and backlit floor. Her most striking elements are the duplex master cabin and helicopter deck. The $100 million three-deck cruiser sleeps 12 guests in 6 stately cabins serviced by 14 crew.
Amenities are dipped in luxury and witnessed in every nook and corner, including the gym, a wine cave with a capacity for 400 bottles, marble floors, wooden furnishings, and Roman-style pillars in the bedrooms as seen in palaces. Indeed meant for a new-age king, the vessel also includes an extensive library, spa, plunge pools, and a cocktail bar. The owner’s area spreads across two decks with a folding balcony and a beach door terrace to access the sea.
Dailymail specified the owner’s suite includes ultra-luxe furnishing like a sofa costing $43,000, a Champagne-coloured carpet worth $91,000, a $9,000 mattress, and an Indian rug worth $54,000 in the main bedroom. The healthy owner undoubtedly splurges at least $10-$15 million annually for the upkeep of the glorious yacht and its many high-maintenance niceties. Graceful boasts a maximum speed of 18.2 knots.
