You don’t need a fisherman for a father to fall in love with the sea, and you don’t need a billionaire’s bank account to enjoy a vessel. Matthias Bosse had neither, yet he had a deep connection with both the sea and superyachts, and now he is helping yacht aficionados live a life he treasured without the financial strain. This co-founder of Splendid Sea, a company formed with entrepreneur Michael Hehn, unveiled a new cruising concept at this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in partnership with Mercedes-Maybach. Dubbed the new Maybach Ocean Club, it is a 508-foot club model built around a superyacht and her support vessel, not the other way around.
The duo, with superyacht captain experience of over 15 years and hospitality too, realized there is a void they could fill with their expertise by offering yachting’s most exclusive experiences to a younger generation interested in the lifestyle without the worries of ownership. Owning a luxury vessel is more pain than pleasure, with mounting maintenance bills, weeks of inactivity, and the exhausting management of a floating mansion.
That is exactly where the Maybach Ocean Club shines and wins. The idea centers around a members’ club model revolving around an ultra-luxury vessel called Beyond Horizons and its 230-foot shadow vessel (designed by Laurent Giles, carrying water toys, limousine tenders, and technical staff). The company forms a community of 300 co-owners, each entitled to four weeks onboard the mothership (including private suites) per year, reported Boat International.
From the ship’s common areas, restaurants, and beach club to everything else onboard, members can enjoy it as their own if they happen to be in town when the yacht comes calling. The vessel accommodates members in 30 identical residential-style suites, each measuring 74 square meters and with a private balcony. No one is better than the other to maintain fairness and fabulousness in equal measure. “We didn’t want categories,” said Bosse. “No master suite upstairs and tiny cabins below. All 30 suites are equal.”
Benefits of being on Beyond Horizons-
The benefits of the membership are plenty and all superyacht-style, from tender rides and water sports to less adventurous options like yoga and wellness. Beyond Horizons, inspired by Maybach, will be serviced by a professional crew of 80 to 85, enough to provide a five-star hotel’s service and comfort while still preserving the charm of a yacht. An annual fee of roughly five percent of the initial investment is aimed at covering crew management, fuel, port fees, insurance, and ongoing maintenance.
Beneath Beyond Horizons-
Beyond Horizons is a beautiful boat, not a cruise ship, with only 72 guests when fully occupied. The decks are layered like landscapes, fusing with the sea and sky, two elements that are imperative while on a yacht. It is a way of vacationing that is unprecedented, bringing together the like-minded and the new age under the umbrella of Maybach’s century-old lineage, with a vessel designed for a culture of luxurious travel.
Interestingly, one of the co-founders, Bosse, is the perfect person to spearhead this superyacht living. He was the captain of a very iconic superyacht called Lady Moura, which was owned by the Saudi businessman Nasser Al-Rashid, and he remained at the helm for 15 years. Bosse learned service, security, and discretion at the level required by a Saudi billionaire. The Ocean Club borrows that playbook then modernizes it for a roving Maybach house at sea. The interiors are suited for the well-traveled connoisseur, with exterior and interior concepts by Dölker + Voges and Mercedes-Maybach’s design team shaping brand language, materials, and colorways.
The future is almost here-
And while the interiors honor heritage, the company aims to make the most of advanced technology that is available today. The ship will use green methanol or biodiesel propulsion, which will help manage the hotel load. Splendid Sea is targeting the Mediterranean from mid-spring through mid-autumn, then the Caribbean, Central America, or the Indian Ocean, following leisurely itineraries. The current target for the maiden season is 2029.
