2020 has been a terrible year, but not for everyone. Much like the millionaires and billionaires of the world have a different sense of what being poor is like, their normal is also different from ours. Look no further than Lunasea for an example of that.
Lunasea (previously named Hansa) is the world’s most expensive superyacht in 2020, changing hands at the beginning of the year for no less than €92.5 million, which is roughly $112.3 million at today’s exchange rate. Lunasea was first owned by Australian billionaire John Symond and was a custom creation by Feadship. It was also what he called his floating “family home” for years.
Delivered in 2017 after a four-year construction span, Lunasea measures 73 meters (240 feet) in total length and has three decks. It was the Symonds’ second yacht, one that started out much smaller and grew in size until it became what they call in a recent interview with Boat International a “family home” that is ideal for long-distance travel and extended holidays. A family home that supposedly cost him $75 million to build.
“We [pictured] how we were going to live in each space,” Symond says. “We wanted to have everything a family could need, from the big swimming pool to the cinema room to a beautiful spa on the sundeck – and a great galley.”
In the first two and a half years of ownership, Lunasea traveled around the globe twice. Most of the time, it was packed with kids and friends and close family members, so all those amenities that the Symonds thought of including were put to use.
With a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, Lunasea stands out for a clean design that blends comforting, homey influences with more modernist touches. It mixes glass, bronze, walnut, eucalyptus, and limed oak, plush velvet in midnight blue with neutrally-colored canvas, and everything else in between.
Everything on board, from the silk rugs, the marble countertops and bars, and the designer furniture, was only bought after the Symonds signed off on every single item. Symond himself jokes that every chair on Lunasea was paid for only after he had sat in it. As construction was underway, he would often say he wanted a superyacht that had personality but wouldn’t be too shouty: something more like a Rolls-Royce instead of a BMW or a Mercedes.
Accommodation onboard is for 12 guests across six cabins, including the owner’s master suite with its own private deck, two VIP staterooms, and three double cabins. There’s room for 21 crew, including a nanny or teacher, to keep a watchful eye over the little’uns during extended periods at sea.
Amenities are considerably fewer than on other superyachts, but incredible nonetheless. There’s an 8-meter (26-foot) infinity pool on the main deck aft, which was one of the most challenging to put together because of the massive amounts of glass used. There’s also a 10-seat cinema on the main deck, which Mrs. Symond herself compares to a secret cave decked in midnight velvet, where they would watch the news and organize regular movie nights.
There’s also a wellness center with a spa and massage room, a well-equipped gym, a jacuzzi, and a hairdressing salon. Since Lunasea comes with a formal dining room, separate from the family dining room, one must have a place to get one’s hair done beforehand. The sundeck lounge, another area that was designed with utmost consideration to the potential for spending family time, has an outdoor-indoor bar that allows gatherings even in inclement weather because it can be completely shut off from the elements.
Lunasea, a displacement yacht, is powered by twin MTU 12V 4000 M53R diesel engines for a total output of 3,700 hp and a top speed of 16.5 knots. At a cruising speed of 14 knots, it has a range of 5,000 nautical miles.
Now that Lunasea has a new owner, Symond has started thinking about building himself a new superyacht. As one does. He isn’t actively working on it yet, but he knows this for a fact: since he’s a grandfather now, he will want something bigger for his next floating family home.
Delivered in 2017 after a four-year construction span, Lunasea measures 73 meters (240 feet) in total length and has three decks. It was the Symonds’ second yacht, one that started out much smaller and grew in size until it became what they call in a recent interview with Boat International a “family home” that is ideal for long-distance travel and extended holidays. A family home that supposedly cost him $75 million to build.
“We [pictured] how we were going to live in each space,” Symond says. “We wanted to have everything a family could need, from the big swimming pool to the cinema room to a beautiful spa on the sundeck – and a great galley.”
With a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, Lunasea stands out for a clean design that blends comforting, homey influences with more modernist touches. It mixes glass, bronze, walnut, eucalyptus, and limed oak, plush velvet in midnight blue with neutrally-colored canvas, and everything else in between.
Everything on board, from the silk rugs, the marble countertops and bars, and the designer furniture, was only bought after the Symonds signed off on every single item. Symond himself jokes that every chair on Lunasea was paid for only after he had sat in it. As construction was underway, he would often say he wanted a superyacht that had personality but wouldn’t be too shouty: something more like a Rolls-Royce instead of a BMW or a Mercedes.
Amenities are considerably fewer than on other superyachts, but incredible nonetheless. There’s an 8-meter (26-foot) infinity pool on the main deck aft, which was one of the most challenging to put together because of the massive amounts of glass used. There’s also a 10-seat cinema on the main deck, which Mrs. Symond herself compares to a secret cave decked in midnight velvet, where they would watch the news and organize regular movie nights.
There’s also a wellness center with a spa and massage room, a well-equipped gym, a jacuzzi, and a hairdressing salon. Since Lunasea comes with a formal dining room, separate from the family dining room, one must have a place to get one’s hair done beforehand. The sundeck lounge, another area that was designed with utmost consideration to the potential for spending family time, has an outdoor-indoor bar that allows gatherings even in inclement weather because it can be completely shut off from the elements.
Now that Lunasea has a new owner, Symond has started thinking about building himself a new superyacht. As one does. He isn’t actively working on it yet, but he knows this for a fact: since he’s a grandfather now, he will want something bigger for his next floating family home.