Sovereign Yacht: Inside the limousine of the ocean

100 metres (328 feet) of luxury craftsmanship, the Sovereign superyacht could be one of the classiest vessels ever to take to the seas. So classy in fact, it has been conceived with international royalty in mind. The yacht was designed in 2011 by Gray Design and will open its doors to kings, queens and monarchs for cross-ocean travel. An excellent idea, but what about the execution?

Could the combination of luxury and renewable energy feature in all yachts of the future?

 

The Sovereign gets top marks from the environment with its three MTU engines backed up by a readily available supply of wind and solar energy. This renewable system also powers the electronics on board and could potentially act as a template for greener solutions in the future. The rest of the Sovereign’s features are quite simply jaw-dropping. From a reinforced glass helicopter pad, to both a wet and dry garage complete with limousine and speedboat, this yacht is the definition of luxury.

Sunburn will also be a thing of the past with a retractable cover over the pool area on the bow. This all makes the two illuminated swimming pools pale in comparison! There are ten guest suites on the yacht so even an extended royal family could happily spend weeks away from dry land.

The Royal Yacht Britannia

For all its grandeur, the Sovereign is merely a pretender to the throne of luxury yachts. Serving the queen and the British royal family for almost 44 years, the Royal Yacht Britannia is the most recent of the royal yachts. Providing space for up to 250 guests, the royal family were catered for by 271 royal yachtsmen who communicated with a series of hand signals as shouted orders were banned.

The vessel made a mammoth 696 overseas visits in its operational lifetime. It is powered by two geared steam turbines and its facilities allow it to double up as a hospital ship if required. It is designed with modern tastes in mind with a clipper bow and modified cruiser stern alongside a cinema capable of showing 3D films. Such a luxurious vessel didn’t come cheap, and in 1997 the Britannia was decommissioned due to its high running costs.

The Royal Yacht Britannia ensures that the Queen and the Royal Family travel in style and comfort

 

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