First Impression: Samar

Date toured: December 2009

The 254-foot motoryacht Samar was so impressive at the December 2009 Antigua Charter Yacht Show that she generated more buzz among brokers and press than a half-dozen newer, larger motoryachts that were supposed to steal the scene. I was most definitely among those who stood stunned at the sheer sight of her interior, which has higher ceilings and thus substantially more interior volume than I’ve ever seen on a charter yacht in any price range, anywhere.

“The design brief for the boat was that true luxury is volume,” Capt. Bob Corcoran told me as we made our way through the 2006 Devonport build. “The owner is an experienced yachtsman. He has spent a month at a time on a boat—and he couldn’t wait to get off. You go on these large boats, and the rooms get bigger, but the ceilings can’t grow proportionally. This boat was designed for total volume so that people will be comfortable staying as long as they like.”

Overhead on Samar’s main deck is just shy of 10 feet. On the bridge deck, it’s a hair over 9 feet. Standard heights on other yachts are usually in the high-6-foot or low-7-foot range. That’s a major difference, sort of like the difference between regular and cathedral ceilings in a home.

Samar’s décor is unabashed opulence on a level that reminded me of my trips to Versailles and the Vatican City museums. Corcoran told me that the owner is an art collector, and thus all of the oil paintings and antiques are originals. Some are displayed in backlighted cases a la The Louvre, but the use of indirect lighting throughout the guest spaces helps to soften the feeling of being in a museum. Instead, I felt as though I were touring the personal residence at The White House, complete with masterworks from generations past.

The formal dining room can seat 24 guests, and Corcoran says it has been the location of several state dinners. Additional dining spaces on deck seat 14 guests for more casual gatherings.

Also jaw-droppingly impressive is the master suite, whose bed is on a hydraulic platform that you can raise or lower depending on whether you desire a view over the yacht’s bow. (The photograph above shows the view from the bed.) The master bath was built with two to four shower heads per shower, plus a steam room, and is served by a dedicated water pump to ensure good water pressure. There are also chilled-water showers for cooling down after a hot steam, sinks atop tall basins so that you don’t have to bend over to brush your teeth, and a “body dryer” that turns on at the push of a button so that you needn’t even reach for a towel. The air can be blown hot or cool, depending on your mood.

I was beginning to feel that I could get lost in this room alone, let alone trying to make my way around this massive yacht, when Corcoran pointed out that Samar is equipped with three elevators. One is for guests, one is for crew, and one is for moving supplies amid the yacht’s decks. And, unlike on yachts that have elevators suitable for only two or three people at a time, Samar’s are rated to carry 10.

We rode the guest elevator to Samar’s sundeck, which boasts a mosaic-bottom hot tub that can easily fit 12 people. It has swim-against water jets for exercise if you’re the only person around. Nearby, a chilled-water plunge pool is available for workout cool-downs.

And that’s not even the real workout area. Samar’s gym is as elegantly decorated as the rest of the yacht, only in place of formal dining chairs, I found a steam hamman and exercise equipment. There’s even a full pantry adjacent to the gym, should you want a smoothie mid-routine.

Samar is also fully equipped for business needs. Fully half of the sky lounge can be used as a conference room (as shown in the photo at right), and Internet access should be phenomenal even far from shore thanks to the yacht’s three VSAT systems and two Fleet 77 units. There’s also a separate media lounge with a 50-inch plasma television and a drop-from-the-ceiling projector screen where you can watch satellite TV channels, the movies on Samar’s Kaleidescape entertainment system, or anything from the yacht’s Blu-ray disc player.

For outdoor fun, Samar’s tenders include a 36-foot Chris-Craft powerboat, a pair of 25-foot Chris-Craft powerboats, a 24-foot Nautica powercatamaran, and an 18-foot Nautica tender. The 36-foot powerboat has its own bathroom and guest cabin, so if you’re out for a day of fishing, you can nap and relax in comfort.

Corcoran told me that Samar’s owner lives aboard four to five months each year, and that the yacht is thus interested in only about six weeks of charter annually. The rest of this season was expected to be in the Caribbean, with summer 2010 plans still up in the air. Last summer, Samar cruised in Norway. This summer, the owner is considering Brazil.

The lowest weekly base rate to charter Samar is €650,000 for 12 guests with 25 crew. (Wow!) Any reputable charter broker can help you book a week onboard this most impressive motoryacht, or you can work directly through management house Edmiston and Company.—Kim Kavin