First Impression: Air

Date toured: December 2011

The 265-foot motoryacht Air launched this year in Holland and immediately became the largest Feadship in the world available for charter. She also became, arguably, the most contemporary, with a white interior décor designed to highlight the owner’s collection of art. I'd like to show you photos, but I was not allowed to take any during my tour--and the management company so far has not released any for media use. But since Air has generated so much buzz, I'd like to at least tell you what I saw onboard: She is simultaneously grand and minimalist, an unusual combination in the world of luxury yacht charter.

Since the artwork plays such a prominent role aboard Air, it is something you will want to ask your charter broker about to get a true sense of the décor before booking. The crew told me during my tour that they were “not at liberty” to discuss any of it, including the large canvas that had been removed from the main dining area for insurance and security purposes. Next to that bare wall, I saw a spectacular canvas by Mark Rothko, so expect something in the Modern Art genre. Another piece I saw on a coffee table looked like a slab of marble with scoops of raw rice all around it, further adding to my Modern Art assumptions.

As I made my way forward on the main deck, I was happy to see an elevator that services all decks, given the sheer size of Air. I was also impressed to see so much of this yacht’s massive interior volume used for creature comforts.

The entire forward half of the main deck, for instance, is dedicated to the master suite. It includes both a master cabin and a VIP cabin, plus an office with his-and-her desks, his-and-her bathrooms, and his-and-her dressing rooms. Some of the detail work in this suite is exquisite, including a backlit onyx table and a bathtub carved entirely from a single piece of limestone.

Three guest cabins are belowdecks. Two have queen-size beds and the other has oversized twins. Two additional guest cabins are above the main level on the bridge deck. They both have double beds and massive windows that open for not just great natural light, but also for fresh air.

As I walked from those cabins to the sky lounge, I noticed that the sofas were gray and white, and that there was a touch of pink in the egg-shaped chairs—the first hint of color I’d seen on the entire yacht, save for the artwork on the walls. This moment made me realize just how contemporary the interior decor is compared with most other charter yachts.

I then walked outside from the sky lounge aft, where I found outdoor dining with air conditioning and cool misters. The eating space can be entirely enclosed in glass during inclement weather. Up a deck from there is the helipad—rated commercially for up to a 3.5-ton copter—and the sundeck, which is accessible only from an interior staircase or the elevator. The staircase opens into the air-conditioned gymnasium, and outside beyond there guests will find sunpads plus a hot tub.

It was from this sundeck area forward that I got my first glimpse down at the yacht’s foredeck, which includes an 8-meter-long swimming pool that’s about a meter and a half deep. It’s a heated pool within view of the forward observation lounge, which has a door connecting the two areas. A photo shoot was going on during my tour, and a blonde model in a black bikini was making shallow dives into the pool. So it’s deep enough for that, and is not a swimming pool in name only.

I finished my tour back on the main deck, where the dining room includes fold-down side decks that bring the outdoors in. I walked from there to Air’s aft deck, which leads to a massive drop-down swim platform with a wet bar. The crew can place a fighting chair here for fishing enthusiasts, and the platform is designed to stay down even if Air is moving as fast as 10 knots, the deckhand told me. Just inside are a steam room, day head, and massage room—and two of the seven stewardesses onboard are licensed masseuses, to make good use of these spaces.

Many of the features aboard Air are absolutely fantastic for charter, but it’s important to note that her interior décor will not appeal to everyone. If ultra-contemporary is your thing, then I think you’ll absolutely love this yacht. She combines the look of a modern-art museum with some of the great amenities for which Feadship is world-renowned.

Air is expected to spend winter 2011-12 in the Caribbean followed by summer 2012 in the Pacific Northwest and the west coast of Mexico. The lowest weekly base rate is €750,000 for 12 guests with 21 crew.

International Yacht Register is the management company, and any reputable charter broker can help you book a week onboard.—Kim Kavin