First Impression: Harmony 1

Date toured: May 2008

Harmony 1 is a 101-foot Horizon motoryacht that was built in 2002. She has always been in charter in Europe, but my tour was during her first-ever showing at the annual, industry-only charter show in Genoa. According to chef Anita van der Werf, Harmony 1 is available for charter only during the summers, though the yacht stays in Europe all year round. Last year, the yacht cruised as far east as Croatia and Turkey, but plans for the summer of 2008 are to stay in the Western Mediterranean, likely with Palma de Mallorca, Spain, as a base.
     The room that impressed me most onboard this yacht was the master suite, which is a split-level design. The bathroom, closets, and dressing area are one level down, while the sleeping area is up a short, private staircase on the yacht’s main level—allowing plenty of natural light to come in through the windows as well as through a large, overhead skylight. That’s an unusual feature, and one that most charter guests will appreciate.
     All of the other guest cabins are on the bottom deck, one with a king-size bed, one with a queen-size bed, and one with twin beds, sleeping a total of eight guests. The twin-bed cabin, in my opinion, seems ideally suited for children as opposed to an adult couple.
     Harmony 1’s sundeck has a large sunpad, along with three tables and separate seating areas, which I think is a good layout for a charter yacht of this size, allowing guests to have their own private areas for reading or chatting during a weeklong vacation. There’s also a bar and barbecue on the sundeck, along with a hot tub for two to three people.
     One last note about the sundeck is that it is, indeed, a sunny deck, with little by way of shade. The crew told me they do not carry umbrellas or removable biminis onboard, so don’t expect much protection from ultraviolet rays unless you go down to the covered deck below.
     Harmony 1 is part of the Merrill-Stevens fleet. Her lowest weekly base rate is 47,000 euro. Contact any reputable charter broker for more information.—Kim Kavin