| Heesen 121 |  |
"The owners have two children under 10, and they’re very
comfortable on this boat," says Jenkins. "It’s not a museum setting, where you’d
be afraid of them touching anything."The children’s cabin is a particularly good example of
stylish functionality. Two sets of bunk bed–style berths in an L-shaped
configuration maximize space in the ensuite cabin, allowing each child to have
an overnight guest aboard without displacing anyone from their regular bed. This also freed up the fourth cabin, ordinarily used for
guests, to be used as a gym for the health-conscious owner. "He was really ready for a boat that accommodated all of his
needs," says Jenkins of the owner with whom he’s worked for the last five years.
"He’s had 14 or 15 boats prior, each one a bit bigger than the last. When I
joined him, he had a Predator 75." They graduated into a Leopard 88, which they
ran for about a year and a half, before launching this yacht.
The flybridge deck offers plenty of social space.
A bimini deploys both fore and aft from the radar arch. (Click images to enlarge)
The owner has already contracted with Heesen to build a 50-meter (164-foot)
successor to Man of Steel,
which will be similarly named. "It’s not that he’s
unhappy with this boat. In fact, quite the opposite. We knew that Heesen was
fully booked and that the project would take a number of years to complete. He
just wanted to get in the queue so that the boat would be nearly completed when they were ready for more space as the kids grow
up." According to the captain, the owner makes good use of every one
of her 37 meters. "He doesn’t really have one favorite spot like so many owners
do on their boats. He might sun on the pads on the foredeck if we’re anchored
out. But he is private, so if we’re stern to in a slip he’ll go up to the
flybridge." Decorative coamings tie into the raked radar arch supports,
partially enclosing the deck from prying eyes. Smoked glass inserts keep the
space from feeling closed in. Behind the two twin bench seats at the helm is a
portside bar opposite a generous dining table with U-shaped banquette. Farther
aft is an L-shaped banquette and a hot tub surrounded by sun pads. More active relaxation takes place on the teak beach created
when the door to the transom garage is opened to waterline level.
Man of Steel carries two PWCs and a custom-built 20-foot Novurania tender. Equipped
with an inboard diesel and stern drive, the tender has proven so popular
that it’s been specified for more than a dozen new builds since and is now
standard equipment on all Perini Navi yachts. "They [the owners] really make full use of the boat," says Jenkins. "We’ve
logged more than 9,000 miles since October: Tortola, the Bahamas—1,000 miles to
St. Maarten. I think the only thing we’ve replaced after our initial Atlantic
crossing, when we had a bad voltage regulator, was four light bulbs." That is
truly super performance.
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