| Oceanco 269 |  |
It was decided the yacht would have the capability to land, but
not service, a nine-passenger helicopter on the main deck. The vessel was
designed around the heliport, Lenard says. However, the aircraft operation
is not to MCA code, and the chopper will not be used for ferrying charter
guests.
Using the bottom of the 6-meter-by-3.75-meter current pool for
helicopter service is a tribute to Oceanco’s engineering ability. When the
bottom rises up to become flush with the deck, a rim seal prevents the 8,321
gallons of water from any immediate contamination by the debris associated with
aircraft operations. "The platform moves up and down electrically on spindles,
instead of levers or hydraulic cylinders. Meaning there is less chance of the
platform accidentally lowering due to the helicopter’s weight. There is no
hydraulic pressure to lose," says project manager Jeroen Mulder. It can also be
used as a dance floor or additional deck space. "We needed more structure in the stern underneath the pool deck
to compensate for the lack of structure in the port and starboard tender doors,
the pool and the transverse sliding tender crane," Mulder says. The additional
reinforcement raised the deck approximately 50 centimeters, the height of two
steps, above the patio and just forward. The joggle adds enough separation
between the areas so each has its own individual ambiance.
Top: The upper aft-deck lounge spans the full beam. A skylight in
the sole illuminates the settee on the deck below. Bottom: Intricate deck details. (Click images to enlarge)
Three boats are tucked into the stern garage, but not too
snugly, around the pool walls belowdecks. Though the garage opens on both sides
of the hull, the portside door is longer. This facilitates management of the
35-knot-fast, eight-passenger Yachtwerft Meyer enclosed limo tender by the
5.5-ton capacity transverse crane. The tender is stored athwartships against the
forward bulkhead. Also to port is an eight-meter Novurania utility tender. A
six-meter Ski Nautique boat lives to starboard. A 2,500-pound-capacity rotating
overhead crane on each side facilitates handling water toys. Room remains to
store two PWC and a pair of Vespa scooters.A vessel’s operating noises and vibrations are not a cherished
part of the yachting experience. It’s not only the boat’s sounds that intrude on
the experience. The world beyond the gunwales has an effect as well. In Force 5
conditions that produce wind speeds of 17 to 21 knots and six- to eight-foot
seas, and with Alfa Nero operating at 80 percent of her maximum
continuous rating, decibel readings taken in the portside guest cabin and the
main salon are less than 50 decibels. Eel Kant, Oceanco’s managing director,
notes that the readings were taken without the added effect of drapes and
carpets or any other sound-absorbing fabrics. Those are impressive numbers, but
that’s what Oceanco’s clients have come to expect from the company’s
yachts. The lower deck serves several functions. Waterline guest entry
is at this deck through the midships door that drops down to become a dock for
access through the teak-decked foyer. A large double VIP crew stateroom is
immediately forward and on the centerline, where the circular elevator begins
its three-deck journey hugged by a circular staircase that continues up one
additional level to the skylounge deck. Berths for 28 crew in 15 ensuite cabins
and Internet workstations occupy the area forward of the foyer. The captain is
quartered abaft the bridge on the skylounge deck. On the port side, opposite the guest entry, is what is best
described as the service entrance. Completely segregated from guest traffic,
stores are loaded here. Convenient access is to the large commercial galley
immediately aft and to the crew stairs and service elevator to the bottom deck,
where there is more general and cold storage and the laundry.
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