"Now what?" It’s a rhetorical question, but Captain Dave Frevert asks it out loud. He turns, looking aft through the LCD glass partition that separates the race car–like bridge from the rest of the main deck on Palmer Johnson’s 120-foot Vanquish. Off the stern quarter, a marine patrol officer is signaling Frevert that he’s approaching. "Well, it can’t be about our wake. I haven’t been above three knots since we came back in through the breakwater," Frevert announces to no one in particular. Vanquish is stopped at idle anyway, waiting for one of the countless drawbridges on the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale to open. Around her, countless small powerboats blaze by, blatantly ignoring the No Wake signs and the officer now idling alongside us, discussing something important with Susan, Frevert’s wife and first mate.

The patrol boat wheels away just as the bridge begins to rise. Susan pokes her head into the helm station, a high-tech enclave of black and orange leathers and brushed aluminum. "He just wanted to know who built it. Couldn’t believe it when I told him. Kept shaking his head."

Built in two pieces, the sun deck’s stairs disappear for a clear view out. (Click image to enlarge)

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It would be easy to imagine Vanquish getting cited for speeding even while tied off in a slip. Her athletic lines, metallic Light Glacier Blue Awlgrip paint and coppery boot stripe just scream "speed." Ironically, the illusion is reversed for those on board. A deep-V hull, Quantum stabilizers and library-like quiet make 17 knots feel like idle speed. Built with a composite superstructure on an aluminum hull, Vanquish displaces just 145 tons and nearly jumps to plane thanks to twin M90 MTU diesels.

Whether she’s effortlessly skimming along at her 24-knot cruise speed or simply serving as a floating tanning parlor in the Med, her new European owners and their four kids will have to get used to people staring. "In all my years at the helm, I’ve never seen anything like it," says Frevert. "Someone is going to get whiplash walking past her on the dock. Everywhere we go, cameras come out and people just can’t help themselves. We get so many questions that sometimes it’s hard to get any work done."

The fourth in the 120 series inaugurated with the 2003 launch of Cover Drive, Vanquish is significant because, according to PJ President Mike Kelsey Jr., she represents critical mass for the line.

The fordeck is actually the lid to a recessed garage that houses a 15-foot tender. (Click image to enlarge)

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"When I look at her, I see bulls on parade," says Kelsey. "Muscular, but not hard; angular, but not edgy. We rounded over all of the places where hard lines would make her feel boxy, so she’s athletic, but not severe." Kelsey points out the window line, one of the few elements that carried over from his father’s original sketches to Mohamed’s vision and that of Nuvolari-Lenard. "Not too high and not too low, they help to give her excellent proportion." She is named for Aston Martin’s line of Vanquish sportsters, cars Mohamed favors for their balance, proportion and athleticism.

The sun deck offers regular seating or pads, forward, as well as a fridge. A bimini deploys from within the carriage roof to shade the aft main-deck cockpit. (Click image to enlarge)

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The stair-stepped effect was designed to work with the view from the dining room, which, unlike aboard many new yachts, is aft of the main salon and the first indoor space when entering from the sliding glass doors astern.

"We wanted the view from the dining area to evoke visions of a coastal Mediterranean café where you might sit and take in the view over a hillside that tumbles down to the sea," says Kelsey. To create the panorama for such a view, PJ went with a four-panel glass wall with sliding doors outboard. But stairs to the sun deck on the carriage roof obstructed the expanse. In a bit of industrial magic, PJ’s engineers made them literally disappear. They broke the staircase in two, pulling the top half into a hidden recess in the overhanging roofline and folding the bottom half into a low-slung cabinet at the base of the glass wall. When someone wants to sunbathe, the pieces deploy with the touch of a button.

The sun deck. (Click image to enlarge)

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Vanquish’s interior matches perfectly with her streamlined exterior, which is minimalist without transgressing into austere. A chocolate-colored wengé sole anchors a masculine palette that includes horizontal-grained, washed white oak and high-gloss Macasser ebony. Spinneybeck leather inserts in parque orange add an earthy energy, and Rubelli fabrics throughout soften the feel and add a degree of "ahhhh" comfort. Italian-made Pole 74 sofas kick out into oversized recliners, adding another level of relaxation. The coffee table comes with removable, fitted cushions so it can be converted to extra seating while entertaining. Square drawer pulls milled from solid aluminum billet—not stamped from thin sheets—lend a feeling of quality, and a square-spiral design brushed into their flat surfaces shows nice attention to detail.Another nicety is the large-screen TV that acts as a divider between the salon and the dining area. The top of the cabinet contains a flush hinged foldout that serves as a second sideboard during meals. For postprandial movie viewing, the TV cabinet can be hydraulically raised to cinema-screen height and rotated toward the viewer, regardless of where he sits.

A curved portside stairwell leads below to an expansive landing area created by yet another PJ engineering feat: a disappearing wall. Part pocket door and part folding panel, the centerline wall and entry door to the fourth cabin vanishes into a slim recess in the bulkhead. The resulting space reverses the cloistering effect that often comes with arriving belowdecks. The open cabin can be used as a media room or office; closed it functions as standard sleeping accommodation thanks to a queen-size pullout couch. More design sleight of hand: Berths in both mirror-image guest suites are angled inboard at 45 degrees to create wide walkways and maximize floor space.

The forward-facing master stateroom is amidships and entered through a dressing room that can be closed off from the sleeping area. A platform king bed, desk and built-in lounge are awash in sunlight from three round portlights on each side. Two additional portlights brighten the his-and-hers bathroom adorned in emperador and bianco carrera marbles.

The new owners are moving Vanquish to the Med, and there is little doubt that she will still draw stares, even in ports that have seen the best designs the world has to offer. And most who ask will likely just

doubt that she will still draw stares, even in ports that have seen the best designs the world has to offer. And most who ask will likely just shake their heads and mutter: "Wow. That’s a Palmer Johnson?"