Alfa Four’s mechanical areas are as well thought out and finished as her exquisite interior spaces. Tucked between the bridge and the upper-deck salon, for example, are two garages. The one to port houses a 17-foot Boesch tender, while a lovely 25-foot full mahogany Boesch is stowed to starboard. The garage doors open upwards and gantry cranes allow the tenders to be raised and lowered in a wide range of sea conditions. The finish of the garages, like the rest of the yacht’s technical spaces, is to a very high standard, with faired and painted internal surfaces. This is in perfect keeping with Mr. A’s philosophy that it’s important to glorify the working nature of a yacht.
 
“A boat is a boat,” he said, “not a house on the water. A boat is an instrument to enjoy the sea and to be close to the outdoors and to nature.”
Dimitris Daskalakis, Oceanco’s new managing director, said Alfa Four benefited mechanically from the fact that the yacht’s basic systems were identical to Lady Lola. Not only does the latest iteration gain from the previous yacht’s engineering history and experience, but Alfa Four’s systems also use the latest upgraded products from the systems manufacturers.

Daskalakis reflects the kind of yacht/commercial melding Mr. A is trying to bring to the industry. A yachtsman himself, Daskalakis also brings to the table extensive experience as an engineer and as manager of major commercial shipyards. He has tenure with companies owned by the Onassis and Latsis families, including Elessis Shipyard, the second-largest builder in Greece.

One of the critical members of the Alfa Four team was Capt. Takis Tsakos, who oversaw the yacht’s technical side. Capt. Tsakos also brings an extensive commercial background – in his case in the cruise ship industry – to yachting. He is especially proud of the rigid standards to which the yacht is built, which include Greek registry, as well as Lloyd’s and MCA rules. “On paper, we have all the qualifications of a commercial vessel,” he said. “Though, of course, we remain in every way a yacht.”

Alfa Four’s outfitting includes what previous Oceanco CEO Richard Hein describes as, “The most extensive electronics package I’ve ever seen on a yacht.” She has not one, but two gyro compasses, for example. She carries three different electronic chart systems, making her one of the few yachts in the world certified under SOLAS rules to sail without paper charts. Her communications complement is equally astonishing, including two F-77 radio systems, a pair of Inmarsat C transceivers, two Mini-M sets, three GMDSS VHF radios and three DGPS systems.

All this, Capt. Tsakos said, to ensure Alfa Four is in constant communication with the world, no matter where she’s cruising on the planet.