Luxury family yacht in record time

YACHTING | 2023

“Al Waab” in Arabic means something like “place of refuge” or “place to grow and protect”. Whether the owner of the recently launched yacht of the same name had this translation in mind is not known. But the team involved in the design and construction of the 55-metre yacht confirms that the owner claimed to want to accommodate an extended family and many friends on board. The exterior of “Al Waab” has a conventional profile with straight lines and four decks, the upper ones with veritable Al Fresco surfaces. The very well dimensioned stern bathing platform cuts deep into the stern, with the outer side decks protecting the sides.

The platform is thus effectively an extension of the gym, which is located in the beach club of “Al Waab”. All of the exterior areas, Bouwhuis said, have different layouts and functions at the owner’s request. “He just didn’t want any of the decks to be repetitive.” In total, Alia Yachts accomodates six guest cabins on the lower deck and a master suite on the main deck. The design was approached holistically by the Vripack office, with interior and exterior spaces merging in a flowing pattern. “He didn’t want a gallery, he wanted a yacht that was calm and friendly,” Bouwhuis says.