JUST how luxurious can a private yacht get? Very much so, as I found out last week when I was invited to take a look at Silver Zwei, a 240ft mega-yacht that docked in Singapore recently.
It also happens to be one of the biggest private yachts to have visited our shores to date.
I was interviewing owner Guido Krass for Friday's story on yachting tourists. And if what I saw is a sign of things to come, Singapore will have to ready herself for a bigger influx of some very rich people.
First stop: the helipad. Yes, that's right: the four-level 65 million euro (S$115 million) boat is so big, it can accommodate a twin-engine helicopter.
Guido Krass showing his helipad, on Silver Zwei.
ST PHOTO: Desmond Wee
Jokingly, I asked where the helicopter was stored — underneath? A serious-looking staff member replied: "Oh no. That's where the two jetskis and three boats are."
O-kay.
Moving on, we went to the aft of the boat which can be turned to a lounge deck.
The back of the boat opens up to create a sitting area, where guests can relax close to the water and jump into the sea for a quick refreshing dip. There's even inbuilt showers into the deck roof, and further back is the private gym and sauna.
The back of the Silver Zwei. The silver circles on the roof are the shower heads. ST PHOTO: Desmond Wee
Elsewhere on the boat's other outdoor levels, there is the jacuzzi, dining area, fully-stocked bar, and Mr Krass' "party deck": a lounge area which can be transformed into a dance floor complete with misters and disco lights.
We head inside for some cool respite from the afternoon's heat. Spread out over two levels are eight spacious guestrooms, which can accommodate up to 18 passengers. All are decorated in cream, orange and aquamarine tones.
There are little discreet hints of luxury here and there. Port holes are covered by custom-made Hermes lids, and the toiletries are stamped with the Molton Brown logo. The bathrooms gleam with Italian marble.
A guest bedroom on the Silver Zwei. ST PHOTO: Desmond Wee
The biggest room of course is Mr Krass' bedroom. Large and airy, it features a reading corner with an elegantly curved glass roof, where Mr Krass reads his newspapers (which his staff print out every morning) as he lies on a soft-as-butter leather daybed.
Beside him, a huge television with 500 movies stored in the boat's entertainment system rises slowly from the polished wooden floor at the touch of a button.
Master bedroom on the Silver Zwei, with leather lounger.
ST PHOTO: Desmond Wee
Scurrying around us as we tour the boat is a team of about 15 impossibly good-looking and tanned staff. Most hail from New Zealand and Australia, and their ages range from 18 to 33.
Being a crew member of a private mega-yacht may be one of the most enviable jobs in the service or hospitality industries.
Staff get to see some of the most glamorous locations around the world, while getting free accommodation and free gourmet meals. They get paid well too: Mr Krass' staff salaries range from 3,500 euros to 10,000 euros per month.
Despite its no-expense-spared features, there is a point to building this boat.
Silver Zwei was built to be a "green" yacht, featuring a fuel efficiency of 400 litres/h for an average speed of 18-19 knots — better than many smaller boats.
It is also made of aluminium honeycomb — with less weight, it can travel faster. It took 25 engineers over four years to construct it at Mr Krass' shipyard Hanseatic Marine.
Mr Krass, chairman of the Pari Group which owns green technology and renewables businesses, is trying to show that luxury yachting need not mean inefficient, lumbering, massive boats.
"I'm doing this to build up the brand, to show we have reliable operations and the technology to make yachts better," said Mr Krass.
In that sense, his boat is a literal floating advertisement for his business. So far, it's worked.
Silver Zwei is the second such boat he has made. "Zwei" means "two" in German. The first has already been snapped up — by the royal family of Abu Dhabi, no less.
His shipyard is working at full steam, building an even larger 311ft yacht. Millionaires, it seems, want bigger and better boats these days. And with more of them sailing here, then a boat like Silver Zwei will soon be just a drop in the ocean.
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