3,800 NAUTICAL MILES
MAXIMUM CRUISING RANGE AT 10 KNOTS
yacht has a modern-day must: a tender garage. It’s a side-launching area, capable of holding PWC and a traditional tender. ¶ The strongest connection between the nautical past and present, however, comes inside. Gone are the primarily lacquered surfaces that, in recent years, relegated wood to soles. Gone too are the grays and other muted tones of surfaces and soft goods, as well as austerely shaped furnishings and accessories. As Pickering says, these seemed to step straight out of a home in Architectural Digest, not really the essence of a yacht. Instead, the owners of Koju embraced Lazzarini Pickering’s initial concept of pale, matte-finished wood underfoot and overhead. ¶ Koju also has a series of striking arches, meant to mimic a whale’s ribs. The arches, in white lacquer with swaths of pale oak between them overhead, flow forward through the salon and dining area. The walls of the four guest staterooms belowdecks follow suit; their arches are wood, and the spaces between are lacquered. The walls also follow the natural shape of the hull, eschewing the common practice of squaring everything off and making it more residential-like. ¶ “The luxury in a boat is in space—real or perceived,” Pickering says. The sense of space amid the 25-foot-3-inch beam is palpable, thanks to those ribs and shapes. It also helps that the yacht has large ports in keeping with current trends, as well as crisp white furnishings and accessories, with navy blues for extra nautical measure. The whalebone elements are practical as well: They serve as art niches in some areas and stowage in others, and they further hide the trunks for the air conditioning. ¶ “Practical” is a good description for the overall ambience on board Koju. The curved, sliding glass doors between the salon and main deck aft can remain open all day long for owners or guests. Lazzarini Pickering recommended that the white and blue fabrics it designed for the inside also be used outside—and be able to hold up to salty swimmers. ¶ Because as much as some things change, they also remain the same.