This year hasn’t offered much in the way of good news or general positivity, but for yachting enthusiasts—especially those with affluent means—2020 delivered a 353-foot-long glimmer of hope. The brand-new superyacht Luminosity is on the market. And the term “brand new” isn’t used in a hyperbolic way. The 107-meter vessel was listed for sale only a few weeks before it was scheduled to be delivered to its owner, which means the buyer fortunate enough to acquire this gleaming, technologically advanced, and transcendent superyacht will effectively be acquiring a contemporary Benetti masterpiece devoid of any fingerprints. What’s more, that astute buyer will be skipping the five-year wait time typically required when commissioning a new build from the Italian shipbuilder.
Offered through a joint listing with Fraser and Burgess Yachts, Luminosity carries an asking price of about $265M. It’s a significant investment for sure, but at that price the yacht actually represents a bargain, since it would cost about $324M to commission Benetti to build that same yacht today. (The yacht is not available for sale to US residents while in American waters.)
“The word ‘unique’ gets overused in this industry, but in this case, it’s 100% accurate,” says Dominic Millman, lead broker at Burgess Yachts. “I’ve been in this business a long time now … and I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like Luminosity.”
Such distinction is rooted in many noteworthy design features. For starters, the yacht boasts more than 8,700 square feet of floor-to-ceiling glass, which brings the outdoors (and copious amounts of natural light) inside. “You almost expect to feel the breeze in your hair walking through the main saloon,” Millman says.
The yacht spotlights the natural world in technologically advanced ways, as well. It features a 205-square-foot wall of digitally projected Corian flowers, for example, each of which opens and closes as people walk by. And much of the main deck is equipped with a nearly 4,000-square-foot LED video wall that currently displays a forest canopy, though it can be easily configured to display custom content of the owner’s choosing.
Technological advancements are not limited to elements of interior design. Luminosity is powered by advanced diesel-electric hybrid power. Six diesel generators (each capable of churning out more than 1,300 hp) provide power to the vessel’s Azipod propulsion system, which propels the yacht to a top speed of 16 knots and allows it to sail 8,000 nautical miles when the throttle is set to a more efficient 10-knot cruising speed. Luminosity also features the largest hybrid battery drive ever outfitted to a yacht—35 tons of lithium polymer batteries allow the yacht to operate silently while at anchor (with zero emissions) for up to 12 hours.
The vastness of Luminosity’s living spaces is no less impressive. With its aforementioned length, a 17-meter (56-foot) beam, and almost 10-foot-tall ceilings in some living and entertaining areas, the yacht offers more than 5,800 GT of volume. Capable of accommodating 26 guests in 12 suites, Luminosity also features quarters that can accommodate as many as 37 crew members. That crew-to-guest ratio means that passengers can expect to be properly pampered in all living and entertaining areas on board, including a vast beach club equipped with retractable hull doors, which can open the area to the water on three sides. “Nothing like this has been seen before. The design and engineering that has gone into this yacht, it’s just extraordinary,” Millman says.
“She was designed for multigenerational family use, so she is tailor made for a family that loves spending time together—from grandparents to grandchildren—and exploring the world,” he adds. “But her appeal is universal. She is a yacht designed to be lived in, to be enjoyed regardless of age or ability, and she has the spaces, capacities, and capabilities to meet all modern tastes.”
