Power & Motoryacht - Now That's A Launch! - May 2006
Written by Diane M. Byrne

While most residents of Washington State were nursing sore feelings (and undoubtedly hangovers) over the Seattle Seahawks' loss in the Super Bowl the night before, the folks at Westport Shipyard were in a celebratory mood on February 6. That's because that was the day the first of its long-awaited, all fiberglass, 50-Meter (164-foot) series splashed.

Mother Nature was seemingly in a celebratory mood as well, as the day dawned bright and sunny, the first such day in about a month for the region.

Vango, as the yacht was christened, is the largest to emerge from the shipyard and, equally noteworthy, the largest series-built yachts in the world. For years this size range has been the sole realm of custom builders, so Westport is carving out a new niche.

Along with that niche comes new thinking in amenities. For starters, the VIP stateroom is located on the bridge deck, not the lower deck, and is complete with its own alfresco relaxation spot. In addition, the radar arch is hinged, handy for low bridges.

That's not to say that the yacht is complete packed with unfamiliar features. Like nearly every megayacht these days, the 50-meter includes an on-deck master suite, accommodations for plenty of other guests (ten, to be exact), and a sundeck with a Jacuzzi tub and sunpads. She's also classed to ABS and complies with the safety regulations of the MCA Code.

Want one of your own? The good news is you can have one. The bad news is, you'll have to wait about three years, as the first four hulls are already spoken for.

Thankfully you won't have to wait that long for a better look at her, however, as we'll have a feature story in a summer issue.

Westport Yacht Sales (954) 316-6463. www.westportyachts.com