Standing the Test of Time

The late Jon Bannenberg’s Coral Ocean, built by Lürssen, rivals superyachts of today.

- Jill Bobrow

Until recently, 238-foot (72.5-meter) Coral Ocean, built by Lürssen Yachts in 1994 under the name Coral Island, was kept under a media ban. Now that she has changed owners and is on the charter market, we can tell you what it’s like to be aboard. Designed by the late Jon Bannenberg, forefather of modern superyacht design, she is in immaculate condition and a masterpiece of workmanship and design that rivals today’s superyachts.

Upon boarding her, I was immediately struck by her forward thinking design elements. She has many of the amenities that we expect on 21st century superyachts. Bannenberg was ahead of the current trend of wellness areas, balconies, natural light from skylights and windows, countercurrent swimming pools, beauty treatment rooms, gyms and pop-up TVs.

Her interior configuration is practical and flows well from room to room, as well as to outside decks. The layout invites a direct relationship to the sea and surroundings—a buzz phrase found in today’s design briefs. Wide, walk around side decks enhance a sense of where you are on the yacht and allow up-close sea views. As is de rigueur today, she was laid out for crew to handily take care of guest areas via hidden passageways. Smartly placed pantries also provide convenience for dining service, an attribute deemed a necessity by today’s standards.

Bannenberg had an unerring eye for drawing striking exterior profiles. Peter Lürssen, CEO of Lürssen Yachts, said, “I remember very well when we started to work with Jon Bannenberg on this project. At that time, it was the largest yacht in our history at the Lürssen shipyard. Although the yard worked with Jon on Carinthia V and VI, Coral Island was my first project with him. The way he worked was so different from other designers. He was so much ahead of the times.”