On Feb. 25, Heesen Yachts launched their YN 15250 at their shipyard facilities in Oss, the Netherlands. With a gross tonnage of 499 GT and a top speed of 24 knots, the new, 50 meter yacht is among the world’s fastest of its size. Christened “Satori” – meaning sudden enlightenment in Zen Buddhism – by her owner, the yacht is the first of Hessen’s new all aluminum design. The delivery of Satori is scheduled for April 2011, after undergoing intensive sea trials in the North Sea.

Heesen has established themselves with the production of seventeen 44- and 47-meter custom yachts, and Heesen’s in-house naval architects have drawn from this experience to create the Satori’s sophisticated and highly efficient hard-chine hull, currently the most efficient on the market. This expertise combined with Hessen’s notable weight reduction proficiency and a pair of high power-to-weight ratio MTU 2.720 kW engines yields a sophisticated yacht that is capable of achieving an excellent top speed while remaining fuel-efficient, resulting in a particularly long range of 3.200 Nm at 12 knots.

For the design of the luxury watercraft, the owner hired the award-winning French designer Rémi Tessier to create its elegant interior. The result is an interior that is, at first glance, simple, but extremely refined and detailed at closer inspection. The Satori is capable of accommodating up to ten guests between the master suite on the main deck and four additional guest cabins – two VIP full width and two twins – located on the lower deck. The main deck’s saloon is divided into three distinct areas and features an elegant round dining table. The table itself can be lowered to create a more casual dining style. The lowering of the table transforms the saloon’s atmosphere to one of magnificent open space and lounge-like relaxation.

Additionally, four additional exterior social areas lend guests extra room to take advantage of their life at sea. A 20-meter-long split-level sundeck boasts a custom Jacuzzi and, along with a dedicated sunbathing terrace and bar, provides a sunny spot perfect for relaxing and catching a sun-kissed tan. Additional areas include the aft cockpit, the forward cockpit that brandishes U-shaped enclosed sofas facing the sunbathing area, and an al fresco dining area on the upper deck aft.

About the Satori, Captain Mark Lacey, also the owner’s Project Manage, says, “This yacht has pushed Heesen’s custom abilities to an even higher level of excellence. In yachting there are only two possible ways to react to a request from the owner: ‘Yes AND I will see what I can do’. In the construction of this yacht there has been emphatically no place for the response ‘this is not possible’ and we have approached the entire build with this inspiration in mind. Every person of the team has been working extremely hard to create a balanced and beautiful design that I hope will become a classic.”