Greek goddess

It’s also no surprise to learn that the Omikron yard, in a previous guise, built more than 2,000 sailing yachts over a 50-year period.

“Omikron had an interesting approach with the OT-60, developing its first boat with a challenging brief based on real efficiency,” says Philippe Oulhen, Project Coordinator at Juan Yacht Design.

“Our task was to develop an optimised hull shape for between 8 and 14 knots of boat speed with very good seakeeping abilities. We also worked around the propeller design during the whole sea-trial process.

“We’re very pleased with the results,” he continues. “The yacht’s construction meets the weight and centre-of-gravity position as designed, and the fuel consumption is even better than our expectations.”

The OT-60 was conceived with space, comfort and efficient navigation in mind. Alongside Kouyoumdjian’s hull optimisation, the team turned to Lorenzo Argento – another sailing specialist – for exterior and interior styling. “Sailing boats are typically quiet and respectful,” Argento explains.

“When we were approached with this idea of a gentle powered vessel, we picked up the challenge believing that this is truly an innovative way to go at sea. You can sail for long hours, in comfort, protected and with long range.”

In this respect, he says, and following the indications of yard, the team has carefully worked out the most legible layout to be easily used both at anchor and while underway. “We truly believe in this concept to move around at 8 to 9 knots, as you would on a similar-sized sailboat, with minimised wakes, reduced noise, high stability and low consumption, all while enjoying onboard life,” he continues. “No different from any other project, this is the result of a very interesting and challenging design brief defined by the client.”

Stepping on board the yacht, it’s obvious everything centres on cruising in luxury, but that’s not all – there’s responsibly sourced wood and the use of recyclable materials, which combine with spaciousness and plenty of natural light to make the journey as enjoyable as the destination; an ethos straight out of the sailing handbook.

There are other benefits to borrowing from sailing yacht lines, too. The stern platform – which serves as the boarding platform, the beach club and tender stowage all in one – is amazingly large thanks to the 6-metre beam that’s carried all the way aft. Tender launch and recovery becomes an easy procedure thanks to the passerelle, above which doubles as a hydraulic tender lift.

Two steps take you up to the aft deck, which has been conceived as the outdoor living area. Settees to port and starboard each have a dining table that can be lowered to convert the settees into large day beds or sunpads, although the aft cockpit can also be enclosed with soft clears. The cockpit also gets a remote helm to make stern-to mooring a breeze.

Wide side decks lead forward to the clean foredeck area, which features the now-obligatory bow cockpit in the form of two large sunlounges as well as a ladder to take you to two further sunlounges located above the main saloon. The business end of the bow sports a bowsprit from which the anchor can be deployed, which keeps anchor and chain well clear of the yacht’s plumb bow.

Inside, to port, an extra-deep settee invites languorous lounging, while to starboard a small sink plus a fridge suggest imminent cocktail-making – the perfect accompaniment to settling into a movie on the pop-up TV.

Forward to starboard is the helm that offers twin seats. Two large MFDs show all that needs to be seen, and there are electronic controls – there are also manual redundancy controls to allow safe passage home in the unlikely event of an electronics issue.

Vision from the helm is ideal thanks to the saloon’s 360-degree panorama, which makes not only for easy navigation but also engaged guests when underway or at anchor. Natural light pours in through the saloon’s big windows and also the hatches overhead.

Stepping down into the lower saloon, there’s a dining area to port with storage underneath the seating, and a very serviceable galley to starboard comprising a large sink, extendable tap and good benchtop space.

A Miele oven and induction hob provide for cooking while an extractor fan helps mitigate steam and smells – important for a lower galley. A large upright fridge and freezer provide cold storage. Extra headroom in this lower level gives the space something of an atrium feel, and the natural light here is also generous.

Forward is the owner’s cabin with a full double bed on the centreline plus side lounges, a writing desk, a head to starboard and a shower to port. Natural light is again a feature with good headroom throughout. The yacht also comes in a charter version where the owner’s cabin is split into two double cabins, each with an ensuite head and shower.

Aft there are two additional guest cabins. To port is the VIP, which features a double bed with great views out along with generous headroom and plenty of light. The cabin features a spacious shower and separate head – the head also doubles as the day head.

To starboard is a twin cabin with separate wardrobes, as well as a separate shower and head at the aft end of the cabin. Once again, the cabin features plenty of natural light. All cabins feature coaming windows with opening portlights and deck hatches.

The technical space is located under the cockpit floor, which houses the main engines –the OT-60 offers up to 250-horsepower

Yanmar engines in a twin configuration linked to shafts, with a bow thruster. A stern thruster is offered as an option, as is joystick control. There’s also a 7-kVA generator plus 460 amp hours of 24-V house batteries to run the yacht’s systems, galley appliances and air conditioning.

Fuel efficiency with this configuration and the super-sleek hull is incredible. Cruising at 8 knots promises a 1,000-nautical-mile range from the 1,200 litres of fuel the OT-60 carries, although if you’re in a bit more of a hurry or just want to blast from dock to beach, the yacht does offer a handy top speed of 16 knots.

There’s also a hybrid propulsion system available with two 100-kW motors mounted between the engine and gearbox; also included is a 78.2-kWh LFP fast-charge battery pack.

This combination gives a cruise at 7 to 8 knots for three hours in pure electric/silent mode, while the battery pack can be recharged using the engines in less than an hour. The hybrid package also includes a 4.3-kW solar array that also helps recharge the batteries. The battery pack can run all the house systems, including the air conditioning, for more than 24 hours on one charge for silent anchoring.

The idea of merging elements of sailing yachts and motor yachts to create an efficient motorboat platform may not be entirely new, but combining it all with sleek and contemporary styling, seaworthiness and spacious, light-filled interiors means the OT- 60 is entirely seductive for those who want to cruise along with little effort. And that’s something worth shouting about.

In Australia and New Zealand, Omikron Yachts is represented by McD Yachts, founded by Paul McDonald.

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