Grace III, which is the result of the experience of a master sailor with refined tastes meeting with skillful hands, deserves its name. Produced in Turkey under the harsh conditions of the pandemic environment for its Turkish owner, Grace III is the story of a dream come true.
Its elegant and simple hull, floating like a swan in the blue, tells at first glance that this sailboat is different from the others. There isn’t even a single glaring excess on it. This beauty of Grace III, produced in Turkey, comes from its classical and sailor genes.
One day, a Turk knocks on the door of Hoek Design, a Dutch design office known for its elegant sailboats. Like the other customers of the office, his/her biggest wish is to get the boat of his dreams and to enjoy the blues with it. That’s where the seed of the beautiful Grace III is planted on that day. The client in question describes his dream 34-meter sailboat to Andre Hoek as follows: It will benefit from all the comforts of modern technology, but at the same time it will carry the elegant look of the 1930s. It will be a sailboat that is both enjoyable enough to safely sail with his/her family and fast enough to play for the cup in the world’s largest sailing yacht races. It will be easy to use like a small sailing boat. And he will achieve this dream as soon as possible.
The genius Dutch designer Andre Hoek listens carefully to his client and examines the model he has drawn as a scribble. And Hoek gives his client a great suggestion to make all these dreams come true. Hoek realized that his client’s dream boat was almost identical to the Truly Classic 128 model he had previously revealed, which he understood from his demands and scribbles. There is only one difference, that is the size. The Truly Classic 128 is approximately five meters longer than the customer requested. Andre Hoek offers his customer to manufacture the same Truly Classic 128.
The good thing is, two of the Truly Classic 128 have been produced so far. So both his engineering and his drawings were ready. So if the customer accepts, production will be much faster and easier. Andre Hoek’s idea came to the mind of the customer and the team pushed the button for the production of Grace III. However, the owner of the boat makes another very important request: to have the boat built in Turkey.
The production of Grace III coincided with the time of the pandemic. Although the boat owner’s life normally passes between New York and Istanbul, he preferred to stay in Turkey during this period. Therefore, he wanted his boat to be manufactured at Ses Yachts in Istanbul. Thus, he would be able to visit the shipyard whenever he wanted, without having to travel, and closely follow the formation of his dream boat. Moreover, Ses Yachts had produced the owner’s previous five boats and thus gained their trust.
Another Order for the Same Yacht from Ses Yachts…
Established in Tuzla in 1977, Ses Yachts has launched more than 80 boats to date. Today, Ses Yachts, which is managed by the last generation representatives of the founding family who are trained in boat production, was a shipyard that produced special boats according to the wishes of its customers. In other words, the boats they produced were shaped by the wishes, lifestyles, dreams and passions of their customers. The experienced shipyard was especially specialized in epoxy PVC, fiberglass, epoxy laminated wood, aluminum and wooden boats.
Once the owner of the boat and Hoek Design agreed on this issue, there was no problem left. The team started production and continued to work despite the difficult conditions created by the pandemic. The owner of the boat visited the shipyard frequently, giving ideas in the light of his experiences and witnessing his dream come true step by step. However, the difficult conditions created by the pandemic negatively affected production. Materials ordered from abroad were delayed in arriving at the shipyard, often fewer people than usual had to work due to the epidemic. The hardest part of the job was placing all the equipment on the boat. The most important reason for this was that they had to combine 130 gross tons with a 40 meter boat. Although the engineering work belongs to the Hoek team, Ses Yachts employees had to do some of this work due to the pandemic. One of the shipyard’s struggles was to try to keep the budget at a reasonable level. Despite all these difficulties, the production of Grace III was only three months late and was delivered to its owner in 2021.
Grace III appeared in front of sea lovers at the Monaco Yacht Show in September of last year and was admired by everyone. That’s why the Turkish evil eye bead on her ass had found its place. Everyone was very satisfied with the result. The good thing is that the charming yacht was also auspicious for Ses Yachts. Because the shipyard signed a new contract for the fifth of the Truly Classic 128, right after the fourth, Grace III.
An Extraordinary Deck Design
After its story, let’s take a tour of this beautiful yacht. Grace III, a sailboat with such characteristics that those who know this business will realize that it was made by Hoek Design as soon as they see it. Its low profile, glossy ticks are key details of Hoek designs. One of the most striking aspects of Grace III is its unusual deck plan. The stern deck of the sailboat has an extraordinary design. This design is the result of an idea from its owner, who is a very experienced sailor.
Two Stage Hall
Like the aft deck of the Grace III, the saloon and interiors also have a different design. The design of the hall inside is curved windows; a true Truly Classic with air vents, stainless steel handles and plenty of polish. However, there is a striking difference here. Normally, teak surfaces meet the wall at an angle of 90 degrees. In Grace III, on the other hand, it was brought together in a curved way with a technique called “waterfall margin”. In this way, while the varnish can be applied perfectly, the accumulation of dirt in between is prevented. Stylish appearance as well.
The interior of the Grace III is remarkably spacious. One of the elements that provides this is the combination of oak floors with walls painted in white. The mahogany joinery in between also creates contrast and adds movement to the interior design. In the asymmetrical saloon, there is an L-shaped sofa on the starboard side and an armchair on each side of a three-seater sofa opposite it. While there are two coffee tables on the starboard side, the height of the table on the port can be adjusted as desired. With this appearance, the living room looks extremely comfortable and warm. Sofa-colored and different patterned seat cushions add color to the interior.
Like the aftdeck of this beautiful sailing yacht, the saloon is divided into two. When you walk forward from the main hall, you reach another hall, which is descended by a few steps. With its library and L-shaped sitting group, this living room has a much warmer atmosphere. This section is also the passageway providing access to the two guest cabins.
Grace III has three dining areas. One of them is in the cockpit as we mentioned above, the second is in the saloon, and the third is in the lower saloon, which can be reached by a few steps from the main hall. The owner’s cabin is positioned under the stern with its independent entrance, providing complete privacy. Spanning the entire width and with its own spacious bathroom, this cabin features a huge island bed, sofa, plenty of closets and a desk. This is a cabin that is wide enough to move easily among all these furniture.
The interior design of the sailing boat was created by Yael Modiano, born in Turkey. Modiano, who has been in the interior design business for nearly 22 years in his London-based office, says that the owners of Grace III came to their boats with the desire to feel at home. It was their desire that guided the interior design. In Grace III, cabins have a more classical decoration than saloons.
The suggestions of the sailor owner, who has a refined taste, combined with skillful hands, resulted in the Grace III, an elegant sailing boat like a swan. Grace III, which has three guest and two crew cabins, has a capacity of 30 thousand liters of fuel and 5 thousand liters of water.
