His latest project, Galactica Super Nova, will be unveiled at the 2016 Monaco Yacht Show while his other couture designs are busy sailing the world’s waters, from the Mediterranean to the Pacific. Interview with an exceptional yacht designer.*

We assumed he would be hard to get hold of and completely booked up. But the man who welcomes us into his offices on Avenue Kennedy in Monaco is a warm, down-to-earth man. With smiling eyes and a laidback appearance, the Norwegian naval architect looks back, in perfect French, at his career and his incredible projects. From Stella Maris, Solandge, Kismet and Octopus to Esther III, Silverfast, Dilbar and Ocean Victory, no fewer than 45 super- and megayachts have come to life penned by him. Including the hotly anticipated Super Nova Galactica. After three years in the making, this 70.07m floating palace, the largest vessel ever built by Heesen Yachts, will be unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show. The main attraction of the 2016 edition, it is also one of the fastest yachts in the world. “I really enjoyed working on the project, because it was the first time I’d collaborated with Heesen Yachts, but also because my wife, Sabrina Monteleone – the founding director of Sabrina Monte-Carlo – was in charge of the decoration and furnishings.” From the interior, created by Dutch design firm Sinot, to the many custom-designed outdoor spaces, Galactica Super Nova epitomises luxury on water, with every detail (tableware by Hermès, Puiforcat and Christofle, fabric by Paola Lenti and bed linen by Pratesi, for instance) meticulously selected and staged by the Monegasque interior decorator.

One-of-a-kind creations
Espen Oeino’s talent may be universally acknowledged today, but that hasn’t always been the case. “When Skat was launched in 2002, opinions were divided. Some even found it ugly. It was the idea of the owner, a leading mathematician, to use sheet aluminium and steel in their natural state. The very angular design was really unusual for the time. Looking back, it’s the boat I’m most proud of, because it’s the one that launched my career.” Is there an Oeino signature style? When asked about it, Espen himself admits to having no idea. “There may be some common characteristics, but I like to think that all my boats are different.” And for good reason. To create each design, he makes a point of adhering to very precise specifications drawn up to meet the needs and expectations of the owners. “What gives me the most pleasure? Solving the problem of how to arrange the boat’s spaces at the same time as producing an agreeably proportioned and architecturally interesting project. Dilbar is a case in point. Delivered last November, the 156m yacht is the largest in the world in terms of volume.”

Towards greater simplicity
Although excess has seemed to be the trend in recent years, the Norwegian architect is announcing a return to simplicity. “Increasingly younger customers are looking for less pretentious boats but ones that can travel far and meet specific briefs.” For one owner, a fan of shipwrecks, Espen Oeino had already designed Octopus back in 2002, a 126m megayacht with a mini-submarine and control systems for exploring the seabed. Fully in line with today’s more lifestyle-orientated trend, he has just designed a unique boat for a water and mountain sports addict. Named Cloudbreak, the ultra-equipped superyacht (planning room with touch screen, après-ski room for watching Go-Pro camera footage, ski room, sauna, helicopter, paddle, kayak, mountain bike etc) can be sailed to the most remote corners of the world. “For a sea and mountain enthusiast like me, this is exactly the kind of yacht I dream of,” Oeino says. Before adding, “That’s why I moved to the French Riviera – to combine my two passions. When I was 18 I went on holiday to Antibes. One morning, on Plage de la Salis beach, I saw the old town with sailboat masts in Port Vauban in the background and the snow-capped mountains in the far distance. And I immediately knew I wanted to live there.” Which he did, after obtaining his degree in naval architecture and offshore engineering in Glasgow, by joining the team of yacht designer Martin Francis in Antibes. Twenty years later and Oeino’s creations are revered by the world’s biggest yacht owners. Yet he remains level-headed, down-to-earth and modest, continuing from one success to the next with endless enthusiasm. Maybe that’s the Oeino touch after all.

* In 2015, Espen Oeino was voted number one exterior designer of the world’s largest yachts by leading superyacht magazine Boat International.