First Look: Inside the new 56m Turquoise explorer yacht Blue II

Presented as a classic gentleman-style yacht, the 55.99-metre Blue II (project Lombok) recently delivered by Turquoise Yachts is in fact, a serious explorer capable of withstanding the planet's harshest environments. The project is a collaboration between the shipyard, owner's representatives Master Yachts and Hoek Design whose designs are remindful of classic steamships, but with a modern twist.

Inside the 785 GT yacht, Hoek Design, Vickers Studio and Dols Home continued the classic theme across her sky lounge, main saloon, six cabins (including a generous owner’s apartment), a wellness centre with sauna, steam room, Turkish bath and massage room, and gym.  

With a fresh and neutral colour palette throughout, the interiors of Blue II are decorated with contemporary furniture, patterns and artwork and is accented by high-gloss woodwork reminiscent of a beach house. Photo: Turquoise YachtsShe comes complete with an ice-class 1B steel hull and ice-breaking bow to take on the Northwest Passage and polar regions with confidence. “There’s a big trend at the moment in expedition yachts, and a lot of people think that when you do expeditions you have to do something agricultural,” explained designer Andre Hoek in an earlier interview with SuperYacht Times.

Two large tenders are stored underneath the yacht’s deck, as well as her IMO Tier III diesel-electric propulsion system. Blue II was built with twin Diesel Electric 800kW e-motors driven by two Caterpillar main propulsion generators and a set of Naiad stabilisers to reach a top speed of 13 knots.