Celebrating her 20th birthday next year, the 50-metre Benetti superyacht Air, launched as Queen M in 1998, proved to be a big success for the Italian shipyard along with her fleet of Golden Bay sister ships. The line was built for nearly a decade and took on various forms according to their owners’ stylistic tweaks. Recently updated, refitted, and improved into the modern-day charter yacht that guests demand, there is no better time to take a closer look at the charter-ready Air.
The Golden Bay series has over the years proven its value as a high-volume 50-metre fleet with plenty of room for storage, grand exterior deck spaces and reassuring seaworthiness that would make even the most anxious of guests feel right at home. Her sub 500 GT volume means this yacht is big enough to host large groups in style, but compact and manageable at the same time to explore remote bays and anchorages with ease and tie up in most ports during your visit without any hassle.
Notable refits in 2006 and 2014/15 were recently followed up by a refresh of her exterior and a complete revisit to the interior during a yard period in Barcelona and Italy. Guests can now look forward to a modern, warm and welcoming environment designed to be used by the entire family. “The aim was to make the interior more modern and cosy,” says Captain Fernando. “All guest bathroom marble was replaced with the finest Carrara marble,” he points out.
As you enter via the main aft deck, the sliding doors give way to a nautically inspired main saloon. Hanging out with family and friends in this bright and spacious setting and catching up on travel stories as the charter kicks off is the best start to an exciting trip. The bulkhead fabric, carpet and furniture were all replaced during Air’s latest refit to breathe new life into this family-sized lounge and dining area.
The original owners of Queen M decided on a unique internal layout, almost as if chartering was the main intention of the vessel all those years ago. Instead of a conventional master suite forward on the main deck, Air houses her principal guests in a full beam private apartment on the upper deck.
On offer is a large central dining table that offers the ideal spot to start off the day with 11 other guests with a relaxed brunch. You don’t have to go far to chill out in the sun as a wave-shaped sofa lines the outskirts of the deck. The slide is also set up from this level and is by far the fastest and most fun way to reach the beach club below. 
Here, an array of water toys awaits and includes Seadoo watercraft, Seabobs, an electric wakeboard, a flyboard, diving gear, kayaks and fishing gear.
Back inside, the additional six, yes, six, guest cabins are all spread out over the main and lower decks. The main deck forward has been split into two VIP suites with another four guest cabins placed on the lower deck.
This layout is perfect for bringing along the entire family or all your friends and even opens up the possibility to have additional staff live on board during a trip.
Not that this will be required, of course, as Air’s highly capable crew are trained in several fields, from haute cuisine, beauty and wellness and even professional watersports instructors to master your wakeboarding technique. 
After a fun day on the water, what better way is there to relax in the Jacuzzi on the sundeck complete with its own wet bar and raised lounge on the aft part of the deck?
Air is available for charter through Y.CO from €175,000 per week. To learn more about the yacht and get in touch, go here.