Expedition yacht Dione Sky
She splashed with the thunder of immense potential at the Palmer Johnson shipyard in 1996, a Vripack-designed yacht built specifically for expeditions to the world’s least-visited cruising grounds. It didn’t take long for her to fulfill the owner’s vision and then some, among other things becoming the first motoryacht to circumnavigate North America unaided, with a Northwest Passage transit in 2001.
Her original nameplate, Turmoil, seemed utterly nonsensical. She proved as solid, strong and steady as a yacht could be. Now called Dione Sky after an interlude as Putty VI, this 151-footer is a veteran of multiple circumnavigations, nearly 200,000 miles of trouble-free cruising and a series of three owners who kept her in the kind of condition that you’d want if you were somewhere off the coast of Alaska or Patagonia.
The biggest refit of Dione Sky was in 2007, a near rebuild in Holland that included a new air-conditioning system, a new engine room firefighting system, the addition of Naiad zero-speed stabilizers, a sundeck makeover, the installation of VSAT and Wi-Fi, an upgraded audiovisual system and more. The current owner continued the upkeep during refits at the Derecktor yards in Connecticut and Florida during 2010-11, replacing her generators, pulling her shafts and rudders to fit new bearings, cleaning her tanks and more. In March 2013, her twin 820-hp Caterpillar 3508 DITA C engines were rebuilt to Caterpillar zero-time specs.
“She has never been chartered, and she’s had excellent owners with no expense spared,” says Ann Casebourne, owner of Yacht Connection Ltd., which has listed_ Dione Sky_ for sale on the brokerage market at $18.9 million. “They put maintenance before the bottom line. Interest in expedition yachts is picking up, and she’s ready to go right now. She doesn’t need rebuilding. She doesn’t need refitting. She needs an owner who is tired of sitting around St. Tropez.”
And while Dione Sky has a no-nonsense exterior and systems, her interior is as classically elegant as you’ll find, with rich cherry woodwork everywhere from the owner’s deck to the paneled library walls. She accommodates 10 guests, including the owner on an entire owner’s deck that includes a private sundeck. There are also cabins for eight crew.
Dione Sky is currently lying in Barcelona, waiting for her fourth owner to create the next chapters in her storied cruising history.
“The perfect owner would be a bit adventurous,” Casebourne says. “She needs someone who is looking for a turnkey yacht to go a bit farther than the norm in safety and comfort.”
Learn more at www.yacht-connections.co.uk.
