Oceanic Yachts: the shipyard that caused a sensation at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Show goers noticed this 27 meter Explorer with the huge rear deck and rumour had it, she moved with unusual speed for this type of boat. With a planing hull, the Oceanic 90 cruises at 24knots, reaching 26 knots if you need to be somewhere in a hurry
The enigmatically named TsaTsa, registered in Kingston, St Vincent, is the first Oceanic 90 STS Panoramic Master to take to the water – one of a kind, she is a real surprise.
Oceanic Yachts 90 STS design
We discover her, in the quay at Cannes, noticing immediately her enormous rear deck area, covered in a sea of teak. If Explorer or crossover style yachts are often a little too masculine, too muscular, then the Oceanic Yachts 90 STS has a very eye-pleasing and refined design, highlighted by the two-tone colour of the hull.
The Oceanic Yachts 90 STS general lines are soft and more rounded. In profile, the twin recesses at the bulwark give her a slender and dynamic line and the hull is adorned with stylish rectangular portholes; outlined in black strips, they add to the visual length of the boat. The stern contains a garage that houses two three-seater PWCs, two Seabobs and the all-important JetLev. An Opacmare 1.5t lifting system can load the main tender, a semi-rigid Sacs 6.60 meter, which can be housed on the main deck.
Upper deck belongs entirely to the Owner
An additional PWC arm is located under the launching crane. This impressive rear deck is furnished with large, modular sofas. The side decks are wide and very secure with the height of the bulwarks increasing gradually as we move towards the bow. A small, but very cool front deck salon, enables guests to experience some ‘wind in the hair sailing’ on the move.
This first Oceanic Yachts 90 STS model adopts an original configuration with the upper deck belonging entirely to the Owner. It’s this specific area that gives the boat its title of ‘Panoramic Master’. A private staircase from the living area provides access to the upper deck where we find the Owner’s suite and its adjoining bathroom.
This ensemble benefits from a beautiful view, even if the bed is not facing the bow. A door allows direct access to the rear deck area that serves as a private terrace with a pleasant outdoor living area.
The three cabins, one VIP and two doubles are positioned on the lower deck. A staircase to port of the main living area leads down to the lower deck, which houses the kitchen and crew quarters with two cabins. From here we can directly access the large engine room which is home to the twin Caterpillar C32 Acerts.
Moving through the space which includes the living room and dining room, we head through the large sliding door that leads to the wheelhouse, which itself is worthy of a small ship, with two purposeful captain’s chairs. Four large windows provide excellent visibility and two doors on each side provide access to the side decks, helping with any tight manoeuvres. The interior design is the result of collaboration between Oceanic’s in-house design bureau and the Owner.
Oceanic Yachts 90 sea trial
The latter chose to mix bleached gray oak, Macassar ebony, wenge and lacquered wood. Oceanic Yachts 90 STS TsaTsa came to the Cannes show to meet a number of prospective clients, eager to take her on a sea trial and now it’s our turn.
We arrive at the bridge in the early afternoon. Waiting for us is Raphael, the ship’s captain, who has been with TsaTsa since her completion. At 5PM, we set off with 5,000 litres of fuel and 1,500 litres of water on board. The weather conditions are good with winds of 10 knots and a beautiful sea, only slightly agitated by the multitude of boat wakes from the constant flow of show traffic.
TsaTsa moves through the water with ease
Raphael reminds us that Oceanic Yachts 90 STS TsaTsa is not equipped with stabilisers. As we head out of the port, the boat easily powers-up and the hull planes quickly. We pass twenty knots in minutes. With the big Cat’s turning at only 2000 revolutions per minute, we see an indicated speed of 21 knots, with fuel consumption reading at 460litres per hour.
We push the twin 1925hp C32 Acerts and the speed rises: 23, 24… 25 knots. At these speeds, TsaTsa moves through the water with ease. Now, with the throttles wide open, we reach 26 knots and are consuming 750 litres per hour. This explorer, has a range of 450 miles when travelling at 20 knots. Certainly, it’s a little low for this type of boat, but this will be improved upon for the subsequent hulls. At low speeds she is a bit noisy, but the shipyard promised us details like this will be improved upon an that the first hull is very much a prototype.
Electric mode
In the electric-diesel version, the Oceanic Yachts 90 STS can indeed operate either with two Caterpillar C32 Acerts or, alternatively, with two electric motors powered by generators. In the electric mode, the yacht will sail at 8 knots with a consumption of 40 litres per hour. The promising beginnings of Oceanic Yachts are reflected in the optimism of its creator, who has built an explorer, with undeniable charm and a great turn of speed.
