American Dream

The flagship of the Hargrave fleet from Fort Lauderdale is Dreamer. She really is a dream come true for her owner...

The Hargrave yachting brand evolved from the studio of Jack Hargreve, the star of yacht design who built yachts on Hatteras, Amels, Burger and other famous shipyards. When Jack passed away in 1997, his successor Mike Joyce decided that it was no longer enough to be just a design bureau to succeed, but to develop and build yachts. Hargrave had a fleet of 70 to 100 feet custom-built yachts from various shipyards, which had just been added to its flagship, the 136 foot Dreamer.

Mike Joyce, CEO of Hargrave, notes that just because you've seen one Hargrave yacht doesn't mean you've seen them all, because they're all different. According to him, Hargrave works for those who can't find what they need in the market. «If clients have a clear vision, it's our mission to make it a reality»," says Joyce. That's exactly what happened with Dreamer, whose owner is a design co-author.

The semi-displacement three-deck Dreamer was built at TSMM Teknecilik, a Turkish shipyard known for its composite hulls.

He came to an exhibition in Miami straight from Antalya.

It has a range of 3300 miles, which allows you to travel that distance on your own, though with a refill. Powered by twin Caterpillar C32 Acert 1825 horsepower engines, it has a top speed of 19 knots with a cruise around 17.

The aft main deck, which is accessed by a bifurcated stairway through the bathing platform, looks traditional, but this does not mean that there will be no more surprises. This is dominated by a 12-person African mahogany table and a sofa with beige leather seats. For the convenience of outdoor guests, there is an audio and video system, retractable TV, an ice maker and a fridge. Equipped with photocells, transparent doors open to the main salon themselves.

The salon is a single room with a dining room, devoid of any partitions, and combined with a curved bar. The effect of airiness of the space is enhanced by a high ceiling, 2.2 meters. The base for the bar counter and the floor underneath is mahogany, the elements of which can be found everywhere on the yacht, its countertop is made of quartz. The curves are repeated in this room in wardrobe shapes and are generally the leitmotif of the yacht's design. While the near entrance area has an aperitif, the central area is designed for movie watching with a retractable 52" TV, sofa and chairs opposite. At the back of the room there is an oval dining table, behind which there is a curved beige artificial suede partition (easy to clean). Behind this is a rare kitchen for guests on a yacht of this size.

The owner loves to cook, spends a lot of time in the kitchen and wanted it to be made to the same high standard as other rooms.

It has all the equipment necessary for a professional chef, and the kitchen is made like a stage, which can be watched by the audience seated on the sofa partition.

The kitchen is followed by the owner's private area - through the door you can enter his cabin, which naturally occupies the entire width of the hull. This is a comfortable space in which the artificial suede walls are combined with the mahogany bed and its crocodile-skin headboard.

The theme of the curves continues in the bathroom, which is so large that it could well accommodate another cabin.

The floor and walls of the shower are lined with Italian mosaics, the bath resembles an oval capsule, two sinks on semicircular lockers complete the wave-shaped picture of design.

The salon of the bridge» deck, or «celestial deck, as it is called by its creators, is made as if in contrast to the lower salon: all furniture here is inhabited by beige rather than dark brown leather. It has the largest TV set, 65 inches, and the windows are closed with electric blinds to keep the light from interrupting. At the rear of the deck there is a table for eight with stairs leading to the flybridge, and in the forward section there is a remote control and captain's cabin.

Sandek is designed so that he will clearly be one of the favorite places on a yacht.

At its center is a Jacuzzi, which easily turns into a sunbed. There is also a barbecue machine and a table that can accommodate up to 12 guests.

The guest and crew cabins are located on the lower deck and have separate stairways so that the guests do not intersect with the crew. The three crew cabins are forward with 8 berths, but only 6 are needed specifically for Dreamer. Three VIP double cabins and another cabin with two fixed beds and one retractable cabin are at guests' disposal. The cabins, although slightly smaller than the master suite, are finished with the same materials - artificial suede, mahogany and bathroom mosaic. In general, Dreamer has everything for a pleasant Mediterranean cruise in friendly company.

This is a boat built by hedonists for hedonists.

Published in YACHTS magazine #38.