Everything on the 62Steel is bigger than usual,” says Antonio Santella, Sanlorenzo’s vice president of superyacht sales and director of new product design.

The Italian brand’s nearly 202-foot (61.5-meter) steel and aluminum flagship was built for owners who wanted self-sufficiency to spend as long as six months a year on board and travel the world.

“There are dry stores and walk-in fridge-freezers on the tank deck, as well as a trash compactor, refrigerated garbage room and a large laundry,” Santella says.

Fitted with twin Caterpillar diesels, the 62Steel has a top speed of 16.5 knots. For extended cruising, she can throttle back to 11 knots, where she burns just over 52 gallons (196 liters) an hour for a range of 5,000 nautical miles, giving her transatlantic range.

Even with her sleek exterior lines, Cloud 9’s 38-foot (11.8-meter) beam is wider than other yachts in her class. She is rated at 1,300 gross tons, just 300 less than the 64Steel Attila that launched in 2019 with an extra deck. Cloud 9’s combination of interior volume and exterior space was one reason her owner wanted to trade up from his 150-foot (46-meter) Sanlorenzo.

“The 62Steel has features that are unique for her size, including two side-loading garages amidships that can house 31-foot [9-meter] tenders, guest cabins on the main deck, crew services on the lower deck, and a full deck devoted to the owner,” Santella says. “You typically find all these amenities together on yachts over 250 feet [76 meters] in length.”

The guest accommodations comprise two staterooms with twin beds on rails so they can slide together, and two double-bed staterooms, all on the main deck with much larger windows than if they were on the lower deck. A VIP stateroom is forward with an adjoining staff cabin and sofa bed (alternatively, the suite can span the full beam with a private lounge).

With the wheelhouse and captain’s cabin on the top deck, the upper deck is effectively the owner’s apartment. It has full-height windows, a private study, a his-and-her bathroom and a walk-in closet. Two glass doors lead out onto a private terrace with its own pool and lounge (the open foredeck can be used as a touch-and-go helipad). The whole deck can be reserved for the exclusive use of the owner and his family, including the sky lounge with a cinema-size TV and the open aft deck for alfresco dining.

Cloud 9’s volume further means she has the space for a beach club on the lower deck aft, illuminated by the glass-bottomed pool above. In addition to three folding platforms, the beach club has a treadmill (sunken into the deck to provide adequate headroom), a bar, a hammam, a sauna and an extra crew cabin with access from the engine room.

The interior design is by Francesco Paszkowski with Margherita Casprini. The duo also worked with the owner on his previous yacht, so they had a good idea of his preference for low-key, natural shades and textures. In fact, some of the materials and finishes on Cloud 9, such as the creamy Jerusalem stone, appeared on his previous yacht.

Brushed and bleached oak combines with high-gloss ebony, steel and bronze accents, and soft nubuck for an ambience that is gently subdued and warmly welcoming. Laminated glass screens with a metallic mesh sandwiched between the panes appear throughout the yacht, in particular for the walls of the owner’s study, to provide transparent, light-filled spaces. Cappuccino-colored fabrics are by C&C Milano, and sofas and armchairs are by Minotti. Other pieces are custom Paszkowski designs, including the polished ebony dining table in the main salon.

Cloud 9’s technical areas also recall those of much larger yachts. The two-tier engine room, for example, comes with an air-conditioned control room. There is a separate compartment for the boilers and watermakers, another for the firefighting system, and dedicated stabilizer rooms, all connected by a central passageway.

“Self-sufficiency” has become something of a watchword in yachting circles since the arrival of Covid-19, and the desire to create a secure bubble around family and friends has contributed to booming superyacht sales. Sanlorenzo is one of the beneficiaries of this burgeoning demand, and at press time had sold five units in the 62Steel series with the fifth due for delivery in 2025. The yard is also in negotiations for the first 230-foot (70-meter) 70Steel, which would have diesel-electric propulsion and azimuthing pods.

Cloud 9 launched when Italy was still in partial Covid-19 lockdown and her owner was unable to attend because of travel restrictions. But if self-sufficiency is the goal, she is a shining example of how to achieve it.

Cloud 9 Specifications

LOA: 201ft. 7in. (61.5m)
BEAM: 38ft. 7in. (11.8m)
DRAFT (full load): 11ft. 2in. (3.4m)
CONSTRUCTION: steel/aluminum
SPEED (max./cruise): 16.5/11 knots
RANGE: 5,000 nm @11 knots
GROSS TONNAGE: 1,300
NAVAL ARCHITECTURE: Sanlorenzo
EXTERIOR DESIGN: Sanlorenzo
INTERIOR DESIGN: Francesco Paszkowski/Margherita Casprini
BUILDER: Sanlorenzo

For more information: sanlorenzoyacht.com

This article was originally published in the Fall 2021 issue.