Viva

A modern 94 metre flagship

Delivered in 2021 as project 817, Viva arrived as one of the yard's most admired large yachts of the new decade. At 94 metres and 2,988 GT she blends flagship volume with a fresh and contemporary character. Her beam of 13.6 metres gives her the wide decks that suit her relaxed layout. She drew wide praise on launch for the way her interior and exterior work together. Following her sale she now sails under the name Defy.

Her significance lies in how she carries a relaxed, residential feel at a serious size. Viva showed that a very large Feadship could feel light, open and informal throughout. She collected design and innovation recognition at the industry awards that followed her delivery. For buyers she pointed to a more casual and modern direction at the top of the fleet. Few yachts of her length wear their scale so easily.

Azure and De Voogt on the exterior

The exterior is a collaboration between Azure Yacht Design and Studio De Voogt, giving Viva a clean and confident profile with a near vertical bow. The lines are long and low for her height, with wide bands of glass opening the interior to the sea. The styling favours calm surfaces and generous outdoor living. De Voogt Naval Architects developed the hull form. The near vertical bow lengthens her waterline and helps the hull move efficiently.

Outdoor space is central to how she is arranged. Broad decks step down towards the water and open the yacht to the surroundings on several levels. A large beach club brings guests to the waterline, while upper terraces take in long views. Wide steps and low bulwarks keep the sightlines to the sea open from almost every seat. The exterior areas are set up for easy, informal use in warm cruising grounds.

A 94 metre Feadship with an open beach-house interior by Peter Marino and hybrid-quiet cruising.

Peter Marino and the beach-house feel

The interior is the work of Peter Marino, the architect known for his work with the leading luxury houses, in what he described as an open beach-house style. The rooms are light and airy, with wide openings that blur the line between inside and the sea. She accommodates 14 guests across seven cabins, with the owner given a generous private area. Marino's material choices give the yacht a warm and collected character. Full-height openings and pale finishes give the main deck an airy, sunlit feel.

The layout is built for relaxed living at scale. Social spaces flow into one another and out onto the decks, so guests move easily between shade and sun. Wellness and leisure areas round out the arrangement in keeping with a flagship. Feadship joinery underpins the whole interior with the finish expected at this level. Natural light reaches deep into the yacht through her generous glazing.

Hybrid propulsion at 94 metres

Viva runs a hybrid propulsion package that lets her cruise at around 12 knots on diesel-electric power and reach a top speed near 20 knots on conventional diesel drive. The diesel-electric mode allows quieter, cleaner running for long stretches at sea and at anchor. The system reflects the yard's steady push towards lower emissions across its fleet. Her hull is set up for comfortable ocean passages. Her steel hull and aluminium superstructure add up to a gross tonnage of nearly 3,000 GT.

Hybrid power brings a calmer experience aboard as well as efficiency gains. Running on electric drive keeps noise and vibration low, which supports a restful atmosphere in the guest areas. The volume of the hull allows large technical spaces and tankage for long autonomy. Redundancy across the systems suits a yacht built to cruise widely. Stabilisation holds her steady at anchor and settled under way.

A relaxed flagship for modern owners

Viva answers the brief of an owner who wanted flagship scale without a formal feel, in a yacht that reads as a light-filled home at sea. Her awards confirmed that the approach struck a chord across the industry. Yachts of this quality hold strong interest on the rare occasions they change hands. Her sale and renaming to Defy kept her firmly in view. Her fresh, informal character helped set a tone that later yachts have followed.

For an owner she offers open, casual living across generous decks with the reach of a true ocean cruiser. The hybrid system suits a buyer who values quiet, cleaner running as much as comfort. The size fits large family groups and long itineraries with ease. Viva stands among the most admired large Feadships of the new decade. Her beach-house interior remains one of the most distinctive at this length.

A yacht that has already changed hands once

Viva was delivered to the US billionaire Frank Fertitta III, best known as the co-founder of UFC parent company Zuffa, in 2021, and stayed in his ownership for barely three years before selling in August 2024 to Citadel hedge fund founder Kenneth Griffin. Neither owner has spoken publicly about the sale or given a reason for it, which is typical for yachts at this level - ownership changes are usually confirmed only after the fact, through flag-registry and insurance filings rather than any announcement.

A resale inside three years is unusually quick for a full-custom Feadship of this size and cost, and it means Viva's brief working life has already been split between two very different owners from two very different industries, sport and finance, without any public record of what either one wanted changed. Nothing in her published specification suggests a refit followed the sale, so the yacht Griffin took on is understood to be essentially the yacht Fertitta commissioned. Fertitta built his fortune with brother Lorenzo through Station Casinos before the pair bought into mixed martial arts, while Griffin's wealth comes from Citadel, the hedge fund he founded in 1990 - two very different American fortunes now separated by nothing more than one same yacht.

لمين هو: The owner who wants a light, informal flagship with a beach-house feel and cleaner hybrid running at 94 metres.