Secret

• 82.5 m LOA, 12.4 m beam, 2,240 GT
• Delivered 2013, major refit 2018
• Exterior design by Sam Sorgiovanni
• Steel hull, aluminium superstructure
• Twin Caterpillar engines, 16.5 knots top speed
• Range around 5,000 nm at cruising speed
• 12 guests in seven staterooms, crew of 23
• Cinema, elevator, gym and spa facilities

Sorgiovanni lines on a German hull

Secret brought together an unusual pairing, the sculptural, ocean-liner curves of Australian designer Sam Sorgiovanni and the sober engineering culture of Lemwerder. At 82.5 metres she was among the largest yachts the yard had delivered when she left the Weser in 2013, and her sweeping sheer and softly raked superstructure still read as classic at anchor a decade on, with no hint of a dated period piece.

The exterior conceals a thoroughly conventional and well-proven platform underneath, steel hull, aluminium superstructure and a beam of 12.4 metres. That conservatism was deliberate. The brief asked for a long-legged, comfortable world cruiser dressed in memorable lines, and the yard's response was to put the drama above the waterline and keep everything below it boringly dependable, which is the combination brokers love ten years later.

Volume arranged for guests

At 2,240 GT, Secret carries her volume across decks arranged for a full guest complement, sleeping 12 in seven staterooms with a crew of 23 to run the operation. The ratio of crew to guests is the quiet number that matters on a yacht like this, nearly two to one, which is what full silver service across an 82 metre platform actually requires.

An elevator connects the decks, and the amenity list runs through a cinema, a gym, a massage room and generous spa facilities, with two large tenders housed for guest operations. None of it is exotic by today's standards, which is rather the point. Secret represents the mature, fully sorted expression of the classic large motor yacht, every system in the place where a professional crew expects to find it.

Drama above the waterline, dependability below it. Ten years on, that is still the combination brokers ask for.

Renewed at the five-year mark

Secret went through a significant refit in 2018, five years into her life, the interval at which a well-managed large yacht renews itself. Interiors were refreshed and systems updated while the yacht kept her essential character. For a buyer surveying the brokerage market, a documented refit history from a disciplined ownership matters nearly as much as the original build yard's name on the plate.

Her subsequent life confirms the care. Secret has run consistent charter seasons through leading houses, a demanding schedule that exposes any weakness in a yacht within a few months. Vessels that charter well and survey well at the same time are rarer than the listings suggest, and Secret's record in both columns is the practical translation of what Abeking & Rasmussen build quality means over time.

Ocean legs and honest numbers

Twin Caterpillar engines totalling around 4,000 horsepower drive Secret to a top speed of 16.5 knots, with an easy cruise at 14 and a range in the region of 5,000 nautical miles. Those are unspectacular figures on paper and exactly right in service, sized for Atlantic crossings and long Mediterranean and Caribbean seasons without stressing the machinery.

The engineering philosophy is visible in the operating record. Caterpillar mains are a deliberate choice for worldwide support, and the yard's installation standards mean the engine rooms of its yachts tend to pass survey with short snag lists. An owner buying at this level is buying running costs and reliability curves as much as staterooms, and Secret's were established by a builder that also answers to navies.

The brokerage case

Secret has traded on the open market, with her sale reported by the international trade press, and she has remained in demand as a charter yacht throughout. That liquidity is worth dwelling on. The pool of buyers for 80 metre yachts is small, and the ones writing cheques gravitate to a handful of pedigree names their surveyors and captains already trust.

Abeking & Rasmussen sits firmly inside that circle, and Secret is the demonstration hull. She offers a buyer the rare middle path, a fully custom German yacht of serious scale, already built, already proven, available for a fraction of the time and money a new build at Lemwerder would command. For owners who want the pedigree without the four-year wait, this is what it looks like.

A chi si rivolge: A buyer who wants proven Abeking & Rasmussen scale on the brokerage market, with charter income and a documented refit behind it.