Slojo

The Informal Luxury

Delta’s new Slojo,156-foot semi-displacement motor yacht where elegance and comfort lie in unity. The owner’s greatest concern in designing Slojo was to create an air of informality, to create a causal yacht for an active lifestyle. The yacht’s name reflects the owners’ mission and philosophy the desire to savor life slowly; to enjoy the journey.

Delta’s brief was to build a highly maneuverable, long range, shallow draft diving craft. In developing the hull design, they opted for efficiency over a broad range of operating profiles rather than target a single optimized top speed point.

Recognizing that most yachts are not operated at maximum power very frequently, they created an evolved hybrid shape that produces less drag at lower speeds and still allows the yacht to perform well when it is time to pick up the pace to beat a weather system. In spite of her relatively modest draft, Slojo has ample range and capability for long ocean passages.

The interior captures the essence of contemporary architecture. The design program for Slojo, was not delivered by the owner’s in a dossier. Instead, it came through a series of conversations and experiences during years of travel together, for in this owner’s/designer relationship, friendship came first.

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The design is restrained yet detailed, clean and open spaces adorned with a collection of primitive Asian, African and ethnographic art. An integral part of the design is individual art cells located in the main salon, lined with off-white leather and face lit, that will become the home to these rare and unique collections. Pieces that are discovered, one by one, throughout the voyages and adventures of the vessel and her owners.

Underlying themes are modernist, warmed by the liberal application of natural materials, a collection of art and artifacts for interest and, here and there, a playful surprise. A fairly neutral color palette was chosen to accent the four wood species used throughout the yacht. Anigre toned slightly to a caramel color, natural and satin teak, walnut full finished and high gloss and finally Mozambique, a rare wood with character.

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Brushed stainless, reed and leathers act as details, inlays and accents. The textiles include woven horsehair, silks and cashmere. While all these materials encapsulate elegance, refined luxury and style, much thought has also been put into the design to allow the spaces to be used. Guests can kick up their feet and nap wherever they like and not worry about their wet bathing suits.

The owner’s paid a great amount of attention to the design of the outdoor spaces given that when near the Equator, morning, noon and night the aft and sun decks become the main living areas. Here again, the team’s exploratory voyages yielded strong ideas, including easily installed, one-piece fiber canopies (of two different sheers) that stretch the breadth and width of the sun deck as far forward as the sun pads and Jacuzzi and aft to the lounge area, bar and games table. Also unique are custom made, removable halogen “Tiki” lights that plug into weatherproof sockets for added ambiance.

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The owners have equipped the yacht with innovations for dive support, including a Nautica tender with a tube mounted side door which, when dropped down on its hinge, becomes a ladder with two inbuilt steps. The yacht carries a Nitrox compressor, as well as kayaks, wave boards, exercise machines and other recreational accoutrements.

Testament to the prowess of both designer and builder, Slojo has been cruising since the very day she was delivered and is already well into her circumnavigation. Her twin Caterpillar engines deliver a top speed of 16.5 knots though, with a cruise of 10 to 12 knots, she has an impressive range of 3,500 nautical miles.The end result: casual elegance without stuffy formality; the joy of traveling the seas rather than the hassles of ports; deserted beaches rather than rich desserts. It’s the road less traveled and the journey, not the destination.