Olokun, the third 50-metre Tankoa yacht, is the result of an orchestrated effort between the shipyard, the owner, Francesco Paszkowski’s design studio, which created the exteriors and overall layout, and Dio Rodriguez, who signed the interiors
by Francesco Michienzi
IN THE YORUBA LANGUAGE, OLOKUN means the personification of various human characteristics such as patience, meditation, observation, and future visions. Its characteristics can be found and are visible on the bottom of the sea where Olokun governs material treasures, psychic abilities, dreams, meditation, and mental health. Already in itself, the name chosen by the owner for this superyacht built by Tankoa is quite revealing of its philosophy and peculiar features. Olokun seems simple and essential in its shapes, but if you look closer you notice its design value and can imagine how complex it must have been for the yard to build a vessel of this kind.
The furnishings are linear and sophisticated in their simplicity. They are the result of a project in which Casa Dio has focused on developing made-to-measure pieces specifically designed and produced by its craftsmen for the owner and his family.
«We focused on making sure that the interior of the yacht conveyed a sense of residential life by reflecting the exterior and transforming the interior into a particularly thrilling experience at sea». Dio Rodriguez
The sinuous and muscular lines of this 50-metre yacht, designed by Francesco Paszkowski, highlight the owner’s desire to prioritise the width and height of all rooms. Paszkowski expressed a design that makes the wide interior and exterior common spaces of each deck coexist harmoniously, a solution that provides areas offering shelter, but which, at the same time, never cut off communication with the exterior.
The owner’s apartment on the bow is equipped with two private terraces and windows opening upwards which make this space very bright.
The interiors are signed by Dio Rodriguez from Casa Dio Miami, who has given life to elegant and rigorous environments in which the architectural composition of spaces perfectly matches the chosen shapes, materials, and colours. The Olokun project is entirely tailor-made and developed in close collaboration with the owner who intervened first-hand in defining many elements. The input was a very clear, essential, and modern design, where the perception of volumes had to prevail over the decoration of the environment. In addition to having a hammam, a lounge, and a relaxation area as close as possible to the ocean.
Olokun is the third superyacht in the S501 series built by the Tankoa yard.
Dio Rodriguez declared: «To meet the owners’ needs, we have transformed the space of the beach club to create the hammam. We converted the tender garage, transforming it into a lounge where the owners could find one more space for relaxation. This way, we were able to exceed their expectations». The design is based on linearity and details, both in the geometries of the spaces and in the search for materials and finishes that make the décor a continuous discovery.
«The massive stern is another design element that can be traced back to Tankoa’s family feeling and expresses the dynamism of the lines. If you observe her from the anchor, she conveys a sensation of movement. The superstructure, which is compact on the water, is a harmonious mix of geometries created for the windows. The balance of the vertical lines integrates the pillars and overhangs of the stern decks».
Francesco Paszkowski
Plenty of cabinet-making details, minimal and almost invisible, reveal top-level artisanal mastery and building technique. The generous interior volumes generated by the shapes of the exterior design and large windows, allow natural light to pervade every environment. The interior spaces have been put into close relation with the exterior, since the furniture, which has been entirely designed and produced to measure, is conceived to enjoy the incredible views and innovative perspectives that this project has to offer. The main lounge, which displays extreme formal rigour and is the business card of the entire interior project, is made of one single open space featuring a double line of light-coloured counterposed sofas.
The exteriors are by Francesco Paszkowski who gave life to a yacht with well-balanced and contemporary shapes and uninterrupted exterior-interior spaces with bright interior environments.
The naval architecture is by Francesco Rogantin and is conceived to be hydrodynamically efficient and able to ensure outstanding performances in terms of speed and consumption. Thanks to two 895 kW MTU 8V4000 M54 engines, at 1800 rpm the yacht reaches a top speed of 17 knots.
As Rodriguez declares: «For the Olokun project we were inspired on minimal Japanese environments. The use of neutral colours in all the woodwork and furniture allowed us to create higher contrast and a timeless quality». The guest cabins are distributed according to a traditional plan with the owner’s suite located forward on the main deck and four guest cabins on the lower deck. The full-beam owner’s suite features a large closet, relaxation area, private lobby, double side balcony, a bathroom for him, bathroom for her, and Hammam.
The vertical bow is a distinctive and typically contemporary element of the exterior lines, which makes it possible to increase the interior volume of the yacht.
«The Tankoa S501 is a very successful project. We are currently building two more identical yachts, one has been sold to be delivered in February 2022 and the other on speculation for July 2022. I believe that Paszkowski’s exterior design was key to determine this yacht’s impact on the market; it sells because its lines are beautiful and are further enhanced by the high quality of the construction and level of customization». Giuseppe Mazza
The distinctive black hull is unique and was finished with high-performance paint that reduces the temperature of the metal when it is in the sunlight by up to 8 °C.
In the three 50-metre yachts built to date, Tankoa has always highlighted the degree of personalization it can offer the owner. An example is the choice of the adaptable terraces, which are not the same either in number nor in position on the Vertige, Bintador and Olokun, and the division of interior spaces which is entirely different on the 3 yachts. Olokun is a yacht built fully in 5083 aluminium with the hull designed by the shipyard in collaboration with Francesco Rogantin. A couple of 895 kW MTU 8V4000 M54 engines at 1800 rpm allows the yacht to reach a top speed of 17.5 knots at half load and give it a range of 4,500 nautical miles at 11 knots.
TANKOA YACHTS S.P.A.
Via Cibrario, 1H
I-16154 Genova
T. +39 010 8991100
[email protected]
NAVAL ARCHITECTURE: NAMES by Francesco Rogantin
EXTERIOR DESIGN: Francesco Paszkowski Design
INTERIOR DESIGN: Casa Dio Miami / London
INTERIOR JOINERY MANUFACTURER: Cantù Contract
OWNER’S PROJECT MANAGER: C&N
HULL: Length overall 49.90m • Length between the perpendiculars 49.41m • Breadth (max) 9.40m • Depth 4.15m • Displacement, lightship 315 t • Displacement, at half load 357 t • Displacement, at full load 391 t • Draft, at full load 2,35m • Gross Registered Tonnage: 499
GT MAIN ENGINE: 2 x MTU 8V4000 M54 (2 x kW 895 @ 1800 rpm)
SPEED: 18 knots max, cruise 14 knots
RANGE: 4.500 NM at 11 knots Diesel tanks volume 57.3 m3 • Fresh water tanks volume 16.2 m3 • Grey and black tanks water volume 10.14 m3 • Clean/dirty lube oil tanks volume 3.00 m3
THRUSTERS: Naiad 90 kW
STABILIZERS: Naiad E 575 (3,49 m2)
GENERATORS: 2 Kohler 125 ekW
AIR CONDITIONING MFR: Condaria
PAINT: Awlgrip/Awlcraft Lsa
NUMBER OF CABINS/PEOPLE: Owners + VIP + 4 guest
CREW/STAFF: 4 crew + 1 capt (total 9 crew)
TENDER: no tender, yes chase boat
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS: Hull and Superstructure in light alloy 5083
CLASSIFICATION: LLoyds
(Tankoa S501 Olokun, suggestive visions – Barchemagazine.com – October 2021)
