Superyacht of the Week: the eco-friendly Aria.S

Article from Super Yacht times - Charl van Rooy

"As I stepped onboard Arcadia’s latest superyacht, and first in its new Arcadia 100 line, on a hot summer’s day in Cannes, I immediately knew this was going to be something different. An Arcadia is distinguishable from a mile away and in port even more so, with Aria.S standing out from the crowd that are lying either side of her berth. Here we take a closer look at the Italian brand’s youngest, but certainly not smallest, eco warrior.

Aria.S is built using GRP for the majority of the hull and superstructure with only the aluminium verandas on the main deck made from aluminium. Her hull measures 31.06 metres and at her widest point stretches 7.75 metres across. Arcadia worked together with Francesco Guida Design and the National Physical Laboratory of England to arrive at the perfect hull shape that would deliver optimum sea keeping capabilities without sacrificing performance.

From up top, the most evident eco feature about these unique yachts become clearly visible. The photovoltaic cells on top of the superstructure have become a recognisable element of the Arcadia’s, and Aria.S is no different. These bad boys provide up to 5 kW f power, enough to guarantee self-sufficient energy for much of the equipment and electrical systems such as refrigerators, water circulation, toilettes, lights, A/V and electronics.

The skydeck is the ‘wow’ area of the outdoors. It is here where you will find the signature ‘Arcadia wheel’ and an L-shaped lounge setting. The entire deck is sealable from the elements via sliding glass windows that wrap around the structure. On sunny cruises, the windows drop down at a touch of a button to let through the sea breeze and simultaneously increase visibility.

Arcadia managed to keep the volume below 200 GT, delivering a sleek and well-proportioned profile whilst maintaining a spacious interior and living areas. This airy experience is partly due to the minimalist and low-profile interior style, but also largely thanks to those oversized windows and massive sliding doors on either side that each leads out onto a balcony.

The décor theme is a toned down and elegant tone of greys and splashes of red. The vibrant colour touches signify the owner’s love for all thing Ferrari being a racing driver himself.

Hull number one is laid out with a five-cabin setup, meaning the forward area that could be used for a secondary lounge has instead been utilised as the master suite. This makes for a narrower cabin overall, but the views that one can enjoy from the comfort of the central bed is priceless. Turning in for the evening surrounded by nothing but the tropical sky sure is worth the full-beam sacrifice.

The lower deck, therefore, is equipped with two VIP suites fore and aft, separated by two twin guest cabins amidships."

http://www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/superyacht-of-the-week-the-eco-friendly-aria-s/