CHAKRA – The Yacht That Reminds Us Why Bigger Isn’t Always Newer

Every so often a yacht comes onto the charter market that makes me stop scrolling.

Not because she’s the newest launch, the most expensive or the most photographed. Quite the opposite. It’s because she reminds me that the best yachts aren’t always the obvious ones.

Chakra has been one of those yachts for as long as I can remember.

I’ll admit she’s never struck me as conventionally beautiful. Her profile is unmistakably that of a vessel designed with purpose rather than glamour, and from certain angles she still carries the unmistakable DNA of her former life. That’s hardly surprising. Before becoming a luxury yacht, Chakra spent decades working in the North Atlantic as a weather and research vessel, enduring conditions that would have challenged many ships half her size. When Devonport Shipyard undertook her extraordinary conversion in 1998, the aim wasn’t to erase that history but to build upon it.

The result is one of the most unusual superyachts afloat.

At 86 metres, Chakra possesses a volume that many modern yachts can only envy. Figures such as 24 guests, 19 cabins and a crew of 30 sound impressive enough on paper, but they don’t prepare you for the experience of moving around the yacht itself. There’s an unmistakable sense of generosity to every space. Wide companionways replace narrow corridors, lounges flow effortlessly into one another and the exterior decks seem to stretch on forever. Even fully occupied, there’s little chance of feeling crowded, which is perhaps the greatest luxury of all.

That feeling extends throughout the yacht. The wellness centre wouldn’t look out of place in a boutique hotel, while the gym, beauty salon, massage facilities and piano lounge reinforce the impression that this is a yacht designed for living aboard rather than simply spending a long weekend. Families can disappear into their own corners, friends can gather without ever competing for space and, should you wish to escape everyone for an hour with a coffee and a book, there will always be another quiet deck waiting to be discovered.

What I find particularly refreshing is that Chakra doesn’t pretend to be something she isn’t. She won’t compete with the sculptural lines of the latest Northern European masterpieces, nor does she rely on fashionable interiors that risk dating within a few seasons. Instead, she offers something far more enduring. She feels solid, reassuring and immensely capable, qualities inherited from her working life and refined through decades of thoughtful ownership.

Perhaps that’s why she has remained such a successful charter yacht. Guests don’t return because she photographs well. They return because she delivers something increasingly difficult to find in today’s market: genuine comfort on a grand scale.

For those considering a Mediterranean charter this summer, there’s an added incentive. Selected July dates are currently available at a special rate of €450,000 per week, reduced from her usual €495,000, plus VAT and APA. For a yacht of this size, with this level of accommodation and such an established reputation, it’s an opportunity that’s well worth considering.

At Lomond Yachts, we spend a great deal of time looking beyond the headlines and the glossy marketing. The right yacht isn’t always the newest, nor is it always the one dominating social media. Sometimes it’s the yacht that’s quietly earned its reputation over decades, delivering exactly what discerning owners and charter guests value most.

Chakra is a reminder that real luxury isn’t measured by fashion. It’s measured by how a yacht makes you feel once you’re on board.

Find out more about Chakra here.