Axis all areas. The name of the game

A new lease of life for a classic Heesen, with all the sybaritic comforts – and an ideal draught for the sandy shallows of the Bahamas

Originally launched in 1986 as Tropic C, and subsequently called Mylin II, Morgan Star, No Comment and Brio, this superb, Heesen-built 38-metre’s current name feels the most fitting. “The owners’ company is called SixAxis, so Sea Axis worked as a play on words that fitted with the accessibility that the boat offers,” says her captain, Nick Veselica. “Our tender follows suit with the name Beach Axis.”

For while Sea Axis has much to recommend her, it’s her shallow draught of just 2.46m that particularly appeals to her owners, who hail from South Carolina. It makes her a perfect yacht for exploring the balmy, shallow waters of the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

“We’ve cruised the Abacos and the Exumas all the way down to Georgetown, as well as the east coast of the US. There are a few areas that are tide-dependent,” explains Nick, “but otherwise we can get everywhere.”

Nick became captain of Sea Axis just over two years ago and brought a lifetime of experience to the job. His yachting career began while he was still at college, after which he quickly obtained his captain’s licence. He spent three years running a yacht management company with a portfolio of 160 clients before deciding to “stick to just one boat” – this one.

“Sea Axis is pretty special,” he says. “It still surprises me that she was built in 1986. The way she’s been designed and built, Heesen were way ahead of their time and worlds above other shipyards. It’s the accessibility that she gives, and her stability and comfort at sea.”

Her home port is Fort Lauderdale, but she spends most of her time in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, and after various refits since her launch more than 30 years ago, she is well equipped and beautifully kitted out for both private and charter use. Her current owners’ decision in 2017 to rework the flybridge, or “lido deck” as he likes to call it, has transformed the yacht’s charter positioning. “We have a hot tub and a huge, blue agate bar up there. It provides a 36-degree view of just about everything around,” says her seasoned captain. “We made the bar backlit, so it has this beautiful glow, too.”

A fully updated AV system was added, which includes subwoofers, soundproofing inside the bar, and B&W speakers throughout the yacht. “We have this really fancy 4K projector that sits directly behind a massive 120-inch screen for short-throw projection. When guests are lounging on the aft deck sofas, sat around the bonfire pit watching a movie, it’s a real showstopper set-up,” enthuses Nick.

The popular Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park is a particular favourite with the owners, as is the private island of Hog Cay. Typical itineraries will see the yacht cruising the mangrove-lined waters of Shroud Cay, snorkelling the reefs at Highbourne Cay, and dropping anchor at Staniel Cay, just south of Nassau. “We also like to head a little further south to places like Cave Cay and hop around more of those uninhabited islands, too,” says Nick. “You tend to get a lot fewer people around those anchorages.”

Carrying inflatables, scuba and fishing gear, and the latest water toys, Sea Axis is a popular option in the charter market for guests looking for island-hopping adventures. The owners also have their bucket list. “We’ve done a lot of memory building with the boss and his children. Sea Axis is the family’s first yacht, and his whole goal was to show his children a life that he never had,” says Nick. “I’m sure we’ll run through the Caribbean and then maybe down to Panama and Costa Rica. That would be a fantastic trip, and the boat would more than handle it.”

Power and Performance
Sea Axis is a custom-built 38-metre tri-deck yacht built by Heesen in 1986 to ABS class specifications. She completed a two-year, US$11 million refit at Rybovich in 2015, during which her interior was updated (under the supervision of the original designer, Frank Mulder) by German yacht designer Joachim Kinder. The main deck aft and euro-transom were extended, as were the skylounge, bridge and sun deck, with all exterior areas reconfigured. A state-of-the-art AV system was also installed during the refit, including Crestron and Kaleidescape movie and music servers.

Sea Axis accommodates up to 12 guests in five cabins, with a main deck master suite, a VIP king suite and two twin suites with Pullman berths on the lower deck. Performance-wise, Sea Axis packs a punch for a motor yacht built over 30 years ago. She is powered by two 1,484hp Deutz-MWM TBD616V16 diesel engines (new in 2002 and rebuilt in 2019), and has a range of 3,200 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots. Water toys include Seabobs, SeaDoos, wakeboards, waterskis, dive and fishing gear and inflatables, while as tenders she has a Nautica RIB and an 11.5-metre Pursuit DC365, which can be towed behind Sea Axis at 12 knots.

Words by Julia Zaltzman