Luxury 40m yacht sails into Whangarei for refit

Super yacht Be Mine is hauled out of the water in preparation for an extensive 10 week refit programme at Oceania Marina. PHOTO/ Supplied

A luxury super yacht owned by a mystery European businessman has sailed into Whangarei for a major refit.

The custom-built 40m superyacht 'Be Mine' made her way into Whangarei Harbour last Saturday and was hauled out of the water at Oceania Marine Centre on Port Rd.
The super yacht is receiving extensive work, including a repaint, electrical and engineering work and a general refit.

Oceania Marine marketing manager Jim Loynessaid the 310 tonne vessel was currently out of the water and would be moved into the fitting shed over the weekend.

The arrival of Be Mine, formerly Leonora, comes hot on the heels of a refit completed on the 43m sailing yacht Bella Ragazza, described as a high-performance cruising sloop, available for charter in South East Asia, with five double staterooms.

Mr Loynes said work on the latest arrival Be Mine was a "fairly major refit" and work was expected to take 10 weeks including up to three weeks of finishing work while in the water.

The super yacht's value is unknown to those working on the repairs, but is believed to be owned by a European businessman.

Be Mine offers accommodation for up to eight guests in four suites comprising one owner cabin, one VIP cabin and two double cabins.

She is also capable of carrying up to seven crew on board to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

The vessel was custom-built in 1991 by Lurssen Yachts at their German base and the three decks are made from teak.

Mr Loynes said there was limited space in the refit shed at the moment.
"In fact our main refit shed is fully booked through until February 2018".

He claimed "our hard work that we are putting in" and "several successful refits carried out by Oceania Marine over recent years" accounted for the number of jobs they were getting for luxury craft.

Last September the $50 million yacht M5, with a mast 90m tall and 75m in length, docked at Port Nikau, temporarily closing all flights in and out of the airport at Onerahi. Oceania Marine helped staff on the vessel complete repair work.