Ruya

The Turkish yard Alia Yachts completed Ruya in 2016. Sam Sorgiovanni designed both her lines and her interior, and Van Oossanen worked out the naval architecture. Her debut season went well: she won her class at the 2016 World Superyacht Awards, for displacement motor yachts under 500 GT between 30 and 41.9 metres, and collected the interior and naval architecture prizes at that year's ShowBoats Design Awards. She went back to the yard for a refit in 2021.

The interior is what guests tend to talk about afterwards. Sorgiovanni is Australian and took the outback as his theme, working with bamboo and Australian silky oak, so the rooms feel warm and unshowy instead of glossy. A marble staircase climbs through an atrium three decks high, and floor-to-ceiling glazing around the saloon and dining room opens the main deck towards the aft cockpit. At 499 GT she has more volume than most boats of her length. Forward on the main deck, the owner's quarters fill the entire width of the boat, with tall windows, a study and a separate bathroom for each partner; the four guest cabins, two doubles and two twins, are a level down. For quiet evenings there is a cinema with an 80-inch screen.

Still, most of the day happens outside. The sun deck measures 93 square metres and holds a bar, a barbecue, a dining table under the hardtop, gym equipment and a glass-fronted Jacuzzi for ten, with glass screens that block the wind but not the view. At the stern, the platform lowers hydraulically into the sea right next to the beach club. Because the RYA recognises her as a training centre, the crew can teach guests to handle the water toys even if they have never held a licence, and zero-speed stabilisers keep her steady at anchor.

Her summers are spent in the western Mediterranean, between the Riviera, Corsica, Sardinia, the Italian coast and Croatia. Picture ten people at most, relatives or friends, who want long days of swimming, water sports and meals in the open air. Groups larger than ten, or anyone who likes formal, high-gloss rooms, should keep looking. She is also a displacement boat that cruises at about ten knots: perfect for short hops between anchorages, less so for an itinerary built on long daily runs.