The first CLX96 has been sold and named Reunion by her new owners, who were introduced by David Johnson of Denison Yachting, while Panu Virtanen of CL Yachts represented the seller. Denison Yachting announced that Reunion has been added to its charter fleet and is available in the Bahamas this winter season from US$88,000 per week. 

CL Yachts’ largest build to date, hull one of CLX96 was completed in 2022 and shown privately in Hong Kong before its official debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show later that year.

Described by CL Yachts as a ‘sea activity vessel’ (SAV), the yacht was designed by Jozeph Forakis. The yacht’s exterior features trawler-style, reverse-angle windscreens, a nod to the commercial heritage of CL Yachts’ parent company Cheoy Lee.

On the main deck, the reverse-angle windscreen has even been mirrored by the aft superstructure in a rarely seen design feature.

Other distinctive features include a vertical bow and a teardrop-shaped hull, with the forward part of the boat being wider than the aft. Eye-catching exterior spaces include the foredecks on both the main and upper decks, known as Terrazza Portoghese and Piazza del Sole respectively.

The huge flybridge reaches back almost as far as the main deck and features a big outdoor sky deck that connects to the interior sky lounge featuring the yacht’s sole pilothouse with twin helm chairs, lounge seating and opening windows on each side.

Forward of this is the Terrazza Portoghese, a large outdoor area that can be dressed with loose furniture like sunbeds.

The circular-themed Piazza del Sole on the main deck is arguably the yacht’s signature outdoor space.

Two large sunpads on each side can transform into sofas due to pop-up backrests, linking with the semi-circular, forward-facing sofa to create a circular ‘aperitif lounge’. The tables can be raised or lowered and covered with sunpads to large lounging areas, with adjustable, slanting backrests by the bulwarks.

At the other end of the boat, a huge swim platform can carry a tender or jetski, which can be deployed by a motorised Z-Lift swim platform, which further extends the living area so the boat stretches to 105ft in length. Storage for furniture and toys is inside the transom, through doors on either side of the full-height door to the engine room.

The yacht’s interior also has several innovative features including a main deck with two lounges and clear 360-degree views including through to the forward windows. The interior starts with the main living area, which leads to a long dining table that can benefit from clear views and a sea breeze through bi-fold doors to starboard.

There’s an open galley with bar to port, while starboard is an enormous fridge, storage and the interior stairs to the flybridge. Further forward – in the absence of a main-deck helm – is a slightly raised lounge, ideal for cosy, intimate gatherings, while to starboard are stairs to the lower-deck.

Due to the teardrop shape of the hull, the master is forward and benefits from being in the widest part of the boat, over 24ft (7.3m). It has a large forward-facing bed under a big skylight, a huge TV, expansive windows and a full-width dressing room and bathroom in the bow, with glass doors and windows that can be tinted.

A central hallway leads to the two guest cabins, which have aft-facing single beds that can slide together to become a double. Further aft down the hallway, the full-beam VIP stateroom has a forward-facing double and a portside bathroom with a huge window and slatted doors. There’s even a clever virtual skylight, using technology that senses the colour and brightness of the sky.

Much of the furniture is moulded and the desk-cum-sofas under the hull windows show Forakis’ flowing, industrial design at its best. Furthermore, there’s even a camera at the bow that can be relayed to the TVs – as on aeroplanes – so owners and guests can always tune in to see where they’re going and what lies ahead.

Performance and seaworthiness are always a priority for CL Yachts, which uses carbon-fibre and fibreglass for strength and to reduce weight, along with weight-optimised stonework and furniture inside. Stone surfaces are thinned and then backed by rigid composite materials, while Tricel honeycomb is used in furniture to reduce weight by 20 per cent compared to solid wood or plywood.

The crew quarters are accessed by stairs leading down from the cockpit, underneath the exterior flybridge stairs. Situated aft of the VIP stateroom, the crew area includes two cabins and has access to the engine room, which includes the twin CAT C32 1,900hp engines that can power the boat to 27 knots and a cruising speed of 22 knots at 2,000rpm, impressive figures for an almost 97ft yacht.

clyachts.com