Four secret years produce Tankoa's Spirit

For four years, almost nobody outside a small circle in Genoa knew what Tankoa was building under the codename Project Secret, according to Florida Yachts International. That changed on 11 July, when the shipyard peeled back the wraps to reveal a 52 metre full custom superyacht, now named Spirit, sliding into the water in front of her owner, guests and the team who built her.

The reveal came with a traditional touch, a blessing and a godmother's christening, before the celebrations moved into the yard itself. But the real story of Spirit sits in what happened before the ceremony. The same report notes a Canadian owner brought Tankoa a concept of his own back in 2022, introduced through Albert McIlroy of Optimusnavis, and the project stayed under wraps for the better part of four years while it took shape.

Wellness sits at the centre of what Spirit is built for. Her beach club, anchored by a gym and spa that work just as well underway as at anchor, opens straight onto the aft terrace, with a plunge pool and fold down side platforms giving guests a direct route from workout to water. It's a layout built around one idea: staying close to the sea rather than shutting it out.

That same thinking runs through the rest of the boat. A glazed stern door splitting into two sections, flanked by fixed glass, and full height glazing along both sides mean the light and the view follow you through the interior. Vitruvius Yacht Design, the British studio led by Philippe Briand and Veerle Battiau, handled the naval architecture and exterior, while FM Architettura's interiors lean into natural materials and understated detailing rather than anything flashy.

She's set up to carry 12 guests across six cabins, with room for a crew of nine across five more. Power comes from a full hybrid system built by E-motion, blending conventional engines with electric motors and batteries, and the yard brought in van Cappellen Consultancy to keep noise and vibration down. On the water she'll do 17 knots flat out and cruise comfortably at 15.

"A launch is always such a special moment," said Tankoa CEO Vincenzo Poerio, pointing to the years of work and collaboration with the owner and design team behind getting Spirit into the water.

Spirit's hybrid setup isn't a one-off either, it's part of a wider shift we've been tracking across the industry. Riviera's been bonding solar skins into hardtops to cut generator use across its own range, and Tankoa's approach here, pairing conventional engines with electric motors and batteries, sits in that same broader move away from running diesel around the clock, whatever the size of boat.

Genoa's Tankoa has built its reputation on exactly this kind of project since opening its doors in 2007, first turning heads with Suerte at the 2015 Monaco Yacht Show. Poerio, who joined as CEO in 2020 after a stint at Benetti, has since added the Cantieri di Pisa yard to the operation.

Sea trials are next, with delivery to her owner still to come.

Find out more about the 52m Vitruvius M/Y Spirit from Tankoa