VICTORIOUS
ID#
64
Build/code name(s):
Hull U-77 / Project GIN TONIC II / Project WETA / Project Grand Seraglio / Project VICTORIOUS
VICTORIOUS
ID#
64
Build/code name(s):
Hull U-77 / Project GIN TONIC II / Project WETA / Project Grand Seraglio / Project VICTORIOUS
FOR CHARTER
FOR CHARTER
Length
85.01
m
/
278.9
ft
Beam
14.2
m
/
46.6
ft
Volume
2,291
GT
Guests sleeping
12
Cruising:
24
Cabins
12
Crew members
24
Main Specs
Length
85.01
m
/
278.9
ft
Beam
14.2
m
/
46.6
ft
Volume
2,291
GT
Guests sleeping
12
Cruising:
24
Cabins
12
Crew members
24
Available for Charter
Via Fraser Yachts
Comment from the admin
“Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one of the most incredible yacht stories”
Comment from the admin
“Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one of the most incredible yacht stories”
Build
Shipyard
AKYacht
Year
2021
Hull Type
Mono-Hull
Full displacement
Hull Material
Steel
Superstructure Material
Aluminum
Categories
Build Type
1-of-1 Custom build
Vessel Type
Expedition/explorer yacht
Yacht
Mega yacht
Categories
Build Type
1-of-1 Custom build
Vessel Type
Expedition/explorer yacht
Yacht
Mega yacht
Design
Exterior
Michael Leach Design
Main Color
Grey
Interior
H2 Yacht Design
Amenities
Indoor cinema room
Elevator
Tender garage
Observation Lounge
Spa
Sauna/Steam room/Hammam
Massage room
Gym
Swimming pool
Jacuzzi
Helipad
Build
Shipyard
AKYacht
Year
2021
Hull Type
Mono-Hull
Full displacement
Hull Material
Steel
Superstructure Material
Aluminum
Design
Exterior
Michael Leach Design
Main Color
Grey
Interior
H2 Yacht Design
Categories
Build Type
1-of-1 Custom build
Vessel Type
Expedition/explorer yacht
Yacht
Mega yacht
Amenities
Indoor cinema room
Elevator
Tender garage
Observation Lounge
Spa
Sauna/Steam room/Hammam
Massage room
Gym
Swimming pool
Jacuzzi
Helipad
Exterior Design
Credits to Fraser Yachts.
Exterior Design
Credits to Fraser Yachts.
Exterior Design
Credits to Fraser Yachts.
Interior Design
Interior Design
Interior Design
Performance
Cruising Speed
12.5
kn
Max Speed
17
kn
Range
24,000
nm
/
264K
L
(fuel tanks)
Propulsion
Type
Diesel
Motor yacht
Horse Power
2,950
HP
Engines info
Performance
Cruising Speed
12.5
kn
Max Speed
17
kn
Range
24,000
nm
/
264K
L
(fuel tanks)
Propulsion
Type
Diesel
Motor yacht
Horse Power
2,950
HP
Engines info
Rumored Owner
Vural Ak
Nationality
Turkish 🇹🇷
Estimated Net Worth
$500M
Rumored Owner
Vural Ak
Nationality
Turkish 🇹🇷
Estimated Net Worth
$500M
Fun Facts
🌍 SHE TRAVELED HALF THE WORLD WITHOUT ENGINES:
”VICTORIOUS” began life in 2006 at Marco Yachts, in Chile, as a 77-metre explorer hull known as “GIN TONIC II”. When that shipyard ran into financial difficulties around 2011, New Zealand billionaire Graeme Hart, the country’s richest man and now an extremely popular yacht owner, purchased the unfinished hull and had it towed across the Pacific Ocean to Auckland, New Zealand. She was renamed “PROJECT WETA” and spent two years under construction there.
But Hart lost interest and decided to build his own yacht, the 107-metre “ULYSSES” (now called “ANDROMEDA”, you can check her out on this database), leaving the project unfinished and listed for sale.
In 2016, Turkish entrepreneur Vural Ak purchased the incomplete hull and had it towed once again. This time from New Zealand to Turkey. As Ak loves to joke: “The yacht has travelled half the world without running the engines: from Chile to New Zealand, New Zealand to Turkey”.
📏 GREW BY 8 METERS (18FT):
So, as we already discussed, the original hull laid down in Chile in 2006 was 77 metres long. When Vural Ak took ownership in 2016, he made significant modifications: a 6-metre stern extension was added to accommodate an indoor swimming pool in the beach club, and a 2-metre bowsprit was added at the bow, bringing “VICTORIOUS” to her final overall length of 85 metres.
These additions transformed her capabilities and dramatically increased her interior volume to an impressive 2’291 GT!
⚓ THE YACHT RESCUED PEOPLE?
On the morning of December 14 2022, while crossing the North Atlantic en route to Saint Martin for a charter, Captain Petar Milkov received a distress signal at 7AM: a 15-metre catamaran with five people on board had capsized 500 miles from shore.
The catamaran’s skipper had been hit by a sudden gust of tropical wind, capsizing the boat in seconds. He had less than 30 seconds to grab a phone and relay coordinates (from memory!) before everything blacked out, which is why the initial coordinates given were wrong.
The captain didn’t ask permission, he told the owner, the management company and the charter broker that “VICTORIOUS” was changing course. They were the only vessel that immediately responded out of all ships in the busy North Atlantic shipping lane. After arriving at the first (incorrect) location and searching for hours, a revised set of coordinates sent them 60 more nautical miles away.
They finally spotted the survivors at 11:30 PM on a dark, moonless night, when the first officer saw a tiny speck of light. The survivors had only one distress rocket left, and they waited to fire it until they were absolutely certain” VICTORIOUS” had seen them.
The five injured survivors, one with broken ribs and trapped air in his chest, another with a head trauma, were pulled aboard by hand via the swim platform and treated in the 200 sqm beach club. “VICTORIOUS continued to Saint Martin, arriving on December 15, where the survivors were hospitalized. One crew member later got a tattoo with the date and GPS coordinates of the rescue. The survivors wrote a handwritten letter to Vural Ak: “Yesterday we consciously and profoundly realised what a saving light looks like. It is a bright light in the middle of the night in front of our tiny flashlight”. Captain Milkov and crew received a Certificate of Merit from the MRCC Fort-de-France.
🏗️ THE MAN WHO BUILT AN ENTIRE SHIPYARD JUST TO FINISH HIS OWN YACHT:
After buying the hull in 2016 and having it towed to Istanbul, Vural Ak spent over six months trying to find a Turkish shipyard willing and capable of completing the ambitious project. No existing yard met his requirements or didn't want to take on the project.
So Ak, did what absolutely no one would even consider: he founded his own shipyard.
He found a plot of land in the shipping industry district near Gölcük, in the Marmara region of Turkey, and established the Lloyd’s-certified AKYACHT shipyard, complete with two large hangars, an in-house joinery and carpentry department, and a team of around 400 personnel.
“VICTORIOUS” remains the first and the most famous yacht built by the yard, which now bears the Ak family name.
How crazy is that?
🏎️ THE OWNER IS A PETROLHEAD MULTI-MILLIONAIRE WHO RACED IN THE DAKAR RALLY:
Vural Ak is a Turkish entrepreneur with an estimated net worth of $500 million. He founded Intercity, Turkey’s largest car rental and leasing company (holding ~25% market share), in 1991. He also owns the Intercity Istanbul Park circuit, the track that hosted Formula 1’s Turkish Grand Prix.
Ak is a former Turkish off-road champion, has raced in GT3 championships across Europe and has competed in the legendary Dakar Rally.
His personal car collection has included hundreds of sports cars, from E-Types to Ford GTs to Huracans. He also collects and restores vintage tractors.
In 2018, he revealed his garage held nearly 150 supercars worth an estimated €50 million.
🌍 SHE TRAVELED HALF THE WORLD WITHOUT ENGINES:
”VICTORIOUS” began life in 2006 at Marco Yachts, in Chile, as a 77-metre explorer hull known as “GIN TONIC II”. When that shipyard ran into financial difficulties around 2011, New Zealand billionaire Graeme Hart, the country’s richest man and now an extremely popular yacht owner, purchased the unfinished hull and had it towed across the Pacific Ocean to Auckland, New Zealand. She was renamed “PROJECT WETA” and spent two years under construction there.
But Hart lost interest and decided to build his own yacht, the 107-metre “ULYSSES” (now called “ANDROMEDA”, you can check her out on this database), leaving the project unfinished and listed for sale.
In 2016, Turkish entrepreneur Vural Ak purchased the incomplete hull and had it towed once again. This time from New Zealand to Turkey. As Ak loves to joke: “The yacht has travelled half the world without running the engines: from Chile to New Zealand, New Zealand to Turkey”.
🏗️ THE MAN WHO BUILT AN ENTIRE SHIPYARD JUST TO FINISH HIS OWN YACHT:
After buying the hull in 2016 and having it towed to Istanbul, Vural Ak spent over six months trying to find a Turkish shipyard willing and capable of completing the ambitious project. No existing yard met his requirements or didn't want to take on the project.
So Ak, did what absolutely no one would even consider: he founded his own shipyard.
He found a plot of land in the shipping industry district near Gölcük, in the Marmara region of Turkey, and established the Lloyd’s-certified AKYACHT shipyard, complete with two large hangars, an in-house joinery and carpentry department, and a team of around 400 personnel.
“VICTORIOUS” remains the first and the most famous yacht built by the yard, which now bears the Ak family name.
How crazy is that?
📏 GREW BY 8 METERS (18FT):
So, as we already discussed, the original hull laid down in Chile in 2006 was 77 metres long. When Vural Ak took ownership in 2016, he made significant modifications: a 6-metre stern extension was added to accommodate an indoor swimming pool in the beach club, and a 2-metre bowsprit was added at the bow, bringing “VICTORIOUS” to her final overall length of 85 metres.
These additions transformed her capabilities and dramatically increased her interior volume to an impressive 2’291 GT!
🏎️ THE OWNER IS A PETROLHEAD MULTI-MILLIONAIRE WHO RACED IN THE DAKAR RALLY:
Vural Ak is a Turkish entrepreneur with an estimated net worth of $500 million. He founded Intercity, Turkey’s largest car rental and leasing company (holding ~25% market share), in 1991. He also owns the Intercity Istanbul Park circuit, the track that hosted Formula 1’s Turkish Grand Prix.
Ak is a former Turkish off-road champion, has raced in GT3 championships across Europe and has competed in the legendary Dakar Rally.
His personal car collection has included hundreds of sports cars, from E-Types to Ford GTs to Huracans. He also collects and restores vintage tractors.
In 2018, he revealed his garage held nearly 150 supercars worth an estimated €50 million.
⚓ THE YACHT RESCUED PEOPLE?
On the morning of December 14 2022, while crossing the North Atlantic en route to Saint Martin for a charter, Captain Petar Milkov received a distress signal at 7AM: a 15-metre catamaran with five people on board had capsized 500 miles from shore.
The catamaran’s skipper had been hit by a sudden gust of tropical wind, capsizing the boat in seconds. He had less than 30 seconds to grab a phone and relay coordinates (from memory!) before everything blacked out, which is why the initial coordinates given were wrong.
The captain didn’t ask permission, he told the owner, the management company and the charter broker that “VICTORIOUS” was changing course. They were the only vessel that immediately responded out of all ships in the busy North Atlantic shipping lane. After arriving at the first (incorrect) location and searching for hours, a revised set of coordinates sent them 60 more nautical miles away.
They finally spotted the survivors at 11:30 PM on a dark, moonless night, when the first officer saw a tiny speck of light. The survivors had only one distress rocket left, and they waited to fire it until they were absolutely certain” VICTORIOUS” had seen them.
The five injured survivors, one with broken ribs and trapped air in his chest, another with a head trauma, were pulled aboard by hand via the swim platform and treated in the 200 sqm beach club. “VICTORIOUS continued to Saint Martin, arriving on December 15, where the survivors were hospitalized. One crew member later got a tattoo with the date and GPS coordinates of the rescue. The survivors wrote a handwritten letter to Vural Ak: “Yesterday we consciously and profoundly realised what a saving light looks like. It is a bright light in the middle of the night in front of our tiny flashlight”. Captain Milkov and crew received a Certificate of Merit from the MRCC Fort-de-France.
All media not captured by this website remain the sole property of their respective owners, as credited. No licenses, copyrights, or other usage rights are granted to users of this site. All rights are reserved by the original creators.
Majority of the pictures displayed on this website are AI-generated illustrations used for visual representation purposes only. Not real pictures, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The appearance of the actual yacht may differ from those shown in the illustrations.
This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute a formal listing for sale or charter. I am not the manager, owner, nor representative of this vessel. While the data provided is gathered from publicly available sources, I cannot guarantee that all information is accurate, complete, or up to date at all times.
All media not captured by this website remain the sole property of their respective owners, as credited. No licenses, copyrights, or other usage rights are granted to users of this site. All rights are reserved by the original creators.
Majority of the pictures displayed on this website are AI-generated illustrations used for visual representation purposes only. Not real pictures, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The appearance of the actual yacht may differ from those shown in the illustrations.
This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute a formal listing for sale or charter. I am not the manager, owner, nor representative of this vessel. While the data provided is gathered from publicly available sources, I cannot guarantee that all information is accurate, complete, or up to date at all times.
The Yacht Info
Copyright © 2026 The Yacht Info
All rights reserved
The Yacht Info
Copyright © 2026 The Yacht Info
All rights reserved