CLIO’s 73-metre, 14-metre-beam arrangement combines long-range self-sufficiency with a distinctive interior design by Donald Starkey at sea.
CLIO was commissioned around the idea that a private yacht should be a comfortable place to live for months at a time, not simply a way to travel between ports. Delivered by Lürssen in 2004 as Queen M, the 73-metre vessel combines exterior styling by Espen Øino and an interior by Donald Starkey Designs.
A brief for long-distance living
The builder describes CLIO as intended for world voyages with the ability to remain self-sufficient for several months. That ambition changes the priorities of accommodation and service compared with a vessel designed primarily for weekends and short coastal passages.
Guests may still enjoy familiar comforts, but the storage, working spaces and machinery must support the voyage behind the scenes. The public builder profile establishes the long-range purpose without recording a private itinerary for September 2026.
A broad platform for private rooms
At 14 metres in beam, the yacht offers considerable width for enclosed guest space and circulation. A generous beam can help the yacht accommodate shared rooms and private corners without requiring one to substitute for the other.
Donald Starkey was responsible for the interior, giving a separate creative direction to the spaces inside Espen Øino’s exterior. The brief belongs to this specific vessel rather than every 73-metre Lürssen built in the same period.
Different needs over several months
A long voyage includes active days, passages in less comfortable weather and occasions when guests simply want a quiet room. The design must therefore perform as a residence as well as an attractive exterior object.
These are practical consequences of the published cruising brief, not an assertion about the habits of a named owner. Actual range and itinerary also depend on the specific technical schedule and captain’s planning.
Names kept connected
Lürssen’s current fleet record identifies CLIO as built under the name Queen M and delivered in 2004. The change of name does not establish a new hull or a recent delivery, and official photographs should remain linked to the same build history.
This article uses a distinct, official Lürssen image and considers private cruising and interiors. It is a heritage design profile rather than a new sale, refit or launch announcement.
Official sources: www.lurssen.com. Historical delivery milestones and existing yacht-design features are identified as such, not presented as new events today.