It may be named after the high-octane James Bond thriller, but does the latest offering from enthusiastic owner John Staluppi hit the jackpot?

Casino Royale was the first action-packed novel by Ian Fleming, paving the way for 11 more spy novels, and a catalogue of iconic films charting the adventures of secret service agent James Bond. But it is also the name of the very latest in a line of yachts owned by renowned yachtsman John A. Staluppi – all of which have been named after one of the Bond tales.

To build Casino Royale, Millennium Yachts has teamed up with the US-based Christensen Shipyard, describing the new launch as the first of its “Millennium editions”. Joe Foggia, president of Christensen Yachts, explains: “She has over 650 square metres of space on board – that’s a lot in a yacht of her length. That full-beam sky lounge is impressive, and one deck up we have got another first: a day heads on the sundeck – that will be standard on all our builds in future, along with the ability to walk fully around the upper deck.”



Casino Royale isn’t a speed machine to match his previous yachts but, as we chatted on the deck of his latest creation, it’s very clear that John Staluppi is an owner who knows just want he wants. “So what is a superyacht? To me, it has to be at least 120 feet overall with a master suite and four guest cabins, room for six crew and somewhere to carry the tender.“And oh, one more thing, there has to be no teak. It adds weight, it’s a pain in the butt to clean, and the oil gets all over my carpeting! I tell all my designers ‘no ****ing teak!’ But do they listen?” he says with a smile. We look around and notice the acres of teak decking –  it’s stunning, so perhaps this is one fight he’s better off not winning.