FEATURE: STORYLINES – LUXURY LIFESTYLE ON WATER
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STORYLINES – LUXURY LIFESTYLE ON WATER “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float. To roam the roads of lands remote, to travel is to live.” I lifted this quote by Hans Christian Andersen from the Storylines brochure as it best resonates with me when thinking about what the founders of this project are trying to achieve. Imagine living in a luxury residence on water, travelling the world, visiting famous sights but also discovering places “off the beaten track”. Storylines´ residents do exactly that. Storylines is creating a lifestyle of not only making memories but also making friends along the way. Not for a few weeks' holiday, but as a permanent lifestyle. A few of us from The Islander Magazine have met up with the Storylines team during the Palma Boat Show. There is so much that we could tell you about this impressive project, but, to start with, we will cover the basics with
the help of one of the founders, Shannon Lee. Can you tell us briefly what Storylines is about? Storylines is creating an all-inclusive way of life that is attracting adventure seekers looking for immersive cultural experiences on a global scale. It allows for a simple and safe way to experience the whole globe. When completed it will be the greenest cruise ship on the seas with many new technologies built into the design: a ship for the future. We have engaged with our resident community at every step to really make this ‘their ship’ and a future home for the lucky few. We are selling now and demand is very strong. Who are the people behind this project? In short, it´s my co-CEO Alister Punton and I. We founded the project to enable people to rediscover their passion for exploration so they could live a life of adventure and freedom. Our
core team includes ship designers, construction project management and we have our sales, marketing and technology teams and other experts including legal, medical, sustainability and client relations. How did you come up with the idea for Storylines? Back in 2016 Alister and I were in the landbased real estate and construction sector and we started thinking about taking that experience and shifting it toward a new venture by creating a residential community at sea. Two years of market research indicated there was enough demand to expand the current market to a broader audience by making the liveaboard lifestyle more affordable and we decided to go for it. You mentioned MV Narrative, what exactly is it? It is a 62.500 gross ton purpose built luxury residential ship, being built in Croatia. It is a luxury residential community on water made up of more than 500 residences of various sizes, some over 200m2 (2100sf). The ship, MV Narrative, has 20 restaurants and bars, unique resident lounges, three pools, an oceanfront marina, cinema and performance theatre, an art studio, a solar powered hydroponic garden farm and a whole lot more. What stage is your project currently at? We have an agreement with Brodosplit shipyard in Split, Croatia. Engineering has commenced and the first steel cutting is expected next year. The completion date is set for 2024.