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Bravo Eugenia, the 357-foot (109-meter) Oceanco, has a name steeped in significance for the Jones family. Jerry Jones, who owns the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys, says the name is a tribute to his wife, Gene (Eugenia), who was the driving force behind the yacht’s creation.
“Creating our Bravo Eugenia was a project born out of true love for our family,” he says. “Building and designing her became a family affair on every level of the project. Gene oversaw the project and guided us through every step of the process, while our entire family, including our children and grandchildren, visited Oceanco on many occasions, contributing to the yacht’s development and helping to shape our dream. With Gene’s supervision, we were personally involved with every aspect of the build, all the way from the keel laying to every design decision to the christening ceremony to her delivery and beyond.”
Jerry is an iconic figure in American football, rising from co-captain of the University of Arkansas 1964 National Championship team to owner of the Cowboys in 1989. Creating Bravo Eugenia, he says, relates to the sport of football.
“At the young age of 22, as part of a collegiate National Championship football team, I learned that through the tools of teamwork, communication, discipline and determination, a group of people can accomplish goals that are far beyond their perceived level of expectations,” he says.
Bravo Eugenia’s LIFE design (see sidebar) intrigued the Jones family because the hull design and eco-oriented concept broke important ground.
“In our personal world of sports, we consider innovation to be extremely important,” he says. “With Bravo Eugenia, we partnered with experts in the field so that we could be innovative at sea.”
The Jones family has loved being on the water for decades, Gene says. Weekends were spent in small boats with the family around Springfield, Missouri. More than 30 years ago, they chartered a boat in Greece and loved the experience.
“Since then, we have chartered a number of different yachts and enjoyed some of the greatest experiences of our lives,” Gene says of the 266-foot (81-meter) Oceanco Alfa Nero, the 290-foot (88-meter) Oceanco Nirvana, the 331-foot (101-meter) Feadship Symphony and the 281-foot (86.5-meter) Derecktor Aquila. Those yachts, she adds, “were very inspirational and helpful in guiding our family as to what our vision for Bravo Eugenia would be.”
The Joneses worked closely with Italian firm Nuvolari Lenard on the exterior styling. For instance, they went back to the drawing board on several occasions to get the bow just right.
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