The owner of 30.5-metre classic yacht Vespucci had a favourite boat when he was a child. It wasn’t one that floated, but that did not seem to matter much. In 1978, when Philippe was just shy of 10 years old, he accompanied his father to Monaco Boat Service – known for its cave-like vault of classic Rivas – and was mesmerised by an oversized model of Carlo Riva’s own boat. The steel and aluminium motor yacht had just been launched that year by CRN to a design by Carlo, a pairing that foreshadowed the Italian marques of Riva and CRN eventually coming together under the umbrella of the Ferretti Group.
“The white hull, the wood, the modern lines, the fittings, everything was perfect,” says Philippe, who went in to look at the model many more times. “I even asked my father if we could buy it, thinking it could be like a toy boat.” That young boy had no way of knowing it at the time, but one day he’d be the proud owner of the real yacht that had inspired the model he admired so much.
For many years before buying a boat, Philippe and his wife, Miene, were avid charterers who gravitated to classic yachts. Miene heard about a motor yacht that she thought would suit them, and Philippe went off to inspect it with few details known beforehand. The broker casually mentioned that Monaco Boat Service still had the original model of the yacht in its shop. Philippe had all but forgotten about his beloved model boat until that moment. “It was a total surprise,” Philippe says. “I knew Riva made bigger boats, but it wasn’t clear from the description that this was the boat.” He was filled with emotion to finally see “the mythical Carlo Riva yacht”.
Stepping on board Vespucci, however, Philippe was greeted by a rather unpleasant, dusty and damp smell. A run-down appearance matched the odour. “The fabric smelled, the electronics were outdated and there was a huge, ugly television in the wrong place,” he says, referring to the forward bulkhead over the dining table, where a beautiful red painting now resides.
Despite its condition – or maybe because of it – Philippe and Miene saw a world of potential in Carlo Riva’s former boat. From the outset, they were intent on restoring her as faithfully as possible to her original beauty, with the addition of comforts such as more outdoor seating and modern electronics, the latter of which required the ceilings to be cut open so that 1.6 kilometres of cable could be installed in the yacht. Carlo Riva had put the yacht to good use with his family for many years, and she had only two other owners before Philippe and Miene purchased her in 2016. Vespucci had had minor refits over the years, but never anything as thorough as what Philippe and Miene were about to embark on. Though it would be their first refit, and first time owning a boat, the couple loved a project and were ready for it.
The owners were introduced to Captain Benjamin Calzaroni by their sales broker, and in turn the captain led the owners to Monaco Marine for the refit. “We compared three different yards, and we thought Monaco Marine was the best for the price and the fact that they had all the specialists in-house, from steel to joinery. That was important, because when we found a problem, we didn’t have to ask a sub-contractor, which saved time,” says Philippe. Still, it wasn’t a quick refit by any means, taking 18 months and 20,000 work-hours.
It was one of the most challenging and expensive refits that Monaco Marine has completed, according to the yard, but they were fully in step with the owners’ precise restoration goals. “Our main objective was to give her back her initial radiance,” says Kamel Fekhart, Monaco Marine’s site director. “The owners were very involved in this project and were easy to work with. It was clear from the beginning that the most important aspect was to preserve and to respect the spirit of this beautiful boat.” The owners also contacted Monaco Boat Service to nail down the finishing touches. They didn’t have to carry out too much research, though, as Philippe was already a self-avowed Riva geek. As a kid, he had learned to waterski off the back of his grandfather’s Aquarama and has been fascinated by Rivas for as long as he can remember.
Like most classic yacht refits, Vespucci’s problem areas were revealed incidentally. When the decks were being replaced, opening up the flooring showed that the pipes and a portion of the hull were rusted. “Some pipes were almost clogged with rust,” says Fekhart. More than 260 metres of Vespucci’s old steel pipes were replaced. And then when the teak was being reinstalled on the main deck, the yard noticed a substantial disparity in the levelling of the deck, requiring more than 80 square metres of surface to be smoothed out.
Vespucci’s owners and captain were hands-on during the refit. Philippe and Miene visited the yard at least twice a month, and Captain Calzaroni oversaw all the exterior work. The crew also lent a hand, refinishing and varnishing the joinery, the majority of which is original. The owners sought to restore and retain the yacht’s numerous historic details, from the original lamps to the black toggle light switches and the joinery to the portholes, the latter of which were also caked in rust. The portholes were carefully removed, cleaned and restored while the yacht got a fresh coat of paint.
The original engines, a pair of Caterpillar D346-TA diesels, were rebuilt with Monaco Marine custom-making parts that were no longer available to purchase, including the engine exhaust. The yard replicated or ingeniously found replacements for several original parts and structures in the refit of Vespucci, including the plumbing manifold, fairleads and the front bulwark structure. “Most of the parts that had to be replaced were no longer manufactured, but thankfully our team was able to find solutions,” says Fekhart.
This commitment to a faithful restoration was a cause of dispute between the owners and the designer who had been hired for the refit. “He wanted to change too much, and we had to fight to keep and restore everything,” says Miene, who previously worked for an auction house and understands the value of vintage materials and furnishings. “It was very important for us to keep as much of the original boat as possible. Not the fabrics, of course, because those need updating. But the rest is part of the design. Carlo Riva was a great designer, so it’s important to keep what he created.”
Much to Miene and Philippe’s chagrin, the refrigerator in the galley, which had been designed by Carlo specifically for the boat, was removed without their approval. “It was a pity – it was a fantastic, huge fridge that still worked even though it was 40 years old,” she says. When the designer and owners eventually parted ways, Miene took the reins on the interior while Philippe, who works in architecture, guided the exterior design.
At the owner’s behest a new foredeck seating area was created, which also hides additional storage space. Philippe is an avid diver and underwater photographer, so the boat is stocked with scuba gear and water toys. On the flybridge, an al fresco seating area was added to port, which is the owners’ preferred spot for breakfast. A tender is located in the original spot, aft on the flybridge, but the old cradle, which was fixed, has been replaced with one that can be moved so the deck can be fully enjoyed. “We wanted to have a big deck space like you see on modern boats,” says Philippe. A table can be placed on this area when the tender is launched, creating another al fresco dining option, or the deck can be left clear for cocktail parties, as the owners were able to put to the test during the MIPIM real estate conference in Cannes. “We had more than 50 people on deck and we had more than enough space.”
Miene’s goal for the interior was to create an atmosphere that was elegant but understated and homely – “no bling allowed”. The result is an interior that feels true to the era of the late 1970s whence Vespucci came, without being kitschy. A round dining sofa and table are set in the corner against the bulkhead and paired with three retro stools. The sofa and stools in the main saloon are all covered in a light champagne fabric, which is soft to the touch. The stand-up bar across from the sofa hides a built-in television that rises from its top.
Throughout the yacht, the refreshed, gleaming teak and light materials create a warm and welcoming effect. Bright artworks and carefully chosen accent materials add a pop of colour. The tones found inside and out are a nod to Carlo Riva, recreating his trademark sky blue and lobster red shades, which Philippe and Miene had researched. The aft VIP cabin, with beige bed linens, has a chaise and another retro stool covered in a patterned material with a “Riva red” inspired colour scheme – this material is also used in the twin guest cabin on the throw cushions. The spacious full-width master suite and the second twin guest cabin, meanwhile, have sky-blue cushions. It might seem a simple detail, but it’s something that will be noticed and appreciated by true Riva fans. Even Lia Riva, Carlo’s daughter and the CEO of Monaco Boat Service, commented on the cushions when she came on board post-refit.
Vespucci might have been refitted with the dedication of a historian, but she is more than a showpiece: her owners plan to use her often. Fortunately for other Riva fanatics, Vespucci is also on the charter market and has already enjoyed a busy summer. Perhaps another young boy – or girl – will lay eyes on her and plot their own dreams of owning a Riva one day. Custodians of historical yachts, like Philippe and Miene, are invaluable in keeping classic boats sailing into the next century.
Today’s silver-hulled Riva superyachts are not the first “big Rivas” to ply the water. Though the brand is often associated with classic mahogany runabouts, Carlo Riva had a few bigger boats up his sleeve too. In the late 1950s, he began drafting designs and then a client began raving about the quality of Dutch shipyards. In the early 1960s, Carlo collaborated with Feadship De Vries and De Voogt Naval Architects. This meeting of minds brought three yacht series to life: the 26.7-metre Atlantic; the 35.2-metre Viking; and the 22.5-metre Caravelle. The latter – a steel-built, fast yacht powered by two GM V8 diesel engines – was the biggest success, with seven models between 1961 and 1965. One of the 1965 Caravelles, Absolute (ex-Quien Sabe), recently completed a year-long refit at Feadship’s Makkum facility. In the 1970s, Carlo returned to his Italian roots, striking up a collaboration with CRN shipyard. The fruit of this was Carlo’s personal yacht, Vespucci.
Riva
( www.riva-yacht.com )
The exact origins of the phrase “cloud nine” have been lost to the mists of time, but it has become synonymous with a state of supreme elation and happiness — the perfect name, in other words, for a new superyacht with an emphasis on family relaxation.
Cloud 9 represents a considerable achievement considering its builder, CRN, wasn’t exactly in a place of supreme elation and relaxation when it learned its original client for the 74 metre hull would not be able to finish the boat he had on order. Enter a new owner, with his design and build teams, who was able to find the silver lining and turn CRN’s second largest yacht into a stylish and comfortable cruiser — and one eminently worthy of her moniker.
The adventure began with a phone call in January 2014. Captain Colin Boyle was in Singapore where his yacht, the 60 metre CMN Cloud 9 was based. “One night at about 10pm the owner called and asked: ‘Can you get on a flight to Rome at 1am?’” Boyle recalls.
“He said, ‘There is a boat I want you to look at to see if it’s worthwhile’.” Burgess, who had represented Boyle’s owner on the previous build at CMN, knew he was looking to build a larger yacht. Here might be an opportunity to get one that was already well under way, but Burgess and Boyle knew it had to be the right fit.
From Rome, Boyle travelled to Ancona, Italy, where CRN project 131 was in stasis. The metalwork of the 74 metre hull and most of the superstructure were substantially completed, and the majority of major machinery installed. Underwater, it shared lines with award-winning predecessor Azteca and, higher up, styling similarities with the yard’s 80 metre flagship Chopi Chopi.
Structurally and mechanically it had great potential but the layout required substantial rethinking. As Bernardo Zuccon of exterior design firm Zuccon International Project puts it, this “forced the shipyard and the designers to rewrite the story with a new owner”. As it turns out, it is a story with a very happy ending.
“We had three months to replan and redraw it: staircases out, staircases in, top deck off, raise it up, rework the naval architecture,” the captain says. Then, once the layout and exterior details met the owners’ expectations, he gave his team and the yard 30 days to get to a mutually agreeable contract. “We signed in June 2014,” notes Boyle, and the new Cloud 9 was under way.
“The project was born with a well defined will to meet the concept of timelessness that we always value,” says Zuccon. He also uses descriptions such as “maturity” and “substance together with a great attention to the human being” about the styling. Inside and out, and in spite of her size, Cloud 9 feels utterly approachable, even from the stern platform, where the massive fold-down door forms part of a sprawling superyacht beach club.
Stairs flank a 10,000 litre superyacht spa pool with a glass bottom, which is at the heart of a recreation area on the main aft deck. Privately, the owners like to call their new superyacht “Cloud 9 Plus” and stepping through the doors that slide open into the main saloon, it’s immediately apparent how her owners came up with the nickname.
Their first Cloud 9, penned inside and out by Winch Design and delivered by French shipyard CMN in 2009, had an attractive blue hull and décor blending sunny sand hues and gradations of blue. That beach house feel helped attract many charter guests. Here Winch Design has again used sand tones, vibrant blues and a treasure trove of decorative shells, corals and agates placed inside multiple niches. Brushed Douglas fir and limed oak — two of some 50 surface materials used on board — also convey the idea of the beach house, but realised on a larger, more luxurious scale.
The new Cloud 9 measures around 2,218 gross tonnes, which is about twice as many as the first one. This extra volume translates into generous dimensions, apportioned in comfortable spaces that flow neatly from one to the next.
Devoid of a conventional dining area at her owners’ request, the main saloon ambiance is open, casual and sunny. A 3D porcelain panel “cloud” by British artist Fenella Elms adds movement and depth to the central bulkhead along with two Vortex sculptures by Tim Royall. “The sofa in the saloon (and the one on the aft deck) is 1.5 metres deep. It’s a lie-down sofa, which is what you want to do when you watch a movie or come up from the swimming pool,” notes Mark Mämpel, the designer in charge of the project for Winch Design.
The studio received carte blanche from Cloud 9’s owners to come up with an interior concept adapted to their family needs and future charter guests. The final result was kept a secret at the request of the husband to surprise his wife, although the 3D renderings produced at the onset are uncannily similar to the final result.
The main saloon encompasses one of two cinemas on board Cloud 9; the other is outdoors, at the aft end of the 400 square metre owners’ deck. Another element courtesy of the new yacht’s extra volume is a hair salon/massage room on the main deck, featuring oak décor with a woven effect and a folding hull door that creates a balcony. This yacht also has a spacious superyacht gym flooded with light, which at the time of my visit was temporarily converted to a schoolroom.
Moving around the guest areas feels easy and natural. Forward of the main saloon is a foyer with an eye catching central glass and steel superyacht elevator — in Winch design language, it is meant to represent a waterfall from sundeck to beach club, connecting the exterior blue stripe to the interior.
A long, wide corridor leads to six cabins (including two staff cabins finished as guest cabins, which could be used for nannies or teachers). Each door has a nameplate engraved with the name of a Star Wars character. They are removable, in case the next guests are not fans of the films, and underneath are elegant numbers in stainless steel.
Captain Boyle leads me through the yacht’s six decks (counting the technical deck dedicated to stores, laundry room and machinery spaces such as the pump room), patiently answering questions about his new charge in soft speech with the hint of a Scottish accent. A concert musician who studied and taught at London’s Royal Academy of Music before embracing a new career at sea, he stepped onto the first Cloud 9 eight years ago and aboard the new one in May 2017.
Within minutes of being aboard, warm lighting and silence have melted away my stresses. Heavy layered doors to the cabins, with soundproofing from specialist Cergol Engineering, shut with a muffled click. The yard achieved a 48dB(A) level in the master suite at cruising speed and 45dB(A) at anchor. Cloud 9’s not quite concert hall quiet, but she’s pretty close.
Subtle curves throughout contribute to the sense of wellbeing. The interior needed to be friendly to children, so there are no sharp corners or angles. Curved support columns are clad in limed oak veneer with thin stainless accents on the windows, doorframes and nearly all of the bespoke furniture. “Easy to draw, very hard to realise,” observes the captain, who was an integral part of the team managing the construction of Cloud 9.
This team included technical consultants from Burgess who ensured compliance with the owners’ wishes (and class rules), blending their modifications with the pre-existing project. Ed Beckett, the naval architect on the Burgess team, scrutinised the technical details and equipment, elevating some of the technical focus and integrating the new interior. Based in Scorze in Venice and part of the Ferretti Group, Zago Interiors worked with outside suppliers to produce all of Cloud 9’s polished steel details, which amount to around 4,500 metres for the guest areas alone.
What sold the new Cloud 9 to his boss, the captain says, is the owners’ deck, which contains a magnificent suite with wraparound windows looking onto a private terrace and helicopter deck below. These owners don’t intend to use the helipad, so they decided to turn the vast open space into a grand entertaining platform instead. Andreas Iseli, responsible for exteriors at Winch Design, came up with the idea of a large tent that can be installed there to shield guests from weather while they dine al fresco. It’s become a favourite spot for karaoke, too.
Other important modifications included adding an interior crew staircase and creating a beautifully finished fire- and soundproof passageway through the engine room’s top level to connect the beach club with the port tender garage for the MasterCraft ski boat and other toys, and the guest arrival lobby to starboard. This highly practical lobby also exemplifies the whole interior design philosophy.
“The biggest challenge mastered by CRN was to combine, in balance, the interior and exterior design with the functionality required by the owner,” says Raffaele Giannetti, the project manager in charge of the Cloud 9 build for CRN.
“We made that entrance lounge into a space of waves,” Andrew Winch says. From the bright sunlight, guests move into a quiet, soothing space that allows the eyes to adjust gradually after bright sun. To achieve this effect, the design team created a bespoke teak and holly design with wave details carved into it and repeated all around the room.
“We wanted it to be an envelope, a cocoon. It’s the same pattern on the ceiling and on the floor,” Winch adds. “That is an ongoing story on Cloud 9, to give you a sense of relaxation.” On the whimsical side, Winch Design interior decorator Rebecca Johnstone added table lamps with a Picasso-inspired painted design and white curtains with blue ombre that recall sky and sea.
Aft is Cloud 9’s beach club, which has an espresso bar complete with a professional machine and a seating area with wonderful views. Light streaming through the pool above bounces wave patterns all around. The owners so enjoy this space that they often like to dine al fresco here. The primary outdoor dining area is on the upper deck, protected from wind by sliding glass panels, adjacent to the main indoor dining area which is semi enclosed by glass doors.
Both areas feature large circular wooden tables that can be expanded to accommodate more guests, or removed completely to make room for a dance floor or corporate event. This may be the space that best exemplifies the goal of both Zuccon and Winch studios to merge indoor and exterior spaces.
“Certainly, the exterior spaces of the boat — in particular the cockpit on the main deck and the bow area — are key elements that testify how important it is, despite the dimensions, not to forget the real reason why boats are designed: to live on the sea in its purest form,” Zuccon says. “The work of Winch Design has been strategically important for he was able to create a perfect dialogue between the experience lived outside and the one felt once entered.”
For his part, Andrew Winch is very pleased with what he calls the “on-water house”. “I think that Zuccon designed a beautiful yacht… his style signature on this boat is pure, and I find it very lovely. I think it is a very chic, elegant exterior and we were happy to work with him to fit into it all that the owner required.” The good partnership between designers made the work easier, says the captain, and has left a lingering feeling of goodwill on board. Yet another reason for guests to feel that they are on cloud nine, when they are on Cloud 9.
CRN
( www.crn-yacht.com )
Atlante was designed by the Italian design studio Nuvolari Lenard. The naval architecture was done by the CRN in-house engineering team.
Atlante’s strong and sharp exterior design was inspired by military vessels. She has 5 decks and a beam of 10.20m. She reaches a top speed of 15 knots and a cruising speed of 14 knots with her twin 1230 KW Caterpillar diesel engines.
CRN’s Chairman and CEO Lamberto Tacoli says:
“Launching a new yacht is always a moment of great pride for the entire Shipyard as emotions go hand in hand with the satisfaction of knowing that each and every one of our products is going to represent our brand and Made-in-Italy yachting across the world’s seas. The ‘ATLANTE’ is an extraordinary jewel – a very innovative one – we can truly be proud of. We are deeply grateful to the Owner Company for choosing us to build such an extraordinary yacht; to the design firm Nuvolari Lenard, that through the ‘ATLANTE’ have once more confirmed their incredible creativity; and to all CRN’s workers and subcontractors who were involved in this project from its very beginning to its final completion”.
Dan Lenard commented:
“We conceived and created this new yacht together with CRN following the requirements of the Owner Company. The outer lines have been developed having in mind a specific final look – aggressive, but at the same time very proportionate. Seen in her entirety, this is a high-impact yacht, whose determined military look becomes soft on the sea. This is why we found some original solutions, such as a non-traditional bow and areas entirely devoted to guests, like the side doors of the main deck that, once the tenders have been launched, can be exploited to the fullest”.
Spanning over five spacious decks, super yacht ATLANTE is run by twin 1230 KW @ 1800 RPM CATERPILLAR diesels, delivering a top speed of 15 knots and a cruising speed of 14 knots.
CRN
( www.crn-yacht.com )
At 80 metres, Chopi Chopi is by far the biggest yacht the CRN shipyard has built, and she did not come easily. In the golden pre-recession age of yachting, the Italian yard experienced significant growth, signing contracts for several yachts above 70 metres. Zuccon International Project, the long-time design partner of CRN’s parent company Ferretti Group, was chosen to develop a series of superyacht concepts to attract the attention of the yard’s international clientele: among them was the project that would become Chopi Chopi.
The financial hardships experienced post-recession slowed the construction of what was then project 129 before her launch, but persistence, dedication and 660,000 working hours paid off. The yacht, shown in Monaco and Genoa in the autumn of 2013, is a great testament to the yard, the designers and the owners. Without a doubt, she is luxurious, but not in any ostentatious way; harmony is in this yacht and you can feel it. It is clear that the owner, a gentleman from the Middle East, knows how to relate to luxury in a natural way.
‘We met the client, who we knew was looking for a big yacht, and presented him the project of a yacht of around 250 feet (72m) with all the features we thought might meet his wishes both in size and style,’ says Gianni Zuccon, head of Zuccon International Project. ‘The primary criterion of the brief was that he wanted it to be a private yacht on which to spend long holidays with his large family. We found out soon that they needed more space – that meant more volume. So, working on the original concept, we incorporated higher volume and added a few metres to the total length to preserve a well-proportioned balance between hull and superstructure.’ The final exterior design reflects the owner’s call for a timeless elegance. It has also absorbed the overarching style that makes every yacht signed by Zuccon International Project recognisable at first glance.
‘We fine-tuned our project proposals according to the owner’s requests for external lines and interior layout, and it was a rewarding experience from both the professional and personal point of view,’ Zuccon says. ‘Chopi Chopi is a mature project stemming from our long-standing experience in megayacht design and the client’s long-standing experience as a yacht owner.’
From the outside, Chopi Chopi’s imposing size has grace, while a sense of tranquility and warmth envelops visitors as soon as they step aboard. Several factors were key to such a successful outcome. First and foremost, perhaps, the owner knew exactly what he wanted and had a very positive, synergistic attitude towards CRN and the exterior and interior designers. Exterior stylist Zuccon has worked a great deal with the Ferretti Group, including the design of 10 large custom and 14 semi-custom yachts since 2006 for CRN. Interior designer Laura Sessa has worked extensively with the owner’s family and was familiar with their taste and habits. Her ability to draw every detail of her interiors freehand is just one way she imbues each project with her personality.
Chopi Chopi looks every centimetre of her 80 metre length and in the exterior designer’s view she is more than a yacht. ‘We aim to provide for each project its own personality and Chopi Chopi is a ship, a beautiful, reliable ship,’ Zuccon offers. ‘Her tiered profile presents a few defining features but no element stands out in sharp relief. Harmonious balance between aesthetics and functionality is pivotal to our vision and Chopi Chopi, with her outstanding simplicity, exemplifies this concept.’
Five decks, plus a tank deck hosting technical and service areas comprise a total surface area of about 1,900 square metres. The yacht will solely be used for private use so has been shaped to provide the owner and his family with all the spaces and the comfort they are used to. The main deck accommodates a large saloon aft and guest accommodations forward, while the owner enjoys a private deck that includes a 200 square metre private apartment connected to a stern terrace, as well as a helipad where a three tonne helicopter can land in privacy.
With such a great amount of space at hand, every room on board Chopi Chopi is sized generously and Sessa used this abundance to create a functional layout. Her cohesive design makes extensive use of maple and limed oak, while a striped pattern of matte and glossy wood and marble.
‘I designed the interior of the client’s former yacht, the Amels 171 Lady Nag Nag, so I had clues about the style he loves,’ Sessa says. ‘I had to translate the owner’s wishes into comfortable, luxurious yet easy interiors. Elegant understatement is indeed the recurrent theme on board. The yacht is one of the family’s favourite places to gather and I designed the interior decoration with the family in mind. The owners’ sons and daughter have their own private places on board and the youngsters have personalised colourful cabins.
‘There are both private and social areas on board, the former being more intimate and small, to provide a snug hideaway when needed,’ she says. ‘We decided to give the interior decoration a chromatic continuity with extensive use of natural coloured textiles enhanced by details of pastel colours, and all bathrooms and dayheads are clad with light cream Perlatino Europa marble.’
Some pieces of custom furniture, built by Hervé van der Straeten to Sessa’s design, echo an Art Deco atmosphere prevalent in the main saloon and the upper deck dining saloon, which are both brightened by light flowing through two full-height doors on either side. Custom built by Galerie van der Straeten, the huge upper deck dining table it seats up to 18 and with its central section removed, transforms into two large round tables.
Enjoyable outdoor living was among the design’s top priorities. The sumptuous beach club, pictured below, with adjoining sauna, hammam and massage room conveniently connects to the main saloon through a central interior staircase, emphasising the close connection between interior spaces and the marine environment.
The lower deck has nearly half of its length devoted to service and technical areas, including the garage and the engine room, while the other half hosts the large and well-appointed crew quarters. More than 30 people are in charge of running the boat and pampering 12 guests.
Chopi Chopi is based on a tried-and-true naval platform and has conventional engine and equipment configuration achieving the very best technical specification. Great attention was devoted to sound and vibration deadening; thick layers of Rockwool and rubber-mounted flooring result in a very low level of noise inside while under way: only 60 decibels in the saloon and 55 in the guest cabins.
A high-tech bridge and well-organised engine room are hallmarks of this new CRN. Located in the yacht’s large and rationally equipped wheelhouse is a technological jewel, a 42 inch (107 centimetre) I-Chart table. Developed by Italian electronics specialist Team Italia, the system has been customised for Chopi Chopi. Dubbed ‘professional infotainment’, the I-Chart allows the captain to manage a range of activities, from route-planning to monitoring primary navigation systems, but also offering guests or crew access to all technical information and entertainment content, video or pictures from the yacht’s archives or the internet.
Chopi Chopi is an oceangoing yacht built by and for people who know what they want and had the foresight and courage to have the project completed in spite of difficulties. The owners found in Zuccon International Project and Laura Sessa the right team to interpret their passion with a great sense of style, while CRN, with this outstanding project, sets its own new standards.
CRN
( www.crn-yacht.com )
Italian shipyard CRN has launched its 73m superyacht M/Y CRN 132 Yalla. VIP guests, representatives from local institutions, employees, the Ferretti Group, CRN Management and citizens of Ancona attended the public ceremony, which was held on May 31, in Ancona, Italy.
CRN has been part of the Ferretti Group for over 50 years. It specialises in constructing fully-customised megayachts in steel and aluminium of up to 90 metres.
The exterior of the new vessel has been designed by Omega Architects in collaboration with the CRN engineering department. Droulers Architecture, who worked alongside the shipyard’s interiors and design office, created the interior.
The vessel is the first to be built by CRN using the new naval platform of 12.5 metres in width, and is characterised by its sleek and sporty lines. With five decks, Yalla can host up to 12 guests in six cabins including the owner’s suite, VIP cabins and 22 crew members.
The launch ceremony opened with greetings and speeches from Alberto Galassi, the new CEO of the Ferretti Group, Lamberto Tacoli, Chairman and CEO of CRN, Xinyu Xu, Vice-chairman of Weichai Group, and the Mayor of Ancona, Valeria Mancinelli.
“Following the launch of M/Y CRN 133 61m in March, we are proud to celebrate the launch of the new M/Y YALLA," says Lamberto Tacoli, Chairman and CEO of CRN, "At 73m YALLA represents a challenge and objective for the whole CRN shipyard and marks an important global development for CRN. We would like to sincerely thank the owner for his trust in CRN, all our employees and subcontractors who have worked on the project, Franck Laupman of Omega Architects and Droulers Architecture. I also thank our shareholder Weichai Group and the new CEO of the Group Alberto Galassi for their participation in this important event for CRN and for the whole Ferretti Group.”
