Kusch Yachts 101mt I Dynasty

Building the most complex yacht in history was not what Richard Hein, founder of Monaco-based studio The A Group, originally intended, but with I Dynasty, that is exactly what he achieved.

Designing for a client who wanted to cruise regularly with more than 12 in his party, Hein faced a choice: design the 100-metre-plus motor yacht to Solas passenger ship rules or to the new Passenger Yacht Code (PYC), created specifically for yachts with 13 to 36 passengers and still in development.

To build to PYC would grant more design freedom but its regulations for safety and materials were a moving target. Realising this standard would be the wave of the future, Hein and his client took the road less travelled: I Dynasty is the first yacht delivered to full PYC certification without additional restrictions.

A bit of backstory on the project is useful. Besides being a naval architect and designer with The A Group, Hein was also a yacht builder, having served as president and equity partner in the Dutch yard Oceanco from 1992 to 2004. After selling his interest in the yard, Hein travelled extensively and discovered an affinity for Japan and its culture. He was impressed with the quality of Japanese commercial and patrol vessels and invested with a Japanese partner in a new manufacturing facility, opening an office in Tokyo for his project management company, VegaYachts.

Vega’s first contract was for an 86 metre yacht to be built in Japan. Just before construction was due to start, the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami struck, followed by the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. “Besides the potential radiation contamination issue, Japan’s manufacturing efforts shifted almost overnight to rebuilding its infrastructure,” says Hein. “We had to seriously consider starting over outside Japan.”

The client, however, was not discouraged; quite the contrary. Not only did he ask Hein to engage a European shipyard, he asked him to enlarge the vessel. He was adamant that Hein would serve not only as the naval architect but that he and his team would be the conduit through which I Dynasty was built. In essence, VegaYachts was employed as owner’s representative and general contractor for a turnkey project that included Studio Massari as the interior designer.

“The owner had some clear ideas: creating a multi-generation yacht with high manoeuvrability and heavy displacement for continuous cruising and boarding in all seas, efficient propulsion to minimise carbon emission and lots of pools and direct water access. Other things he left up to us,” says Hein. By the time the design was complete it was clear that I Dynasty was going to have to meet the newer, more comprehensive rules of PYC 2012.

“Starting the project after the adoption of the 2012 rules gave us a higher standard than those yachts that laid keels before 2012,” says Hein. “We had the option of applying for exemptions but the owner felt that if there was a guide for building the safest possible yacht we should adhere to it, and I agreed. We all had to discover the consequences of implementing the new Passenger Yacht Code to the normal design and construction process.”

The last sentence speaks volumes. PYC’s impact was ubiquitous at the Peters Werft yard in Wewelsfleth, Germany, where Kusch Yachts was building I Dynasty. Insulation materials, the all-steel construction, the bridge wing stations’ arrangement and the number of stairway escape routes were all guided by the PYC’s demand for fire containment. In the unlikely event of a fire starting (given the restriction on flammable materials), it must be contained via fire doors, use of low-flame-spread surfaces and fire breaks or areas where non-combustible material such as stone, steel or A60 fire-rated glass separate two combustible materials.

Every interior area has a worst-case combustion heat load, and it’s up to the designer and builder to work out material trade-off to stay below each area’s allowable load. Hein notes that Lloyd’s Register and the Cayman Islands (flag state) worked closely in co-operation with the project team and Kusch to meet the PYC requirements for I Dynasty.

“I do not think it is possible for a designer to create a PYC yacht without involvement of a shipyard; it is just too complex a balancing act. It requires the designers, builder and engineers to be in a constant revision process to achieve the desired goal without compromising the appearance, the luxury or the liveability,” says Hein.

Visually, I Dynasty is a stunner but it is the amount of “hoop jumping” to meet the new code – with materials and finishes that either didn’t exist or were not in use on yachts prior to PYC – that makes her remarkable. Take, for example, a typical yacht design scheme that pairs pale leathers with the dark mahogany in the corridors: an impossibility with fire loading.

Rather than forego the elegance imparted by elaborate mahogany cornices, the project team found a supplier who could articulate the style using non-combustible plaster and faux wood paint. The fabric wall panels that designers typically rely on to cover large areas and/or absorb sound can’t be made fire retardant enough, but leather can, so beautiful stamped or woven leathers are used with abandon.

With 4,437 gross tonnes, I Dynasty offers her family tremendous interior volume and many special areas, such as a cinema, beach club and lower arrival lobby, sauna, hair salon, massage room, hammam, gym, dive centre with changing room, a forward-facing observation lounge, and main and upper saloons connected by a spectacular open staircase. Eleven cabins, including the owner’s suite and two VIPs, are concentrated on the main and upper decks.

Alessandro Massari, who designed the interior of the client’s three previous yachts, had the task of marrying The A Group’s contemporary exterior profile – with its outstanding use of glass – to an interior that honours classic design themes and a leitmotif of decorative floral elements. The owner asked for a cosy family yacht with “wow”.

Studio Massari chose warm honey-coloured woods, primarily anigre and madrone burr veneers, to form the background for stunning handmade marquetry that fronts the cabinets and built-in furniture on I Dynasty. The main saloon sole is patterned parquet because Massari believes it is more formal than carpet.

This saloon on I Dynasty is a multifunctional space aft of the dining saloon with several comfortable seating areas, including one around a fireplace, a games table to starboard and a library with a baby grand piano to port. Flanking the piano, a magnificent open staircase creates a tangible link to the upper saloon. “Together with Richard (Hein), we discussed how to deal with the number of family members cruising; that is why the two main saloons are directly connected,” says Massari.

“Part of the family could be downstairs while the rest is above engaged in a different activity entirely. It really is the heart of the yacht. The stairs minimise the feeling of being in two different spaces.” A custom five metre chandelier from Cenedese of Murano creates a waterfall of light.

The “wow” factor of I Dynasty’s décor is particularly evident in a fantastic stone foyer where dark Port Laurent marble recreates a design by Michelangelo across a field of white and Calacatta Gold marble. The light marble is the backbone of the staircase that wraps around a large glass elevator leading to the upper deck.

A wrought iron balustrade with gold-plated details takes up the floral motif. “It embraces you while climbing the stairs,” says Massari. Gold leaf appears throughout in accents and tray ceilings. While gold leaf itself is not low flame spread, the sealer is, according to Massari.

Each of the cabins on I Dynasty is a world unto itself with enormous space and rare marbles, some with powerful veining and striations, creating an unusual colour scheme. All of the guest cabins feature a backlit 3D oyster shell headboard with fan patterns mimicking the paving stones in Italian piazzas.

The mix of traditional and contemporary continues outdoors, where multiple dining areas, a covered cinema, pools and sundecks fore and aft, plus a float-in tender garage/salt-water pool, provide plenty of options for living at sea. Equally impressive are the spaces Hein dedicated to machinery, workshops, dry and cold stores, laundry, guest services and quarters for the 32-strong crew.

“From the beginning the stated goal was to design a very robust vessel built completely in steel to prevent dissimilar metal distortion while cruising,” says Hein. “Plate thicknesses in excess of that required by class were used to reduce distortion due to welding, thus minimising the use of expensive filler, while also adding a margin against future corrosion.

“From a technical point of view, our main goal was to maximise all engineering and construction solutions to prevent the unnecessary use of diesel power and related exhaust gas emissions.”

The diesel-electric powerplant on I Dynasty utilises a full package of Rolls-Royce equipment and five engines, with power generation limited strictly to electrical load demand, thus hindering unnecessary fuel consumption and inherent gas emissions. Huge particulate filters occupy an exhaust silo underneath the mast, allowing clean emissions at anchor or in port.

The yacht’s power management system is seamless and offers surge-free power with a clean supply from 690 to 110 volts. I Dynasty does not rely on battery banks for smoothing peak loads but on generators of variable sizes that start or stop automatically. As propulsion and hotel loads vary, the full range of operating scenarios can be covered efficiently. “This is an important achievement,” says Hein. “This isn’t about propulsion any more, it is power management.”

The wheelhouse on I Dynasty is a masterwork designed by Rolls-Royce and the client’s captain after he spent substantial time in the Rolls-Royce bridge simulator. It looks like an updated version of the bridge from Star Trek’s USS Enterprise. Two custom high-tech helm chairs slide back and forth on rails to suit the preferences of the helmsman. Each of the chair arms are fitted with controls and the ability to switch any combination of information displays to the centre LED screen.

There are also full control stations port and starboard on the console and, of course, wing stations outside. A large navigation area is behind the con to port with a monitoring station to starboard. The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System station and a night-time working area with night-vision-safe low-level illumination are aft of the bridge proper.

I Dynasty is highly manoeuvrable – she turns in her own length at 16 knots thanks to a pair of Rolls-Royce Azipulls. Used with the bow thruster, they provide I Dynasty with a full dynamic-positioning mode useful in deep water or fragile seabeds, as well as for positioning the tender side-boarding platform away from the wind and waves.

The naval architecture, engineering and exterior design also contribute to the owner’s demand for “wow”. The floodable 10 metre tender garage holds a custom Pascoe limo tender launched via a system engineered in collaboration with Kusch Yachts. When I Dynasty’s tender is deployed, the space becomes a huge pool deck with light and air also flowing from a 12.5 metre starboard-side shell door that opens to launch a Riva.

A brilliant piece of engineering allows the tender to clear the stern opening while maintaining a closed pool for children to swim in. To keep water from sloshing unpleasantly, a teak-planked slope aft dampens motion and allows water to spill back to the sea.

The exterior lines on I Dynasty are slick and fresh and the walkaround side decks are so large they invite placement of steamer chairs. Glass is both a feature and a structural element, with floor-to-ceiling windows on the main and upper decks capped by glass “shark fins”.

A signature attribute, they form a windbreak and a visual transition from the strong horizontal lines of the lower profile to the top of the mast. The A Group and Massari worked closely to design exterior living areas that, thanks to hidden glass doors and windows, are usable in all weather.

Although I Dynasty passed PYC certification with flying colours, Hein admits there are still parts of the code that make it challenging to meet owners’ expectations. For example, rules mandate additional crew and extra escape routes via stairs rather than ladders, which use considerable space in both owner and crew areas.

Hein does not take issue with the extra research and design, build costs, the eight mandated watertight zones on the two lower decks or the continuous double-bottom requirement. It’s that some of the rules demand materials that are yet to be developed to acceptable yacht standards, such as fireproof and waterproof exterior deckheads. It’s also the lack of transparency that leads to different interpretations of some of these rules by surveyors and flag states.

“At The A Group, we don’t just design, we design to build,” says Hein. “Designing to build to previously unknown rules has been a challenge for me as the naval architect and exterior stylist, and also as the owner’s representative and partner in the building process with Mark Dethlefs of Kusch Yachts. To accomplish this in three and a half years’ build time is, as I look back on it, more than we could have imagined possible.”

Kusch Yachts

( www.kusch-yachts.com )

Abeking & Rasmussen 81mt Romea

How do you do justice to the work that’s gone into making a superyacht? It’s a nearly impossible task, especially when the interior encompasses no fewer than 182 different finishes garnered from all over the world, as is the case on 81 metre Abeking & Rasmussen yacht Romea.

Take, for example, Romea’s dining table, a true work of art with a hand- carved base and a lacquered top. “The dining table is finished with a particular hard-wearing Japanese lacquer that was originally developed for the scabbard of Samurai swords,” says the interior designer, Terence Disdale.

Like everything else about the Samurai tradition — and really all things Japanese — the making of the sword’s scabbard was a fastidious affair, involving the sap of trees cured and applied following precisely timed steps to create (sometimes with the addition of silver or gold power) a light, resistant and precious lacquered finish.

“It is a very lengthy task to apply this lacquer as each of the twenty or so layers has to dry hard before the next is applied,” Disdale says. “To my knowledge this is the first time it was ever applied to such a large surface, which took many months. The effect relies on the final sanding, which means the finished effect can only be viewed when the table is completely done. Only at that stage can you fine-tune the other finishes in the room.” Carved oak panels, their grooves sanded by hand, echo the patterns on the table.

Many yachts with elaborate interiors have emerged from Germany’s family-owned Abeking & Rasmussen (A&R). Witness Amaryllis or Excellence V, each with Reymond Langton interiors, for instance; they both have an enormous amount of complex, beautifully executed details.

Another characteristic of the yachts launched at the Lemwerder shipyard on the Weser river in Lower Saxony is that they tend to be rather discreet, despite — or perhaps due to — their growing size.

As if to confirm this fact, the largest yacht yet delivered by A&R bears the name Secret. A Sam Sorgiovanni design, she left the yard in 2013 and her Jim Harris-designed interior has never been shown. Superyacht Romea’s identically sized predecessor, Kibo, was launched in 2014 and has also kept a low profile.

“We do seem to attract owners who seek privacy,” says Till von Krause, the yard’s director of sales. He says yacht clients appreciate that A&R is a family business and that they can speak directly to the company’s CEO, Hans Schaedla, who, in 2009, succeeded his father at the helm of the soon-to-be 100-year-old shipyard.

A little more visible than recent yachts to emerge from A&R, Romea made her world debut at the 2015 Monaco Yacht Show and is available to a rarefied group of clients able to afford its close to seven-figure weekly charter rate (once you factor in taxes and incidentals).

She is nonetheless a bit of an enigma. The owner’s representatives, Imperial Yachts, are reluctant to provide details on how the yacht came to be and the owners are, naturally, off-limits. Company representatives prefer to let the “oohs and ahhs” speak for themselves, and there were plenty of those during the well-choreographed show visits.

Romea will be among the largest yachts available for charter. Close to 269 feet in length, with an elaborate beach club encompassing a Finnish sauna and one of several media rooms, a beauty-dedicated area with massage room, walkaround decks that compare favorably to promenade decks on small cruise ships and an irreproachable, easygoing interior bathed in light, Romea will be a standout from the Mediterranean charter fleet that gathers at events such as the Monaco Grand Prix.

Imperial, with offices in Monaco and Moscow, prides itself on its professional and discreet service to its clients who seem to have in common the goal of building outstanding superyachts and keep themselves out of the limelight.

One of the first grand yachts that Imperial helped produce was Arkley, launched in 2009 at Lürssen, followed a year later by the Amels’ Bel Abri. The company works with the world’s leading shipyards and designers but also likes to keep close tabs on all of its projects.

“As owner’s representative and construction manager of Romea, Imperial installed a large team at the shipyard from day one, and every exterior and interior detail was supervised from the very start by Imperial in respect with the owner’s requests and budget,” says the company’s chairman, Evgeniy Kochman.

In this case, the company is also involved in managing the charter program and helped select the 23-member crew, carefully chosen and trained to offer a five-star or even six-star experience. They are assisted in this task by a logical and practical layout dedicating two decks to their quarters, galley, split-level engine room, garage, laundry and stores.

Imperial dismisses parallels to previous vessels. Involved from the get-go in the extensive specifications, the company stresses that Romea is a custom project whose elegance mirrors the owner’s good taste. “Romea clearly doesn’t look like any other superyacht; her interior and exterior layout are completely made to suit the owner’s requests,” Kochman says.

“The layout was selected by the owner in close collaboration with Terence Disdale and Imperial. It is built mainly to satisfy his requests while on board. Charter clients will recognise this process while living on board; every single element was designed to make your journey unforgettable.”

Disdale says one of the yacht’s strong points is the “practical layout that rotates from the central stairway leading through the decks up to the sun deck”. An elevator, clad in stainless steel details polished to a jewel finish — “You can’t imagine how much work we did on it,” says von Krause — provides an alternative to ascending the comfortable stairs to the top, where a private sun deck with Jacuzzi is located.

Privacy is also paramount in the owner’s area, which takes up about half of the upper level’s interior accommodation with a cabin for children, an ample study, identically sized his-and-hers baths, dressings and a spectacular bedroom. A privacy wall/headboard anchors the bed, which sits at the centre of wraparound windows offering views of a discreet terrace and the sea beyond. The owner’s guests certainly won’t feel shortchanged, their cabins vast, comfortable and enjoying a prime location on the main deck.

Despite imposing dimensions, no one space feels either too large or underutilised. Wide passages outside provide a sense of ease that is replicated inside with great headroom. Soothing colours and meticulously selected materials, including oak, leather, silk and stone, live in perfect harmony. While ever consistent, the décor is not repetitive. “Too much matching decoration from space to space will create a ‘corporate’ environment without any visual surprise,” says Disdale, who also avoided the “startling wow factor”.

Although the interior was developed in close consultation with the owners and their representatives, Disdale says, “The overall philosophy of the interior is not really a departure from our day-to-day mantra of avoiding glitz and visual ostentation in decoration.” The goals were to “create a calm environment, easy on the eye but including finishes and detail that entertain the eye as well as the mind,” and, Disdale adds, “above all, create an environment that functions as well as being aesthetically pleasing.”

There is a great sense of ease moving throughout the decks. To make room for a wide corridor enabling guests to get to their soundproofed cabins, the designers chose to “pinch” the space a bit at the bathroom level rather than taking away from the staterooms.

Shapes, sounds, lights, art and even smells all work in concert to envelop guests into an atmosphere of utmost comfort. Feet can also participate in the discovery of sensations, from thick silk carpets that surround the toes to round pebbles that massage the soles. And if you happen to be tall enough, you can also feel with the tip of your fingers the texture on the ceiling, created by a British artist.

Behind this sense of ease is an elaborate process of creation. Disdale, winner of Boat International Media’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, has spanned the globe in search of new ideas and finishes that grace the interiors of several of the world’s most iconic yachts. Romea is only the second yacht he has designed to be built at A&R, but he’s already made his mark.

Von Krause, who visited the iconic design firm in Richmond, UK, and marvelled at the samples available for clients to peruse, shows a real appreciation for Disdale’s unique creative process, even if it may add a little to the complexity of building a superyacht. Von Krause estimates than no fewer than 250 trucks transported goods to and from the German yard when it came to outfitting the yacht.

“The logistics can become a challenge in production when the fitted furniture is made in Germany and shipped to South America to be finished with dried cow horn, lacquered and returned to the vessel,” says Disdale, “but that is typical of what we do in our constant search for new finishes.”

As for Imperial, what they sought to do was “simple: deliver a state-of-the-art motor yacht within time, costs and quality deadlines,” says Kochman. “And Imperial is delighted to confirm that we achieved successfully the task.” With art from all over the globe, Romea is truly out of this world but also remains very rooted.

Abeking & Rasmussen

( www.abeking.com )

Kleven explorer yacht 107mt Ulysses

The 107 metre Kleven explorer yacht Ulysses has been delivered to her owner, where she has been spotted cruising in the western Mediterranean.

The superyacht, said to have been commissioned by New Zealand businessman Graeme Hart, is the first private superyacht build undertaken by Kleven. The Norwegian family-owned shipbuilder, which is better known for its commercial vessels, announced the giant explorer superyacht order in March 2013.

Ulysses was moved unfinished from Norway to Germany in August 2015 and Dörries Marine was working on the final outfitting until a fortnight ago.

The builder's commercial roots have influenced its first superyacht. The Kleven hull 366 is designed by Norway's ship design company Marin Teknikk, who has previously worked with the builder on its offshore, commercial vessels.

Ulysses is designed for long-range passages in the most testing of sea conditions and has oceangoing capabilities fitting of the Ulsteinvik yard's heritage. Kleven said the 107 “blends a robust, hard-working character with luxurious added extras”.

Unlike the vast majority of the world's superyachts, the steel hull of Ulysseshas not been faired, which just emphasises its nature as a tough explorer yacht.

Making use of its ample size and huge 18 metre beam, Ulysses can accommodate 60 guests over seven decks. It has interiors by H2 Yacht Design and amenities include a helicopter landing pad, helicopter garage and a swimming pool.

One of the most notable features is the huge 21 metre tender that requires two specially designed cranes to lift it onto the foredeck. A host of other tenders, which provide options for any situation, can also be seen stored on the foredeck and high up on both sides of the yacht.

Kleven has collaborated with Teknikk on many of its offshore vessels, bringing his oceangoing yacht know-how to the new build.

Ståle Rasmussen, CEO of Kleven, said: “We have worked with Marin Teknikk for many years, developing numerous offshore vessels together, and the collaboration between us always works well. This vessel is a good example of our ability to develop and build specialised vessels and prototypes.”

Svein Rune Gjerde, CEO of Marin Teknikk, said: “This has been a different and interesting project for our design team.”

This robust type of yacht seems increasingly in vogue, as exemplified by the 76.6 metre Yersin, which is equipped to protect the planet as well as explore it.

Ulysses is currently the world's fourth largest explorer yacht, but will be overtaken by its big sister. The 116 metre version of Ulysses, Hull 370, iscurrently being constructed at Kleven for the same owner.

Kleven

( www.klevenmaritime.no )

Baglietto 43,65mt Pachamama

Attaching the adjective “family” to “superyacht” rather cools the simmering sexiness of the most exciting word in the nautical lexicon. Toddlers in the spa pool? Nannies patrolling the aft deck? A large yacht makes a fabulous platform for a family holiday but this is not the stuff of James Bond fantasies. Until, that is, the Italians get involved. Living up to a trio of cultural stereotypes, the La Spezia yard Baglietto has crafted a bambino-friendly boat with serious style – and speed.

“I’ve made some sea trials on a displacement yacht, but I’m not ready yet for that kind of boat,” says the owner of 43.65 metre Pachamama. “I wanted an express boat from the start because I prefer to cruise at 26, 27 knots – at least.”

It made perfect sense for such an owner to approach Baglietto, which specialises in fast aluminium yachts. But this owner is also the (rather cool) father of a 12 year old and a nine year old, as well as a keen cook and entertainer of friends. He needed a boat that would comfortably accommodate relaxed gatherings of friends and family, as well as impress on the water.

The designer engaged to perform this balancing act was Francesco Paszkowski, who has been penning boats for the yard since 1991.Pachamama’s spare, sporty and faintly military lines are distinctively Baglietto (military boats make an appearance in the yard’s 20th century repertoire).

“She combines the past with new elements such as the shape of the superstructure and the black side windows running from the stern to the bow,” says Paszkowski. “Both were reinterpreted according to contemporary design trends and requirements.”

Of Baglietto’s previous launches, she has most in common with 44 metre Monokini, which hit the water in 2013, a few months after the Gavio Group bought the yard – but many of Pachamama’s spaces have been tailored to this owner’s needs.

The dining saloon and galley of Pachamama are perhaps the best examples of the boat’s social soul. The idea was to create one large area that could be partitioned into three parts as necessary: a dining saloon, a galley and a smaller, informal dinette forward of the galley, that the owner could use for laid-back breakfasts. Between the glossy cream galley and main dining saloon is a bank of cabinets, with a glass panel in the middle. With this partition raised, the space is set for a formal meal, cooked by the chef; with it down, the owner can whip up meals and snacks himself while chatting to his guests. There’s also a TV in here, in case there’s something unmissable on. “I like football very much,” says the owner, “and this year we have the Euro 2016 in France.”

The main saloon is a broad space, well lit through large windows. It sweeps to a short entrance hall with skylights and out on to the aft deck. The furniture on Pachamama is low, simple and comfortable – a relaxing open space for family and friends – and throughout the boat the colours and materials emphasise that feeling. “We realised a contemporary design using just a few materials: teak, limestone silk and dark brown leather,” says Paszkowski, who designed the interior in collaboration with Margherita Casprini. “Natural teak was used for the floor and a checkerboard-like teak panelling for the walls, while ceilings feature white lacquered surfaces. Limestone silk was chosen in the bathroom floor and the tops of some furniture.”

It is a decorative scheme chosen for pragmatic as well as aesthetic reasons. “The style is very simple, very easy,” says the owner. “My idea is to have something that doesn’t bother you over the years. Because maybe when you buy a boat, you like [its ornate décor]. Then after two, three years, you feel that you did something wrong. So you keep the style simple.”

The aft deck features a long L-shaped built-in sofa and a table for alfresco dining – but the show-stopping outdoor space is up a starboard staircase from here. The massive bridge deck has a cosy, private atmosphere that makes it feel like an outdoor saloon. Aft there are sunloungers, over which a sun awning can be set up. In the centre is a huge sofa and coffee table area, while forward is a dining table with adjacent fridge, icemaker and teppanyaki grill. Where’s the spa pool? Unusually, it’s right down on the tip of the bow next to a spacious row of sunpads, creating a third outdoor lounging area. That bumps up to four if you also include the fold-down platform by the aft garage. This arrangement allows family and friends to come together when they want to and do their own thing when they prefer some time alone, without anyone having to hide away inside – an unusual luxury on a yacht of this size.

But in terms of family friendliness, the most exciting area of Pachamama is the wheelhouse. Aft of the captain’s station are two large sofa areas for observing the yacht’s impressive speeds – she can hit 33 knots – and a PlayStation for when even this cannot hold the children’s attention. “The solution we chose for the settees aft is deeply rooted in Baglietto tradition. Just look back to [44 metre] Apache II,” says Paszkowski. Here, the theme comprises glossy finishes and dark grey leather, and the state-of-the-art bridge is lit with futuristic purple lights. Different from the décor elsewhere, this marks it out as “the technological heart of the yacht”, says Paszkowski.

Down in the engine room of Pachamama things stay predictably slick. Two MTU engines drive the aluminium planing hull to its impressive speeds, but stabilisation was also important – with four ABT Trac stabilisers – while insulation was carefully planned to prevent noise and vibration. “What I felt when I’ve been on the boat – you can reach 30 knots and you’ll not feel that you are running 30 knots,” says Michele Gavino, general manager at Baglietto. “This is, I think, the most beautiful sensation you can have on a boat.”

All guest accommodation is on the lower deck, with three twin and one double cabin amidships and a full-beam master aft, with a large en suite and walk-in wardrobe. The palette remains calming and simple, with splashes of lime green, cornflower blue and warm orange in soft furnishings, art and lamps. The cabins open on to a good-sized lobby, where a modern staircase in stainless steel and glass leads up to the main deck.

The crew and captain’s accommodation is forward of the guest cabins and many of the same finishes and materials have been used here. These cabins are also of a comparable size to the guest cabins. The compromise is that there is no dedicated crew mess – they will use the dinette forward of the main deck galley when the owner does not need it. Paszkowski explains this unusual blurring of crew and guest space thus: “Although the boat features, of course, separate areas for the crew, the crew is essentially part of the family on board.” It’s a solution that could work, depending entirely on how the boat is used.

Another 43 Fast is under construction at Baglietto, a hardtop version with an enclosed lounge behind the wheelhouse. That boat’s launch is scheduled for the end of the year, with delivery in 2017. The owner of Pachamama has had some interest in his boat, too, although he would like to get some use out of her before thinking about selling. “Even if just for this summer,” he says. Although Pachamama could just as easily prove a firm family favourite for years to come.

Baglietto

( www.baglietto.com )

Heesen Yachts 50mt Ann G

In the world of superyachts, patience is both a virtue and an anomaly, perhaps even an anachronism. In truth, many yacht builders prosper by understanding that their customers prefer, if not instant, then certainly speedy gratification.

It’s all the more interesting then, that Heesen, a company that started by building custom yachts but found a strong niche in semi-custom series boats, begun on speculation for faster delivery, courted a client with plans for a fully custom yacht, a more challenging journey that took them back to their roots. In doing so, the yard delivered one of the stand-out yachts of 2015, the 50 metre Ann G.

“It was a great experience to work with such a committed owner,” says Heesen’s sales and marketing director Mark Cavendish. “The yard and the owner’s team really worked well together on Ann G and the owner was at the yard frequently.” Of the 10 current projects at the yard, four are full custom, with four more in discussion.

The project came to Heesen by a rather unusual route – a designer the yard had never worked with – and developed in a rather unusual way – via collaboration driven by the owner and designer Clifford Denn involving naval architects from several yards.

Together they explored and rejected extras such as a helipad, revised the yacht through several lengths and beams – even considering both displacement and semi-displacement hull types – to arrive at the look, the layout and the technical envelope of Ann G that matched the owner’s vision.

It started in 2010 when a France-based broker asked Denn to meet a prospective client who wanted either a semi or full-displacement yacht around 50 metres. Denn, who worked for Foster + Partners and Martin Francis before setting up his own studio near Antibes in 2003, recalls the brief was “a unique yacht that stands out from other yachts of its size and has a real identity”.

Ann G was to be a five-cabin yacht with a side-loading tender bay to allow a beach club aft, as well as a large sundeck with a covered living area in the middle that could divide or unite the entire deck by means of sliding glass panels. The owner had seen an 85.5 metre Oceanco called Sunrays that was styled by the late Bjorn Johansson and wanted Denn to explore introducing that yacht’s floating deck look.

“He also mentioned the lines of the 47 metre Benetti Imagination Series, particularly the curving stern stairs,” Denn says. Designers were asked to present exterior styling and a preliminary GA for a 52 metre, with both the influence of Sunrays and original design.

By October the owner had chosen his favourite look from numerous Denn sketches. What emerged was a 55 metre concept more masculine than Denn’s original idea and more flowing than Sunrays. With a 3D CAD model for guidance, in spring 2011, Ann G's owner asked various yards to develop it based on their platforms – and all responded with larger plans and over-budget construction costs.

“The owner had been very clear about how much he intended to spend and the estimates were above that,” Denn recalls. “We received the rendering back from him with three distinct red lines on it to indicate how to convert the 55 metre into a 50 metre under 500 GT”.

At that point, the autumn of 2011, with the global financial crisis grinding on, the project stopped. “The next summer, I heard from the client again. He had a new manager and was ready to go,” says Denn. Designing resumed at the 50 metre/500 gross tonne limits, with Arcon Yachts managing the project and Heesen developing a new round-bilge hull form, combining the lines of its 47 metre displacement hull with the GA and beach club of 50 metre semi-displacement Satori.

Sketches went back and forth, but besides the dark blue hull and wide, gentle stairs, the one element that both the owner and Denn kept returning to was an “arrow” feature, a sharp downward and outward angle on the upper deck bulwark that creates a dramatic space for the bridge wing station. That taut curve became Ann G’s defining style line. Heesen’s only difficulty seemed to be fitting a six metre tender on the bow. Try as they might with the original sheerline, it would be peeking over the rail and impacting the helmsman’s sightlines.

In November 2012 the owner gave the OK to start building. “We had a very short time to transfer the exterior styling forms to the new Heesen platform,” Deen recalls. “I had two hours to transfer the actual 2D profile to the proposal before the owner arrived to sign the build contract. The breakthrough I had was to lift the wheelhouse to see over the tenders and raise the foredeck bulwarks to hide them in profile.”

The owner chose for his interiors Pascale Reymond and Andrew Langton– on the day they opened their London office. “He told us he liked the masculine and square elements of art deco, the colours blue and cream, and stainless steel,” says Reymond. “He made it clear he had high expectations but gave us carte blanche.”

Reymond picked up a vibe from the profile that reminded her of cars in the 1920s and 30s and began drawing an interior with lots of contrast; glass, steel, white onyx and ebony, but the client asked for the details to be “more square, more modern”.

Reymond Langton responded with chunky, masculine details such as the stainless steel inlays in the foot of each bed frame. It is a style more Gotham than Paris and perhaps London’s Daily Express building or New York’s Chrysler building as its godparents.

“The core of the yacht is the staircase. It needed to be a big story; it connects everything,” says Reymond. Its centrepiece is a custom light fixture by Crystal Caviar. Extending two decks, backed by macassar ebony and framed by leather and ebony stairs, this is more giant sconce than chandelier and looks unmistakably like a glowing skyscraper. The stair surround features an intersecting lattice of cool-toned LED strip lighting set in leather panels that projects a graphic design on the black Portoro marble at each landing. “Strong diagonal lines aren’t deco but we used them to freshen the style,” says Reymond. It is a theme that reappears throughout.

The main saloon of Ann G is designed for entertaining, with an intimate seating area adjoining a bar built of macassar and backlit onyx. Extending aft through sliding glass panels, it visually and thematically links the interior to the aft deck.

Forward, an elegant dining area is anchored by a three-tiered rectangular crystal chandelier, which contrasts with the planked floor below, while an ebonised tray ceiling detail and macassar window frames establish the homage to squares in the design.

The owner’s suite is forward on the main deck and incorporates an office, full-beam cabin and large bathroom flanked by his and hers dressing rooms. The primary design palette is white leather wall panels, cream carpet and macassar furniture banded in steel. Rich blue fabrics give relief to the contrast theme but the trump card is a silk velvet wall covering behind the headboard.

“We designed the basic motifs for this wall covering and those in the guest suites and Sabina Fay Braxton executed them as one-of-a-kind murals,” says Reymond. Braxton once worked as a textile designer for the fashion house Lacroix. Her love of colour and texture in fabrics is down to her parents – a painter and a writer – who carted their daughter along as they lived and worked around the world.

Braxton’s medium is a medieval Japanese wood block embossing process – called gauffrage in the West – that was used to mimic woven damask patterns in the 17th and 18th centuries. Coincidentally, the process was “rediscovered” during deco’s heyday and used to emboss 3D patterns on velvet upholstery.

Braxton’s take on the process, “gilded gauffrage”, embosses the silk pile with heated carved blocks, encrusts the fabric with metal powders and paints broad areas with inks to create a patinated and luminous effect.

“The pattern in the master is based on a compass, but with a sort of sci-fi, ‘After Earth’ approach,” says Reymond. “We picked the same compass circle motif but in concert with the geometry of deco for the mosaic tile surround in the master bath and paired it with honey onyx and black Portoro gold marble flooring.”

The upper deck saloon is subdued, with parchment wall panels. Here the dark/light contrast is downplayed to serve as a backdrop to the views through windows on three sides. The bar, instead of being a focal point, is tucked against the forward bulkhead.

As the original driver of the GA, the beach club on the lower deck is the most contemporary space in style and function, with gym equipment, steam room, bar and a seating area offering uninterrupted views of the horizon when the transom door is open.

Here, the joinery switches to elm and teak in sand-mimicking tones. The proximity of the water is reflected in the striking backlit blue agate of the bar face.

But Ann G is far more than a pretty face. On sea trials before delivery last July the yacht exceeded the contractual speed by 0.6 knots, reaching a top speed of 15.6 knots on a pair of 1,300hp MTU 8V4000 M63 engines.

Arcon’s project manager Konstantin Kolpakov says: “The entire project was a big challenge for everybody. It was the owner’s decision to push everything forward to save space for the beach club, even though it meant the tenders would ride atop his cabin. With Heesen, we did our best to build in efficient noise and vibration reduction.”

Of the fact that Ann G launched five years after the start of her design process, Kolpakov says: “We had a courageous owner who wasn’t afraid to try something new; we spoke night and day about the yacht. This is the kind of person [who] is moving the industry forward.” As well, of course, as creating a truly moving boat.



Heesen Yachts

( www.heesenyachts.nl )

Feadship 62mt Sea Owl

Personal and enchanting, 62 metre custom Feadship Sea Owl is a portal to a different world, where children learn as they play and adults can enjoy family time, work or relax miles away from land. Aside from her one-of-a-kind fantasy inspired interior, the yacht has a sophisticated custom-designed security system to allow her occupants to venture far afield in safety.

Sea Owl’s lead designer, Andrew Winch, grew up near Kensington Gardens in London, where a bronze statue of Peter Pan has bewitched generations of children since it mysteriously appeared in 1912.

Peter Pan is only one of several fairy tales and scholarly books that have inspired the décor, as the designers worked closely with family members to personalise each room and encourage the children to explore real and imaginary worlds.

On the bridge deck is a staff cabin decorated with frescos of fossilised seashells that a young Charles Darwin identified during his first trip onHMS Beagle. This doubles as a classroom, allowing the children to learn about Darwin as the yacht explores the Galápagos Islands.

On the lower deck is a delightful pirate-themed room; next to this is one of the daughters’ cabins with scenes from Alice in Wonderland. On the sun deck, a toothy shark grins on the walls of the freshwater spa pool.

Three decks below, a book painted on the ceiling appears to be defying the laws of gravity to fly away from the library wall – it’s Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, naturally. While the décor is playful, it is never kitsch, reaching a level of artistry even grown-ups can appreciate.

The results surprised the Sea Owl’s owner. "Although I was tangentially involved in the design of the boat and kept abreast of how the build was progressing, I was truly astonished by the level of craftsmanship and tastefulness that distinguishes every nook and cranny," he said, adding that this success "is largely due to the close collaboration between the design team at Winch Design and my wife and daughter who are endowed with both exceptionally good taste and exceptionally strong opinions."

While children were the inspiration for this project, making this dream happen was anything but child’s play. Winch, who has designed seven Feadships to date, including the 99 metre Madame Gu, says Sea Owl was one of the most complex projects he has ever handled.

Part of the complexity resides in the number of details in this high-volume explorer. There are those you can see, such as a silk and wool carpet hand-knotted in Nepal, the Dale Chihuly chandelier made of Venetian glass, or the basin carved like a gem from a single block of crystal.

And there are the ones you don’t – security cameras with a 360-degree view at the waterline, fingerprint-recognition keypads and a sophisticated entertainment system.

A detailed description of this interior would fill a book, but a few details are enough to illustrate the yacht’s spirit. The central stairway features a mural, carved from Peruvian mahogany, of a magical tree rising four decks high in one continuous design, the roots grounded in the lower deck’s sole and branches reaching the sun deck.

The guest lift is much less noticeable from the outside but on its inside walls are trompe l’oeil murals depicting, among others, a garden scene and the family dog awaiting a treat.

The owner, gifted with a mathematical mind, has an office where he can be introspective behind closed doors but find inspiration in the oceanscape unfolding in front of him. This room is part of the owner’s private suite.

Its centrepiece is an exquisite copy of an 18th Century French desk by French furniture designer Serge Mirochnikoff, who created several other special pieces on board. On the ceiling is one of many frescoes commissioned by Winch Design, this one a depiction of a world map circa 1800. Such details bring character to a yacht that the owner wanted to serve as an ideal holiday home for his large family.

Soon after starting construction of their previous Sea Owl (now Shadowl), a 43m Burger of which Winch Design designed the interior, the owners realised the need for a bigger boat to accommodate their growing family and, in 2007, began discussing the new yacht with Winch Design and Anthony Sands of Edge Yachts, their representative.

The Burger’s green hull and white superstructure colour scheme was shared with the new yacht, which is painted in the Awlgrip shades Jade Mist and Oyster White.

A bid to build the new Sea Owl went out to seven shipyards, and a contract was signed with Feadship in 2008. Construction began two years later on what may be, at close to 1,500 gross tonnes, the biggest 62 metre yet built.

"We knew from the very start that Sea Owl was going to be an extraordinary vessel, but also one that would pose challenges in her design and construction due to the high aesthetic standards the owners were trying to achieve, coupled with the yacht’s cutting-edge technological sophistication," Sands said.

"The experienced Sea Owl team from Winch Design knew that the yacht’s exterior and planning was the answer. It’s to the entire team’s credit that we achieved on all counts, including construction deadlines and budget."

For the new Sea Owl, her owners wanted big spaces and wide-open vistas but within the length of 62 metres, which while generous by other measures, proved challenging when it came to accommodating all the family’s wishes.

This puzzle was left to Winch Design to resolve. The experienced team designed a yacht that is exceptionally beamy (12.2 metres overall) with a very large superstructure.

The sun deck is partially enclosed to create a light-filled dining saloon with an adjacent pantry that occupies a good part of the interior on this deck. Winch and his team, which gave the yacht elegant and classic lines, used the wide beam to maximum effect.

As the owners value privacy and security, access points are limited to what’s necessary and the accommodation stretches across the full beam where convenient. On the bridge deck, a light-filled Caribbean-inspired upper saloon stretches between windows, while forward, two balconies unfold to offer up panoramic views to guests.

Throughout, Winch pursued an organic design. "Symmetry makes the environment feel controlled," he said, which was far from the desired effect. The layout is very different from the rigid patterns found on many yachts. While there is practicality in the way the decks are organised (the layout is being kept private at the owner’s request), few linear patterns are on board.

The main dining table, set in front of a Venetian fresco, for instance, is off centre. Glancing forward from the saloon, you get an open view up to a library wall that conceals the owners’ walk-in wardrobe.

As amazing as what you can see, is what you do not see. It is not obvious that the custom-made furnishings, most built in-house by the Feadship craftsmen, are all sea-fastened for safety.

The custom rosewood self-playing Steinway baby grand piano in the main saloon is not only affixed to the deck sole, but also interfaces with the music library and can play any piece of music stored in the Kaleidescape audio visual system.

The yacht features WiFi throughout for iPad use, while most tables, including those on the outer decks, have hidden power sources to recharge tablets or laptops.

Security consultants worked closely with the shipyard up to the last few days before delivery, and while the effective and discreet security system does not distract from the magic of the décor, accommodating it added a layer of complexity – one that even the experienced Feadship shipyard acknowledges.

"It added weight on the boat, which we had to account for and balance with the class requirements," said Koos Zitman, sales director at Feadship. "You can only assign the space once."

Asked what design features were borrowed from other Feadship projects – perhaps the large windows, the saloon door that recedes to fully open the upper saloon to the aft deck or the twin tender bays forward – Zitman said the project was entirely owner driven. Even the large radar mast was done at the owner’s request.

Conscious of their surroundings and the pristine areas they want to discover, the owners also opted for a dynamic positioning system, which allows the yacht to stay in place without deploying anchors.

In early July 2013, the yacht and her crew of 18 set off on the first of her extended journeys to the Norwegian fjords after a handover ceremony in front of Amsterdam’s National Maritime Museum. Adventure is built right into this stately yacht’s design.

Feadship

( www.feadship.nl )

Benetti 63mt 11.11

Timing is everything. When the original owner of Benetti hull FB265 walked away from the project 10 months before delivery, an opportunity was presented, of the kind the boat’s new owner has made a living out of exploiting.

“Let’s just say there was a clear opportunity for a mutually beneficial deal to be done,” he says when we meet on board 11.11. The British businessman had been in talks with Benetti throughout the summer of 2014 about a new project, and when FB265 was left ownerless two-thirds of the way through construction, he made a list.

Cons: layout was largely fixed and engineering installed to a different owner’s specification. Pros: he’d get a brand new boat in less than a third of the time it takes to design, commission and build a new one. He spent the rest of that summer weighing it up.

“11.11 is only the second bluff-bowed boat Benetti has ever built, after 65 metre Nataly,” the owner says. “I was on a boat in Porto Cervo in 2014 and Nataly was there. I just kept looking at her and asked for the tender to take me around the boat. I grew to love the shape more and more. It was exactly what I wanted, so I was sold on the exterior design of FB265.

The question was whether we could turn her interior into something which would suit our family, from a design, style and functionality point of view.” The fit-out was about 40 per cent complete when the commissioning owner walked away and some of his choices were a little eccentric.

“There were no bars,” 11.11's owner says, “and it was designed for a Rolls-Royce Phantom to be kept in the tender garage! I didn’t need any of that. The sundeck was all wrong – everything was too small, the Jacuzzi, the seating. Inside it was like a Russian tsar’s palace. I’m not saying that’s bad but it’s not my family’s style. It was too heavy, too classical and it was quite dark. We needed to de-wood it, basically.”

Delivery, too, was a consideration. If he bought it he wanted it for the tail-end of summer 2015, an aggressive schedule that had a few people at Benetti sweating. “I lost a bit of hair,” Benetti project manager Marco De Cosmo jokes. “But the owner is such a nice guy – it’s difficult to say no.”

The deal was eventually signed in October 2014, spurred on by news that one or two other buyers were circling, and a delivery target was set for 11.11: July 2015, giving the Livorno shipyard just 10 months to turn a palace into a home.

“I had to make a quick decision – go for it or pull out. I was actually in Hong Kong airport on my way home from a business trip and I said ‘let’s do it’. The deal was closed at the airport,” the owner recalls.

Delivery was nudged back throughout the transformation and FB265 emerged from the yard just weeks before the 2015 Monaco Yacht Show, where the yacht was introduced to the world as 11.11. “If you compare the finished boat with the initial renderings we did for the first client, you would not say they were the same boat,” De Cosmo says.

It’s hard to imagine she was ever anything but the monochrome masterpiece she became. Where it was impossible to change styling left over from the first owner, such as the dark, patinated wall panelling throughout, it was made to look deliberate: the dark wood was offset with lighter colours to create a sort of deco-lite interior, for instance.

“We wanted that kind of look anyway,” the owner, whose company also designed the interior, says. “Our home in Los Angeles is art deco, too.” Splashed throughout is artwork from the owner’s collection, including, much to his daughter’s delight, interactive butterfly displays by Dominic Harris in the main saloon that flutter at your touch.

“We’ve had great feedback on those,” the owner says. “I had a guy building a 90 metre at Lürssen on board and he said: ‘I have to have that for my boat.’ Everyone’s stealing my ideas!”

The art animates spaces on board 11.11 that could otherwise get a bit two-tone and one piece stands out above all: a Tracey Emin neon perfectly located behind the bar in the upper saloon that says: “Move me”. A very close second, however, are works from Hans Kotter, Helmut Newton and photographer David Yarrow.

Defying the modern trend for hard, minimalist edges, the main living spaces of 11.11 offer softness and comfort. Part of this comes through the owner’s desire to create a home on the water, but also because it was built into the contract that the boat had to be child-proof: curves are preferred to edges at toddler height and the two main seating areas in the lower and upper saloons cluster around coffee tables you can bounce off, or fall asleep against “while watching Peppa Pig”, the owner smiles.

It’s the kind of attention to functionality that comes from having owned boats previously; 11.11 is the owner’s third superyacht, after a 45 metre Benetti and a 62 metre. “I’ve made mistakes in the past. I’ve designed stuff which looks great, but then you sit on it. My wife told me: ‘I’m not sitting on another sofa that’s uncomfortable,’ ” he says. “Functionality and comfort are the most important things.”

The owner’s wife was heavily involved in the design of 11.11 throughout and it was a collaborative decision to take the major step of restructuring the sundeck, the biggest job on Benetti’s to-do list once terms were signed.

With the transom garage housing a custom Benetti limo tender (the first one it’s ever built) and RIB instead of a beach club, 11.11’s top deck is the pre-eminent leisure area. “It was our first project when he bought the boat,” De Cosmo explains.

The pool was initially placed where the seating is currently but the new owner wanted it all the way aft, surrounded by sunpads. “The deck was completely redesigned, destroyed and rebuilt,” the project manager adds.

To avoid welding and other “hot activities” so close to delivery, the pool structure was built in fibreglass, and painted to make it blend in. Comfortable seating was added along with an Italian stone-clad bar and a gym was replaced by an intimate seating area and kitchenette – a favourite spot of the owner and his young family. “We tend to end the day up here, with afternoon tea,” he says.

The mornings are spent around the second spa pool on board 11.11 – forward of the superb panoramic owner’s suite on the upper deck. Despite being out the front and feeling a little exposed, it remains a private area and can’t be seen from the bridge above, making it an exclusive little enclave.

It wasn’t always obvious that this would become the owner’s deck. It’s got the view but the VIP on the main deck has the beam – all 10.8 metres of it. “It came down to outside space in the end,” the owner says. “You have a boat because you’re going to spend a lot of time outside, and it’s great to see our little baby daughter running around the front, which is all enclosed.”

Lucky guests, then, who get quartered in the VIP suite, with its vast acreage, private study, walk-in dressing room and six huge portrait windows. The rest of the guest accommodation is on the lower deck – two twins and two doubles feeding off a central lobby. Each is dressed in the same art deco style, with Italian marble in the bathrooms – personally selected by the owner’s team at the quarry – and Lalique taps.

The design throughout 11.11 offers a “polycentric experience”, the owner says. “It’s all about your senses coming alive, in what you see, hear, touch and feel. That’s when you’re going to have the best experience of your life, and hopefully we’ve managed to achieve that with this interior.”

The exterior charges a few of those senses, too, and will inspire comment wherever 11.11 sails. She’s not built on the same platform as Nataly but the similarities are clear, although whereas Nataly’s design was from the boards of Redman Whiteley Dixon, 11.11’s exterior is identifiably Benetti’s work.

The decks bubble up behind that long nose, which ends in a near-vertical blade. A significant spray rail runs aft, to keep water off the decks – a common problem on boats with such an upright stem.

The hull’s efficiency gains are still to be properly recorded but the captain, Vaughan Hill, is happy so far, reporting engine loading of just 65 per cent at her cruising speed of 15 knots.

“We got her up to 17.5 knots on the run to Monaco from Livorno,” he says. “We had a head sea, with two metre swells. She stayed nice and buoyant and rode over the top, rather than falling into the holes.” Not that he has to worry about anyone getting seasick – the owner’s wife was a sufferer but she was treated by famous British hypnotist Paul McKenna and hasn’t had a dose since.

The benefit of 11.11's bow is more volume forward, and this has been well used in a big bosun’s locker and mooring area on the main deck, and generous crew quarters down below.

The yacht runs with 16 crew currently and the happiest of all is surely the chef, whose main deck playground puts the galleys of much bigger boats to shame. It’s also a superbly finished space, with – to the chef’s delight – big windows over the water and a central island.

The owner didn’t spend a huge amount of time at the yard overseeing the finishing of this and other spaces, relying instead on his design team, but did make one very important visit towards the end of the build. “I flew from LA to London to Pisa for a single day, just to see 11.11, and went back to LA the next day. I wanted to see it before my family got on board – I’m a perfectionist,” he says.

As soon as 11.11 was handed over, he snuck in some holiday time before the Monaco Yacht Show, visiting Capri, where music mogul and friend Simon Cowell was a visitor. “We had a nice day with Simon in Positano, and then after headed up to Cannes, Monaco and St Tropez.”

The owner’s winter cruising ambitions extend to the Caribbean – and might include the latest hot destination, Cuba. Plans could then include a tour of the Bahamas, Exumas (“so my daughter can swim with the pigs” - a Caribbean bucket list favourite), St Barths and Mustique before heading back across in 2016 for the start of the Med season.

It’s a trip that wouldn’t have been possible this year had the owner not seized the opportunity of buying a part-built boat. The timing was auspicious, like the name of the yacht itself. The 11th of the 11th is the owner’s daughter’s birthday, but 11 is also considered a “master number”, emanating all sorts of positive vibes. It’s definitely doing its job so far – doubly so.

Benetti Yachts

( www.benettiyachts.it )

Camper & Nicholsons 63mt Creole

In the words of veteran photographer Gilles Martin-Raget, Creole is “a boat outside all the norms of size, aesthetics and history”. Certainly, at 63.03 metres, the three-masted schooner is rated the world’s largest wooden sailing yacht and her beauty is unquestionable. Yet it is the word “history” that resonates here because Creole’s back story is interlaced with suicide, jealousy and murder – beyond most norms, certainly.

Sailors tend to be superstitious souls and “the curse of Creole” is a phrase not unknown in yachting lore. It seemed it had struck again when it was reported from Italy that the vessel’s owners, Alessandra and Allegra Gucci, were being investigated for alleged tax dodging. How is it possible, a rational person might ask, for a boat to infect its owners with ill fortune? How indeed.

Yet deep scrutiny of Creole’s past reveals some strange facts, including an episode in which a medium was hired to exorcise “evil influences”. And a highly respected Italian newspaper once carried a headline that claimed “The Creole betrayed Maurizio Gucci”, her then owner and father of Alessandra and Allegra.

The omens were not good when it took three attempts to break the magnum of Champagne on the bow of the big schooner when she was christened Vira at Camper & Nicholsons’ yard in Gosport, Hampshire. It was 1927 and the vessel was considered a masterpiece of her time, not least by her architect, the esteemed Charles E Nicholson. The yacht was at the forefront of design and technology, with two generators, electric refrigeration and central heating throughout her apartment-sized suites.

But trouble began early on. When her owner, the immensely wealthy US carpet manufacturer Alexander Smith Cochran, saw the towering rig he quailed. It would be unmanageable, he said, and ordered the yard to shorten her spars by three metres. It was not enough, he maintained, after the work was done. Cut them down some more.

Vira finally left Gosport with a stumpy rig that didn’t suit her ballast. Lead was taken out at a yard in Spain, but they overdid it and she became hopelessly tender. Then, the frustrated and unhappy Cochran was struck down by tuberculosis. He died a year later, aged 55.

Vira was sold to South Coast yachtsman Maurice Pope, who renamed her Creole, apparently after a particularly delicious dessert created by his chef. In 1937 she was bought by financier Sir Connop Guthrie, who had just been made a baronet. Guthrie was a dedicated sailor who restored Creole’s rig and keel and raced her successfully until the outbreak of WWII in 1939.

Guthrie loaned Creole to the Admiralty and, with her rig removed and her deckworks changed to accept armament, she became the mine-hunter Magic Circle.

Guthrie died, aged 63, in 1945, the year that Magic Circle was returned to his family. She became Creole once more but was almost unrecognisable after her war service. Following the death of Sir Connop she languished in a sorry state until spotted by Stavros Niarchos, the Greek shipping tycoon.

It was 1947 and Niarchos, like his great rival Aristotle Onassis, was growing fabulously rich thanks to the post-war shipping boom. He snapped up the forlorn schooner and began a restoration that would cost many millions but which returned Creole to the beautifully appointed and wickedly fast yacht her designer had intended.

Niarchos added the capacious varnished deckhouse Creole has today and her cabins were hung with valuable works from his art collection. She became his floating home for long periods; his most treasured possession and, ultimately, a silent witness to tragedy and a sensational mystery.

As Creole’s restoration began, Niarchos courted Eugenia Livanos, the beautiful 21-year-old daughter of another shipping magnate. They were married, had four children and, despite his affairs, remained together.

In May 1970, they were on holiday on Niarchos’s private island, Spetsopoula, in the Aegean. With them was Athina – Tina – Onassis, Eugenia’s sister. What happened on the night of 3 May is, to this day, the subject of speculation and dark whispers, but the official version is that Eugenia killed herself with an overdose of barbiturates. At a post mortem on the mainland, the pathologist reported severe bruising on Eugenia’s body and the prosecutor in Piraeus began an investigation.

Niarchos became a suspect but he was later exonerated. According to some sources, he was cleared after the intervention of Greece’s ruling military junta, with which he had close links. It later emerged, in an account said to have been based on the testimony of a witness who was on the island, that Eugenia had caught Niarchos trying to force himself upon Tina, her sister, and a violent fight broke out.

In another account, Eugenia was said to have taken a lethal overdose in her cabin aboard Creole. What is certain is that Creole was used to bring Eugenia’s body back from the mainland to Spetsopoula, where she was buried in the Niarchos family mausoleum.

The death of Eugenia ended Niarchos’s love affair with Creole. He went on to marry Tina and sold the yacht, in 1977, to the Danish government for use as a sail training vessel for youngsters, including those in a drugs rehabilitation programme. Such work took a heavy toll; after five years, the cost of maintaining Creole was more than the Danes could justify and a new owner was sought.

In 1982 the schooner – then well over half a century old – began the phase of her life that continues today. She was bought by Maurizio Gucci, whose lavish spending surpassed everything even Niarchos had done. And, it must be said, the horror that was to unfold transcended, too, the tragedy that had befallen Creole’s previous owner.

When Maurizio Gucci bought Creole he was 35 and already on his way to heading the renowned Gucci family fashion house. He was married to Patrizia Reggiani, the daughter of a Milan businessman and mother of Allegra and Alessandra. Patrizia was one of Milan’s great beauties, an Elizabeth Taylor lookalike, with violet eyes and a captivating smile. She was also unashamedly materialistic. “I’d rather weep in a Rolls-Royce than laugh on a bicycle,” she once said.

Despite being rather hard-nosed, Patrizia was deeply superstitious and stories about the “curse of Creole” troubled her. She persuaded Maurizio to hire Frida, a medium and practising psychic, to exorcise the evil spirits Patrizia believed haunted the yacht.

The episode is detailed in Sara Gay Forden’s acclaimed book, The House of Gucci. Forden wrote that Frida “went into a trance” and walked through Creole mumbling incomprehensibly. “Open the door, open the door,” Frida cried out suddenly as Maurizio and Patrizia looked at each other, puzzled. They were standing in an open corridor; there was no door. But the Sicilian crewmember turned ashen. Before the restoration of Creole, there had been a door in that very spot, he said.

Forden goes on to say that Frida pointed to a place where, the psychic said, Eugenia Niarchos’s body had been found. Then she snapped out of her trance, said, “It’s all over” and declared Creole “free of evil spirits”.

Malign forces were at work, however. The Gucci family was tearing itself apart, riven by jealousy and resentment over ownership of the celebrated brand and the millions it was earning. Maurizio was accused of buying Creole by illegally diverting funds through a Panama-based company. The police and fiscal investigators launched an inquiry. In June 1987, the Italian papers were full of it. “Gucci in a storm over a dream yacht; arrest warrants issued” ran a headline in La Repubblica. “The Creole betrayed Maurizio Gucci” was the banner in Corriere della Sera.

Creole was sailed out of Italian waters to Mallorca to put her beyond the reach of the police and Maurizio made his own escape by riding his red Kawasaki motorcycle over the border into Switzerland.

In 1988 Maurizio was indicted for illegally exporting the money he had used to buy Creole, then was swiftly acquitted because changes in the law meant capital export was no longer a criminal offence. He rode out numerous legal storms and eventually returned to Italy, where he sold his shares in Gucci for more than £100 million.

By now Maurizio was separated from Patrizia and busy spending his fortune, a lot of which was lavished on Creole. The designer Toto Russo helped re-work the yacht’s interior, with the deckhouse decorated in sumptuous style, featuring artworks and handmade pieces carved from solid ebony and marble. There were just four guest cabins, for two people each, with their own bathroom. Her usual crew numbered 16. Guests were handed a white sweatshirt and slacks to wear on board. The top featured Creole’s emblem, a pair of intertwined seahorses.

As Maurizio enjoyed his yacht, Patrizia looked on, becoming increasingly jealous. She raged over the money it was costing – at one point it emerged he had spent €800,000 on just one area of the accommodation. It was not known whether this included the cost of buying the stingray skins that lined the bulkheads.

Patrizia was living in an apartment with her daughters, growing more and more resentful by the day, especially when she learnt that Maurizio was thinking of marrying his young girlfriend, Paola Franchi.

Then, on 27 March 1995, as Maurizio arrived at his office in Milan’s Via Palestro, a man stepped into the lobby of the building and fired three shots. Wounded, but probably not fatally, Maurizio slumped to the floor. The gunman fired a fourth bullet into his temple at close range, killing him instantly. Maurizio was 46.

Almost two years later, in January 1997, police arrested Patrizia. It emerged later that she had hired a killer, through a friend with underworld contacts, to murder her husband. She was convicted and served 16 years in jail.

Maurizio’s daughters Allegra and Alessandra inherited Creole and keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed. She is occasionally seen at classic events in the Mediterranean, although in recent years her role has been as mothership to the other, smaller Gucci classic, Avel. The Gucci sisters say Creole keeps their father’s memory alive, and certainly the yacht is associated with some of the happiest times in Maurizio’s short life.

Rationally, of course, one cannot attribute horror and tragedy to a jinx said to cling to a sailing yacht. Yet, there may always be some who will look at Creole’s dark story and experience a shiver down the spine. 

Camper & Nicholsons

( www.camperandnicholsons.com )

ISA 54,6 mt Forever One

There is very little about the 54.6 metre ISA Yachts Forever One that conforms to what we are used to seeing in a superyacht. With her imposing volume, more than 1,050 gross tonnes, lofty bow and flashy white and red livery, Forever One stands out wherever she goes and rarely leaves people indifferent.

Passion seems the most appropriate word to use when describing the yacht’s build. The project stems from an experienced Mexican owner, Bruce Grossman, who entrusted Fernando Nicholson of Camper & Nicholsons International and designer and naval architect Horacio Bozzo to fine-tune his ideas.

“Bruce was adamant that the design should be both unique and reliable,” says Nicholson. “He wanted a yacht that distinguished herself from the crowd, the right place to spend long, relaxed holidays with his beloved wife, Elsa – the ‘forever one’ to whom the yacht is dedicated. He wasn’t interested in building a yacht with resale in mind.” Thinking about resale value and charter use, as most owners do at the time of purchasing a new boat, would have affected design and layout options, and Grossman didn’t want such constraints.

The Grossmans owned several yachts before this, the last being a sporty jet-driven Mangusta 130. “My wife and I spent memorable holidays on board our Mangusta, but despite our enthusiasm, the Mangusta didn’t suit our needs any longer,” Grossman says. “We needed a large displacement yacht that might allow us to sail comfortably whatever the season and weather. As we spend months and months on board our yacht, just the two of us or together with a restricted number of friends, my new Forever Onehad to be a floating home. The projects brought to my attention by many reputed shipyards and designers neither matched my needs nor expectations. I wanted a yacht that was shaped on our lifestyle. We do love having both private and social areas providing us with all comforts, space and amenities we are used to at home.”

Bozzo, an Argentine naval architect and designer based in Italy and founder of Axis Group Yacht Design, had already worked out a concept with Nicholson for a yacht featuring an almost-reverse bow, massive volume and muscular exterior lines. When they showed their idea to Grossman it was love at first sight. The winning concept rapidly evolved into a project and ISA Yachts was entrusted to build it. Throughout the project’s development, the overall design remained nearly untouched while the interior layout took shape according to her owner’s input. With the creativity of a passionate designer and the meticulous approach of a naval architect, Bozzo designed everything down to the smallest element; he provided the builder with detailed instructions on how to build the complicated transom door, as well as how to align the coaming with a hinge or handrail socket.

Bozzo also created hundreds of sketches and renderings and discussed every detail with Nicholson, the owner’s captain Colin Skinner and the yard’s technical department. The owner, initially closely involved in refining the concept, left the project’s management to his trusted team.

Forever One is a complex yacht whose massive volume encompasses very large folding balconies, gullwing side hatches that required considerable research into longitudinal and torsional bending forces, and an articulated transom that opens up as a magnificent on-the-water lounge.

This beach club is a bold statement of design and technical skills. Grossman asked for plenty of cosy social areas, so its interior was designed and furnished as an area that can be used when under way. A window and a hatch that hinges upward allow fresh air and light into the room. Teak panels cover both window and hatch to form an extended, flush, walkable area when the door folds open at anchor.

As the project took shape, Alessandro Massari, a young and talented designer, joined the team with the mission of defining Forever One’s interior décor. The main saloon sets the tone for the inspired, refreshing interior design.

With its Hamptons-style, shore-inspired colours, the interior is bright and breezy. Discreet window treatments let plenty of natural daylight pour in. White, creamy hues of seashells, whalebone, rich earth and sand colours make up Forever One’s palette. Dark-brown wood frames the predominantly white fabrics, furniture, doors and walls with hints of colour brightening the scheme. The grand saloon on the main deck doubles as a cinema. Full-height glass sliding doors open onto side passages and fold-down balconies that, when opened at anchor, double the room’s width. The weathered dark-oak floor is a tactile experience for bare feet.

A full-beam, multi-purpose dining room is located in a separate area on the main deck, forward of the large lobby and the round glass lift that connects all decks. In this dining/lounging room, standalone furnishings allow small groups of guests to pursue different activities at once.

Alongside a custom square dining table, which can be extended to host up to 12 guests, this homey environment encompasses a games table, armchairs, comfy sofas, plus a bar with high stools. Forever One has five bars so guests can be served quickly and easily on all decks, both inside and outside. Guests have at their disposal versatile indoor areas and expansive exterior living spaces, and anyone who wants to will find nooks where they can relax.

“On board Forever One, I want to offer my guests the best comfort and amenities,” says Grossman. “I love to spend time in good company; nevertheless, my wife and I need our privacy. This is why we have our own apartment on the upper deck aft, where on a yacht of this size, a panoramic saloon would normally be. Abaft our suite, a lounging area opens onto the aft terrace. This is our intimate retreat.” The master suite also includes his-and-hers large bathrooms, two walk-in wardrobes and a room dedicated to his shoe collection.

As Forever One is not meant for the charter market, this yacht only has three large guest suites, all on the lower deck. A fourth room is fitted withhigh-end gym equipment. On the same deck, the roomy bow shape allows for comfortable crew quarters encompassing six double cabins, a generous dinette and a pantry directly connected to the galley on the main deck. Besides being spacious, the crew quarters boast a finish and joinery comparable to guest areas.

“Our crew is at our disposal all year round, and the yacht has to be perfectly maintained and ready to leave whenever we decide,” Grossman says. “We take into great consideration captain and crew, so as we spend prolonged periods on board, sometimes we go ashore in a hotel to give them a little rest.”

From the crew area, a flight of stairs leads to the bilge deck with abundant storage, refrigerators and freezers, cold rooms and laundry. On both sides, stabiliser compartments are easily accessed. A split-level engine room houses two Caterpillar 3512C engines producing more than 1,900 horsepower each – ensuring her top speed of 16.5 knots.

Forever One’s maiden voyage took her owners north to Venice in the Adriatic Sea. They were delighted with the yacht’s performances in all conditions and reported how comfortable they felt in their new floating home. She has indeed proven herself to be a special, life-enhancing yacht.

ISA Yachts

( www.isayachts.com )

Tankoa Yachts 69.30mt Suerte

Measuring 69.30 metres, the steel and aluminium superyacht Suerte was built by the Italian shipyard Tankoa Yachts and completed earlier this year. Making her debut at the 2015 edition of the Monaco Yacht show, Suerte is the inaugural vessel to come out of Tankoa and has been met with considerable praise from the industry.

Her exterior lines come from the drawing board of the renowned Francesco Paszkowski, who has created a modern yacht with generous living spaces. Her interiors also come from Francesco Paszkowski, in collaboration with Margherita Casprini, who together have designed a chic yet welcoming environment.

Throughout Suerte an abundance of natural materials have been utilised - as per request of the owner - which elaborates the aforementioned warm and welcoming ambiance on board whilst still remaining contemporary. This is certainly present in the accommodation on board, with several sophisticated cabins for guests to fully enjoy.

The upper deck master suite is particularly impressive, with a capacious plush bed centred in the oval bedroom overlooking large windows, flooding the area with natural light and allowing the owner to enjoy spectacular 180 degree views both day and night. Furthermore, the owner’s suite also features a private terrace, with a large sofa and intimate Jacuzzi surrounded by sun pads.

On the starboard side of the aft deck is a sofa/bed facing a flat screen TV hidden by a glass panel. This section will be used as a casual TV room but, thanks to sliding walls, it can be isolated to be turned into an extra cabin with bathroom. On port side, there is a Sushi Bar with stools and restaurant styled tables. The center aft portion of the deck is a panoramic salon with giant flat screen TV, fireplace and baby grand piano. The ceiling, here, is a masterpiece with high glass skylights installed in the bottom of the swimming pool.

The panoramic deck is shared between the all integrated glass panel wheelhouse, the captain's office and the captain's cabin. The aft part of the deck is the gym, with state of the art equipment, bathroom, and elevator to access the crow's nest as well as a rest area.

Consisting of a large VIP suite and four additional cabins, guest accommodation is located on the main deck - a welcome contrast to the usual lower deck arrangement. All cabins enjoy the presence of natural light thanks to oversized windows as opposed to the conventional portholes. Decoration is a mixture of washed teak, elegant piano black lacquered details and black marble with some touches of rich leather upholstery. The lower deck is entirely devoted to crew.

Elsewhere inside, the main saloon has been conceived as a truly family orientated space, with a comfortable U shaped sofa surmounted by a library and two deep armchairs able to fit a total of 16 people. A 4K TV measuring 88 inches means that a cosy cinema style environment has been achieved. To the front of the main deck, a stylish formal dining area is found, again comfortably seating up to 16 people. This area features floor to ceiling windows as well as a unique partition wall highlighted by a fish tank, while the fore bulkhead is a giant wine display created by Paszkowski.

Aft of the main deck a beautiful winter garden is found, entirely surrounded by glass walls offering a nice transition between outdoor and interior space and featuring a cosy bar area. Decoration of this area has been clearly inspired by Japanese houses, using a palette of greens with floor to ceiling windows and slate floors.

Outside, she boasts a wealth of The beach club is dressed in washed teak panels, while the back wall is entirely made of slate. In the center of that wall, a central staircase leads directly to the main deck and its reception area. The upper deck is equipped, in its aft section protected by the overhang of the sun deck, with a 16 person dining table, a lounge and two L-shaped sofas allowing perfect view to the sea whilst enjoying the very best of al fresco dining. The usual stainless steel balconies have been replaced by tempered glass.

The sun-deck, aft of the top deck, is another great social area for guests to enjoy, with a touch-and-go helipad. At night, the heli-deck becomes a dance floor with lights, speakers and a DJ station. Further to the front of the top deck, two sun pads as well as a five metre swimming pool are found, complete with built-in stools to enjoy drinks at the bar that ends the pool. The pool is also equipped with a waterfall flowing like a water blade from the superstructure.

Another interesting feature is the crow’s nest that has been designed on the roof where owner and guests will surely enjoy navigation. This area is accessible via an invisible ladder or using the second elevator leading there from the gym.

In her garage, Suerte houses Seabobs Cayago F7 as well as two 7.5 metre tenders for up to 12 passengers, whilst multiple jetskis are installed in the two side foredeck garages. In regards to her performance, she is powered by twin CAT 3516B of 2,480 hp each. This gives her a top speed of 16.5 knots, a cruising speed of 15 knots, and boasting an impressive transatlantic range in excess of 5,000 nm at 12.5 knots.

Michel Karsenti and Yacht-Ology are the sales and marketing force at Tankoa Yachts, and commented on the success of the yard’s inaugural vessel: “This launch was very emotional for all of us. The entire design phase conducted with Francesco Paszkowski was heading towards creating a modern yacht that would still look very good in ten years down the road. Seeing her sitting perfectly in her lines gave all of us the feel of a well-achieved teamwork. Getting to such level of technical achievement with a first yacht is the living proof that an Italian yacht builder when investing wisely can compete with the world’s best shipyard.”


Tankoa Yachts

( http://www.tankoa.it )

CRN 55mt Atlante

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 )

Lürssen 66mt Ester III

Ester III’s distinctive lines are the work of Espen Øino, and he calls the conception of the yacht “both an opportunity and a risk”, for the simple fact that the owning family are his “good personal friends”.

The lines of the yacht are strong and business like, with a number of keynote features outside. The dedicated helideck above the wheelhouse is certainly there to be regularly used. “It enables the owner’s family to arrive and leave the yacht without interfering too much with life on the aft deck,” Espen Øino says. Gull-wing doors forward reveal a spacious tender garage, which also serves to free space aft for a spa area.

“Food and hospitality is a big thing for the family and the top deck dining is organised around a barbecue and teppanyaki-fitted kitchen that doubles as a bar. Entertainment on deck includes external cinema and a disco/stage – as well as amenities for golfing!” he says. The exterior spaces have also been maximised for differing weather conditions, with appropriate levels of protection.

The Reymond Langton Design inside is equally blessed with highlights. “The owner requested a French classical theme, but with an authentic contemporary interpretation of this style. French classical with a twist!” says Pascale Reymond. At the heart of the yacht is the set-piece staircase that displays the marquetry skills of Silverlining, and uses wood veneers, leather and metal. In the main deck salon there is a cosy fireplace, as well as seating and dining areas, while the vast owner’s suite is forward on this deck. There are five lower-deck guest cabins, each with a unique theme “derived from bespoke fabric artworks that rise from the headboard and wrap onto the ceiling”, says Reymond Langton Design.

The lower-deck spa, with its Assyrian influence, boasts a massage room that doubles as a hair salon, and a sauna and steam room. Ornate mosaic inlays and a full-sized wall relief carved in stone in the gym combine to form a relaxed, calm yet energising ambience, with direct access to the sea.

“Two world-leading design studios, each adding unique ingredients to the successful recipe, together with a number of owner-commissioned artisans, have allowed us the opportunity to create a truly unique vessel that opens the eyes to new possibilities in designing spaces for living. Combined with Lürssen engineering and expertise, the end result is a superyacht that will provide decades of seaworthy enjoyment,” says Lürssen.


Lurssen Yachts

( www.luerssen-yachts.com )