Boat International US Edition May 2019

If there’s one thing taking four young children on a charter teaches you it’s good design – particularly as it pertains to bulwark height, stairway steepness and easy-clean floors. For all these things and more the phinisi Dunia Baru proved the perfect platform on which to embark my four kids for an unforgettable tour of Raja Ampat (page 146). The great joy of commissioning your own yacht, of course, is having it tailored precisely to your needs. You can either direct a designer to do this, or, as in the case of Mimi la Sardine on page 126, take matters into your own hands. These owners went to the extent of creating a mood board on social media site Pinterest and used it to relate their vision to the shipyard,…

Ben Harries London-based fashion and portrait photographer Ben Harries’ work has appeared in Esquire, GQ and The Times in the UK, where he has photographed everyone from Buzz Aldrin and Marc Jacobs to Vivienne Westwood. This month he shot aluminum wizard Alex Rasmussen (page 120). What inspires your work? Many things, but mostly daylight What’s the key to shooting a good portrait? Be prepared, and always expect the unexpected Do you research your projects beforehand? Always – I try to find out as much as possible. Google is a wonderful resource! How do you make your subjects feel comfortable? Talk to them. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in the technicality of getting the shot, especially if your time with them is limited. Always make sure you build trust with them; it’s very important Chris…

One thing yachtspotters can always look forward to is the technical launch of a big yacht, affording the first look at what has often been a well-kept secret. But covered dry docks in larger yards can change all that. The 220ft, 1,518 GT Project Waka, for example, was floated inside Amels’ construction sheds in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. Amels, however, wanted to show off its first 220, which continues the collaboration between British designer Tim Heywood and the Dutch shipbuilder, reprising some of the features of the 212 with the addition of a bathing platform, beach club and elongated decks. Winch Design’s custom interior, meanwhile, is still under wraps. Project Waka will be ready for summer cruising. amels-holland.com…

The increasing use of glass has been identified as a key trend by three leading superyacht designers. The oft-quoted desire to connect inside and outside has led to a significant increase in the amount of glass in exterior design, Italian designer Giorgio Cassetta says. He points to Benetti’s 353ft superyacht FB272 (opposite page) which features more than 8,500 square feet of glass. Cassetta, who worked on the project, says it was “an incredible challenge” but nevertheless predicted the continued rise of glass. “The technology behind glass is evolving and that means we’ll be seeing much more glass paneling in future designs,” he says. Evan K Marshall, the designer of Ocean Alexander’s 90R, echoes Cassetta’s prediction. “The use of more glass is changing the traditional idea of what interiors and exteriors should look…

On May 13 1956, the mighty roar of 14 race-car engines echoed through the streets of Monte Carlo. The Monaco Grand Prix has always been a contest of nerve and skill, and from May 23 to 26 this year it will once again attract the world’s best Formula One drivers to its tight and twisty road track. This image from that 1956 race shows one of the greatest drivers of all time at the wheel. Juan Manuel Fangio had already won three F1 titles and was closing in on his fourth. Here, he leads his Scuderia Ferrari team-mate, the Italian Eugenio Castellotti, into the notorious Gasworks hairpin – the spot where, just a year earlier, Italy’s former world champion Alberto Ascari swerved off the road and plunged his D50 Lancia into…

The Dragon fires up Palumbo Group’s new flagship, the 242ft Columbus Classic Dragon that launched in March, is a fitting symbol of the company’s growth in the superyacht arena. Columbus Yachts, the new build division of multifaceted Palumbo, debuted in 2011 with 177ft Prima and in 2016 sold this much larger yacht with time-honored proportions. “From the beginning we wanted to have a classic modern design, something that could last,” says Sergio Cutolo of Hydro Tec, the yacht’s exterior designer and naval architect. As attractive as the exterior lines are, the open, light-filled interior was a big driver of the design. “The salon is 20 meters [65ft] long without pillars, so all the structure has been designed around this,” Cutolo says. In keeping with clutter-free outer deck spaces, the interior design…