Yachts International Spring 2021

kwooton@aimmedia.com It’s in our DNA to explore, to cross oceans, to reconnoiter bays, to run rivers, or just to probe the recesses of our own minds. When our compulsion to explore—for food, safety, conquest, enrichment or simple curiosity about what was over the next hill—led us away from our ancient origins, we started something that would define us as humans. Eventually, we conceived vehicles to carry ourselves and our gear farther and faster with navigation ever more complex and accurate. I don’t know about you, but I found the landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars an unexpectedly exhilarating, emotional experience. I’m not sure what triggered my reaction. We’ve sent probes farther into space, and we’ve put ingenious rovers on Mars before, but this one somehow felt different—more dramatic, more consequential. In…

Earthbound nature and cosmology provide the predominant design ethos of the 223-foot (68-meter) Abeking & Rasmussen Soaring. Working in close collaboration with the owner, Germany’s Focus Yacht Design wove these themes into the fabric of the yacht in direct and subtle ways. “An interior design reflects the personality of the person for whom it is created,” says Thomas Mühe, managing director of FYD. “It stands to reason that an interior is all the more remarkable if the client has an interesting story to tell.” Having developed a relationship with the owner during the four-year build, Mühe is privy to any deeper meaning behind the various design elements he integrated into the yacht. “However,” he adds, “even without knowing precisely the owner’s intent behind the special pieces we created, the artwork has universal…

CL Yachts can claim one of the longest-lived pedigrees in all of yachting. The company traces its roots back more than 140 years to Cheoy Lee’s commercial shipbuilding endeavors in Shanghai. Today, it turns out yachts with a focus on efficient design with tough, seaworthy hulls. The latest from this builder is the CLB88, designed by New York-born, Milan-based designer Jozeph Forakis. The CLB88 won a 2019 Good Design Award for transportation, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. The CLB88’s exterior lines intricately weave the feminine with the masculine. An arrow-straight sheerline allows the gentle curve of the superstructure to play coyly against the sky, while also invoking an undeniable sense of sturdiness. But the yacht’s look is not just for show. It was built using carbon fiber and…

A design highlight is the smooth transition between the exterior and interior. Full-height glazing and teak soles that match the exterior decking make sure guests never feel far from the sea. But there’s more to the airy, uncluttered interior design than meets the eye. There was tangible excitement on the dock when Rebeca, the first 134-foot (40.8-meter) Oasis 40M from Benetti, made her debut in the swanky seaside setting of Italy’s Portofino late last summer. Clearly, we were all looking at something different—which, of course, was Benetti’s intention from the beginning. “We decided a few years ago to create a new collection that targeted a younger clientele and a more informal onboard lifestyle,” says Federico Lantero, product marketing and communication director at Azimut-Benetti. “We liked the idea of an SUV of the…

You’ve owned a string of fast planing boats. Why the move to a displacement yacht? Tim Ciasulli: I would take a bunch of friends out for a blast off the coast of Connecticut, and we’d get back to the dock and go below deck, and the doors would be open, plates all over the place, and it would take a day just to put it all back to rights. I crossed one time from Fort Lauderdale to the Abacos, and even the fridge was turned over. The fact is that going fast and having a nice yacht that you can enjoy with friends are mutually exclusive. But, I have both because we tow a 43-foot, carbon fiber Midnight Express with five 450-horsepower outboards that goes 100 miles an hour. So, I…

Legend. Divergence. Revolution. Explorer. The names sound like titles for Hollywood blockbusters. In fact, they are the breakthrough series of Ocean Alexander yachts that Evan K Marshall designed in collaboration with the Taiwanese shipyard. They also sum up Marshall’s career trajectory of being expansive and free from set precepts. Eight or so years ago, Richard Allender, Ocean Alexander director of U.S. operations, contacted Marshall to refresh and diversify the brand with an array of innovative models. Prior to Marshall’s redesign, the brand had a very narrow Pacific coast-oriented client base. Ocean Alexander wanted to retain its DNA, but also expand into new and distinct markets. Marshall wholeheartedly accepted the mission. “Working with Ocean Alexander on series yachts has been extremely rewarding,” Marshall says. “The brief for semi-production versus custom presents a different…