Close to the water

CLOSE TO THE WATER

Contact with the water is high on the list of most owners’ requirements. Only a private sea-level beach makes it possible to enjoy a cruise to the full - this important feature has influenced yacht design since the early noughties and is now the main attraction in many new models

by Désirée Sormani

Tatiana, a 80 m Motor Yacht, built in Turkey by Bilgin, designed by Unique Yacht Design and delivered in 2021, enchanted visitors at the Monaco Yacht Show 2021

The year 2007 saw the first appearance of a motor yacht that brought those on board closer to the sea despite its 81-metre length. The transom was open, a platform on the sea, and the yacht’s profile dropped gently down to the surface, providing guests with a direct contact with the marine environment. Not only did the designers eliminate the architectural barrier of the transom, they also broke the limitations imposed by a common preconception, the idea that to be safe while at under way a yacht must be an entirely closed unit. The yacht in question is Alfa Nero, built by Oceanco and designed by Nuvolari & Lenard. The stern was – is, in fact – an island furnished with loungers, bar and convivial corners. In the background was a large swimming pool, the base of which could be raised electrically to form a helipad when the pool was emptied. At the time most new design features were more the result of a search for the elusive “wow” factor than a desire to develop practical solutions. This was different, though, and transforming yacht design in terms of functionality was on the way to becoming established

practice. In the first decade of the 21st century the first yachts began to appear that focussed on the contact with the elements and sought to erode the distance between guests and the sea. Designers also sought to reproduce the sail yacht experience on board motor cruisers. Research and development carried out by yacht-building yards, the new frontiers of engineering and the support of visionary owners enabled designers to give free rein to their creativity and transform dreams into reality. This was influenced in part by a changing sail yacht market where many owners were switching to motor yachts, and with them many designers who had previously specialised in sail yachts. This migration of designers meant that the motor yacht world now began to be influenced by new, interesting stylistic elements. Take, for example, Andrea Vallicelli, Sergio Cutolo, Nauta Design and Nuvolari Lenard, some of the many names who brought their sail experience to the motor cruiser market. In 2002 it was possible to obtain a glimpse of what has now become a fully-fledged trend with the launch of Isa 120, designed by Andrea Vallicelli, which sported a sea-level

These pictures, the Oasis 34M by Benetti presented at Cannes in 2022 and designed, like the first, the Oasis 40 metre, by RWD, introducing the Oasisdeck concept. Above, left, the Maiora30 Walkaround launched in 2021, created by the Next Yacht Group and its design team. Above left, Attitude Baglietto, designed by Stefano Vafiadis – the modern, flexible open stern features a large pool with lifting floor. Opposite page, from left, Sanlorenzo SD118 designed by Zuccon International Project. Acala, designed by Horacio Bozo for Cantiere delle Marche

platform. “Created for water games and swimming, it’s easily accessed from the cockpit and sun deck down slightly sloping stairs”, writes the designer in his book “Vallicelli Yacht Design”, published by Skira. Vallicelli later emphasised on this descent to the sea on the 66-metre Okto, built by Isa Yachts in 2014. In 2008 Nauta Design also provided a foretaste of the current trend. “When we developed the 80 LIGHT patented concept we asked ourselves a question – what is real luxury?”, says Mario Pedol. “We’re sail yacht enthusiasts, so there could be no doubt – contact with the sea. And our new initiative started from there”. An interesting project in this context is the refit work carried out on the 51-metre motor cruiser Masquenada recently bought by Pier Luigi Loro Piana, a seasoned sail yachtsman, who specified the creation of an open beach club providing easy access to the sea and the main saloon. The stern bulwarks were cut out and the area was transformed into a sea level platform. The same feature, renamed “The IslandTM” by the studio, also appears in Feadship’s 72.60-metre Project 2024 and became reality in 2025 on Moonflower 72, under construction at the Wider shipyard. The engineer Sergio Cutolo brought his experience in integrated design with his Hydro Tec and his sail yacht expertise to the Explorer market, with outstanding results. “Nowadays all owners live the sea like this, and the aft deck where we used to stow the tender is becoming a space for relaxation and entertainment, like on the Aurelia, a 39.37-metre designed for Cantiere delle Marche

and launched in 2020. Then the pandemic upset everything, and owners now see their yacht as the safest island in the world”. Contact with the sea has become a top priority and there’s a greater awareness that this intimacy must be protected and preserved. In 2021 Benetti launched Oasis 40M, which has an extraordinary sea-level terrace that extends inside. Its exterior area can be doubled by folding out over the water surface taking the beach area’s total usable surface to 90 square metres with, of course, an infinity pool in the centre. “The guiding principle in developing the Oasis 40M centred around fostering an unforced symbiosis with nature. It was about designing a yacht that enabled guests to have an effortless, boundless connection with their surroundings while on board, leading to unique, unforgettable experiences,” explains Adrian Chisnell, RWD’s team principal.

This glamorous feature has even caught the eye of footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has been seduced by the tantalizing attractions of a safe island of his own with the purchase of a 34-metre Oasisdeck. Emboldened by this show of interest, Azimut recently launched Seadeck, the first seriesbuilt hybrid motoryacht to embody the idea of returning to nature through the use of technological solutions that cut emissions by 40% and the Fun Island, a reinvented stern area that embraces the sea in a new lifestyle based on family well-being. Choices driven by intensely practical considerations, not a desire to show off!

Left, wallywhy200 developed by the Wally design team, led by Luca Bassani. Above, Kenshō 75-metre, built by Admiral (The Italian Sea Group) and designed by Azure Yacht Design. Opposite page, clockwise from left, Ferretti 1000 designed by Filippo Salvetti; the Overmarine 104 Rev designed by Lobanov Design; the 51-metre motor cruiser Masquenada refitted by Nauta Design