www.amazing-monaco.com For sales & enquiries: contact@amazing-monaco.com
The first innovative & luxury collection exclusively for yacht crews
www.amazing-monaco.com For sales & enquiries: contact@amazing-monaco.com
The first innovative & luxury collection exclusively for yacht crews
Based on a true story.
Rosetti Superyachts SpA, Ravenna, Italy – rosettisuperyachts.it – info@rosettisuperyachts.it
A M E R I C A’ S F L A G S HIP HAS ARRIVED THE A LL NE W W 17 2 | 52M T RI-DECK
THE W SERIES OF YACHTS W112 | 34M W117 | 35M W125 | 38M
Designed with flexibility and charter in mind, the brand new W172 Tri-Deck
deck master with a private balcony. This next-generation yacht offers expanded onboard spaces, Gyro at-rest stabilization and an immense beach club. I T W I T H W E S T P O R T.
+1 9 5 4 . 3 16 . 6 3 6 4 | W E S T P O R T YA C H T S . C O M
W172 | 52M
T H E W O R L D AWA I T S. D I S C O V E R
W130 | 40M
accommodates twelve guests within six spacious staterooms including a main
...the new matchless
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS SOME OF THE REMARKABLE STANDARD EQUIPMENT
Length (m): Beam (m): Height max for storage (m): Hull: Passengers: Engine (mHP): Waterjet: Weight (kg): Speed (1/3 load, knots):
• Folding electric console • Side flip-down steps • Electric winch with anchor • Kevlar construction • Quick in-out tube system connection
Bimini top
Foldable T-top
castoldijet www.castoldijet.it
7,00 2,60 1,22 Deep V, 24°, DD type 16 250 / 370 Castoldi Turbodrive 284 H.C.T. 1.850 / 1.950 40 / 45
Limo kit
Recessed bow shelter
Since 1962 Forerunners, always
Milano - Italy
DESIGNED TO BE TIMELESS
Welcome to a new dimension. Now you can make a Riva truly yours.
40
50 mt
90
riva-yacht.com
©2 02 1 WAT E RWO R KS IS A R E GI ST ER E D T R A DE M AR K O F WAT E RWO R KS IP CO M PA N Y, L LC
BOND STATEMENT-MAKING MODERN
WAT E R W O R K S . C O M
Arsenale, 28 May — 5 June 2022
Boat Life Celebrating exceptional style and design
PHOTOGRAPHY: SERGIO CHIMENTI. COPYRIGHT: PAOLA LENTI
Suspended platform, €6,680, Trapuntino quilt, €1,160, Plump woven pad, €1,895, Otto pouf, €1,765, and linen and hemp cushions, €240, all from Paola Lenti’s Eres collection, paolalenti.it
Float away Take a pew – and let your dreams take flight
Edited by Lucia Ferigutti
Picnic blanket holder, £335, and CB blanket, £820, connollyengland.com
Vilebrequin x Space Jam basketball, $90, vilebrequin.com
Noctivid 10x42 binoculars, £2,350, leica.com
Bedstation, €6,900, fpm.it
BOAT LIFE
The Detroit Arrow bicycle, $1,000, shinola.com
Outside the box
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Rugiada cocktail set with roll-up case, £785, armani.com
PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW MERRY VIA GETTY IMAGES
Explore the great outdoors this summer with our favourite accessories
Bamboo, leather and stainless steel travel barbecue set by Lorenzi Milano, £2,925, mrporter.com
Triple wine carrier, £1,050, metierlondon.com
7-12 SEPTEMBER 2021 C A N N E S - V I E U X P O R T & P O R T C A N TO
1ST EUROPEAN ON WATER BOAT SHOW
M OTO R B O AT S
S A I L I N G B O AT S
VIEUX PORT
P O R T C A N TO Res erv ati on requ ired w ww.can nes yach ting fe sti va l. com
BOAT LIFE
Tough times
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Simon de Burton admires a cult Japanese watch that can take some rough and tumble ack in the early 1990s there was a
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short-lived trend among the well-todo for wearing the inexpensive but robust plastic G-Shock watches
produced by Casio. Fast forward to today, and G-Shock has become a significant sub brand of the Japanese giant with a following of millions around the world – and the word “inexpensive” is no longer specific to its products, with premium G-Shock models costing thousands of pounds being readily available. But how did it all begin? The answer dates back exactly 40 years to 1981, when Casio electronics designer Kikuo Ibe dropped and broke a muchloved wristwatch he had been given by his father. The loss so moved Ibe that he set about developing a truly tough timepiece – a process he began by throwing another watch from a second-floor lavatory window at the firm’s research and development facility. It broke, too, so for his next experiment he created a ball-like protective cage. It worked, but was too bulky to be practical, so Ibe developed a plastic case with a mechanism that “floated” on five impact-absorbing contact points. His aim: to create an electronic watch with a 10-year battery life, 10 bar of water resistance and the capability to survive a 10-metre drop on to a solid surface. After two years and almost 200 prototypes, the Casio G-Shock became available in 1983, with its shock-absorbing qualities being demonstrated in a US television campaign that showed one being used as an ice hockey puck. But it was not until 1994, when actor Keanu Reeves wore a G-Shock in the movie Speed, that the watch became a global sales phenomenon, particularly in Japan.
MTG-B2000PH Phoenix Rainbow, £999, g-shock.co.uk
G-Shock earned a Guinness World Record in 2017 when a Casio G-Shock DW5600E-1 watch withstood being driven over by a 25-tonne truck
The MTG is ideal for boat life, being famously tough, fully waterproof and salt resistant Now, 80 million G-Shocks have been sold around the world – suggesting that almost one in 100 people on the planet might own one. But no matter how you dress them up, it’s difficult to give LCD plastic watches true luxury cachet – which is why G-Shock Premium was launched in 2004 to offer metal-cased, analogue display models with a more up-market image. Costing up to £6,500 apiece, the G-Shock has been put right back on trend and there is an
enthusiastic collector’s market for models such as the 400-piece limited-edition Shougeki-Maru MRG featuring a hand-carved bezel and an aged case created by a master metalworker in the style of ancient Japanese armour. In 2019, Casio even released 35 G-Shocks onto the Japanese market that were based on the original – but with 18kt gold cases and £55,000 price tags One of the most striking of the latest variations on the theme, however, is this remarkable, £999 rainbow-hued special from the MTG range – MTG being the premium line of “metal twisted” models featuring metal cases infused with resin. Officially called the MTG-B2000PH Phoenix Rainbow, it’s based on the existing MTG-B2000 but with a “flamed” finish. As well as looking decidedly different, it’s also ideal for boat life, being famously tough, fully waterproof, salt resistant and brimming with features such as Multiband 6 (which means it automatically adjusts to any of the world’s time zones), an alarm, dual time readout and solar charging. It also features Bluetooth, so it can be used with the G-Shock Connected app as a phone finder that works brilliantly – so long as you haven’t dropped your handset over the side… gshock.com
b oatinternational.com
09 2021
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BOAT LIFE
With neither roof nor windscreen, the V12 makes for an exhilarating drive
if you do need to be something of a stoic to put up with the wind blast above 80km/h and the sensation of having needles thrown in your face in the unfortunate event of rain. All the same, the Speedster is an addictive and grin-inducing machine that’s certainly not for the shy. With a 5.2-litre, twin-turbo V12 engine from the DBS coupé beneath the hood, it churns
Aston Martin’s V12 Speedster might not be practical, but it does bring joy at a rate of knots, says Simon de Burton he concept of “less is more” is not something that’s heavily promoted in the superyacht world – but it’s a different story when it comes to supercars, as evinced by the ongoing popularity of those entirely unnecessary automobiles known as speedsters. As many a car fanatic knows, the word “speedster” is shorthand for a low-slung vehicle designed with the bare minimum of weather protection – although it was first used almost a century ago when the American Auburn marque applied it to a luxurious boat-tail model with sporting performance. True speedsters returned to the fore in 2009 when Mercedes-Benz McLaren introduced the limited-edition SLR Stirling Moss, a 350km/h, roofless rocket inspired by the SLR that Moss raced to victory in record time at the 1955 Mille Miglia. Then in 2019, Ferrari pulled the wraps off its Monza SP “speedster” cars, which were followed late last year by McLaren with its Elva.
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Now Aston Martin has got in on the act with its mad, bad V12 Speedster, a road-going missile
09 2021
out a healthy 700 horsepower and is good for a claimed 300km/h.
measure thanks to its brazen lack of protection from the elements. With no roof nor windscreen, the car really does give the feeling of being in a low-flying fighter jet – and is about as practical when it comes to travelling from A to B. But who said anything about practicality? Like its Ferrari and McLaren rivals, Aston’s Speedster is about the pure joy of driving – even
Carbon bodywork helps to keep the Speedster’s weight down to a still not inconsiderable 1,765 kilograms, while the cockpit – bisected by a carbon “spine” – combines luxurious saddle leather with sporty polished carbon and raw aluminium. Aston’s Q Branch customisation department will finish the car in virtually any combination of colour and trim required. It’s hard to think of a better mix, however, than that used on the version pictured here – the paint is based on the soft racing green seen on the DBR1 that famously won Le Mans in 1959, while
SPECS ASTON MARTIN V12 SPEEDSTER Engine V12, 5.2L, twin turbo Horsepower 690hp Torque 752Nm Gearbox Eight-speed, paddle-shift automatic. Drive Rear-wheel only Top speed 300km/h 0 to 100km/h 3.5 seconds Price £765,000
the interior is trimmed in green and caramelcoloured leather. And if you feel the need to justify spending £765,000 on a car with no roof or windscreen, it might be worth noting how inexpensive it looks compared with the very first of the five DBR1s made – it sold at auction in 2017 for £17.5 million, the equivalent of 22 Speedsters. But you’ll only need one. More might seem frivolous… astonmartin.com B
Pack and pedal Get your kit together and read inspiring accounts of twowheeled journeys in Bikepacking: Exploring the Roads Less Cycled. £35, gestalten.com
b oatinternational.com
PHOTOGRAPHY: MAX EAREY
Quick off the marque
limited to just 88 examples that will leave you crying tears of joy and discomfort in equal
Platinum
BLUE FLAG MARINA
BOAT LIFE Olga Polizzi designed the hotel’s elegant interiors, including the generously sized Family Suite
Inside Track
THE ROOMS 86 bedrooms and 34 suites
On land
THE ONE TO BOOK The 172m2 Nijinsky suite, which has its own 239m2 private terrace
Rome’s Hotel de Russie has been returned to its former glory for those who value a neoclassical civilisation, says Lucia Ferigutti esidents of Rome will tell you that autumn is their favourite time to spend in the city, when the weather is mild, the influx of summer tourism subsides and the Eternal City truly comes alive. Tucked between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, Hotel de Russie is where Romans and glamorous visitors mingle over cocktails at the Stravinskij Bar, and long lunches in the courtyard restaurant,
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THE RESTAURANT Le Jardin de Russie offers classic Italian fare from chef Fulvio Pierangelini
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ROCCO FORTE HOTELS
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Le Jardin de Russie. Described as “paradise on earth” by Jean Cocteau in 1917, the hotel’s secret Mediterranean tiered pictured above), with its terraces, grottos, fountains and statues, is a favourite spot. This year, it underwent a one-million-euro renovation project which brought it back to its neoclassical splendour and to the way it was originally envisioned by architect Giuseppe Valadier in the 1820s. Inside, rooms are designed using a seamless blend of the old and new with bright colour accents, prints and clever art. Olga Polizzi, director of design for all Rocco Forte properties, used furnishings by Porada and Porta Romana, Zimmer + Rohde fabrics and Lewis & Wood wallpapers to create cosy interiors to retire to when the hustle and bustle of the city gets too much. Nothing beats rooftop views of Rome at sunset, so make sure
The hotel’s spa is equipped with a saltwater hydropool, Finnish sauna, steam room and state-of-the-art gym
to book one of the suites: Nijinsky, Picasso, Popolo and Vaselli each have their own private terrace. roccofortehotels.com
09 2021
Flasks
Lizard water bottle in aluminium and calfskin, £175, loewe.com
Palladium-finish stainless-steel bottle with shoulder strap, £620, dior.com
Crossbody bottle holder, £140, kenzo.com
Boat Life Edit
PHOTOGRAPHY: DERVISH45/SHUTTERSTOCK
LVxNBA flask holder, POA, louisvuitton.com
24Bottles® bottle with black fabric cover, €450, fendi.com
Steel water bottle and leather-trimmed canvas holder by Dries Van Noten, £410, mrporter.com
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Cannes/Mandelieu-la-Napoule +33 (0) 613 43 71 38 | bruno.kairet@berthonfrance.fr
Owners’ Club
PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMON LUCAS
Living the dream on the world’s best boats
For more information about the Owners’ Club, email stewart.campbell@boatinternationalmedia.com
Healthcare entrepreneur Peter Watson on board his 26m Functional Power Boat Grey Wolf in the High Arctic
This month: A Crusoe-style quarantine in French Polynesia / Canova’s global foiling plans / Eddie Jordan’s Balearic blowout
Edited by Sophia Wilson
A NEW LEVEL OF COMFORT
MARINE OUTDOOR HEATING SOLUTIONS
M/Y LEL- Rossinavi Yachts
Platinum Electric Marine 3400W Series White
Platinum Electric Marine 2300W Series Black
Visit Bromic at Stand PP1 / Parvis Piscine Monaco Yacht Show ‘21
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OWNERS’ CLUB
My Life in Boats
N Miene Gillion, owner of 30.5-metre CRN Vespucci It all started about six years ago when my husband wanted to buy a racing yacht that I didn’t think was suitable. I called brokers and asked them to find me a different boat – a vintage one. When we went to see Vespucci in Spain, my husband suddenly remembered seeing a model of it in the Riva showroom in Monaco as a boy, and decided this was the boat for us. So we were both happy. Carlo Riva designed everything: the furniture, the lamps, the switches and doorknobs. It’s a piece of art. When you step on board, you immediately feel its soul. But it was not in such good shape, so we did a big refit, keeping the furniture and such. For me it is very important that everything on the boat matches. I like the South of France in spring, Corsica, Sardinia or Capri in summer, and I love Portofino in the fall. Our most fabulous experience happened two years ago in the bay of Saint-Tropez, involving a lonely dolphin. Early one morning, my husband said, “I think a dolphin is around the boat.” He jumped in the water and, for more than an hour, swam and played with it. The dolphin was jumping, so happy to have a companion. It was one of the most beautiful experiences we’ve had. Life is good on boats. When we are with friends, we often end the evening with dancing on the deck. When the sun goes down and the sea is calm, it is nice to sit on the large bench we have at the front of the boat and have a drink. You feel like you are at one with the sea.
Interview Grace Trofa
Owner of Canova Length: 43.3m Year: 2019 Location: Genoa
Canova is famous for its DSS foil. How is it performing so far? It’s different from what I expected, but in a good way. When we were building it everyone was saying the yacht would fly and I was a little concerned about how fast she would be in a big sea. Essentially I was expecting more performance and less comfort, but what surprised me the most is the feeling of safety the foil gives me. For instance, to reef with the foil deployed is fantastic. The yacht stays exactly at the right angle. In terms of performance, we are changing the position of the foil by one degree, in collaboration with Farr Yacht Design, to find the perfect angle as it needs a little fine-tuning. But overall I am extremely pleased so far How far have you sailed since delivery? Last year was our first big opportunity but Covid severely limited what we could do. For a period we were not allowed to leave the harbour and, even if we could, France wouldn’t let us near the shore. All the Pacific shut down, so I suppose we didn’t lose much staying in Genoa because sailing would have been very restricted if we could get out. But still, being able to get to the boat gave me a crucial sense of freedom, because when I was working I was dreaming about leaving the marina! The local cruising we could do, however, gave us more time to get familiar with the boat and tune her up What’s the plan for 2021? We try not to plan too far in advance, and live a bit more day by day because the situation is changing all the time, but we hope to get to Greece and Turkey, because I want to do some hot-water testing. We have a lot of machinery on this boat, and we need to make sure it stands up to the kind of water temperatures more commonly found in the Caribbean. I’d also like to find the meltemi and see how Canova performs. But if we can’t get to the eastern Mediterranean, we will go to Sardinia, where we will meet with some other boats and spend time with friends So your plan is still to get to the Pacific? That is our dream. We did the World ARC in 2008, but I was a little disappointed because it was too fast. When we eventually make it back there we will spend two or three years in the Pacific, exploring between the American coast and New Zealand. I’d like to head straight for the San Blas Islands from Europe without stopping and then transit the Panama Canal. We’d then cruise the west coast of North America – San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Alaska, before heading to the Galápagos, the Marquesas and on to Polynesia. We plan to spend six to eight months on board each year, but we have to be flexible, given the global situation When would you like to set off? We will set off in January 2022, but we are prepared to delay a year if the conditions aren’t in our favour. But I am extremely lucky – I love to be on board. The view is almost a minor factor. I can stay on the Riviera and be happy – for me it’s the pleasure of living on board and meeting friends. Having said that, I am eager to see how the DSS foil performs in the big Pacific seas. That will be a test. I will let you know how it goes!
Baltic Sea
North Sea
Barry Houghton and Sophie Bonvin Yacht: Globas Length: 42.8m Year: 2018 Location: Naples
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF OWNER; GUILLAUME PLISSON; CARLO BORLENGHI/BALTIC YACHTS
You’ve been in the Ionian? Yes, we did two trips of 12 days each, visiting places such as Kefalonia, Meganisi, Lefkada, Kastos and Ithaca. It was spectacular cruising, and we met up with some dear friends, the owners of the Heesen Buka U. I arranged a pétanque competition at a small boutique hotel in Meganisi – the owners of Buka U are from Catalonia and they proved far too good for us! The hotel is fantastic. It’s called Keromoussi and it only has four rooms. The owner is a lovely French man who had a dream to build a boutique hotel where he could live and entertain with just a few guests. It has amazing sea views and two docks perfect for tenders Any discoveries? We came across a fabulous anchorage, Port Leone on Kalamos. It’s a rustic setting with views
of an old church and Venetian towers. It’s in the south of the island and has crystalclear water. It’s an interesting place – no one has lived there for decades after an earthquake in the 1950s. We also loved Meganisi and Kastos – the water is so clean and clear. It’s been interesting to watch more and more luxury homes being built on these islands in recent years Did the toys get much use? We sailed with our Rustler 24 a lot. These yachts are built in Falmouth in the UK. She has similar lines to a J Class, but is narrower, and she fits quite nicely amongst the other tenders and toys stored on our long aft deck What have you got planned for the rest of the season? The boat is now on the way to Capri and after that we’ll join her in Sardinia, Portofino, the South of France and the Balearics. There’s still a lot of places to enjoy
Arabian Sea
Members’ Logbook Every month, you tell us where you are on the seven seas, what you can see from your deck and share your future travel plans
Map Jing Zhang
09 2021
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D e s t i n a t i o n
The owners of the 46.7-metre Heesen Odyssea were embarking on an America’s Cup pilgrimage when Covid-19 forced them to spend seven weeks isolating on an uninhabited atoll in French Polynesia.
i s o l a t i o n
Mike and Terri Noell and Captain Christopher Seago tell Sophia Wilson about how their world tour plans morphed into a Robinson Crusoe-style adventure
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OWNERS’ CLUB
When Mike and Terri Noell purchased the 46.7-metre Heesen Odyssea, they always had their sights set on attending the America’s Cup. “Being a competitive sailor as a kid and then going into the Navy, we really wanted the opportunity to go to
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the America’s Cup when it was on foreign soil. We wanted to carry the American flag and show support,” explains Mike, a former US Navy SEAL. With this in mind a plan was hatched: leaving Fort Lauderdale in late 2019 Odyssea was bound for French Polynesia, before heading onto Fiji and then New Zealand for the America’s Cup. Afterwards the loose itinerary would see her continue onto Australia before cruising the Philippines and Indonesia. Setting the plan in motion, Odyssea was shipped from Fort Lauderdale to Tahiti by barge in December 2019 and arrived in the New Year. “She’s 100 per cent capable of world travel, but we like to ship the boat from time to time,” explains rotational captain Christopher Seago. “You are not putting 4,000 nautical miles worth of wear and tear on the boat and it’s a brilliant time for the crew to take leave.” The owners flew in to meet her in early January and spent time in French Polynesia’s volcanic Society Islands and the flatter, sandier atolls of the Tuamotus. “For a couple of months, we got to bounce around and see all the atolls that we wanted to explore,” says Mike. “We just loved the people there; they were very warm and gracious and always happy. At some anchorages in the afternoons the whole place would come alive with outrigger canoes. We used to love watching them race – they are fast and the guys are ripped.” Covid-19 seemed like a distant concern as they were hidden away in this remote paradise. But while the couple’s children (who study at the University of Miami) were on board for spring break, the situation began to escalate. “In mid-March it started to get real,” recalls Terri. “The kids started to get notes from their college saying that spring break was extended. We didn’t know whether it was safer for them to stay isolated with us or go back.” In the end their children flew back to Miami, but Mike and Terri opted to stay on board. “We weren’t planning on coming home until the first week of May anyway, so we thought we may as well stay with the boat. We knew things were going to get weird, but we didn’t know for how long,” says Terri. “Then we got notice that Tahiti International Airport was going to shut down.” Captain Seago was on leave in Florida and faced a race against time to get back to the yacht before the border closed. “For about four days I was constantly booking flights and they would just immediately get cancelled,” he says. “Eventually I got a flight and I got in 12 hours before they shut French Polynesia down. I got onto the boat, and I said to the boss ‘Let’s leave the dock or we are going to get stuck here,’ and we left pretty much immediately.” By this stage the yacht had been told that they either had to stay in port or go to an uninhabited atoll to quarantine. After doing a rapid provision and refuel they decided to head for Tahanea, 260 nautical miles east of the island of Tahiti. “The day we got there the French Navy flew Odyssea quarantined in the deep lagoon of the uninhabited Tahanea atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago
09 2021
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“We were completely isolated on a completely self-sustaining yacht. We had this playground, which we got to know every square inch of”
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OWNERS’ CLUB
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over and called us on the radio to ask our intentions. They reinforced that if we left, we either had to go immediately back to the dock or leave French Polynesia altogether,” Terri recalls. Captain Seago thought the 15-kilometre by 48-kilometre atoll was the “perfect spot” to fulfil the government requirements. “We were completely isolated in a beautiful spot on a completely self-sustaining yacht. We had this playground, which we got to know every square inch of,” he adds. Being stuck in a remote destination was intense for both owners and crew. “The owners are fantastic, and we are used to them spending a lot of time on board, but we did have to adapt,” says Seago. “You can’t continue with that formal high-end charter-style service because that just isn’t sustainable in that kind of situation.” The owners also tried to make the situation fun for the crew with themed days, such as Palm Sunday, a daily trivia question and on-shore missions to secure coconuts (despite the lack of a machete) and catch land crabs. “We felt like we had a boat full of kids taking care of us, so we wanted to make their experience great as well,” says Mike. The crew also spent a lot of time spearfishing with Mike, learning to share the water with the plentiful resident shark population. “We had to adapt, we would shoot two or three fish and then you had to move because the sharks would get more aggressive,” explains Captain Seago. “We would normally always have three guys in the water, one shooting the fish and the others keeping an eye on the sharks. We weren’t perfect though and we still lost plenty of fish to them.” Mike found the experience exhilarating. “It was actually a really good confidence builder because they were clearly not interested in us, they just wanted our dinner,” he says. There were no injuries from the sharks, but spearfishing did lead to the only medical emergency during their quarantine period when five people contracted ciguatera from eating a red snapper that was speared on the reef. The food poisoning, which is caused by fish contaminated with the ciguatera toxin, causes nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms such as feeling hot things cold and cold things hot. “Once we got that we realised this is not something you ever want to wish on your worst enemy,” recalls Mike. “It was an experience that’s for sure and not one we want to repeat.” As the weeks slipped by the monotony of the situation did start to take its toll. “It started out great and amazing and then it gets a little bit like Groundhog Day,” says Terri. Luckily, a fellow superyacht (whose owners had chosen to isolate in the same atoll) ended up being their ticket out of French Polynesia. “There was only one other boat in the atoll, and it turns out they live a couple blocks away from us in Miami. They had their plane come in and they offered us a ride, so we jumped on the opportunity,” says Terri. With all the other countries in the region in a similar state of lockdown, the owners reached the difficult decision to abandon their plans of heading to New Zealand. “Nothing was going to open anytime soon, and the logical choice was we come back,”
Entertainment in the tropical paradise consisted of watersports, including kiteboarding and spearfishing. Fresh fish featured often on the dinner plate
“We would shoot two or three fish and then you had to move because the sharks would get more aggressive” b oatinternational.com
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OWNERS’ CLUB
says Captain Seago. “Plus, and the trade winds were just starting to set in, so we either had to go or risk missing our window.” With no vessel transporter ships running, the decision was taken that the yacht would make her own way to Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. Odyssea first went back to the main island of Tahiti before embarking on the 3,500-nautical-mile trip. “I had to fight pretty hard for them to allow us to stop and get fuel in the Marquesas; we had to get special permission from the government,” says Seago. “No one went ashore, we didn’t even sign the paperwork – they just kind-of threw us the hose and we filled up and went.” The trip took 15 days in total and the weather was unforgiving. “We had our moments,” says Seago. “We had five or six days that were not fantastic,” says Seago. “It was so rough the girls couldn’t sleep in their cabins, they were having to sleep in the saloon.” The owners were able to rejoin the yacht in July. They had visited Cabo San Lucas in the past but never by boat and they were keen to experience cruising the area. “We dived, fished and kiteboarded our way through the Sea of Cortez,” says Mike. The couple enjoyed the marine life that the area is famous for, swimming with sea lions, jumping rays, dolphins and turtles. Mike also got to try his hand at sailfishing. “We used our 37ft [11-metre] Invincible cat tender and I got to catch striped marlin,” he says. “You have to go out on the ocean side where it’s rougher, but I loved it.”
As the crew were also marooned, high-end service was abandoned for a more relaxed work style. Top: the steel-hulled Heesen proved her explorer capabilities, both as a self-sustaining vessel and during the long voyage back to Florida
Odyssea also had some surprising daily visitors. “The yacht used to get covered in bees every day,” says Mike. “They live in the cacti, and I think they were drawn to the freshwater that we use to wash down the yacht. You could not see the tender because there were so many bees on it, literally thousands of them. We would have to tiptoe onto it, start the engines and run
“We felt like we had a boat full of kids taking care of us, so we wanted to make their experience great as well” 09 2021
it as fast as we could to get rid of them all and then come back to the big boat to pick people up.” Mike and Terri had hoped to go on to Costa Rica, but with its borders closed they sent the yacht back through the Panama Canal to Fort Lauderdale and went on to spend time in the Caribbean and Bahamas. Despite it being a different adventure than was planned the couple was delighted with how Odyssea performed. “Before this trip we hadn’t appreciated what a good decision we made buying this boat,” says Mike. “It was originally built by Mr Heesen for himself, and he really did get everything right.” Odyssea’s captain is equally enamoured with her explorer capabilities. “It’s too easy,” he jokes. “The boat is built for remote cruising, the only thing she wouldn’t do is make the food.” With the yacht’s credentials now confirmed, Mike and Terri already have their sights set on the next adventure. “We have still got it in our heads that we want to experience the Great Barrier Reef,” says Mike. With New Zealand retaining the America’s Cup it could also prove to be a case of second time lucky. “I have got this huge 30ft American flag, it’s the biggest thing I have ever seen,” says Mike. “We wanted to be those patriotic Americans on the start line with the flag from the mast all the way down to the swim deck. Maybe we’ll have to break that flag back out in three years’ time.” B
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OWNERS’ CLUB
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Lippy from the Liffey With a Schumacher back in the hot seat and the return of football-related revelry, it’s been a fun summer. But some reunions should be fleeting – Eddie Jordan’s looking at you, Jägermeister…
ow many of you caught the sight of Mick Schumacher, Michael’s son, in
had fallen through for the following week due to Covid-19, so I got them tickets to the England vs
We watched the semi-final back at an Irish bar in Palma and the final in a beach bar with hundreds
the original Jordan Grand Prix car at the Silverstone Grand Prix? It’s 30 years since Michael made his F1 debut in that car
Ukraine game in Rome. They jumped on the train in Naples and had a great time at the match. We then went to Palma because I was picking up a
of people – great fun. Obviously some people were upset, but mostly everyone was just happy to be sharing the experience after so long.
at Spa in Belgium, so it was all a bit of a tear-
smaller boat, an Oyster 655, to meet up with old
jerker. Of course, that was Michael’s one and only time in the Jordan green as he disappeared to
pals and spend some time with my daughter Zoe and her family. We sailed over to Cabrera in the
Blush is chartered for most of August, so I’ll be on the Oyster 655 in Formentera and Ibiza the rest
Benetton shortly afterwards. I still think that was one of the best ever F1 cars. It wasn’t just beautiful – it was also very simple. There was no trickery, it was just super-functional. It finished fifth in the World Championship that year, in its debut season. That had never been achieved before and I don’t think it will ever be matched. I get goosebumps when moments such as these take me back in time. We did Jordan Grand Prix entirely on our own – I didn’t want to partner with anyone, mainly because I didn’t want to let anyone down. Having said that, I did have to rob,
Balearics and had a panic about where we were going to watch the quarter-final against Ukraine. There was one tiny bar on the island showing it, but people were telling me it closed at 9.30pm! I told them to leave it to me. One of the greatest things about being Irish is the gift of the blag. Let’s just say they kept the place open till midnight. We had the time of our lives – there were probably 50 or 60 of us in this tiny bar, which we proceeded to drink dry. There wasn’t a drop of Jägermeister left in the place.
of the summer. But right now I have to go. I’m playing a gig tonight in this incredible 13th-century castle near Sotogrande in Spain. I’ve got Tom Rutherford, son of Mike Rutherford, playing with me. It’s to celebrate summer and some light at the end of the tunnel. It’ll be a great party, but I might stay off the Jägermeister. I’m not sure I’m fully recovered yet… B
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Eddie Jordan’s fee for this column has been donated to charity
steal, pillage and promise to get the whole thing off the ground, and most people thought we were doomed to fail. When I saw the picture of Mick in the car, I sent it on to Charlie McCreevy, formerly Ireland’s Minister of Finance, who crucially gave me half a million quid in sponsorship. It turned into a great deal for Ireland, as it helped them attract some huge businesses to the country. One interesting thing about Mick is everyone assumes he’s named after his dad, but Michael named him after someone he holds in the highest possible regard – Mick Doohan, who won five consecutive 500cc World Championships. It was Michael’s tribute to Mick, who’s a great, great mate of mine. Talking about champions, congratulations to Italy for winning the Euros. I managed to catch all the England games in some special places. We watched the win against Germany on board Blush in Capri. We were pretty excited with the result, so I made a stupid promise to the crew. A charter
Illustration Dave Hopkins
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Previous page: Shelton Dupreez feeding a manatee in the Bahamas, photographed by Cristina Mittermeier
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Age 32 Nationality Canadian Camera Sony A1 with 28-70mm Sony lens, WACP Wide Angle Conversion Port and Nauticam housing Has shot on board 83m Savannah, 77m Legend, 78m Hampshire II, 74m Sherpa, 47m Latitude, 54m Spirit, 55m Kamalaya, 55m Serenity J and more How I got into adventure photography Seeking adventure and unique experiences has always been a part of my life, so when I picked up the camera in 2017, I found it easy to find myself in those kinds of situations. At the time, I was working on a yacht that did some far-out cruising in the Arctic for three years. Every chance I got I would grab the camera to try and document the incredible environment we were experiencing. Hairiest adventure moment I’m sure I’ve had a lot of close calls without even knowing it, but one that sticks out the most is a time when my sister Angel and I were on the skeleton coast in Namibia. We set out before sunrise on a cold winter morning to shoot in a nearby sand dune valley. There was no phone signal or sign of civilisation, and as we walked deep into the dunes we thought we were completely alone. Shortly after sunrise, we looked back and noticed a large figure on top of the dunes, staring straight at us. We waved – no response. We waved again, still no response, and then another figure joined it. Confused and getting slightly concerned, we put the drone up to go get a closer look. We were being hunted down by two fully grown brown hyenas, who were positioned between us and our car. On foot and with no weapons or anything for self defence, we immediately went into survival mode and tried to outflank them. They split up straight away and started running full speed toward us, one circling around our side. Trying to keep as much distance as possible, we ran from dune top to dune top, using the drone to try keep them away. After 30 minutes of this, we finally made it back it to the car safely. The story behind this shot This shot was taken in the field with SeaLegacy 1, the flagship vessel of ocean conservation organisation SeaLegacy founded by Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier. I had been working on board for six months, helping to document their conservation efforts throughout the Bahamas. We spent a few days searching for bottlenose and Atlantic spotted dolphins off the island of Bimini, and came across this beautiful pod late one afternoon. Bottlenose dolphins are notoriously shy, so we expected them to quickly swim away, but they felt very comfortable with us,and allowed us to get very close and intimate with their family. With all wildlife photography, it’s a game of patience, skill and, of course, a bit of good luck. Once your camera gear is set up, it’s a matter of positioning yourself correctly for the frame you have in mind and waiting until the animals want to show off. The thing people underestimate about adventure photography is... The amount of effort it takes. With social media at our fingertips, it’s easy to only see the final product, rather than the countless hours – or years – that go into capturing amazing images. The camera gear set-ups, getting to the locations, knowledge, experience, patience, weather, your physical abilities – these are just some of the factors that go into this kind of photography that most people probably don’t realise. Upcoming adventures The Galápagos, Cocos Island, the Sea of Cortez and then early next year the South Pacific and French Polynesia, with a four-year plan to circumnavigate the Pacific Ocean up through Western Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, and Alaska, finishing in British Columbia. b oatinternational.com
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Audun Lie Dahl Age 35 Nationality Norwegian Camera Sony A9 Has shot on board 72m Nansen Explorer, 196m The World How I got into adventure photography After spending my youth in the Norwegian wilderness I started working as a local guide for photographers. It wasn’t long before I was part of a network that arranged trips worldwide, with a camera in my hand. Hairiest adventure moment Watching an adult polar bear kill a polar bear cub and then carry his head around like a trophy, right in front of me. The story behind this shot We are always searching for polar bears and other wildlife in the drift ice in the Arctic. After hours of searching with binoculars, we saw a female with a young cub – the first time I’d seen a pair like that in the wild in more than 40 expeditions. We stopped the vessel [an old Swedish boat called Origo] a couple of kilometres away from them and just drifted alongside. After waiting for almost 12 hours, they woke up and started showing interest in us – in fact, the cub was extremely interested in our ship. He looked at his mother first for support and approval, and then he approached the vessel, turning back at first and proceeding right up to the yacht. I had been waiting for a moment like this for years and was well prepared. My camera was attached to a monopod, and with a remote controller, I stood on board the ship while my camera was outside. I have high expectations when taking a photo like this, but there is always a “but…”. After reviewing my photos, many were blurred because the cub was moving so fast. Thankfully, this one image turned out to be perfect. The thing people underestimate about adventure photography is… That it’s the individual encounters you remember, not the number of days you were in a place. Upcoming adventures Svalbard, Antarctica and Rwanda.
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Justin Hofman Age 38 Nationality US Camera It’s not about the camera, it’s all about the photograph… Has shot on board 77m Legend, 47m Hanse Explorer, 88m Arctic P, 68m Archimedes, 196m The World, 46m Pioneer, 63m Suri, 71m Enigma XK How I got into adventure photography I’ve always just wanted to document what I was doing. Being a marine biologist [Hofman studied marine invertebrates at the University of Santa Cruz, going on to get a professional certificate in scientific illustration] has taken me to some amazing places, and being able to share that experience with friends and family encouraged me to learn the art of visual storytelling. My hairiest adventure moment Flesh-eating bacteria infecting a small cut on my leg while in Papua New Guinea. Luckily my great friend, who happened to be a local, had some strong drugs to keep the bug from getting worse. The story behind this shot This photo was taken while out on an Antarctic expedition on New Year’s Day. I saw this incredible opportunity to capture beautiful images of ice, and while the clients were out walking on the frozen ocean, my dive buddy Erin and I went underneath it. It was then that I saw this serene piece of ice just drifting by. The ice is much smaller than it seems – it was perhaps the size of a beach ball – and to get the image I had to get into the cold Antarctic water, which takes a lot of gear. It’s something I’ve become used to over the years and a feeling that I relish. I will never feel as cool as when I am suited up for polar diving! The technical side of the photo comes from spending time with the underwater photography master David Doubilet, who has shared many tricks with me over the years. He is the one that made this sort of shot famous – I’m merely walking in his footsteps. The thing people underestimate about adventure photography is … The amount of personal sacrifice it takes to spend months at a time away from home. Upcoming adventures Several filming projects with big-name production companies to document unique animal behaviour. I’m looking forward to travelling to shoots in Alaska, California and Antarctica.
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Christopher Scholey Age 53 Nationality British Camera Nikon D850 Has shot on board 75m Cloudbreak, 97m Faith, 77m Legend and more How I got into adventure photography Accidentally! When I applied to work on board Drumbeat in 2005 as the barman, I put on my CV that one of my hobbies was photography. Captain Mark Stevens lent me the boss’s camera and asked me to photograph the coming year’s cruising: 20,000 nautical miles across 25 countries and two hemispheres, and producing three books for the owner. It was such a remarkable opportunity in this extraordinary industry and it changed my life in so many ways, for which I am forever grateful. Hairiest adventure moment None yet, thankfully! I’ve always been in the safest of hands. The story behind this shot About 45 species of birds live south of the Antarctic Convergence, and an absence of land predators, combined with the rich offshore food supply, make the coastlines a haven for immense seabird rookeries. Penguins are particularly associated with this polar region, where they live primarily on sea coasts. We had climbed this peak to look over where Legend was anchored, in a bay in the Antarctic Peninsula. We traversed with extreme care, as there was no natural path – just an acutely angled, slippery, icy slope, with the only path created by the lead EYOS guide whose footsteps we followed in. Having reached the highest vantage point, we stumbled across this chinstrap penguin mother and baby, surprisingly high and cut off from the rest of their colony. In situations like this, it is paramount to keep one’s distance and not intrude to maintain the natural balance. The land, fauna and flora always come first and are protected in every respect. We immediately stepped back, and as we moved away she opened her wings. I was below her so held the camera above my head to get as much height as possible. In every sense, it was a very lucky shot, as I was shooting without even looking through the camera. The thing people underestimate about adventure photography is... Things can change at any moment. Being in the right place and keeping aware is when the magic happens. Whether on the street, up a mountain or on the water, it’s that fleeting moment – you always have to expect the unexpected. Upcoming adventures I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph every continent on the planet except Asia. It’s my dream
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Age Mature, like a great bottle of French red wine... Nationality Danish Camera Sony a7 IV mirrorless. It feels right in my hands, and the camera body is light and fast to work with
Has shot on board 96m Sea Cloud, 73m National Geographic Endeavour II, 124m National Geographic Endurance and more How I got into adventure photography I had already worked for National Geographic for many years when the company decided to start up NG Expeditions – naturally, I made sure I was first in line when the team began to assign photographers to do fieldwork. Through my work at National Geographic magazine, I had been to many exciting places such as the Mexican jungle to photograph a shaman, or working in the prehistoric painted caves in France which are sealed and closed to the public. All fascinating, but nothing came close to going out on a yachting adventure, which was a whole new frontier for me. Hairiest adventure moment It came out of the blue on the island of Spitsbergen, Svalbard. I was in the Zodiac, getting ready to jump onto the shore, which had some massive boulders scattered all over the beach and on the way down to the waterline. I was ready to leap, but at that moment, I discovered that one of those big rocks was actually a scruffy male polar bear all curled up and taking a nap less than 50 metres from the landing site! It was definitely time to pull out of there again... The story behind this shot For me, this image tells a remarkable story about trust and partnership. In 2004, I joined forces with my husband of almost 30 years at the time, Cotton Coulson. We decided that every single picture we took would be ours. Not mine, not his, but ours. When we were in the field, we would often swap cameras and at the end of the day, we would download all the photographs into a combined folder. Our style was so similar that sometimes we had no idea ourselves who took the picture. Friends, as well as professionals, would try to guess who the creator of the image was, and often, they would be wrong. When on board National Geographic Explorer we were steaming into Saint Andrews Bay in South Georgia. It’s a spectacular place and home to more than 150,000 king penguins, plus an abundance of fur seals and elephant seals. As planned, we would take the guests to the beach in the early morning to enjoy the fantastic scenery. When Cotton and I were in there, I remembered that the king penguins would often swim out to the ship to feast on the micro-organisms that had been growing on the bulbous bow, which could make for a unique photograph. We discussed how to approach the situation and decided that I would stay and help the guests with their photography on the beach and Cotton would return to the ship to see if the penguins were swimming out there. Through our lifelong partnership I knew he understood the photo I imagined, and I trusted he would do a great job. That morning our teamwork came into play. Cotton went to the bow of the ship, leaned over the rail, and saw that the kings were having a feast just as he and I had hoped for. So, it was actually he who photographed the scene and created this exciting, memorable image. The thing people underestimate about adventure photography… It is a very highly skilled discipline where you have to compose a picture in a split second. You have to be as fast as a Formula One driver in your reaction time, and to be able to use the natural light like the Dutch Masters! And the tough truth is, you never get a second chance. Upcoming adventures Iceland and Bhutan.
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ARMED FOR ADVENTURE Serious escapades require serious kit. Sophia Wilson speaks to some of the industry’s most experienced exploration captains to discover what they never leave port without
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Ship to shore – “When you are planning a trip, you need to think about not only where you are travelling to, but also what kind of
PHOTOGRAPHY: MARTIN HARVEY VIA GETTY IMAGES; TAWATCHAI PRAKOBKIT/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; VICTORIA DENNIS; COURTESY OF CAPTAIN TOM HENSHILWOOD; COURTESY OF CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER WALSH/MICK DAVIDSON
activities you will want to do when you get there and how you are going to get ashore safely to do them,” says Christopher Walsh, captain of 68-metre Archimedes, which has travelled to destinations including the High Arctic, the Antarctic and Papua New Guinea.
Talk the talk –
Walsh argues that, for most trips, a Zodiac (a rigid inflatable originally designed for
Superyachts planning on visiting the high latitudes need to be prepared for some
military use) is essential. “A Zodiac is just the most indispensable tool that you could possibly have,” agrees EYOS Expeditions’ Ben Lyons. “People in the yachting world look at these open rubber boats and think they are not going to look good in Monaco, but they are just the perfect tool for expeditions – they’re rugged and indestructible.” And a Zodiac shouldn’t just be considered for polar explorations. “In a lot of remote, tropical destinations there are often large swells,
“Drones have revolutionised remote cruising; you can use them as a piece of safety equipment,” says Captain Winston
communication difficulties. “Theoretically, you shouldn’t be able to get a VSAT signal after 70 degrees north,” explains Captain Walsh. “We jazzed up our VSAT antenna and put on a 50W BUC, which means it will pick up a weak signal, and found we were able to get reception beyond this. We also put on an Iridium system and carried several Iridium phones [a specialist satellite phone system], which serve as backup.” Captain Maughan recommends always
Joyce-Clark of 59-metre Seawolf. “If you put a drone up it becomes your crow’s nest from an 18th-century ship.” Captain Grant Maughan, of 49-metre Asteria, frequently uses UAVs to check out anchorages, landing spots and hiking trails, but his first experience of using them for navigation was in Antarctica. “We had a drone pilot on board as a charter had requested a drone,” he says. “One afternoon we got stuck in an ice floe and he sent it up and we navigated the boat out using that. They are an incredibly useful piece of kit in those kinds of situations.” For the full experience, however, Lyons recommends adding a helicopter where possible. “These destinations are incredibly scenic,” he says. “To go up in a helicopter in the polar regions gives you a sense of scale that’s hard to appreciate otherwise. In the tropics they also give
carrying a satellite tracker when off the yacht. “The one I am using at the moment is a Garmin inReach,” says Maughan, who is also an avid climber and ultramarathon runner. “It is really handy because you can send out an SOS via Iridium and you can also send text messages and emails from the unit itself. If you ever get into a bind out there, particularly in the high-latitude regions, those little units can be lifesavers.” Captain Henshilwood also suggests installing portable Em-Trak AIS (Automatic Identification System) units in the tenders. “You can just pop it on your Zodiac and it will display on whatever AIS system you are using. Expedition cruise liners use them extensively when they’re dealing with a fleet of 15 or so Zodiacs. I actually brought them onto Albula for our smaller tenders. It really relieves that stress
you access to places that are otherwise impossible to get to,” he says.
on the bridge when the weather comes down and you can’t see the tender.”
and you are trying to navigate into shallow areas to make beach landings. A Zodiac opens up landings like this, on atolls and islands, that wouldn’t otherwise be available,” he adds. No matter the destination, you need to order early to avoid disappointment. “The cruise-ship industry has pretty much taken all of them,” says Walsh. “We ordered ours a year in advance.” Tom Henshilwood, the former captain of 64-metre Albula who also previously worked 71.4-metre Enigma XK, also stresses the importance of carrying spares. “On Enigma we ran two Zodiac Mk4s, but we also bought a spare outboard engine in addition to all the normal servicing kit,” he says. “It sounds a bit extreme but we did end up using it. The last thing you want to have to do is tell an owner or a charter guest that you are down to one tender and you can only take six at a time to go whale watching.”
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High flyers –
Captain Christopher Walsh
Captain Tom Henshilwood
Clockwise from top left: Zodiac rigid inflatables are ideal for exploring more remote areas; Archimedes in the Northwest Passage; Em-Trak’s AIS transceiver unit; drones are invaluable for both reconnaissance and navigation
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Trash talk –
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Provisioning in advance of a expedition is crucial, but most captains agree that waste management is an equally important
This year’s Explorer Yachts Summit, held in association with Damen Yachting BV and in collaboration with exploreryachts.com, is taking place as part of the BOAT International Festival of Yachting. The Life Under Sail conference will form day one of the programme and will be followed by the Explorer Yachts Summit on 11 November. Tickets are available at boatinternational.com
consideration. “You don’t want to put any garbage ashore, especially in cold climates, because it won’t decompose. It will still be there in 200 years’ time,” says Captain Walsh. “We built a garbage compressor and glass crusher, and we didn’t need to dispose of any garbage in two months.” “It’s a two-pronged attack,” adds Captain Henshilwood. “You’ve got to think very carefully in advance about what you’re bringing on board, because you’re going to have to dispose of it, and then there has to be very strict segregating of garbage. Something we found really useful was we got these big 80-litre plastic barrels to use for food waste. Once they were filled with waste they were completely sealed, so there was no risk of smells, and stored away.”
Captain Grant Maughan
Captain Winston Joyce-Clark
A stitch in time – “For any boat heading to remote regions you’re going to need an A-class medical kit that has everything you might need,” says Captain Maughan. “But I think having a telemedicine service is also really important. Imagine someone breaking their arm up in the Arctic or in Greenland. You are 400 miles away from civilisation, so the chances are you are going to need to reset that bone on board.”
Henshilwood. “Saying that, if you’ve got space to have someone with abovenormal medical training to go to sea with, it would be invaluable.” Captain Joyce-Clark agrees and tries to not to visit remote destinations without a medic on board. “Guests and owners often say they don’t need anyone like that, but when they are around, they end up getting asked questions three or four
“I have worked extensively with the Tempus IC2 patient monitor, which I’ve found to be very reliable,” adds Captain
times a day,” he says. “Having someone who is medically qualified on board creates an extra level of comfort.”
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Both 49m Asteria (top left) and 71m Enigma XK (above left) have explored the Antarctic. Above: the Tempus IC2 vital signs monitor can provide crucial clinical data on an unwell patient on board
“One of the main things you have to think about is personal protective gear for the crew,” says Captain Maughan. “I worked on one boat in the Arctic and the owner had literally supplied nothing for the deck crew but light jackets. It was crazy.” Lyons agrees, and stresses the importance of considering the amount of time crew will be exposed to the elements. “It needs to be something that protects against the elements and keeps you insulated, but not so warm that you overheat and sweat. It’s not the sort of thing that you are just going to buy at a local store – it needs to be planned in advance,” he says. As well as quality, quantity is also important. “It’s all very well having good gear, but you also need multiple sets for the crew,” says Henshilwood. “If you have been outside in the snow or the rain but you want to do a second landing that day you have basically got an entire boatload of crew gear to get dried in a few hours. I’ve got some hilarious photos of the crew drying gear with hairdryers.” All captains agree, though, that the most important thing is the person wearing them. “You need full crew buy-in for these kinds of trips,” says Henshilwood. “It can be a challenging environment and there isn’t the opportunity to sit back. Everyone needs to step up to the plate to make it a success.” B
PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHNER IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES; IGNACIO PALACIOS VIA GETTY IMAGES; ANDREW MEADE; MARTIN ENCKELL/EYOS; JUSTIN HOFMAN/EYOS; COURTESY OF CAPTAIN WINSTON JOYCE-CLARK
Cool threads –
Comprehensively yachts An integral part of the yacht industry for over 30 years, the HFW yacht team provides full service legal support and advises on all legal issues a yacht is likely to encounter during its life. The team’s in-depth industry expertise and global reach ensures it is pre-eminent in the provision of legal services to the international yachting community. hfwyachts.com Americas | Europe | Middle East | Asia Pacific
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What the owner had in mind was a modern New York loft with the capability of an extreme explorer – one that could go slow over long distances and outrun bad weather Metal Shark hired catamaran specialist Incat Crowther for the naval architecture of Magnet, which came with a wide range of operational requirements: efficient longrange navigation as well as the ability to reach speeds in the high 20s. The new hull design draws from other Incat-designed vessels
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MICHAEL VOGELSANG, THE CAPTAIN OF MAGNET, HAS SEEN A THING OR TWO IN HIS CAREER AND IS NOT EASILY IMPRESSED. BUT WHEN HE GOT A FIRST GLIMPSE OF HIS NEW CHARGE AT THE METAL SHARK YARD IN FRANKLIN, LOUISIANA, AT THE END OF CRISP AND SUNNY WINTER DAY, HE WAS BLOWN AWAY. “We flew into Lafayette, took a nice car ride and got in at dusk into Franklin; [Magnet] was silhouetted by the sun, and I just kind of went, Wow!” recalls Captain Vogelsang. It’s easy to see why. During a rare stint at a dock in Miami Beach, as the crew prepare for a Bahamas trip, I go to look at the catamaran I have chased for a couple of years after hearing rumours of its construction. A catamaran of this magnitude, coming out of a shipyard in rural Louisiana known for its speedy, reliable navy craft – this I had to see. And Magnet does not disappoint. The spaces on board are unrivalled for a sub-50 metre yacht, with its beam of 12 metres, 3.6-metre clearance over the water thanks to a deep tunnel between two narrow hulls with near-vertical entry, a hydraulic platform to haul the 5.5-metre Novurania RIB tender, three decks with high ceilings, large windows and an open layout, plus a sundeck. It can – and has – welcomed 120 guests for a dockside party. Magnet, Metal Shark’s first M48, results from the vision of the boat’s owner, George Wallner, an experienced and hands-on yachtsman who does not like to spend time in marinas if he can avoid it. What he had in mind was a modern New York loft with the capability of an extreme explorer – one that could go slow and steady over long distances and outrun bad weather.
The superstructure’s chiselled and angular lines are part of Metal Shark’s “signature, rugged appearance”, says yard CEO Chris Allard. The deck, meanwhile, is about 3.7m off the water with a deep tunnel for seakeeping
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The sundeck (above) is of an extraordinary size with a table that can handle a large group. An upper helm station (top, centre) and wing stations replicate in a more compact package the pilothouse systems, which include a sonar. The foredeck (below) is designed as a lowmaintenance wet space, while aft is a platform that lifts the tender to deck level (top, far right)
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“When the wind is blowing is when we travel, so we don’t waste a good weather day for travelling”
On that latter count, it did not take long for the boat to be put to the test. In the dog days of summer 2020, as two storms built over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and threatened the Louisiana coast, he made up his mind that the time was up. “I called the yard and I said, ‘Finished or not, we need to take the boat,’” he says. “We got everything ready and just took off and went to Corpus Christi [in Texas]. It was not a delivery, it was more like an escape,” he says with his dry sense of humour. From Texas, it was a straight shot across the gulf to Key West, with a stop in the Tortugas for a dive, and up to Miami, a 1,000-plus-nautical-mile shakedown cruise, with sprints at 20 knots. It was only Magnet’s first brush with tropical weather during an active hurricane season. Three months later, Magnet had to outrun a storm that tracked dangerously close to Miami’s shores. “We went to Cape Canaveral, 120 miles up the coast; it got rough, that gave us our first taste of how a catamaran handles rough seas,” Volgelsang says. “You see these stools?” says the owner, pointing to a row of six black seats with backrests perched on stainless-steel feet in the boat’s huge open saloon. “We were out in the Bahamas for a month and prior to that when we went to Cape Canaveral, these things never got tied down, they never fell over. We had seas that were bending the stanchions.” The motion he observes is quite different from his other boat, a 28.6-metre Lyman Morse. “A catamaran does not roll like a monohull, it’s about half as much of a roll but the movement is more abrupt; it has a
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The owner desired an open penthouse-style space with ample glass. Metal Shark worked with Westhoff Interiors on the low-key living space, which includes a substantial bar/ food prep space (bottom right)
“Instead of a saloon, I wanted a living room. The doors fully open and all the windows open. Instead of hiding in an air-conditioned space, you are in an open environment”
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The staircase to the dining table (above) and upper deck (opposite page, left) are transparent to keep the eye focused on the sea beyond the boat
Future sharks Inspired by Magnet, Metal Shark has created a new yacht division and expanded its line of unconventional globetrotters with two additional models, the M70 and the M30. In addition, the shipyard asked US designer Patrick Knowles (pictured) to come up with an interior design concept that could help future owners visualise the incredible spaces on its catamaran platform in different ways. “The interior needs to be practical with a respectable dose of luxury, a fitting blend for a formidable and imposing
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: CATALINA AYUBI; PATRICK KNOWLES DESIGNS/3DVIZ
machine, capable of circumnavigating the globe,” says Knowles, who was intrigued by the interesting volumes and uncommon spaces the Metal Shark catamaran offers. “Of particular note, I enjoyed the process of developing a master suite (rendered left and above left) situated below deck in the starboard hull. The net volume of the envelope allowed me to create a suite with impressive features, including a saloon, en suite head and a walk-in closet/dressing room.” The design, still being refined at time of press, “will blur the lines between the rugged capabilities of a world-class explorer vessel and that of a luxury yacht, harmoniously blended”, he says.
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different kind of motion, and it takes some getting used to,” says the owner. To compensate for the motion in different directions, the boat has a stabilising system by Naiad. “We have Active Ride Control, it’s these big trim tabs that oppose the pitching and, to some extent, the rolling. The other thing is there is not much flare in these bows. The idea with this boat is that you go through the wave, you don’t try to climb on it because if you climb on it you are going to fall off it, especially at speed – and this is a fast boat. We cruise at 20 knots day in and day out, and I am talking in 8ft waves.” Although he built Magnet with a Pacific cruise in mind, it works out well in the Bahamas too, where he likes to dive right off the big boat. “We like to hang out. Many of the good dive spots are rolly anchorages in a monohull, but [now] where we dive we can stay out for the night; we don’t have to move to a bay and hide. And we travel on bad weather days. When the wind is blowing is when we travel, so we don’t waste a good weather day for travelling. That’s a game changer,” he says. So is the boat’s speed. “I have a lot of friends who are not adventurous with their boats because they have to spend a day sailing [to their destination] or need an airport,” he says. No such worry with Magnet. She is fast, with a top speed of 27 to 28 knots, and is a model of efficiency at lower speeds. At 9.5 knots, the engines and generators go through 45 litres of fuel, 91 litres at 10 knots and 265 at 11 knots, meaning with the capacity to carry 110,000 litres and twin MTU 16V 2000 M96Ls, she’s got a lot of range. “We can go from Panama to Australia, no problem,” says Wallner. A lot of that, of course, is down to the naval architecture and construction. Built in welded aluminium, Magnet is strong but relatively light, at least compared to a displacement yacht in steel and aluminium. The shipyard has a competent in-house engineering team but works with outside companies as well and tapped a naval architecture firm with a proven track record in fast catamarans. “We hired well-known catamaran
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designer Incat Crowther to handle the naval architecture. While the hull was new for the project, it drew from other similar Incat-designed craft,” says Chris Allard, co-owner CEO of Metal Shark, which delivered Magnet, its first private vessel of this magnitude, in August 2020. Established in 1986 as Gravois Aluminum Boats, the yard switched to the more evocative Metal Shark name in 2004. It has since built multiple recreational fishing boats and “a fair amount of yacht tenders”. Its core business is delivering boats to the US Coast Guard, the US Navy and other military clients around the world – and, Allard says, “everything from foilassist catamaran fishing boats to high-speed catamaran passenger ferries, including 22-passenger vessels for the NYC Ferry system”. This is precisely what attracted the owner, who knew Allard – a naval architect by training – well and has enjoyed chatting with him about boats over the years. “I wanted a very strong hull and Metal Shark builds for the military and they really know how to weld,” he says.
The owner wanted an easy-tomaintain interior that’s ready for anything – no marble, no carpets, no wood veneer, few frills
He had a very good idea of what his goals were. Because he intends to spend a lot of time on board, he wanted what usually goes with this type of ambition – space and good views. Wallner, who has owned boats for many years, starting with a 13-metre Buddy Davis, has built two with the American yard Lyman Morse. He still owns his 28.6-metre Electra. “Great boat,” he says, “but if you want to spend time on board, a cabin still is a cabin, and I wanted a bedroom. And instead of a saloon, I wanted a living room. And I wanted this,” he says, extending his arm toward the large panes of glass surrounding the space on all sides. “You can see where you are going. And the doors open fully and all the windows open. Instead of hiding in an air-conditioned space, you are in an open environment.” How much glass is on board? “Literally tonnes. Many tonnes,” says Allard. “The front windows are more than 1.5in thick and weigh nearly a 450 kilograms each – we only broke one.” Diamond Sea Glaze of Vancouver, Canada, provided the tempered safety glass. Also from Canada is young designer Ryan Wynott, who has worked closely with Metal Shark for several years and helped translate sketches made on paper napkins into reality. “It’s pretty mind-blowing as an object, even before it moves,” he says.
Opposite page: the owner decided on two large VIP suites on the bridge deck for optimal views; two additional double cabins for guests are in the starboard hull (top). Above: the aft section of the main deck is one of the owner’s favourite spaces on board. Right: the platform has chocks for the tender, which conveniently can be driven right on board
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“Many of the good dive spots are rolly anchorages in a monohull, but where we dive we can stay out for the night; we don’t have to move to a bay and hide”
The aluminium hull and superstructure are faired and painted a grey Awlgrip with a boot stripe for a spot of colour. The hulls’ sharp entries allow the cat to slice the sea, rather than ride over it
“The owner had a vision and significantly formed ideas but gave the designers and the yard latitude to take that vision and build on it,” says Allard. “We spent almost two years, working collaboratively, in design before going forward with the build. It was truly an amazing experience.” “The superstructure boasts strong similarities to other Metal Shark products, with chiselled and angular lines that are part of our signature rugged appearance,” he continues. The boat is faired and painted (a grey Awlgrip) with a nice finish on the superstructure. The hull sides are purposefully left a bit rougher. Teakdecking Systems installed synthetic decks, so you can step on board with shoes on and no one will faint. The owner wants the boat to be handled by few crew (currently it’s the captain plus three) and that’s part of the rationale for all choices made on board. Inside, the owner did not want anything overtly luxurious. That fresh air flowing through the open doors and windows does not play nice with delicate fabrics and finishes. The shipyard worked with American outfitter Westhoff Interiors to
rugs), no parquet flooring nor wood veneer, few frills. With a glassenclosed staircase leading to the bridge deck and the two VIP suites and low-profile furniture, the eye wanders freely through a large open space and settles on the scenery. The dining table on the main deck says a lot about Magnet. Its glass top reveals working gears that allow it to expand or retract according to need. It’s a perfect choice for a boat filled with glass and built for a man who will not only take the wheel of the yacht but knows how to replace faulty electrical parts. Wallner, an electrical engineer and inventor, has well-informed opinions about software and accessibility of components. His company Atlantitech built a lot of the boat’s electrical parts, and he has designed the control system that manages the boat. Fully equipped (including a sonar, FLIR cameras and bow thruster), Magnet is self-sufficient and able to tackle long passages, just like her owner wanted. Long-terms plans include forays into the Pacific. As for Metal Shark, the shipyard has enjoyed its own foray well enough that it has developed a whole line based on the M48 concept,
deliver what the owner wanted: a modern, easy-to-maintain interior that’s ready for anything – no marble, no carpets (except for a few small
knowing that out there in the world, more people are looking for a platform for adventure. B
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SPECS
Magnet
167
Metal Shark
The vast
10m
5m
0m
LOA 48m
Engines
LWL 48m
Generators 2 x 80kW; 1 x 16kW
Tender 5.5m Novurania RIB
Naval architecture Incat Crowther
Builder/year
2 x 2,600hp MTU 16V 2000 M96L
Fuel capacity
Owners/guests 8
Exterior styling
Speed (max/cruise) 28/20 knots
110,000 litres
Crew 7
Ryan Wynott
Jeanerette, LA, US t: +1 (337) 364-0777 e: sales@metal
Freshwater capacity 6,000 litres
Construction
Interior design Westhoff Interiors
Beam 12m Draught 2m Gross tonnage 653GT
Range at 10 knots
Aluminium
Metal Shark/2020
sharkboats.com w: metalsharkboats.com
11,000nm
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