ShowBoats International — May 2017

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Where once onboard beach clubs

were converted from lazarettes or

garages with retractable swim platforms

that slid out over the ocean from

cassettes contained within the deck,

they are now increasingly integrated into

the yacht’s principal living spaces and

resemble something more akin to the

veranda of a beach house, complete

with bar and sunbeds, from which you

can dive – or lower yourself – directly

into the water.

“You want the beach club to be part

of the whole boat, to connect with the

rest of the deck and the interior,” says

Rowell. “It’s a proper architectural

challenge. We’re trying to get sand over

quite a large floor on one very large

project we’re working on,” he continues,

“although we may have to put it under

glass so it doesn’t get walked over the

rest of the boat. So it may end up being

a visual and textural thing rather than

something to put your feet in.”

Dedicated beach clubs are not,

however, the preserve of the bigger

which they have kept as close as

possible to the waterline and which is

large enough to accommodate a bar

area, dayhead, space for a massage

table and spa treatments and storage for

towels. Beyond the deck “a platform

pivots out from the bottom edge to

make a larger space just above the water

that you can sit on.”

The evolution of beach clubs is the

most overt example of a broader trend

towards blurring indoor and outdoor

spaces on board. “On Solis, we tried to

make the transition between the salon

and the aft deck invisible,” says Reeves.

“We decreased the height of the

balustrade and used glass bulwarks.”

Cut-outs in the backs of the couches

also draw the eye out to sea.

There’s a reason, then, that so many

of the designers that the venerable

manufacturer of marine-grade deck

furniture Summit collaborates with are

producing pieces that can be seen

INTERIORS REPORT

through. Take the couch, lounge chairs

and glass-topped coffee table that

Linley has created for Summit, Mark

Anders’ art deco-influenced sunbed,

and Brian Kane’s bar chairs.

The colors of the décor can reinforce

the sense of unity too, with earth tones

to echo the teak deck, and turquoises

and sea greens that speak of the

seascape. Certainly the latter were

evident in the range of woven outdoor

seating by Italian designer Paola Lenti

and showcased by Sabrina Monteleone,

founder and proprietor of Sabrina

Monte-Carlo (the Côte d’Azur’s go-to

emporium for deck furniture, furnishings

and table settings) when the pair

collaborated on the Upper Deck Lounge

at last year’s Monaco Yacht Show.

They were evident too on Galactica

Super Nova, the 230ft Heesen-built

yacht designed by Monteleone’s partner

Espen Øino, which also won two major

prizes at the 2017 ShowBoats Design

Awards, including the Judge’s Special

Award. Her stern and side terrace can

be transformed into a beach club,

partially sited below the 20ft glass-

bottomed infinity pool, which filters light

into the covered area with a lit-from-

within bar, equipped with a Kegerator,

so that crew can serve draft beer. At

night it becomes a party space, with

mood lighting and a DJ station.

Ultimately the scope for what is

possible in an onboard beach club is

limited only by the imagination. With just

two decks, the yacht concept Zen (a

262ft Feadship with Sinot interiors that

was unveiled in Monaco last autumn)

stands to break new ground in so far as

its barge-like shape maximizes the size

of the principal living space, which

sweeps down to a single aft deck/beach

club set just above the water.

Hareide Design Norway’s renderings

for a projected 354ft open plan vessel,

with a garden at its heart and a 66ft

swimming pool, are more extraordinary

yet. Its lower aft deck slopes into the

ocean so that the edge is lapped by

waves you can paddle in. In the words of

its designer, Einar Hareide, “We wanted

THE COOLER Owned by Hermès,

Puiforcat is a purveyor of exquisite

silverware. Its Jacaranda champagne

cooler, for example, is handmade in

silver plate and Brazilian rosewood

and comes with a lid, so it’s just the

place to keep sunscreen and drinks

cool. puiforcat.com

THE SEATING

Auckland-based

Coast maintains its

Marine Bean is the

original beanbag seat.

Handmade in marine-grade

canvas that is guaranteed

not to fade for at least five years,

the range includes three styles,

from giant cushions to more

structured chair shapes, as well as

an ottoman. They work well as

beach seating for when you want to

locate from the beach club to the

beach itself. coastnewzealand.com

Top: waves lap

on Hareide's deck.

Above: the broad

aft deck on Zen

THE DECK Among the striking features on Okto,

the ISA-built 217ft yacht launched in 2014, are the

distinctive black-and-gray decks made from Esthec,

a low-maintenance, non-slip composite resistant to

high heels and comfortable underfoot even in high

temperatures. It comes in a range of colors and can

incorporate motion sensors. esthec.com

superyachts. The designer Claydon

Reeves, whose yacht Solis won her

category at last year’s World Superyacht

Awards, has found a way to incorporate

“a pretty decent beach club” into

a 118ft yacht currently under

construction at Mulder Shipyard

in the Netherlands, without requiring

it to double as tender or toy storage.

“It’s not entirely simple that you take

your tenders out and you have a beach

club,” says founding partner Mike

Reeves. Even if the chocks recess back

into the deck and the crane can be

discreetly stowed, a garage is still an

essentially industrial space. “Invariably,”

he continues, “when you bring a boat

out of the water there will be a little

diesel slime on it that drips on to the

deck, which the crew will have to clear

up. And what do you do when the

tenders aren’t out?”

His solution has been to put the

tender garage athwartships and the

beach club behind it on the aft deck,

to create a platform for experiencing the

beauty of nature.” Isn’t a desire for

proximity to the ocean the principal

reason for wanting a yacht? In which

case scope to dangle one’s feet in the

water from the boat ought to be part of

the package.BB

6

KEY PIECES

FOR YOUR

BEACH CLUB

THE TALKING POINT Is it a seat? Is it a toy? Is it a work of art?

Produced by Magis in Italy, Thomas Heatherwick’s rotating Spun

chair is all three. As a student, the designer was taught the traditional

rotation practice by which silversmiths spin silver. He used it to produce

a chair in polythene, which is suitable for outdoor use. heatherwick.com

THE DAYBEDS Sabrina Monteleone’s furniture

company Sabrina Monte-Carlo supplies all

the non-fixed pieces you might need to

furnish an onboard beach club,

including adaptable Orlando

platforms from Paola Lenti’s

Aqua Collection.

sabrinamontecarlo.com

THE TOWELS Glancy Fawcett

supplies premium brands such

as Hermès, Missoni, Frette,

Yves Delorme, Olivier Desforges

et al, but it also offers a fully

bespoke design service to

ensure your towels match both

your boat’s décor and its livery.

glancyfawcett.com

The Summit lounge

chair and footrest

designed by Linley

THE EDGE IS LAPPED

BY WAVES YOU CAN

PADDLE IN

PHOTOGRAPHS: DAVID C CHURCHILL; GUILLAUME PLISSON

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