NOVEMBER 2017
His previous yacht had sold much more
quickly than planned, leaving him
boatless as he spent two years making
trips to Europe with his wife Amy and
his crew searching for the ideal well-
kept, pre-owned yacht. It was a shopping
endeavor the Books turned into a travel
adventure, exploring everywhere they
went and falling in love with Italy and its
gastronomic delights. But when three deals fell through after failing inspection, his window
to make the 2017 Mediterranean cruising season with his yacht-owning friends was
narrowing. “I said, if I’m not in the Med by this summer, I don’t think I’m going to stay in
boating,” Bob Book says.
It was a tragic proclamation from a prolific yacht owner who has had 17 boats by the same
name – Book Ends. Luckily, a phone call from Heesen’s North American sales director Thom
Conboy kept him in the boating game.
“It was like divine intervention,” Book says of Conboy’s call. “I told him: ‘If we can agree on
a number, I will be there in 48 hours with my full crew and I’ll go through the boat.’ ” So within
a few days, Book and his crew were walking around the yard in the Netherlands, figuring out
what would be the next Book Ends. It wasn’t their first time at the Heesen yard – Book had
passed through nearly a year and a half earlier and had been impressed by its cleanliness,
attention to detail and the big digital clock above the shed counting down to a launch. At the
time, the Books didn’t even go on board what would become Book Ends. They had originally
been looking for a 165-180 footer, but on this trip they were satisfied to find everything they
needed in a smaller footprint.
The 153ft Book Ends is the 13th hull in Heesen’s successful 47 meter steel series. The builder
attributes this popularity to the classic-contemporary exterior by Omega Architects, a highly
optimized interior layout that ekes out every cubic centimeter of space, and generous decks
with a larger-than-the-rest-of-her-class sundeck topping things off. All these were items on
the Books’ wish list, along with stability and long range.
The couple’s first large yacht was a Westport 112, and they later moved up to a Westport 40
meter. “We got on the 40 meter and said, famously: ‘This is the last boat we are ever going to
need,’ ” Book recalls. The 40 meter was used liberally over two and a half years – New England
in the summer, the Bahamas in winter. “But I always dreamed of doing a summer in the Med,”
he says. While the fast speeds and shallow draft of the GRP-built Westport were ideal for the
Bahamas and US East Coast cruising, Book was seeking that extra stability and increased
range for his next yacht. The full-displacement steel hull and 4,000 nautical mile range of
Heesen’s 47 meter fitted the bill perfectly.
After coming from the consistency of production-built Westports, it’s not surprising that
Book was attracted to the proven semi-custom Heesen. The irony, perhaps, of the 47 meter
being such a successful series is that it was never planned as one. The first, Yalla, was designed
and built for a specific owner in 2004, and subsequent sister ships followed, including one
named Lady Petra for Frans Heesen himself. The builder still prefers to think of the series as
sister ships, and various window styles over the years and a recent series refresh mean that
no two look exactly alike.
“When you look at them together, they are all a bit different,” says Sara Gioanola, PR andThe 900 square foot sundeck is perfect for
sunbathing, dining and relaxing. With port side
bar and spa pool forward, it’s just the place
for the owners to host family and friendsBOB BOOK WAS NEARLY READY
TO THROW IN THE TOWEL ON
YACHTING WHEN HE FOUND
HEESEN YACHTS’ SPEC-BUILT,
154FT PROJECT RUYA READY
FOR DELIVERY.152