girdling the elevator is a root system made from teak and stainless steel.
“In the Monkey Forest of Bali, I saw vines wrapping around tree trunks,
and that’s where the inspiration came from. So I spoke to the artist and he
created this amazing sculpture using timber and metal welded together.
It winds its way up all four levels.” The artist built the piece around a mock-
up of the elevator in Bali. “It took well over one year to design and
construct,” Sorgiovanni says. “It is fully hand-made, with individual small
segments welded together and ground, using a special technique to weld
the stainless steel to the wood.” Silky oak and niches in a galuchat and
metal composite cover the bulkheads that surround this fantastical root
system, and look like something right out of a fairy tale.
Sorgiovanni Designs worked closely with Swiss company Nature
Squared. From the bounty that nature provides – shells, seeds, bark, stones
and leathers – it chooses sustainable materials in keeping with its mission
to foster environmental, economic and social wellbeing. Among the
unexpected materials used on Barbara is frog leather. It’s used on bed
frames, where smaller squares (each one formerly a frog) create a patch-
work of deep browns. “These skins are a sustainable byproduct of the
common frog that is eaten locally. Each skin is carefully cleaned and
treated and exhibits a natural color variation,” the designer explains.
“Sea urchin dots” frame some of the artwork and mirrors (endemic to
tropical waters, they have thick spines that form an interesting pattern
when they are cross cut). There are also hatchet shells (usually discarded
because they are damaged by fishermen when dynamite fishing) on a
statement piece in the salon. Paying fishermen for the entire shells
encourages them to abandon this destructive fishing technique. Inlays of
duck eggshells decorate the front of recliner seats inside the yacht’s
cinema. Water buffalo horn decorates bulkheads, cabinet fronts and heavy
doors designed to eliminate noise transfer. Water buffalo are important
to rice farmers in Asia until they are no longer able to work, at which point
the formidable cousins of bison usually end up on dinner plates. Their
deeply ridged horns can be as long as five feet. Here they are revived with
a finish that brings out rich organic tones.
Barbara also carries live creatures. Living Color Aquariums in Deerfield
Beach, Florida, created the fish tank that separates
the formal dining table from the salon. The fish seem
quite at peace in their properly maintained enclosed
environment. Captain Roche says they have had good
luck with their finned guests. “I must admit we had a
couple of suicide bombers at the start and they had to
go, but we haven’t lost any in quite a while now. One of
the Nemos, the clownfish, went missing one day, and
we were wondering, ‘where has he gone? Has he been
eaten?’ He actually wound up down in the tank in the
engine room [via the water filter] where they found him
swimming. They fished him out and plopped him back
in,” the captain says.
The yacht may be a floating workplace for the owner
but it’s also a platform for entertainment and
relaxation. The salon’s ceiling slides open to reveal
party lights and the crew then clears the furniture to
allow dancing. Of course, there is a beach club, a garage
filled with toys, including custom Vikal tenders, a
private spa pool and an observation deck with a fully
equipped gym. Sore muscles and tired arms and legs
can recover quickly with help of a masseuse and
vigorous waterjets in the experience shower. “I have
not been in it myself, but I have seen it working. It looks
like a car wash,” the captain says.
The helideck doubles as an outdoor cinema, which
may rival on occasion Barbara’s indoor one, although
it seems hard to do. “All the seats are La-Z-boy seats,”
the chief stew tells me. “You have your own footrest
that comes up and full iPad control. We have 3D
options and PlayStation and every game you can
imagine.” And, of course, lots of movies.
Barbara is quite an achievement. The question is, will
there be an encore?BThe main deck salon,
below right, doubles
as a party space.
Ceiling panels slide
open to reveal
special lighting to
accompany a laser
light display, heavy
duty speakers and
a smoke machine.
It takes strong crew
to move the heavy
furniture and clear
the floor for dancingPHOTOGRAPHY: FRANCISCO MARTINEZ; RIF SPAHNI