both from the water inside the pool and the interaction between the
hull and the sea.”
And it does tricks too. The water drains into a dump tank below to avoid
wasting fresh water overboard, but it can also stay in the pool during
navigation without sloshing about or causing stability problems. “We
decided to ask MARIN [Maritime Research Institute Netherlands] to tank
test the boat, to understand the behaviour of the pool with different
headings, wave periods and sea states,” says Coiatelli. The results showed
no problems in reasonable sea states, with due consideration from the
captain. Their technical work reduced the free surface of water – so it can’t
build up momentum to create a big wave that will spill over the edge.
When it’s empty, the crew can transform the pool into a basketball court
using 22 panels stored in lower deck lockers, in an operation that Rover
estimates will take half a day (they haven’t tried it yet). A basketball hoop
affixes to the deck overhang at the forward end of the pool. “Benetti thought
that might be an interesting idea and my three sons love basketball, so I
thought why not?” says Cohen.
When the pool is in use, this is still one spectacular playground. Teak
decking runs athwartships rather than fore to aft, emphasising the breadth
of the space – and giving a luxurious feeling of sprawl. The fact that you can
walk all around the water does the same job – it is a lavish use of space – and
also visually underlines an intellectual point, that this pool lies at the centre
of the design. Teak louvres along the sides of the aft deck can be adjusted
to shade lounging guests from sunshine pouring on to the pool, as do broad
pagoda-like umbrellas by Yachting Line, while misters keep things cool.
Forward of the pool is a teak-decked dining area with a table that
stretches athwartships (again, emphasising the beam) and forward again a
television lounge. Two sets of massive sliding doors can divide the pool/
dining area/lounge into two or three spaces, or, when left open, create one
sprawling indoor-outdoor space that runs for about half the length of the
boat – more than 30 metres. Creating an area like this is as much about what
you leave out as what you include. “Many boats have a saloon and then in
the aft corners you’ve got big trunks where the combustion air goes,” says
Rover. “I always find that a visual obstruction from inside to outside – it’s
like you go through a lock, a narrow passageway – so we put those trunks
outside and slightly aft.” A drawback of this is that the relocated trunks take
up the side passages into the dining area – meaning crew are routed through
the dining area to get to the aft deck – but, as Rover says, it also “creates a
fantastic open plan view from inside to outside”.
Despite all this careful design, when you look at Seasense from the rear,
what strikes you first is simply its blueness. A deep azure picks out every
element on the aft deck that’s not teak or white, while a similar shade
continues the theme on the two aft decks above. “There are a lot of blues on
there and they might look alike, but they’re different,” says Walt Thomas,
joint principal of AREA, the LA-based architecture and design firm that
penned the yacht’s decorative theme – its first yacht project aside from one
of Cohen’s Rivas. The sort of interior design schemes commonly seen on
the dock in Monaco were out of the question – as Thomas puts it, what they
had seen was either “boring or over the top, like way over the top”. The
owner wanted something that was different, “but at the same time would
still feel comfortable, contemporary and timeless,” he adds.
But that was not the only principle in play. “We’ve done a couple of
residences and a lot of office projects with Mr Cohen. I think his mantra
for every project is that he doesn’t want to ever see something repeated.Opposite: moving trunking away from the dining area’s aft doors opens up the space to the spectacular deck, with its 10 metre-long pool, shaded by teak louvres and cooled by misters“We were looking for almost
a friendly version of a navy
style of boat, very white,
giving the appearance of
masculinity and safety”