bemoaned Charles Cohen’s 11-year-old son when
it was time to leave Seasense after two weeks in the
Mediterranean. His lament was music to Cohen’s
ears, proof that his investment in the 220-foot
(67-meter) yacht, which took four years to build at
Benetti, had paid off.
When Cohen and his wife, Clo, began their cus-
tom project, the couple’s chief desire was to create a
home on the water for private family time. They con-
sider the water to be a soothing respite and wanted
their yacht to reflect a true sense of the sea.
“I never heard the name Seasense anywhere
before,” Cohen says. “What I like about it is it’s so
simple. It is so right on the money as to what the
experience should be.”
The yacht’s exterior designer, Cor D. Rover, of the
Netherlands, echoes that sentiment.
“Life at sea, to me, is all about feeling this gentle
breeze, smelling the fresh and salty scent of the ocean,
all from your floating terrace,” Rover says. “I person-
ally have never understood why so many yachts have
enormous inside volume compared to limited outsidedeck space. Why would you leave your air-conditioned
high-rise building where you spend most of your work-
ing days, and go to your yacht and sit inside again?”
Before signing the build contract, Cohen spent
countless hours scouring boat shows and researching
designers and builders. After inking the deal, the couple
convened often with Rover and Benetti to ensure that
their vision would be executed. They had a list of no-no’s:
heavy, dark, varnished wood paneling; low ceilings; white
carpeting; bland neutral colors; a formal inside dining
room; a claustrophobic gym stuffed in a closet.
Check, check, check and check again. Seasense is
a predominantly blue boat—royal blue, cobalt, peri-
winkle, cerulean, sapphire, azure—to reflect the sea
and the sky.
“The shades of blue are like what you see on the
horizon,” Cohen says. “The darker blues are on the
lower levels and become lighter and lighter as one
heads toward the sundeck ... toward the clouds.”‘THIS
IS THE
WORST
DAY OF
MY LIFE,’