Yachting USA – September 2019

remote control

Previously chartering as Titan, the newly refi tted Aqua Blu started life as Beagle, named after the boat that took Charles Darwin to the Galapagos.

sisterships

Aqua Blu is part of

the Aqua Expedi-

tions fl eet, which

started with the

river cruisers Aqua

Amazon and Aqua

Mekong. The com-

pany specializes in

bringing high-end

experiences to

remote destinations.

Aqua Blu is the fi rst

superyacht to join

the fl eet and base

year-round for

charter in remote

parts of Indonesia.

minotti on board

The owner of Aqua

Blu says designer

Cor D. Rover is us-

ing “a lot of Minotti”

furnishings in the

makeover of the

yacht’s interior. The

decor will be

neutral with white

accents, to empha-

size the natural

light already com-

ing in through the

vessel’s windows.

alfred wallace

Alfred Russel Wa l-

lace was a British

explorer who con-

ceived the theory of

evolution separately

from Charles

Darwin while in the

Amazon and Indo-

nesia. The owner of

Aqua Blu brought a

book by Wallace to

custom dishmakers

in Bali, who created

hand-painted plates

and more for the

yacht, based on

Wallace’s original

sketches.

local prints

While visiting Man-

hattan this past

summer, the owner

of Aqua Blu ex-

plored a rare-book

store. He found and

purchased original

prints of the Spice

Islands—one of

Aqua Blu’s charter

destinations—and

bought them to

hang in each of the

guest staterooms.

fa ir sh a r es

In redesigning the

interior of Aqua

Blu ahead of this

winter’s charter

season, the owner

created not one but

three staterooms

that he says qualify

as masters. His

thinking is that

because the yacht

can accommodate

30 guests, three

families may want

to charter together

and split the weekly

base rate. With the

three masters, each

family’s patriarch

and matriarch can

feel equally com-

fortable on board.