ShowBoats International — May 2017

WWW.BOATINTERNATIONAL.COM MAY 2017

SERENITY IAG YACHTS

LOA 132' 6"

LWL 114'

Beam 26' 3"

Draft (half load) 7' 6"

Gross tonnage 365GT

Engines

2 x CAT C32 ACERT

1,800hp 1,790kW @

2,300rpm

Speed max/cruise

17/15 knots

Range at 10 knots

2,200nm

Generators

2 x 99kW

Northern Lights

Fuel capacity

9,500 gallons

Freshwater capacity

2,000 gallons

Tenders

1 x 12' inflatable

1 x 32' Intrepid

Owners/guests 12

Crew 7

Construction

Fiberglass hull and

superstructure

Classification

RINA C ✠ Hull,

Mach, Y Ch (MCA),

Charter short range

navigation, LY2

Naval architecture

Axis Group Yacht

Design

Exterior styling

Evan K Marshall

Interior design

Evan K Marshall

Charter manager

Northrop & Johnson

Listing broker

Atlantic Yacht & Ship

Builder/year

IAG Yachts (now

Sunbird)/2016

Zhuhai, China

t: +86 75 67 72 07 20

w: cnsunbird.com

SPECS

30ft

0ft

60ft

unconventional yacht as she cruised from Miami

Beach after a boat show back to a marina near Fort

Lauderdale. Through her large windows I watched the

skyline unfold as Serenity slowly made her way through

the shallows surrounding Miami Beach. Standing by

the master stateroom’s starboard balcony, listening to

music softly playing from overhead speakers and

watching clouds recede as the sun set proved a serene

experience, worthy of the yacht’s name. Later, as she

headed out of the ship channel into a dark sea still

reeling from a recent storm, I retreated to the darkened

bridge bathed in the red glow of four screens switched

to their nighttime navigation mode. Serenity forged

ahead at a steady 11.5 to 12 knots, softly rolling off the

tops of the waves, as efficient fin stabilizers and the hull

design proved their worth. Italian naval architecture

firm Axis Group Yacht Design worked with the yard to

modify the hull of the IAG 127. It was extended, partly

to accommodate a beach club and large swim platform,

and was fitted with a bulb for better fuel efficiency.

Most of the equipment on board is from reputable

American companies at Heatley’s request, in part for

ease of service as Serenity will cruise primarily between

the East Coast of the US, the Bahamas and the

Caribbean – Cuba is also in the plan.

At anchor the sundeck is an amazing entertainment

area. In addition to the first-ever wading pool,

mentioned earlier, it has an elevated round spa pool

with waterfall, a bar, an up-and-down table that

accommodates 12 guests, plus bar stools positioned

along the side to enjoy views and, if desired, slushies

made in the adjacent ice machine.

These are not just novelties born out of a fertile

mind. “I love to design and I like the challenge of

coming up with something that is functional,” says

Heatley, who has experience designing houses. “At our

home, we have a zero-entry pool that allows kids to play

in two inches of water and we like to bring our lounge

chairs into the water and enjoy the coolness. I thought

‘why not do this on the boat?’” The challenge here was

to overcome objections about the practicality of added

water weight on top of three skylights. “You have to

work everything out with RINA and MCA and all the

governing bodies when you build a boat of this caliber.”

From the original idea of

having the waterfall from

the spa pool overflow into

a holding area to create the

wading pool, the team

came up with a far easier

solution. A simple water

hose is used to fill the area

to a water depth of about

two inches. Once the yacht

is ready to leave her

mooring or the dock, the

water is simply pushed to

drain over the sides.

Heatley also wanted a welcoming and functional

galley with beautiful finishes and windows “so it does

not feel like a dungeon” for the chef, who is as

important to the family – all cooking fans – as he is for

charter guests. The crew, says Heatley, is instrumental

to a successful charter program, maybe more so than

a well designed yacht, even one with as many tricks

as Serenity has.

Heatley readily admits that he had to be more

involved than he’d really wanted to be during

construction and had to bolster his build team to

ensure that the shipyard would meet his expectations.

”It was imperative to make sure no corners were cut,”

he says. “At the end of the day the quality is top notch,”

he says – well worthy of the beautiful swan at the heart

of the interior design. B

Above and

below left:

Darker colors

dominate the sky

lounge with its

inviting bar but the

galley is finished

with honey-toned

materials in part

because the owner

did not want it to

“feel like a dungeon”

“It was imperative

to make sure no

corners were cut.

At the end of the

day the quality

is top notch”

MAY 2017

SUNDECK BRIDGE DECK MAIN DECK LOWER DECK

Wet and

wild: the aft

section of

the sundeck

becomes a

shallow pool

Extra

extra: a VIP

stateroom

on the

bridge deck

enjoys prime

views

Uplifting:

the elevator

opens on

two sides,

doing double

duty as a

people-

mover or a

dumb waiter

Family friendly: the second master is a

two-room suite with a connecting door

and beds that can be configured to

create a sitting room

PHOTOGRPAHS: THEIRRY DEHOVE

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ART

PRODUCTION

CLIENT

SUBS

REPRO OP

VERSION

FEAT_Serenity, 4