ShowBoats International — May 2017

MAY 2017 WWW.BOATINTERNATIONAL.COM MAY 2017

OWNERS’ CLUB

In the end it took more than two years and two failed

purchases to arrive at this yacht, which was built in

Italy and delivered in 2006. “I had a spreadsheet, which

has more than 40 to 60 columns and about 80 to 90

yachts,” reveals Roy. “Even things that we didn’t really

like I was tracking to see how much they were listed

for, how much they were selling for and how long they

were on the market. We must have seen more than two

dozen yachts between all of us.”

For Sabina, it was the feel of the yacht, rather than

the statistics, that instantly won her over. “When I came

on board I knew this was the one, I knew it could

work,” she says. “I didn’t have to sit too long to try and

work out what we needed to do to make it ours.”

Immediately after the purchase was completed Bina

was switched from charter back to private use and went

to Lauderdale Marine Center for eight months’ work,

including safety upgrades and the transformation of

the galley and crew accommodation. “We knew that

she came with a lot of baggage,” says Roy. “But my

father and I were adamant that we would open all the

cans of worms that needed to be opened.”

This initial period of work was just the first stage of

a refit process that would later see the yacht’s entire

interior transformed from dark cherrywood to a

modern “Hamptons beach house feel,” under the

watchful eye of Sabina and her mother. Every interior

detail of Bina has been considered, not just with style

in mind but also with practicality. “We wanted to be

different from what we had seen. I think a lot of boats

don’t feel like boats because owners and designers try

to overcompensate. For example, we love napping on

the couch so we wanted comfortable couches and that

was our first priority,” says Roy, “although obviously,

with my mom and Sabina, we weren’t getting anything

ugly through the door.”

It’s hard to imagine more hands-on owners than

Sabina and Roy. This week they have given up their

hard-earned vacation to host me on board. As a guest

I have not been treated as a visitor but rather I’ve been

made to feel like part of the family. After just three days

there are in-jokes, and friendly rivalries. They are both

involved in every aspect of life on board, from the

splash tiles in the kitchen to the crew uniform. For this

particular trip Sabina has flown out with half a dozen

red belts as the stewardesses were struggling to secure

their radios to their evening dresses. This dedication

to the yacht is reflected in their relationship with the

crew. I’m not at all surprised to hear that several crew

members are invited to Sabina’s forthcoming wedding.

The crew were also a factor in the family’s decision for

Bina to be reintroduced to the charter market in spring

2016. “It was always in the back of our minds to go back
      to charter as a way to keep the crew happy and the
      yacht busy,” Roy says. “It takes a lot to run a yacht of
      this size; things are moving and breaking all the time.
      Having it run in a way that the guests or the owners
      don’t feel when something goes wrong is key to the

Roy driving

as a child; the

forward lounging

area on Bina’s

sundeck

experience. It doesn’t happen if you have your yacht at

the dock or at the shipyard for most of the year.”

Sabina adds: “On a business level we have no

illusions that this could be a profitable business.

That’s not what this is about. But if we are able to offset

some of the cost then we are happy; for example, if it

covers the cost to pay for transport between the

Mediterranean and the Caribbean.”

While the two siblings are united in their passion for

Bina, their day-to-day lives are separate, with Sabina

in New York and Roy running his business from São

Paulo. “It is a great place to visit but can be quite

overwhelming to live in, even for someone who has

lived there most of their life,” says Roy. “I love Monaco

and one day I’d love to spend more time there.”

While sunny days in Monaco remain a fantasy,

family time on Bina is a reality. The yacht is a place

where they all (including Sabina’s now blind terrier

Boo and Roy’s golden retriever D’Artagnan, known as

Dart) come together. “We try to do a two-week-a-year

family trip,” says Roy. “We are all thrown on board

together and you don’t have the privacy of your own

room like in a hotel. I know a lot of owners talk about

going bigger because they want more privacy but if it’s

your friends or family on board what kind of privacy

do you need?”

Having been fortunate enough to be made part of

the Bina family for the past few days I’m inclined to

agree. Privacy is overrated. B

Bina is available for charter with Edmiston from

€150,000 a week, edmiston.com

The family decided

to reintroduce Bina

to the charter

market in spring

2016, which helped

offset some of the

cost of transport

between the

Mediterranean and

the Caribbean

Speed or style Style

Chauffeur or chef Chef

First thing you pack Prayer kit,

then swimming trunks

Favorite beach Ipanema, Rio de

Janeiro

How many watches Every day I

wear my Apple Watch, but I have

20 others for special occasions

First boating memory When I

was a child we chartered a boat

called Southern Cross and the

captain let me drive the tender

Favorite car Long wheel base

Range Rover Autobiography

Speed or style Style

Chauffeur or chef Chef

First thing you pack Boo (my dog)

How many watches Two. One I

stole from my mom and a Swatch

Favorite beach Shell Beach,

St Barths

First boating memory When I

was nine we chartered a boat

and the deckhand, called

Sven, was the most beautiful

man I have ever met

Favorite car Range Rover

Sport

QUICKFIRE

Roy

Sabina

“It was always

in the back of

our minds to go

back to charter

as a way to

keep the crew

happy and the

yacht busy”

PHOTOGRAPHS: JEFF BROWN

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