TO THIS 163FT HEESEN.The rectangular floor-to-ceiling glazing is
the first thing you notice from the outside on this yacht, which was started
on spec as Project Nova, and it commands your attention inside as well, the
panoramic glass pulling your gaze to the natural world beyond.
“He bought the boat because of the windows,” confirms interior designer
Cristiano Gatto. “He told me, ‘my idea of being on board is to wake up and
see the sea around me – I don’t want to be in marinas very much.’ We worked
to simplify and minimize the interiors so that the windows are the artwork.”
It’s fitting also that this is the first hull to couple hybrid propulsion to the
proven Fast Displacement Hull Form by Van Oossanen, allowing an owner
who loves looking at nature to also reduce his impact on it.
Homeis another success story for Heesen’s spec-built business model. The
owner bought his previous yachts on the brokerage market and didn’t want
to wait three years for a new build. So when Heesen’s Thom Conboy showed
him a project that had the lines, space and views he was looking for, with the
ability to customize the interior within a short delivery time, it was game on.
The yacht’s lines were inspired by another Heesen, 163ftSibelle,saysFrank
Laupman of Omega Architects. The two boats share the aggressive bow,
which might be right on trend but also serves a purpose, providing progressive
buoyancy when carving through waves. The bow shape also means the crew
accommodation can be set further forward. In order to stay under 500GT,
Omega created walkaround decks, while also giving the master suite forward
on the main deck the full beam. “This worked quite well,” says Laupman. “We
chamfered the superstructure and gave little knuckles in the glass, so the
walkaround starts wide then gets narrower – it makes a difference
psychologically.” Uninterrupted sightlines from inside are achieved with
cut-out bulwarks topped by specially designed handrails.
The interior was started on spec by Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design, but the
original motif didn’t appeal toHome’s owner. Gatto was called in after coming
recommended. The layout, main partitions, sub-construction and some
furniture were already completed; Gatto’s task was less a gut job than carefully
laying his ideas on top of an already fixed skeleton. “We had to study the
design that was done and transform it,” he says. “If we needed to redesign
everything completely that would have been easier, but then would have
caused a six month delay. But the owner is a very fast decision maker. I met
him and we redesigned [the concept for the interior] in three weeks.”
To the credit of all involved, she was delivered right on time. Her captain,
Nigel Jenkins, who has served as a build captain five times, was brought in
to help make this so. “Heesen were on track, but the external contractors were
slow in providing information required, and so I was brought in to try and
turn it around again. Straight away Cristiano and I hit it off, both with similar
standards, both looking for the same thing – to produce a good boat, and a
good-looking boat,” says Jenkins. The owner’s brief was for a modern,
comfortable interior; the keyword was simplicity, not minimalism. “The
owner used her for seven and a half weeks back-to-back, straight from taking
delivery,” says Jenkins. “He wants to be able to live on board about seven
months of the year. That’s why the nameHomecame about.”
The style ofHome’s furnishings is similar to what you’d see in the owner’s
properties on shore – low, deep couches, for instance, and usable art in theTHAT FIRST ATTRACTED THE OWNERIT WAS THE WINDOWS