A custom Cantiere delle Marche explorer has found creative ways to use space — and that offers big benefits for crew.
When Captain Stefano DE Vittor saw the Carrara marble-clad cocktail bar, he had one instruction: wrap it in protective vinyl.
“Mexicans love their tequila shots,” he says of the vessel’s owners, “and lemon really stains.”
The three-year design phase for the 148-foot Cantiere delle Marche wasn’t without its difficulties, taking a pause at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. On the upside, it gave Giorgio M Cassetta of Giorgio Yacht Designers ample time to perfect the exterior’s clean, uncluttered styling. In profile, the vessel is defined by a graceful sheer line that ends in a near vertical bow. Naval architecture hails from Italian studio Hydro Tec.
“We collaborated with Hydro Tec to get a specific shape of the bow, which is so very masculine and imposing, but at the same time sleek and elegant,” Giorgio says. “Not having a single knuckle or decoration on a boat of that size yet still looking in proportion is, for me, the biggest satisfaction.”
The lack of visible grills or details caters to the owners’ preference for form and function, such as stainless steel grab rails that are easy to use and maintain. The exterior teak decks are matched with Flexiteek ceiling slats that, according to Captain Stefano, save the crew from a “maintenance nightmare.” Functionality boils down to the smallest of elements; on the sundeck, a cabinet designed to hold loose exercise equipment has a rubberized top for guests to place their free weights on and avoid damaging the teak decking.
The bow is dedicated to the storage of two jet skis and a 23-foot Williams Jet tender, which sits in a sunken tender well. The large tender capacity forms part of the vessel’s explorer qualities, including transatlantic capability, twin MAN V12-1400 engines, and low fuel consumption (at six knots she has a range of 9,000 nautical miles). Four CMC Marine electric stabilizers make the yacht steady as a rock. Then there’s the “unprecedented levels of storage,” including six fridges and a walk-in freezer on the lower deck. More toys are stored aft, though none with lithium batteries. Stefano, a captain of more than 28 years who joined the build four months before delivery, put his foot down citing fire hazards.
Expansive living quarters extend to crew. She has around 4,300 square feet of walkable interior space. That includes the generous crew mess, which comfortably sits 10 around the table allowing for a busy hub of sociability among the nine-strong crew.
“It’s unusual to have an area for the crew as large as this, and it’s one of the many attributes that makes it a pleasure to be crew on this boat,” says Stefano, whose previous boat was an Amels Limited Editions 180 series.
Efficient space solutions make that added crew comfort possible. “A vertical bow helps to create expansive areas and that comes into its own in the crew arrangements,” says Giorgio, highlighting the stepped position of the forward lazarette deck where the tender sits. “It’s higher than the main deck, which allowed us to make the forward two crew cabins full beam with high ceilings and ample floor space.” This length-saving solution freed up space beneath the crew cabins for storage, fridges and garbage facilities.
Since taking delivery in March, the owners have virtually lived aboard, completing 2,500 nautical miles cruising around Turkey and Greece before staying on board throughout the summer, taking in Montenegro, Croatia and Albania, then heading to Sicily and Corsica. As a large multigenerational family, they’ve shared their yacht with a consistent flow of guests, all of whom have taken advantage of the four considerably sized lower-deck guest cabins.
The family are experienced yacht owners with five previous boats, including a semi-custom 131-foot Admiral. The Cantiere delle Marche, however, is their first full custom new-build for which they had a clear vision: a “simple boat” with sensible design where everything is to hand.
A bank of soft, white lounge sofas facing out to sea with convenient white resin drinks trays wedged between the cushions is the first indicator that the brief has been nailed. A white resin dining table with blue floral upholstered wooden chairs that echo the Flexiteek slatted ceiling speaks of lingering lunches at sea. A round red resin table on the upper deck aft is perhaps the most striking example, but the main aft deck’s refined minimalism leaves space to appreciate the design of the yacht itself, including a vast swim platform that screams outdoor living.
Immense exterior decks was one of the owners’ prerequisites. A beach club was dismissed by Giorgio for being the “stupidest thing in the world” on a boat this size. Instead, he penned a swim platform large enough to lounge on, enjoy watersports from, and that neatly segues into the main deck aft living area via stairs either side.
“I’m really in love with those stairs. They’re so comfortable that people sit on them as benches and they integrate well with the architectural design,” he says, noting the hull cut-outs on either side that serve a practical function for the crew when mooring and afford guests unobstructed views.
Plenty of shade from the sun was another owner request, yet with as much brightness as possible. The paradoxical solution came via large structural awnings on every deck that provide considerable overhangs, forward and aft, including the fully covered sundeck — Giorgio’s favorite area on board — where al fresco dining is afforded by a round Carrara marble table, a bank of oversized sunpads and a convivial seating area with sofas upholstered in eye-catching sundeck stripes.
The owner’s suite on the main deck forward, entered via a private office and lounge area, is not quite full beam due to a starboard private balcony. The trade-off for the owners is independence, says Giorgio. “Fold-down balconies require a crew set up, whereas this allows the owner to go from bed to balcony without interruption.” A walk-in wardrobe provides extra noise insulation from the neighboring galley. The sizable his-and-her en suite features ribbed crema d’orcia textured stone and is connected via an adjoining shower.
An integrated TV mirror takes pride of place, facing an abstract artwork that hangs above the bed. It’s one of many pieces of art and sculpture adorning the yacht, all taken from the owners’ private collection in a neat circle back to Giorgio’s original design intent. “This is one of the few projects that, from an exterior design point of view, I can say we achieved 99 percent of our expectations.”