Captain Marco Santoro played a major role in the build of Rossinavi's 40m motoryacht Taransay, winner of the 2015 MYS Monaco Award. We speak to the captain about where his input was most valuable when it came to combining the efficiency of a modern yacht with the desire to replicate a classic.

^{Images: Wioletta Kowalska}

When one thinks of a classic boat, one often thinks of brass. But during the build of Rossinavi’s 40m Taransay, a yacht delivered in 2015 and exuding the 1930s, the yacht’s captain, Marco Santoro, suggested using another material.

“The lights, the hinges, the mechanisms, the windlass, the anchor system, everything has been done using nibrall, the same material you use for propellers,” explains Captain Santoro. “The idea was to have brass as it’s a classic boat, but brass is a nightmare to polish and the oxidisation of the brass gives you that green colour, which is not very nice.” So for one winter during construction, Rossinavi placed a sheet of nibrall on the roof of the shed, which is on the seafront, to see how it reacted to the elements. The result: “It was becoming matt instead of shiny,” says the captain. “But nothing like the green or the brown of bronze, so in the end we decided to use it. It’s bloody expensive, but it’s very good.”

"We have breakfast in the morning while cruising, we can do night navigation without making any noise that would wake them. For me, this is the heart of the boat. You can live your life on board." - Captain Marco Santoro

The choice of solid wood, wood obviously being the quintessence of the classic boat, also aided another owner requirement. The owner was concerned with comfort on board, and demanded a silent yacht with no noises or vibrations, which Rossinavi dealt with by providing strong and heavy wood doors. And it worked. “We normally do 10 to 12 knots, a maximum of 14.5, but it’s so quiet that you can do that while the owner and his family lives their life on board,” admits Captain Santoro. “We have breakfast in the morning while cruising, we can do night navigation without making any noise that would wake them. For me, this is the heart of the boat. You can live your life on board without having to worry and think, ‘Oh, we have to move the boat now’.”

Find the full interview with the yacht’s captain, Rossinavi and the interior design team in issue 26 of SuperyachtDesign (view here).

And remember to sign up for SuperyachtDesignWEEK 2016 – the more crew who have a say in the design of tomorrow’s superyachts the better!

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Rossinavi - (Cantiere Navale Fratelli Rossi)

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