Hope in the Sky
A visit to a brand new Heesen 47-metre, the second of the high-speed semi-planing...…
A visit to a brand new Heesen 47-metre, the second of the high-speed semi-planing 47-metre Heesens (Sirocco was the first), evolved into a fascinating conversation with Sergei Dobroserdov and Piers Flood of Nakhimov - a yachting service company that is neither really/only broker, manager or client’s representative, yet provides the function of many of those activities to provide a full service to - for now - Russian clients. I also encountered Kamini Ezralow, the MD of Intarya, the design studio that created Celestial Hope’s eclectic and (albeit invisibly) practical interior.
Celestial Hope is a handsome well-proportioned yacht and her lines are well emphasised by the maroon striping or lining that runs from bow to stern. That line is also highly representative of Sergei’s approach to a project Ð total involvement aside constant reiteration until the optimum is arrived at. Nakhimov have considerable skills, with 11 personnel in their lean operations in Moscow and Monaco, and even when they are working with external third-party suppliers they are firmly in charge in implementing the owner’s desires; as whole superyacht integrators or Uber Reps as it were.
The key for Sergei is to fully understand what the client wants as well as of course enabling him or her to understand what they can have - fundamental to knowing what they want.
In the case of Celestial Hope the owner was quite specific in his needs. He is an experienced sailing yacht racer, therefore his motoryacht should be a house inside and - echoing his racing yacht - go wherever it can fast. The yacht has a top speed of more than 20 knots; also key was the simplicity of using Heesen’s semi production approach. Nakhimov are currently working on five build projects, ranging from a just-delivered 40-metre from Timmerman Yachts in Moscow to a 130-metre in the bidding stage. Each project gets a unique approach - the 130-metre, for example, is destined to be a cost plus project.
Heesen suits Nakhimov for this project because of the owner’s third criteria: that the yacht be built in Northern Europe. Sergei commented, “And so we made a selection for him, of different yards; we negotiated things and what we found out is that Heesen is perfectly specialised as a yard. Because if you want to have a fast boat, of, say, 50 metres, they are the only option you have. That’s why the yard, I think, is in a good position: they have a focus - a specialty.”
This yacht is the second of the 47-metre series, but has been thoroughly Nakhimov-ed. The GA was changed radically to incorporate a wonderful, massive study forward and - as most Russian clients need - a steam bath in the lazarette. In all, Sergei explained, “She has more than 76 major changes to interior and exterior.”
The interior is by Intarya and aboard I had a chance to chat with Kamini Ezralow, the MD of the company. She explained: “Well, the brief from the client was based on the movie ‘Something’s Got to Give’ - with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. It was set in the Hamptons so we devised a New England type feel: bright, fresh, beach-ey, but equally still very comfortable.”
It’s about the function of a space and giving the client maximum amount of storage. Growing up in Hong Kong (as Kamini did), you’re limited for space so that’s something that very early on in my career I worked very hard on. We did a lot of spatial planning and that was invaluable experience for me. Then being in London as well, you’re very space challenged.” On restraints imposed by technical needs her response was encouragingly perceptive of yachts’ special needs: “We worked very closely with Heesen and had monthly and bi-monthly meetings where we would implement our designs to take into account where all the pipework was, how much storage we could steal from certain cavities; so, OK, there’s a pipe duct here, but how can we improve the usable space round it?”
A pet peeve of mine is box shapes inside hull forms; I always assumed this was a common characteristic of the designer who was inexperienced in yachts. However, at least here it seems I was mistaken; “You have to follow the hull shapeЙas designers we have first of all an ultimate respect for the clients’ brief and how they want to experience that space, (but) then you respect the architecture of the space. And you work within thatЙ.its very similar on residential projects.
We work a lot with listed and older buildings.”
An unusual layout feature is on the upper owner’s deck where the bathroom and shower are in a central (athwartships) space without windows and surrounded by a walkway in the stateroom. It’s unusual yet effective and the concept of Sergei rather than client- or designer-driven.
The style elements are eclectic yet not overtly so. White overheads echo New England sailing yachts while original hand-crafted Venetian mirrors coexist in harmony beside modern door and bathroom furniture. There is also use of a finish, which at first I took for lacquer; it was not - rather it’s a form of mirroring with patterns painted on the rear of the glass, a traditional French technique called Verre Eglomise, with blue and silver, and is somehow very Russian. Celestial Hope also displays a broad variety of Russian art of various eras and styles.
One factor Kamini recognised early on that will help that extension to be both practical and appropriate, as well as beautiful, is that: “This is a moving location, so wherever the boat goes it has to seamlessly, not really blend, but harmonise with the environment.”
The downside of the GA is that crew are somewhat short in numbers and accommodation somewhat squeezed, especially in view of the yacht’s destined role as a charter yacht; the complement is nine plus captain. Nakhimov manage the yacht operations holistically; not just concept to completion but also through life and operation. They believe that they are designing the yacht not only for the owner’s pleasure but also for efficient use; which is of course ultimately the same thing. Sergei’s response to my concerns about reduced crew numbers was typically pragmatic: “So it’s a bit tough, but it’s OK...This again is where we perhaps differentiate ourselves from other people. We studied, based on what the owner originally wanted, the specification and operation and we spoke a lot with Hees
Celestial Hope is a handsome well-proportioned yacht and her lines are well emphasised by the maroon striping or lining that runs from bow to stern. That line is also highly representative of Sergei’s approach to a project Ð total involvement aside constant reiteration until the optimum is arrived at. Nakhimov have considerable skills, with 11 personnel in their lean operations in Moscow and Monaco, and even when they are working with external third-party suppliers they are firmly in charge in implementing the owner’s desires; as whole superyacht integrators or Uber Reps as it were.
The key for Sergei is to fully understand what the client wants as well as of course enabling him or her to understand what they can have - fundamental to knowing what they want.
In the case of Celestial Hope the owner was quite specific in his needs. He is an experienced sailing yacht racer, therefore his motoryacht should be a house inside and - echoing his racing yacht - go wherever it can fast. The yacht has a top speed of more than 20 knots; also key was the simplicity of using Heesen’s semi production approach. Nakhimov are currently working on five build projects, ranging from a just-delivered 40-metre from Timmerman Yachts in Moscow to a 130-metre in the bidding stage. Each project gets a unique approach - the 130-metre, for example, is destined to be a cost plus project.
Heesen suits Nakhimov for this project because of the owner’s third criteria: that the yacht be built in Northern Europe. Sergei commented, “And so we made a selection for him, of different yards; we negotiated things and what we found out is that Heesen is perfectly specialised as a yard. Because if you want to have a fast boat, of, say, 50 metres, they are the only option you have. That’s why the yard, I think, is in a good position: they have a focus - a specialty.”
This yacht is the second of the 47-metre series, but has been thoroughly Nakhimov-ed. The GA was changed radically to incorporate a wonderful, massive study forward and - as most Russian clients need - a steam bath in the lazarette. In all, Sergei explained, “She has more than 76 major changes to interior and exterior.”
The interior is by Intarya and aboard I had a chance to chat with Kamini Ezralow, the MD of the company. She explained: “Well, the brief from the client was based on the movie ‘Something’s Got to Give’ - with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. It was set in the Hamptons so we devised a New England type feel: bright, fresh, beach-ey, but equally still very comfortable.”
This is a first yacht project for Intarya yet, “We are very fortunate, and really have to thank both Sergei, who was very open minded, and the clients who wanted to have a residential feel. They liked our work, and he took a leap with us.” I asked how much of a challenge dealing with constraints imposed by ducting, piping and systems was for yacht interior first-timers: “Not much, because the type of work that we do is all about detail - attention to detail.
A pet peeve of mine is box shapes inside hull forms; I always assumed this was a common characteristic of the designer who was inexperienced in yachts. However, at least here it seems I was mistaken; “You have to follow the hull shapeЙas designers we have first of all an ultimate respect for the clients’ brief and how they want to experience that space, (but) then you respect the architecture of the space. And you work within thatЙ.its very similar on residential projects.
We work a lot with listed and older buildings.”
An unusual layout feature is on the upper owner’s deck where the bathroom and shower are in a central (athwartships) space without windows and surrounded by a walkway in the stateroom. It’s unusual yet effective and the concept of Sergei rather than client- or designer-driven.
The style elements are eclectic yet not overtly so. White overheads echo New England sailing yachts while original hand-crafted Venetian mirrors coexist in harmony beside modern door and bathroom furniture. There is also use of a finish, which at first I took for lacquer; it was not - rather it’s a form of mirroring with patterns painted on the rear of the glass, a traditional French technique called Verre Eglomise, with blue and silver, and is somehow very Russian. Celestial Hope also displays a broad variety of Russian art of various eras and styles.
While the Celestial Hope interior won “Most Innovative Interior Design of the Year 2009” at the Asia Boating Awards, Kamini’s studio looks set to make marine work a part of their future with another yacht contract on the cards. Kamini stated, “We are talking to another yacht client. Funnily enough it happens to be another Heesen and it’s a refit this timeЙyachts are a natural extension of our studio and it’s an exciting arm to our business.”
The downside of the GA is that crew are somewhat short in numbers and accommodation somewhat squeezed, especially in view of the yacht’s destined role as a charter yacht; the complement is nine plus captain. Nakhimov manage the yacht operations holistically; not just concept to completion but also through life and operation. They believe that they are designing the yacht not only for the owner’s pleasure but also for efficient use; which is of course ultimately the same thing. Sergei’s response to my concerns about reduced crew numbers was typically pragmatic: “So it’s a bit tough, but it’s OK...This again is where we perhaps differentiate ourselves from other people. We studied, based on what the owner originally wanted, the specification and operation and we spoke a lot with Hees
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