Martin Lanting: The RossoMare project

Last month, just before the opening of the Monaco Yacht Show, Martin Lanting, a Dutchman living in Monaco invited me to dinner to share an idea he had. Here was a superyacht client, working through the design stage of a new yacht he wanted to build, and he had come to us to explore his ideas. I was more than delighted to join him.

In Monte Carlo aboard his Riva Rivale Jacqueline, we cast off and headed along the coast to a seaside restaurant, passing the new Lürssen build, Ace, at anchor along the way. Martin drove and I worked the lines, fenders and anchor windlass as his deckhand, and as we cruised, we discussed the pleasures of being at sea, away from the distractions of a busy life ashore.

“I love sailing and being on boats,” he said. “It’s a wonderful way to spend time with your family and friends. But when I’m on my boat, I want to feel it’s my boat, not the Captain’s.” Too many times, he’s encountered the feeling aboard a yacht that he was in a boutique hotel rather than in his own home. “And this is a very important distinction,” he pointed out. “It’s fine if what you want is a five-star holiday experience. But for me, relaxation is being in my own place. I’m a self-made person, I’m into seamanship and I like to be able to command my yacht.”

With this simple idea, Lanting approached the renowned Dutch naval architects and designers Vripack with the mission to help him design a 35m superyacht that looked, felt and operated in a way that maximised his and his family’s sense of home and privacy.

“When it comes to my coffee, my whiskey or a just a simple meal that I want to make for my family, sometimes the crew shouldn’t have to bother; we can do it ourselves,” he said. And with that, he and Vripack developed the RossoMare concept, a concept that prioritizes the owners’ privacy and enables the crew to work the yacht without interfering in owner and guest spaces.

The crew have their own galley, for instance. The engine room has been bifurcated, with a companionway from the stern platform all the way forward to the store area, enabling crew to load provisions away from the lounge areas on the main deck. Routing for privacy has been carefully considered, with a central staircase access to all decks. Interior design for Lanting’s yacht is inspired by art-deco and while eminently seaworthy, nevertheless evokes the ease of a beach house.

RossoMare achieved everything Lanting felt was needed in his design, and he’s now starting the build phase. But he’s also marketing the concept to other owners who might share his sense of potential in this approach to superyacht ownership. “The idea is that anyone who is interested in the RossoMare concept and would want one of their own can buy the license for the drawings and engineering, and have the yacht built at any shipyard they choose,” Lanting explains.







It’s a compelling new approach to superyacht ownership, and we’ll be following its progress keenly.

For the full interview with Martin Lanting, pick up the forthcoming Issue Six of The Superyacht Owner magazine.

https://www.rossomaresuperyacht.com/

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