Genoa Charter Yacht Show: Day Two
href="http://www.burgessyachts.com" target="_blank">Burgess Yachts
Day Two here at the MYBA Charter Show in Genoa, Italy, started off quietly, with black skies pouring down rain and crews scurrying to remove outdoor cushions from sundecks. And yet, despite the weather, many of the yachts continued to lure umbrella-carrying brokers. That's especially true of the largest yachts here, most of which I've now had a chance to get aboard.
You've already seen my reviews of two of these yachts, which also appeared at the Antigua charter yacht show in December. The 214-foot Feadship motoryacht Trident is here earning even more rave reviews for chef Simon Ben Jones, while the 198-foot CMN motoryacht Cloud 9 is here reminding brokers why Capt. Colin Boyle has such a great reputation in the industry.
Three other motoryachts in this super-size range that are getting lots of attention in Genoa this week are the 204-foot Icon motoryacht Icon (yes, it's named after the shipyard that built it), the 295-foot custom motoryacht Nero, and the 203-foot Benetti motoryacht Bistango. I'll post a First Impression review of Icon next month, along with a nifty video that I shot today to demonstrate Nero's impressive soundproofing. Right now, though, I want to tell you about Bistango--which isn't even officially done being built yet, and which I managed to get aboard even before her owner has had a chance to see her. I believe what follows are the first in-depth details to be published about Bistango, anywhere.
Unfortunately, because the shipyard still has some finishing touches to complete, charter management company Burgess Yachts prohibited me from bringing my camera onboard during my tour of Bistango. Thus, I'll do my best to help you visualize this memorable new yacht starting from the sundeck and working downward to the guest cabins, which is how I toured her.
The top deck has a massive Jacuzzi all the way forward. Second officer Matthew Radmilli told me it's designed for six to eight people, but I thought 10 or 12 good friends would fit in the space, which could easily be mistaken for a swimming pool. There's an enclosed, air-conditioned gymnasium amidships on this deck, with a Turkish bath as well as access to the yacht's all-decks elevator. Aft on the sundeck are a dining table for up to 12 guests as well as a helipad that can be filled with chaise lounges when not in use. Interestingly, the yacht's owner requested that Benetti build a railed-off, open-air nook adjacent to the helipad, sized perfectly for a treadmill in case anyone wants to jog in the open air instead of in the gymnasium a few steps away.
Down one level is the bridge deck, which has an outdoor dining table for 16 people as well as a few sunpad seating areas all the way aft. A pair of black panthers were positioned like guards on either side of the glass doors that lead into the sky lounge, where I got my first look at Bistango's opulent interior decor. Chief stewardess Elizabeth Kavanagh hit the nail on the head when she described the look as "Versace on Safari," with a generous amount of gold-leaf detailing painted around animal-themed fabrics. The VIP cabin on this deck has leather wall accents made of cowhide stamped to look like crocodile skin, while the seats of the barstools in the adjacent sky lounge are covered with horse hair dyed to look like a cheetah. Another black panther is in the sky lounge, painted on a canvas that hides a flat-screen television.
Bistango's main deck has a three-room master suite far forward, built in a split-level design with the sleeping area on a raised platform. The king-size bed faces windows that overlook the yacht's bow for beautiful views forward. The bed is also directly beneath a skylight that is at least 6 feet in diameter. As Kavanagh said, "It should be pretty spectacular under the stars at night." Amidships on the main deck are the indoor dining area and main salon, which continue the Versace on Safari theme in a slightly more formal manner. Instead of animal-hide wall coverings, for instance, there is ivory silk, which also adorns the sofas and chairs. That loose furniture is accompanied by black lacquer tables by the Spanish furniture maker Marnier, all of which have Swarovski crystals embedded as accents. Some of the crystals are quite large, to my eye approaching the diameter of typical espresso cups.
On the bottom deck, Bistango has four guest cabins. The two forward cabins are slightly smaller than the two aft cabins, and again, there are details such as cow leather walls stamped and dyed to look like dark green crocodile skin. The two aft cabins each have a queen-size bed, the forward port cabin has oversized twin beds plus a bunk-style Pullman berth, and the forward starboard cabin has a king-size bed plus a Pullman berth. I took note of the interesting texture on the silvery gray bedspread in the king-bed cabin, which Kavanagh calls "The Python Room."
Other details worth noting are Bistango's baby grand piano, Quantum zero-speed stabilizers, and 23-foot jet-drive tender. Crew will outnumber guests at a ratio of 14 to 12 as Bistango cruises the Western Mediterranean this summer. Her lowest weekly base rate is €329,000, with prime weeks in July and August priced at €350,000.
Burgess promises me that photographs will be made available soon, and I'll of course share them as soon as I have them. Believe me, I know you want to see those horse-hair barstool cushions and Swarovski-crystal detailing. They're certainly among the most memorable things I've seen so far here in Genoa this week.
More from the docks tomorrow, including an interesting "little ship" that is offering an affordable version of film festival charters here in the Med.
