Crossing the Corinth Canal on deck four is high on the bucket list of many yachties. When "Alunya" took this route, the hull sides of the 50 metre long Benetti were separated from the steep walls by a good seven metres, a manageable challenge in terms of navigation. First Officer Greg Stylo was much more pleased that the owner's family was able to have such an experience on the maiden voyage - and from the round sofa on the forward sun deck, a feature made for the 3.4 nautical mile long passage. "They lay there and marvelled," recalls Stylo during the yacht tour.
The wide "tunnel view" was possible because Benetti pulled the aluminium bulwark downwards and installed a glass dress. The design brief came from the RWD design studio. "We attached great importance to the styling. We removed as many details as possible during the finishing work. The exterior had to be very pleasing to the eye," emphasises RWD team leader Andrew Collett on the sun deck. For Benetti's B.Now 50, the British team applied the concept of "pure simplicity". The hull and superstructure were to be a single unit, achieved with just a few metres of railing and hardly any edges or chamfers. Collett had already achieved a kind of unibody with "Rahil", a 65 metre long solitaire that was launched in Livorno in 2011 and was taken up by the Benetti-Giga "Ije" (issue 1/22).
Keep lines as clean as possible
Collett points to ventilation grilles that merge seamlessly into the window eyes at the top. "Everything is integrated from the outset." One deck below, the nock and the life rafts in front of it are submerged in the bulwark. "We wanted the lines to be as pure as possible," adds head exterior designer Marc Gardner. "We didn't want to add anything afterwards. Everything that is there is there for a reason, and for good reason." The brief Benetti gave RWD was to maintain the look of the Oasis line. "As a British studio, we're quite understated. But we wanted to keep Benetti's DNA, hence the bows. Just a bit more theatre," says Andrew Collett, who acts as the interface between the design team and Benetti. Almost 60 people work for the studio from Beaulieu in the south of England, and customised buildings are still their main focus.
"Alunya" is the sixth B.Now 50 and the second in the Oasis version with the folding aft bulwarks. Benetti, with the active support of various brokerage houses, has already concluded contracts for the construction of 18 units. Benetti's COO Sebastiano Fanizza said at the "Alunya" launch in Livorno: "The B.Now 50 model is certainly one of the most popular models in our history." The 49.90 metre yacht starts at 35 million euros and offers a classic layout: owners stay on the forward main deck, with four guest cabins below and the crew of up to twelve living in the foredeck. Those who want to celebrate success in charter operations can opt for an additional, albeit small, cabin instead of the office on the bridge deck.
TWW Yachts found buyers for "Alunya". David Westwood, Principal Partner at the Monegasque broker: "The project was a great success and a lot of fun. Despite numerous changes to the interior, the yacht was launched in time for the summer season." Although construction was already well advanced when FB606 was launched, the owners had plenty of time to customise her to their taste. They spent a week in Milan to select furniture.
Classic interior design for "Alunya"
Prior to this, Benetti's own creative team was at work, submitting three different interior design proposals for the B.Now-50M series: Modern, Contemporary and Classic. "Alunya" was given the latter styling: with curly maple as the main wood and dark ziricote, a tonewood from Brazil and Nicaragua, which sets accents as the frame of the ceiling domes or the edges of various pieces of furniture. The lounge was furnished with a series of low tables by Paolo Castelli and armchairs by Minotti and Cassina, which stand in front of a wall bar made of translucent onyx. There is no television in the entire saloon "When the owner's family is on board, they want to spend time together. Then they put their mobile phones away and let work be work," says the chief officer. "The children are in their mid-twenties and have their own company. When they come on board, it's family time." There are to be yachts with guest cabins that each have a locker with a time lock for the smartphones.
"Alunya" was equipped with nice details
A development that is also becoming more and more common: On "Alunya" there are no fixed dining areas inside. On the upper deck, too, there is more of a lounge, a nice little communal area where most of the time is spent with the children and board games are played. The TV is concealed by a mirror, while dining takes place further aft, well protected from the side by the glass arches and at an extendable table for up to ten guests. Or less formally, one deck higher under the hardtop. The master suite impresses with a loggia to starboard, an uncomplicated solution for getting outside quickly. A shower integrated into the ceiling was a special request. First Officer Greg Stylo: "A nice detail, you might think. But it's probably the most used feature on board. There's nothing more relaxing than getting ready for dinner and taking an outdoor shower while watching a beautiful sunset on a clear day with a view of the coast."
Afterwards, you disappear into the generously proportioned bathroom with Calacatta Borghini marble, which has been moved behind the sleeping area. As a result - and although the tender car park in the foredeck is located forward - curved windows on both sides provide a view diagonally forwards from a chaise longue. A feature that is denied to suites on the main decks of many other 50-metre formats. Jet skis, toys and a tender of up to 5.65 metres in length are stored in the bow, which a telescopic crane on the starboard side can haul in and out with the hull wall lowered hydraulically. The small tender, which can be used as a rescue or crew tender, is lowered into the water by a davit that can be raised. The area open on three sides does not count towards the interior volume of just under 500 gross tonnes.
The second with Oasis deck
"Alunya" is the second B.Now 50 with an Oasis deck. A total of twelve of the 18 units sold were ordered with the hydraulically folding bulwark, which maximises the aft deck area to 110 square metres and extends seven metres beyond the flanks. In the centre is the spa pool with a glass rear window, the water of which is purified in tanks. The chief officer explains: "As we use it every one to two weeks, we naturally have to treat the water again. We have a fresh water maker on board, which we use to exchange salt water and fresh water and purify the water in just a few hours."
The water basin is framed by two L-shaped sofas, between which four steps lead to the cockpit. From there, stairs on the port side lead to the gym with shower room. As an alternative to the two Oasis wings, Benetti has created a slightly larger space with a one-sided folding terrace in the hull, which is connected to the stern platform on the starboard side by a raised section of the large aft staircase. Benetti also installs the aft deck pool in the non-Oasis variants, but then in a somewhat more compact form. "Because of the shared design ethos, it was easy for us to integrate the Oasis deck into the B.Now line," reports RWD man Collett, who also designed the B.Now models in 60, 67 and 72 metres in length with the Oasis option together with his team.
There is almost a 360-degree view from on board
The sun deck is also characterised by open spaces. All the furniture is movable and makes room for a small yoga studio if required. Not surprisingly, a shower is also installed up here on "Alunya". Collett: "Apart from the arches and posts, you should have an almost 360-degree view from everywhere on board and always be able to see the sea. The latter applies to every interior." Up here, you can see how much RWD has worked on the crew walkways for the B.Now series - essential for a semi-custom series that may be on the market for ten years and has to function in everyday life at sea. This allows the crew to reach the top deck directly behind the bar and serve drinks immediately. In the other direction is the galley on the upper deck and on to the galley and the crew's accommodation on the lower deck.
More space for guests thanks to compact wheelhouse
The captain sleeps behind the wheelhouse, which is deliberately kept compact. "Many other boats have large bridges, which is a waste of space. Give it to the guests, we don't need more than that," Greg Stylo reports from experience. "Alunya" shows no deviation from the standard of the B.Now series, which Benetti also offers with a hybrid package. A pair of CMC stabilisers electrically compensate for rolling movements, while two MAN twelve-cylinder engines with 1029 kilowatts each propel the hull calculated by P.L.A.N.A. to a maximum of 15 knots.
After delivery, the 50 metres covered 3,500 miles in six weeks, usually travelling at twelve knots, and advanced as far as Greece and Turkey. "The mission was to see something new every day. We only had to weather five days in a bay off Paros," says Stylo. Whether "Alunya" will have a commercial career after the intensive private use, including the Caribbean season, is not out of the question: "She's ready. I just have to get the go-ahead, do the paperwork, get representatives from RINA and the Cayman Islands here, and we can get started." It is to be hoped that the many offline experiences will then also be open to charter guests.
Technical data
- Length over everything: 49,90 m
- Width: 9,20 m
- Depth: 2,50 m
- Displacement (empty): 460 t
- Gross tonnage: 499 Gross Tons
- Material: Steel, aluminium
- Motors: 2 x MAN V12
- Engine power: 2 x 1029 kW
- Speed (max.): 15 kn
- Speed (travelling): 12 kn
- Range @ 12 kn: 4500 nm
- Generators: 2 x 125 kW
- Fuel: 60 000 l
- Water: 12 000 l
- Fins stabilisers: CMC Marine
- Construction: P.L.A.N.A., Azimut|Benetti
- Exterior design: RWD
- Interior design: Benetti Style Department
- Class: RINA
- Shipyard: Benetti Yachts, 2023
- Starting price: 35 million euros
