Few owners downsize in the course of their yachting life. For Roberto Cavalli, downsizing seems almost absurd. However, as the Florentine fashion czar with a penchant for extravagance wanted to be behind the wheel himself more often and only has a pleasure craft licence, his new yacht had to be less than 24 metres long. The hull of "Freedom" actually measures 28 metres, but the removable bow and stern sections mean that it falls under the CE limit.
Cavalli had a clear idea of the exterior. "Roberto wanted something sporty and aggressive that reflected his attitude to life at sea and his strong personality. He wanted a boat that Batman would drive!" recalls Tommaso Spadolini of the first iteration in 2016. The two friends had already developed the predecessor yacht "RC". Cavalli used the 41-metre-long Baglietto with a purple metallic hull as a business yacht on which he invited customers and partners to promote his brand. "This time he wanted a yacht purely for private use with his partner, two crew members and up to four guests. Not forgetting his two dogs, Lupo and Lapo!" says Spadolini. The yacht designer, who is also based in Florence, worked on the exterior together with Cavalli and advised him on the interior design. "I'm a creative person, so I wanted to do the interior design myself, which meant choosing all the materials, decors and accessories. Tommaso supported me along the way to ensure that the furniture I chose fitted properly into the available space," says Cavalli, describing the creative and collaborative way of working. Even if the brand that bears his name is now taking a somewhat more moderate course in terms of fashion, the leopard prints are still a must. The 78-year-old last sold his company, which has been in the red since 2013, to an Italian investment company in 2015.
Interior of the "Freedom" in the style of Cavalli
In his private life, Cavalli, who describes his own style as eclectic, still likes it flamboyant. In the owner's area, golden snake handles hang in front of fronts with a crocodile structure, the eagle sculptures on the sideboards in the lounge also shine in gold, and the obligatory feline predator décor crops up again and again, even in a highly desaturated version on the wall panels. A wide variety of African animal skin prints can be found on the upholstery, cushion covers and bedspreads.
The curved "RC" letters of the brand logo are the first to be crossed by those who board via the stern. However, the fashion designer also provided more moderate impulses, such as the prints of his own photographs applied to the bulkheads. They are all travel shots by a passionate photographer.
The owner looks out over the New York skyline from his bed, above which a round skylight made of frosted glass provides natural light. Behind it hangs - completely uncovered - a projector that projects onto a retractable screen. Four steps lead up from the aft main deck to his 22 square metre quarters. The reason for this is a key specification requirement: the owner's cabin should be located on the main deck and offer exclusive access to both the helm station and the flybridge. If the door to the aft deck lounge is closed, the sundeck becomes a private owner's terrace. "This is a first on a yacht of this size - with all-round sea views and natural air circulation," says Spadolini, emphasising the advantages of the split-level layout.
Close to the sea due to low bulwark
At the same time, it was important to Cavalli that the lounge on the aft deck was just above the surface of the water to maximise the proximity to the sea and was surrounded by a low bulwark and three large doors. "This gave rise to the design challenge of reducing the ceiling height of the engine room," says Spadolini, explaining the specifications he gave Cerri Cantieri Navali (CCN) for the construction of the aluminium structure. The shipyard from Carrara in Tuscany only had fourteen months from placing the order to delivery. "Although we approached several shipyards, CCN was the only one willing to accept the tight schedule. Due to its proximity to Florence, Roberto was able to visit the shipyard frequently and accompany the construction," says Spadolini.
In the eight metre long engine compartment, three MAN diesels produce a total of 4191 kilowatts. The twelve cylinders are coupled to two Kamewa jets, which frame a booster. The water jet propulsion is based on another requirement for "Freedom": that she has to run at 40 knots. "During the seatrials, we managed 46 knots with nine tonnes of fuel and no furniture, now it's 42 knots," explains the captain, who has been sailing on jet-powered yachts for almost his entire life.
The ceiling height rises in front of the lowered engine compartment, and a door leads to the galley, which, together with the dinette, extends over the entire width of seven metres. The owner and crew share the 4.30 metres of worktop. Cavalli's requirement was a kitchen like on land. Guests who have to make their way from the main deck via the central staircase through the galley or from the steering position via the companionway also feel at home. They then enter the eighty centimetre wide corridor, from which they turn off to port into a double cabin with bunk beds and to starboard into a twelve square metre suite. VIPs sleep under another Cavalli holiday photo showing Central Park with a view towards the Atlantic.
The retreats for the crew of two are located in the foredeck and consist of a cabin for the captain and a double cabin, which, however, is only occupied by a stewardess. If you take the stairs up from here, you reach the helm station with captain's chairs for the owner and captain, from which there are exits to the side decks.
The superhero yacht from Cavalli
The gap in the storage space left by the lowered aft deck is closed by a carbon canopy on the foredeck, whose sixteen square metres of teak become a sunbathing area. Is this where the Batman magic is hidden? Not quite, the 3.45 metre long tender is a standard model, as is the crane. There is also storage space for loose furniture under the canopy.
But this is precisely part of the special equipment that undoubtedly belongs to a superhero vehicle, like the visually striking features that distinguish the saviour of mankind as such from a distance. One such feature on "Freedom" is the aft arch of the superstructure, the Spadolini arch. "The round curve protects the rear cockpit from the wind," says the master craftsman, adding: "To emphasise the sporty nature of the yacht, we had the hull painted in metallic black and the superstructure in dark grey metallic."
After the first test runs, Roberto Cavalli was delighted with his 28-metre fun yacht: "I'm over the moon with the end result and want to spend as much time on board as possible. This year, I plan to live on board almost continuously until September!" If that doesn't sound like the ultimate dolce vita plan for a private owner.
Technical data
- Length over everything: 28,00 m
- Width: 7,10 m
- Depth: 1,35 m
- Displacement (half): 80 t
- Material:Aluminium
- Motor: 3 x MAN D2862LE476
- Engine power:3 x 1397 kW
- Drive: 2 x Kamewa A3 56, 1 x Kamewa A56 Booster
- Speed (max.):42 kn
- Speed (travelling): 34 kn
- Fuel: 14 000 l
- Water:2000 l
- Fuel: 14 000 lng
- Tender: Williams Sportjet 345
- Galley: Miele
- Tender: Williams Sportjet 345
- Interior design: Roberto Cavalli
- Construction:Studio Spadolini
- Design category:CE "A"
- Classification:RINA
- Shipyard:CCN, 2018
This article appeared in the BOOTE Exclusiv issue 04/2019 and was revised by the editorial team in June 2023.
