Sometimes everything has to happen very quickly. Even or especially in yacht building, as Benetti's second B.Now 67M proves. It is all the more of a race against time when shipyards start major projects without customers and the sale succeeds in the second half of the construction period. Then the precise planning is supplemented by the willingness to make almost anything possible in the shortest possible time. "I think the complete redesign of the interior took about six weeks. We had to be in a mad rush to get the design process moving," says Davide Siggia,
interior designer at Sinot.
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The information that it was the customer's first yacht could have brought beads of sweat to the project planners' foreheads. But it didn't. Siggia reports on board "Lady Estey": "After three weeks, we had the first version ready. Then we received feedback. After another three weeks, we made another complete presentation with all the cabins, details and views." On the ship's technical side, Benetti offered a 16-knot steel-aluminium base with two CAT diesels with 1,350 kilowatts of power each. This was not the first time that the shipyard engineers from Livorno had customised a 67-metre semi-custom project. The buyer had a clear idea, yacht references and a theme for the interior design in mind: "The Great Gatsby". All signs point to Art Deco? Not quite, because the defining style of the Roaring Twenties can be anything from playfully floral to strictly geometric. And where does Sinot fit in, the Dutch studio that most recently won the fabulously illuminated Zen minimalism drew attention to itself?
Art deco interior, reinterpreted by Sinot
"We have tried to give a classic interior a new meaning," explains Davide Siggia in the saloon. The first room on the main deck is rich in shapes, materials and surfaces, but appears lighter than pure Art Deco interiors. Cream-coloured wall panels made of leather and curly maple contrast with the table and sideboard made of wenge, an ebony bar and the ziricote pillars to the sides. All the woods are gloss lacquered, which emphasises the striped effect of the rift-grain veneers and the joint patterns of the floral veneers. The oak parquet flooring with its lightly whitewashed surface brings a sense of calm to the rooms.
The boiserie panels, whether made of leather or wood, are interspersed with inserts made of stainless steel profiles instead of shiny gold brass, as you would expect on land. "The owner chose every surface and material that was used. He wanted the project to be realised exactly as it is. He wanted to bring his style to it." A formal contrast results from angular furniture and round elements such as lights or the ring-shaped supports of the side table. Backlit onyx on the bar, which rivals mother-of-pearl, acts as an eye-catcher. The armchairs are grey rather than piano black.
After a meal and aperitif, the aft deck with its covered pool would be a formidable area for dancing the Charleston - on 50 square metres and with a 270-degree panorama. After the ballroom dance popular in the Roaring Twenties, the stern-facing cockpit takes up almost the entire width of the boat. There is no annoying external staircase here, as was the case on the B.Now premiere in 2018 at 50 metres. The British RWD Studio created an exterior for Benetti that looks as if it has been cast from a single mould and has been extended to include the Oasis Deck. Among other things, the folding aft bulkheads create a flexible, sociable area in close contact with nature - a successful response to changing usage habits and the new urge to go outside. More than half of the 21 B.Now 50Ms sold rely on the Oasis Deck. In addition to "Lady Estey", another of the three 67M sisters points to the open aft deck.
Stair railing is the main actor on "Lady Estey"
It's back to the interiors. And you shouldn't throw yourself too forcefully into the banister of "Lady Estey's" central staircase after the dance interlude. The balustrade is made of ribbed glass that looks like mother-of-pearl and gave Davide Siggia and his team a headache: "The staircase is normally the centrepiece of the ship. In this case, we tried to make it more restrained by using this laser with some stainless steel inlays. It took about 27 attempts to get to the final result, as everything is handmade and hand-chiselled. The glass required a certain amount of strength as it is extremely fragile. A real work of art."
The staircase with its marble steps marks a change in style from the darker colours of the various guest areas on the front main deck to the lighter walls of the staircase, which is clad in Calacatta stone and the recurring metal insert motif. In addition to the visual appearance, the design was also characterised by future-oriented thinking. The lift is not round as usual, but rectangular and wide enough for wheelchair access. For the same reason, the handrails in the main deck corridor were recessed into the wall. To achieve this, the Sinot team and Benetti's designers had to change the floor plan and move one wall outwards by ten centimetres. As a result, the three double cabins on the starboard side are slightly smaller than the three on the port side, although this is barely visible. In addition, three of the cabins have wide passages for wheelchairs if they are needed.
To ensure continuity throughout the yacht, the designers started with the lounge on the main deck, the guest staircase and the owner's suite and transferred the design elements to all cabins and communal areas. In keeping with the owner's desire for design parity, all six guest suites are furnished to the same standard as the owner's suite. This is reflected in the six bathrooms with a mixture of Lasa marble and Nero Marquina. Both materials also appear in the owner's residence on the family deck above: the light-coloured Lasa stone in her bathroom and the black marble in his.
Veneer pictures replace paintings
On the continuous contrast of black and white, Siggia adds: "Dark ash inlays can be found in his cupboard doors, while curly maple runs through the furniture on their side." Only one thing applies to the front of the Beletage: light. "They were looking for some extra storage space, but we didn't want to detract from the beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows. That's why we left the front window completely open," says the Sinot designer. The few existing cupboards do not touch the mullions; one of them houses the TV set. The inlets and outlets of the air conditioning system are also inconspicuous.
Benetti integrated them into architectural elements and they blend seamlessly into the dark wood.
Side doors lead from the sleeping chamber to the foredeck with the 40 centimetre shallow additional pool. As there is no direct access from the main deck, the bow area becomes a private terrace when the running deck door is closed. The entire family deck can also be closed off. The lounge and office of the forward suite are followed by stairwells for guests and crew, a galley and a second saloon. Here, the woodwork on the side walls is even more striking than one level below. Like works of art - which would be difficult to hang anyway given the high proportion of glass - they give rise to interpretation. For example, veneer sheets of ziricote that have been joined together in an upturned manner appear to imitate the shape of lungs. Davide Siggia explains: "It gives the wood a little more character without being obtrusive. But even if you spend a long time in it, your eyes don't get tired of all these extra details."
Round platform with precisely planned layout
Those who long for colourful and formal tranquillity can head aft for some fresh air and settle down at the sheltered dining area or behind it on the loose teak furniture from Summit. The communal outdoor area is arranged and equipped almost identically one level above. The bridge and the captain's cabin in front of it are crowned by a crow's nest with a whirlpool at the front foot of the mast. Guests have to go down to the water's edge for sports and spa activities. As the emergency tender is parked forward on the main deck and the large tenders are parked starboard below in front of the engine room and opposite the galley, there is still room for a beach club and gym in the stern despite the lavishly large aft deck.
"Lady Estey" combines all the characteristics of a large yacht and looks complete both inside and out. The reason: RWD gave the 67 metres a layout that is as universal as it is refined - and thus created a platform that comes in handy for owners when speed is the order of the day.
Technical data of the "Lady Estey
- Length over everything: 67 m
- Width: 11,20 m
- Depth: 3,10 m
- Displacement (empty): 1.232 t
- Gross tonnage: 1,300 Gross Tons
- Material: Steel, aluminium
- Motors: 2 x Caterpillar 3512E
- Engine power: 2 x 1,350 kW
- Speed (max.): 16 kn
- Speed (travelling): 12 kn
- Range @ 12 kn: 4,500 sm
- Generators: 3 x 150 ekW
- Fuel: 110.000 l
- Water: 30.000 l
- Guests: 14
- Crew: 17
- Construction: Pierluigi Ausonio
- Exterior design: RWD
- Interior design: Sinot Yacht Design
- Class: Lloyd's Register
- Shipyard: Benetti, 2025
Sören Gehlhaus
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