The bridge is one of the few sober rooms on board "Viatoris". Behind the seating area for nautical enthusiasts, a gold-framed icon leans against the wall. The Saint Nicholas depicted on it is the patron saint of sailors and travellers and is said to always watch over the 40-metre displacement vessel, which was welded in Gdansk according to Lloyd's and MCA rules.
For "Viatoris", Latin for traveller, the owner once again relied on the quality of Conrad Shipyard for good reason. "It is the Polish mentality to gain recognition through our work. Perhaps it is a kind of complex from the communist era and, to a large extent, my own personal aspiration," explains shipyard manager Mikołaj Król in the opulent owner's cabin.
Variance in harmony
At the pragmatic owner's request, zodiac sign sculptures loll behind glass panes for minimal cleaning effort. "Modern interiors were too cold for him, not cosy enough," says Król, who, in consultation with the 57-year-old owner, chose the same style for all rooms, varying only the upholstery colours and types of wood, the latter sometimes strongly and always in contrast to the stainless steel details. In the owner's suite on the forward main deck, the two side doors open outwards and become the lateral boundary for the respective folding bulwark. "Together with the two folding balconies in the saloon, these are the first that we have installed - all approved by Lloyd's," says the classically trained architect, leaning back on a velvet blue armchair that he found years ago from a Spanish manufacturer. It swivels and can be tilted by a few degrees.
Various mirrors sparkle in the American-style bathroom behind the bed, two types of marble - they appear everywhere - and two of the many wood variations that Conrad's carpenters finished with seven layers of varnish. Originally, this room, like the lounge, was to be panelled with dark-stained oak, but at the last moment the decision was made in favour of the lighter rosewood-oak version.
The owner and Król agreed on oak parquet flooring in all cabins, and Król makes it clear: "It's his house on the water. He doesn't want friends or charter guests to feel at home here, just him and his family." This is also reflected in the small crew size. Two LY3-certified double cabins for the first mate and up to three service staff are located on the forward lower deck, while the captain's retreat is located behind the helm.
Double-edged opulence
The inflationary use of fine woods may or may not be appreciated, but the workmanship is always flawless. Just like the "sound chandeliers" set into the ceiling above the owner's bed. In rough seas, their crystal chains form a sound installation that surrounds a circular ventilation system with 800 louvres, each one painted and polished by hand. Various inlets, often combined with indirect lighting, make the ceiling height of 2.10 metres appear higher. The corridor appears wider because there are two sliding doors at the room transitions, but only one closes. Mirrors further enlarge and brighten the rooms. The oval chest of drawers designed by Król - three of which flank the lounge and dining table - merges into a deep block with additional storage space below the first drawer. Such visual tricks and Art Deco excursions take away the impression of a captain's room from the interior. The rounded table corners bear witness to Conrad's experience in building safe, seaworthy sailing yachts. Fittingly: All tables are firmly anchored, even in the two guest suites on the lower deck, where there are two further double cabins. Amidships, a staircase with helical railings leads to the skylounge.
In contrast to the retractable TV in the lounge, this is permanently and prominently positioned in front of two velvety sofas and an armchair. Above it, a wooden inlaid world map is carved into the ceiling. On the port side, there is a bar with a dishwasher and a lift for food from the galley equipped with Gaggenau appliances one deck below. Stew serves meals outside at a table for up to seven people.
"Life on board should be anything but formal," says Król on the adjoining aft deck, as he electrically extends the remote-controlled LED screen to the rear seating area. The adjacent bar and grill, like all the outdoor areas, is surrounded by an artistically decorated stainless steel railing, one of Król's many own creations that turn "Viatoris" into a floating Conrad showroom. All the stainless steel parts, from the ventilation slots to the pipework in the engine compartment, are manufactured in-house.
Plagiarism prophylaxis
When the owner saw Hakvoort's "Apostrophe" lying next to Conrad's motorsailer "Lunar" at the Monaco boat show in 2013, he knew what his next yacht should look like and who the exterior design should come from. A well-calculated hull from the Dutch company Diana Yacht Design and an existing styling by Reymond Langton seemed to be good prerequisites for starting construction quickly. The disadvantage: visual similarity only generates limited attention for a format in a new league for the shipyard. Mikołaj Król was also hesitant to contact the British designer duo because a well-known yacht designer had refused to work with him on a previous project. However: "I called him and Andrew (Langton) treated my enquiry with respect. We met a few times and the chemistry was right."
A total of 20 modern design adaptations came from Bath in the south of England, all of which were too far removed from "Apostrophe" for the owner. After several iterations, the design with the X in the superstructure was chosen, much to the delight of Król, who sees the X-Yacht stamp as a calling card rather than a stigma. The owner was reassured by the fact that the blue and white transition, familiar from the Reymond-Langton design "Aviva", makes the intersecting blades look far less martial than in white superstructures on a white hull. However, the sporty X does not quite match the leisurely disposition of "Viatoris".
Two CAT six-cylinder engines with a total output of 1000 kilowatts power the steel-aluminium displacement vessel to 13 knots. At 10.5 knots, the economical diesel engines and 48,600 litres in the bunker enable 4000 nautical miles of travel.
Beach penthouse instead of beach club
As the owner is not drawn to the open sea, but is drawn to the sauna every day and does not want it to languish in a rarely open beach club, Conrad converted the Sundeck into a beach penthouse. Opposite the 2.50 x 1.50 metre sauna, there is a treadmill and a wall bars from Technogym's Kinesis series for functional training. A jacuzzi with a capacity of two tonnes of water provides relaxation afterwards.
If required, two sunshades can be raised, which otherwise provide shade for the six square metre sunpads on the foredeck. Behind the bow, the crew stow their almost four-metre-long Williams tender, which moves to the aft deck on longer passages to keep the collision bulkhead clear. A Castoldi Jettender is parked in the lazarette next to a jet ski.
Conrad offers "Viatoris" as a semi-custom format under the unadorned designation C133. The Reymond-Langton designs of the 3.50 metre longer C144, the 47 metre long C155 and the C133S are very attractive. The facelift with an almost straight stem increases the volume by 25 gross tonnes and creates space for an additional crew cabin in the bow. Mikołaj Król is confident that another C-series order with an X-factor will be received by the end of the year. Conrad ultimately charged 16.9 million euros for "Viatoris". Without the high-gloss interior, the four folding balconies and laminated safety glass from Tilse, owners are paying around two million euros less. The smallest and cheapest additional equipment, the St Nicholas statue on the bridge, has already proved its worth. During the ten-day maiden voyage to Norway, the saint laid his protective hand over the 393 Gross Tons as "Viatoris" battled through a veritable storm for 40 hours at two knots.
Technical data
- Length over everything:40,00 m
- Width:8,30 m
- Depth:2,65 m
- Displacement (full):355 t
- Material:Steel, aluminium
- Motor:2 x CAT C18 ACERT
- Engine power:2 x 500 kW
- Speed (max.):13 kn
- Speed (travelling):11 kn
- Fuel:48.600 l
- Range:4000 nm @ 10.50 kn
- Bow thruster:1 x 60 kW
- Stern thruster:1 x 60 kW
- Stabiliser:CMC
- Tender:Castoldi
- Glass:Tilse
- Galley:Gaggenau
- Styling:Reymond Langton
- Interior design:Conrad, M. Król
- Construction:Diana Yacht Design
- Design category:LR, MCA, LY3
- Shipyard:Conrad Shipyard, 2018
