Every yachtsman’s a superyacht owner
Reading about a new wizzo superyacht nearly put a bit of a cramp in the summer cruise. Dahlia is all ready to go, gleaming with polish, Woodskinned to golden perfection, antifouled in a Cambridge blue which if less than charming was at least pretty cheap. Then along comes this superyacht, and we have been forced to see our ancient ketch with new eyes.
Unlike the superyacht, henceforward to be known as Concept Zero, Dahlia is not 73m long, limiting herself to a more discreet nine. But does she, we ask ourselves, reflect Concept Zero’s seminal notion of dominant minimalism, whatever that may be? Let us examine the facts.
Dominant minimalism seems to require (I quote) low bulwarks and intensive use of glass, with access via sliding doors to alfresco spaces. Dahlia is only part of the way there. Her bulwarks are pretty high, thank goodness. There is a bit of glass or anyway perspex in her coachroof windows, but only, by Concept Zero standards, a postage stamp-sized patch of the stuff. Alfresco spaces score better on the Dominant Minimalism index. The cockpit, extremely alfresco, is accessed via a sliding hatch –made, admittedly, of wood, but sliding enough to provide a slight if temporary feeling of smugness. Concept Zero has an infinity lounge, with direct access from the owner’s cabin. Dahlia has an aft cabin, often used by the owner, so it probably counts as an owner’s cabin. This luxurious apartment, which contains a bunk and on a good day a sleeping bag, has direct access to the, er, cockpit, which is roofed, sprayhood excepted, by the sky. This gives direct access to the known and unknown universe, and could be considered an infinity space. As long, that is, as you believe in an infinite universe and not the more mathematically acceptable Big Bang theory...
But we are entering realms unnecessarily philosophical, and need to continue this discussion without the use of graphs and equations. Concept Zero has exclusive access from the owner’s cabin to a spa with Jacuzzi on an outdoor terrace. This exclusivity calls up visions of the inhabitants of guest cabins banging on the door of the owner’s cabin asking if they can have a go in the whirlpool, and the owner, chin deep in the guggling mineral water, telling them to hang on a minute for God’s sake. This has some resonances with the situation on Dahlia, where the forepeak head can sometimes be rendered unusable by the sanitary requirements of a member of the ship’s co
