|
|
|
Mark Grosvenor relied on his and his dad’s bluewater experience in building his salty, 96-foot Doggersbank Offshore motor yacht.
by Bill Ando
photography by Pamela Jones (Interior) & Stephane Bravin (Exterior)
|
01/01/2005
|
| Bloemsma & Van Breemen |  |
After more than 30 years of serious sailing, during which he owned several large
cruising sailboats, Mark Grosvenor found himself at the Vripack booth during the
2000 Fort Lauderdale boat show, succumbing to the solid lines and rugged promise
of a Doggersbank Offshore design. A few weeks later, he was in Holland
committing to build a custom 96-footer he would ultimately christen Patriot.
He admits that many of his friends were surprised at the change to a motor
yacht. He says he’s an example of the age-old trend for sailors to one day
switch to a motor vessel. A sailboat spends a lot of time motoring or waiting
for the wind and takes more crew to operate than a motor yacht, he explains.
Moreover, he adds, “Your day-to-day living is a little bit grander on a motor
yacht.”
Patriot was conceived by Grosvenor to take his family around the
world, and also to fulfill, “a quiet ambition to have a Dutch yacht of my
own,” he says. He hoped that building at Bloemsma & van Breemen would
fulfill the dream that began in 1968 when, as an exchange student in Holland, he
was impressed by the quality of yachts he saw at the Royal Huisman and Jongert
shipyards.
| Click on the Spec and Design tab at
top to
see complete list
of resources. |
As an experienced bluewater sailor, Grosvenor knew he had chosen
the right design, but he also realized the success of the project would lie in
the details. In conceiving of his dream yacht, he developed a wish list 1,000
items long. Moreover, his offshore experience created an overriding condition
for the project: “Everything had to be the best,” he says.
Many of the ideas
he brought to Patriot were inspired by his father, Judson, who used the money he
would have otherwise spent on cigarettes to buy his first boat, a wooden
12-footer. Unfortunately, his dad passed away halfway through Patriot’s build,
but Grosvenor says his yacht’s name and spirit are tributes to him.
At first
glance, Patriot looks like any other solid Doggersbank. Closer inspection shows
a dramatic array of beautifully finished stainless steel details, most
custom-built for the yacht. The three-stateroom interior requires no second look
to appreciate the quality. The woodwork throughout is American cherry,
contrasted with imported fabrics and Brazilian blue or Madura gold granite
counters in the service areas and rosso damasco marble in the baths. Damian
Tuggey was interior designer for the project.
|
|
|
|
|
Email This
Printer Friendly Version
Reprints & Permissions
Most Popular Searches