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Designed to cruise the Mediterranean and North America, the versatile 91 foot Nefertari has broad appeal for busy yachtsmen.
by Jeff Hammond
photography by Suki Finnerty
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12/01/2006
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| Hargrave 91 |  |
Several years ago I took a cruise from Connecticut, down east
to Nova Scotia on my 1986 55-foot Hatteras convertible, spending two of the most
pleasant months I have ever experienced on the water. As I motored along, I got
to thinking that it would be fun to do a long "exploring" cruise every year
and travel to the best cruising grounds in the world, places like the Turkish
Coast, the Dalmatian Coast, the Inside Passage to Alaska and up to the tip of
Labrador, Canada. Those are the dreams motor yachts are made of. If only I had
one.
Motor Yacht with a
Mission
After 38 years in the marine publishing business, I have
crawled around enough boats and cruised enough to have some pretty firm ideas
about what I wanted in a motor yacht. My list of "must-haves" numbered 150 items, and not a production builder in his right mind would even
consider any serious modifications to a stock boat. Essentially, I wanted all of
the important amenities, equipment and elegance found on a 150 footer (costing
$25 to $35 million), the seakeeping abilities and safety of an
expedition-type yacht, and a cruising office and financial trading station like
that found on a cruise ship, all rolled up in a boat small enough that two
people could handle it in a pinch. A tall order, needless to say.
| Click on the Spec tab at top to see complete list of resources. |
There are not many options for such an enterprise if price is a
main objective, and it was. I chose Hargrave Custom Yachts. Hargrave is
affiliated with a yard in Taiwan, which has been in business for 30 years, that
will build customized boats inside their basic hulls and superstructure molds.
This saves lots of money. So while I couldn’t customize the hull or
superstructure, other than the length and beam, I could have the interior built
to suit, and specify all equipment. Taiwanese labor and low general and
administrative costs would save still more
money, meaning that a higher
percentage of my cash would be going into materials and equipment (such as the
twin Cat C30 diesels), and this would be the key to getting everything I wanted
into my world-cruising motor yacht.
Top: The salon’s furniture, evokes another age. Bottom:
The adjacent formal dining area, accommodates
eight. Photography by Dana Jinkins. (Click images to enlarge)
The result is the 91-foot (27.9-meter) motor yacht
Nefertari. (Egyptology, the study of Egyptian antiquities, is my hobby,
and Nefertari was the queen of Ramses II, the longest reigning pharaoh of
ancient Egypt, 1279 to 1213 B.C.)
The Main Salon
For two years, my design partner, former fashion industry
executive Suzy Stewart, researched the most beautiful megayachts for ideas. The
rich, dark walnut paneling accented with gold and alabaster sconces, and
furniture appointed in spice-colored wine and mustard fabrics are reminiscent of
another age. The dark paisleys and luxurious fabrics give Nefertari’s
salon a distinctly Mediterranean flavor. Fluted columns divide the main
salon into two sections. Forward is a formal dining area seating eight, with
china cabinets on two sides and cabinets all around for three sets of china,
wine glasses and chargers. Aft is a cozy parlor area with full sofa, love seat
and club chairs.
Fine joiner detail such as fluted curves, crown molding, hidden
air- conditioning ducts, faux cabinet drawers, burl accents and Roman shades
make the salon at once both elegant and cozy. Suzy’s meticulous attention to
detail and the hundreds of design and carpentry hours that went into crafting
this salon is immediately evident and speaks for itself.
Forward, Nefertari’s galley is a bright and cheery
"country kitchen" afloat, featuring blond anigre paneling inlaid with Chinese
gum burl accents in mullions and on cabinet doors. A center island offers up
a spice rack and plenty of storage for pots and pans. A generous Jenn-Air
refrigerator with French doors and a freezer below is thoughtfully augmented by
two below-the-counter Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer drawers, plus the
normal equipment, all of which is American-made for easy repair and parts
sourcing.
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