| Amels 225 |  |
The creation of 68.5-meter (225-foot) Lady Anne
was like an orchestral
performance, with her owners, an American couple, serving
as composer
and conductor, Dutch builder Amels as concertmaster and a team
of
talented designers and craftsmen rounding out the ensemble. Together,
they created a work they believe will entertain and endure.
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Amels has every reason to be proud of the build, which tested
the
builder’s exactitude and attention to detail. But much of the credit for the
ultimate success of the project must go to the yacht’s owners, who
went to
the yard with a proposal that was fait accompli down to the
smallest detail.
Their professional backgrounds—the man, a fashion
industry executive, and his
wife, an architect—left them well qualified
to deal with many of the important
aspects of the yacht, from design to
detailing to space planning.
 The observation deck showing the Perspex-topped
table. (Click image to enlarge)
But to fully realize their vision, they had to pool the talents of many
others. An international team was selected that included the late
exterior and interior designer Walter Franchini, marine surveyor Don
Patten, project
manager Hydrodynamics, noise and vibration specialist
Joe Smullen, the Seahorse
Design Group in Holland for the hull
profiling and coefficients,
cabinetmaking firm Ludwig & Dominique
in Paris and interior outfitters
Metrica in Germany, and Barbara Lane
from New York for carpet and fabric
consultation.
"Fresh, new, young, timeless, orderly and, yes, architectural"
is
how her owners sum up the interior and exterior design. It is a combination
that all owners strive for, but which few are able to achieve as
completely—generally due to concerns about cost and compromise—as has
been
done with Lady
Anne. "Designers are often
reluctant to put their egos aside in favor of the client’s needs, but
having
worked with Walter on our previous yacht, he simply rolled up
his sleeves and
did everything we wanted."
Top photo: The custom-made Serenella limousine tender. Bottom photo: The 10,000-liter pool on the sun deck. (Click images to enlarge)
The question of resale, which often is overlooked in the
owner-driven world of custom yachts, reflects Lady Anne’s owners’
experience with previous builds, and
their stature as astute business
people. "You don’t build for personal needs
alone," they say. "You look
at the envelope for the future and build also for
other people’s
requirements."
A prime example of this market awareness is the flexible layout
of
the master suite on the main deck. Designed as a self-contained apartment, it
includes a library and a VIP cabin for guests that can be closed off
from the
owner’s cabin. In case the current or future owners wish to
charter the yacht,
but keep clothes and personal possessions on board,
the his-and-hers walk-in
wardrobes in the master cabin, which offer
additional closet space, require
fingerprint recognition for entry. For
security reasons, guests must carry
electronic passes that control
access to their areas only. In addition, the crew
has to clean the
cabins within a certain timeframe or they will be denied
access. The
system also logs when doors are opened and by whom and can
automatically print a muster list in the event of an emergency.
The owner’s area includes a private galley complete with trash
compactor, propane gas cooker, icemaker, coffee maker and
fridge-freezers in
case they or special guests want to prepare their
own food. "In this day and
age, people like to be able to pick and
choose," the owners say. One of the main
principles governing the
interior design is that guests have the freedom to help
themselves or
to ask a steward.
 Lady Anne at anchor in Portofino. (Click image to enlarge)
In the theater room on the main deck, there is a casual
European-style bar arrangement where guests can help themselves at any
time or
be waited on. On the gym deck, the hibachi and barbecue grills
have adjacent
stools, meant for Japanese-style dining rather than
Western-style drinking.
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