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The extensive use of marble is visually stunning and
technically well executed. Such hard surfaces can transmit sound, sending echoes
booming around an area. Great care has been taken with the acoustics, which
register lower than the contract levels. Also, the marble has been softened with
the judicious introduction of cream silk carpets in selected zones.
 The flybridge deck offers open
and covered areas. Photograph by Martin Fine. (Click image to enlarge)
Weight is also an issue, but Crichton’s experience as a
performance yachtsman, one obsessed with culling unnecessary bulk, has been
brought to bear. The marble is cut in thin layers and mounted on an aluminum
honeycomb core to retain a sense of depth and mass at a fraction of the weight.
Subtle texture is added to the mahogany and ebony joinery ranging from matte
satin to gloss varnish, with selected feature pieces finished in black piano
lacquer. A styling theme that recurs throughout is the delicate stainless steel
inlay detail on tables, furniture pieces and floors.
The main deck comprises the aft cockpit with a curved settee
following the line of the transom and facing forward, and a coffee table and
cane-weave occasional chairs making a pleasant gathering place in the sun.
Forward and under the protection of the overhang from the flybridge deck is a
dining table for eight guests. Automatic steel and sliding glass doors open
to admit guests into the main salon, which features a modern bar portside, with
a formal lounge and dining area forward. Standing, or seated, guests enjoy
panoramic views through the continuous side windows. At the same time, the
tinted window treatments assure complete privacy. Two companionways lead forward
from the main salon. The starboard companionway opens into an entry lobby from
the main side deck via a yard-built pantograph door. A dayhead is situated in
the lobby.
Continuing forward on the starboard side leads to the owner’s
suite, which spans the full width of the superstructure. It features a
centerline forward-facing bed, with a dressing room tucked behind the aft
bulkhead, and a discreet office with deep gray leather desk and a sofa. The
flooring is covered in cream silk carpets, with overhead white and mahogany
ceiling panels. Opposite the foot of the bed are twin his-and-hers bathrooms
with a large shower situated between the two; access is from either side. The
bathrooms continue the theme of white marble floors, with aquamarine
back-painted glass on the shower and cabinets.
From the main salon, the portside companionway leads to the
service areas of the vessel. As it leads forward, a half flight of stairs rises
to the wheelhouse, while another stairway leads down to the lower deck and
directly into the galley. The galley features custom fridges with brushed
stainless steel doors and a large under-the-floor cold store. A fully equipped
laundry is on the starboard side, with a crew mess forward of the galley. The
wheelhouse is finished in mahogany and leather with a handsome steel and teak
wheel fronting an impressive electronics array. On-watch crewmembers have good
visibility through the heavily raked windscreen, with access onto the side decks
via a pantograph door on the port side. Access to the flybridge is via a
stairway from the wheelhouse or direct from the aft cockpit up a stairway
comprising teak treads "floating" on a stainless steel column. The flybridge
offers a mixture of covered areas and open sun decks, with a helm station
forward and a bar and sun loungers aft. Under the protection of the stylish
composite bimini is a dining table and barbecue. The décor here is polished
stainless steel and bright white lacquer surfaces with taupe upholstery on the
settees, loungers and barstools.
Guest cabins radiate from a lobby on the lower deck. The lobby
continues the white marble theme, with black lacquer chests on either side.
There are four guest cabins, two doubles and two twins. The starboard twin also
has a Pullman berth. All the guest cabins have bathrooms finished in white
marble with aquamarine back-painted glass showers and backlit cabinets.
Increasingly, guests wish to mix more sybaritic pleasures with a fitness regime,
and this requirement is catered to with a gym situated in the lazarette. The
lazarette serves as a garage for the six-meter owner’s tender (a 4.3-meter crew
tender stows on the foredeck), as well as a range of watersports equipment. When
the tender is launched via an overhead gantry crane through a watertight door on
the port side, the lazarette, with its all-teak sole, serves as a fully equipped
gym.
While Crichton’s purpose in building Como is really an
adjunct to his passion for sailing, that doesn’t detract from his satisfaction
with the outcome. Reviewing the vessel after commissioning trials, he gave an
assessment weighted with years of involvement in the international superyacht
scene.
"I’m extremely impressed with the workmanship," he says. "The boat is very,
very good. I would say that the interior finish is close to or equal to the best
of the European yards, and the level of engineering is superior."
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