| Oceanco 269 |  |
The world of large yachts is dominated by variations on a common
theme: a bright white hull and superstructure, three decks, a skylounge abaft
the wheelhouse and a mahogany paneled interior. With the uncommon frequency of a
solar eclipse, a yacht is launched that challenges contemporary design mores.
Oceanco’s Alfa Nero is one such vessel. Last year, The Maltese
Falcon rocked the world of large sailing yachts with its innovative rig and
styling and an interior that was far removed from the traditional sailboat
ambiance. The new 82-meter (269-foot) Alfa Nero does for motor yachts
what The Maltese Falcon did for sailing yachts, shifting the paradigm in
motor yacht design. Driven by a mission to make the most of her owner’s home
cruising grounds, the Mediterranean Sea, she is a yacht designed by people who
live the Mediterranean lifestyle. The view from either off the yacht or standing on her stern
reveals the yacht’s bold approach to styling. An infinity pool betrays its
location aft on the main deck, with a clear view through a transparent waterfall
transom. Designer Dan Lenard says the feature connects life on board to the sea,
a goal key to the owner’s vision of maximizing the lifestyle associated with
his home waters.
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If Alfa Nero were a conventional yacht, she would have a
transom settee protected by the overhang of the deck above. Instead, she
displays a refreshing scarcity of top-heavy vertical structure that endows her
with an aggressive, racy profile. Above her expansive aft deck is nothing but
blue sky, which makes it all the better to land a helicopter. At the bottom of
the pool a large "H" designates a landing pad. When the chopper comes in, the
pool drains quickly and the pad/pool bottom rises up flush with the deck. The
pool/pad arrangement is just one of many uncommon features found aboard this
black-hulled beauty from Holland.
Alfa Nero’s convertible pool and helipad is a superior work of engineering and could
redefine approaches to outdoor space on yachts. (Click images to enlarge)
The owner selected renowned Italian designer Alberto Pinto
to style the yacht’s interior. Given a free hand to create and produce the
interior concept, Pinto says he wanted Alfa Nero to have a luxurious
atmosphere, while maintaining a nautical theme. Each guest was to have a unique
visual experience in his or her stateroom. To that end, each cabin has a
distinctive air achieved through the use of colored leathers and other soft
goods.Pinto delivered a contemporary tone replete with focused nuances that are inviting and relaxing without being overpowering. An
undersea theme is used on various pieces throughout the yacht. For the side
tables, handmade bases by artist/designer Herve van der Straeten resemble
branches of staghorn coral. Similar renditions support the sconces on the
sideboards in the anigre-paneled VIP staterooms—green for the crew VIP cabin
on the lower deck and coral for the VIP cabin on the main deck. Wrapping around
the shades, the delicate staghorn coral-like fingers hold each fixture. The
bedspreads and pillows are stitched with similar depictions. The bathroom walls
in the VIP cabins feature a wainscot latticework of maple, birch and anigre. The
floors are a mosaic of giallo elisa, black slate and noce travertine marbles.
The hallway to the four guest staterooms is lined with 8-inch-by-10-inch frames
displaying black-and-white, low-contrast pictures of seashells. Such threads
connect the marine-themed elements within the yacht.
Top: The formal dining room with its molding of silver leaf on
etched glass. Bottom: The main-deck patio seating transitions into the dance
room. (Click images to enlarge)
The dance room is located between the aft deck’s patio seating
and the main salon. Hidden sliding glass partitions allow this space to be an
extension of the main salon. When the main-deck sliding doors are opened, the
entire area from the swimming pool to the main salon becomes a spectacular area
for entertaining. The Makassar ebony walls are inlaid with circular "bubbles" of
zebrano that give the rooms an abstract underwater appeal. The main salon also
houses an extravagant black-and-white Pleyel grand piano.The adjacent, main-deck dining rooms, abaft the guest
staterooms, can be separated by pocket doors, which, like the walls, are covered
in goatskin. The formal dining room seats 14 at an oval table, while a more
casual room situated starboard of the centerline seats four in the round. A
formal trim makes the space even more tantalizing. The cornice and the mullions
feature a special handmade, acid-sculpted glass. Silver leaf is applied to the
etched surface to give it a crinkled mirror appearance. Individual squares of
the silvered glass are inlaid flush in the Makassar ebony joinery. Enhancing the
experience in both dining areas are gunwales that drop down so diners can view
the sea.
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