Mark T. Masciarotte
02/01/2007
For lovers of character boats, the range of expedition yachts
built by Anacortes, Washington–based Northern Marine is, as the old Yankee
expression goes, a joy to behold. Hefty and rugged, the boats have handsome
exterior lines that at the very first glance offer the promise of a seakindly
ride in all but the most extreme weather conditions. Delivered last summer to
Larry and Joan Castellani, 80-foot (24-meter) Julianne is no
exception.
Before settling on a builder, the couple looked at yards in the
United
States, Europe and Asia and considered building in steel, aluminum and
composite. In the end, however, it was an encounter with Bruce and Joan
Kessler,
Northern Marine’s first customers, that sold the Castellanis
on the yard and on
the boat’s propulsion package.
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"Even though I’d talked to quite a few builders," said Larry, "I had never taken into consideration the idea of having a single-screw boat. One day, I saw Bruce Kessler’s boat, Spirit of Zopilote, and I was trying to take pictures of it on the dock, when this booming voice comes out of nowhere and says, ‘You back up any farther, you’re going to fall in the water.’ So I turn around, and I was right at the edge of the dock…and [Kessler] says, ‘If you want to see it that bad, come on aboard.’ "Kessler was so kind. We had lunch, and he went over the whole thing and gave me a whole new paradigm about all the benefits of having a single screw. I would never have gone out [to Northern] had it not been for Bruce Kessler."
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As is often the case, the process that the owners used during the design phase of the project was based on a list of requirements that were drawn from experience on their previous boats, the last of which was a semi-custom, 64-foot motor yacht. The difference, however, was that for their job the Castellanis emphasized to their designers that they wanted the smallest boat that would meet those requirements.
"We had a very detailed list of things that we absolutely had to have," Larry said. "[For example], we determined that we wanted four, relatively good-size, all-ensuite staterooms. We wanted one king, two queens, and we wanted a V-berth with one very wide berth…and two over-and-under berths. We were willing to give up an extremely large master in order to have a better balance for four staterooms.
"Another example of an absolute was ergonomics. We wanted the boat to be acceptable to muscle memory, much like you enjoy at home. For example, all the stairs are a minimum of ten-inch [treads] with eight-inch risers. From the pilothouse to the galley there are full wooden handrails on both sides of the steps.
"We wanted to design the boat so that it would be comfortable, easier to get around and accommodating, which is why we left it to the architect, Stuart Archer, to determine how long the boat was going to be. It matriculated in two-inch steps until it ended up being eighty feet four inches.""Detail" is a word that suits Larry Castellani well, noted Ardeo Design’s Scott Cole, who was responsible for Julianne’s interior design and, with Joan Castellani’s input and guidance, her décor. Cole added that scale and symmetry were equally important to his client, and that he wanted everything to be heavy duty, preferring fittings and joinery to be a bit oversize rather than undersize.
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"Larry can read drawings very well," Cole explained. "Even on small-scale plans, he could see that something was an inch or two off. Drawings were sent to him every week for review, and he was involved in the detail and exact dimensions of every component on the boat."
The result is arguably the best finished Northern Marine boat to date. A masterwork in traditional design, Julianne’s joinery employs rich, satin-finished makoré (African cherry) for paneling and cabinetry in the boat’s public spaces and for wainscoting in the staterooms, where the upper cladding is executed in off-white, satin-finished beadboard. Depending on the particular space, overheads employ either painted tongue-and-groove planks or Majilite panels tightly fitted between makoré beams. Soles are laid in jatobá (Brazilian cherry) planks with a thin accent margin of contrasting wengé.
Other details that add to the high level of finish can be seen in every space. The uppermost rails on many of the cabinets include a carved device—a five-pointed star flanked by scrolls—that adds relief and interest to the pieces. There is judicious use of madrone burl for the tops of some of the furniture pieces, such as nightstands and end tables, and carved scrolls adorn the arms of settees. Throughout the boat, rich, understated brushed nickel hardware adds to the charm.
Cole, who reported that the boat’s latest general arrangement drawing was on Revision X (revisions begin with A), said that each successive iteration made the boat better.
"One of Larry’s early decisions was to remove the doors that are normally on the port and starboard sides of the main deck," he said. "This gave us a lot more leeway to design that whole space without walkways or interruptions."
Access to the owner’s and guest cabins is via a clever split companionway that begins on the starboard side opposite the galley. From there, a few steps lead down and outboard to a landing, which then splits forward and below to the guest suite, and aft and below to a hallway that leads to the owner’s suite and to a laundry and utility room that has direct access to the engine room.Cole added that the landing serves a secondary purpose. "As you know, the Northern hulls are voluminous, so there’s a lot of space below the stairway on the starboard side. Concealed there is a hatch that takes you down a ladder and into a space, which is where the A/V components are."
It is solutions like this and like the watertight tank room forward of the master stateroom that allow the accommodations to have more stowage for stores, books and personal effects.
On the subjects of input and assistance, Castellani is quick to credit his captain. "Having owned his own business maintaining boats for fifteen years," Larry explained, "Lane Gillette has extensive experience and was instrumental in helping with this project.
"And Bud (LeMieux, Northern Marine’s founder) did a very nice job throughout the entire planning stage of protecting us from ourselves and not overdoing certain things.
"My main contribution was staying out of everybody’s way and letting Bud do his thing based on all of his experience, in conjunction with some preferred things that my captain wanted done. Everything we did on the boat was for safety first, reliability and convenience second, and comfort third."
The Castellanis have planned passages from Washington State to the Caribbean, then through the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast to the Great Lakes. Eventually, the boat will spend a year cruising the Mediterranean. As the boat prepared to sail, the plan had the couple reminiscing about the last couple of years.
"The birthing process was a little more difficult than anticipated," Larry declared with a chuckle, "but we’re extremely happy with the baby."
Contact Northern Marine at 360-299-8400. www.northernmarine.com
| Yacht Name: | Julianne |
| Yacht Type: | Motor Yacht |
| Draft: | 6' 8" (2.03m) |
| LOA (Actual length): | 80' 0" (24.38m) |
| LWL (Length of water line): | 72' 2" (22.00m) |
| Displacement: | 151 tons |
| Power: | 1x Detroit 60 series, 475 hp @ 1,800 rpm |
| Range: | 4,140 nm @ 1,250 rpm (10% reserve) kts |
| Beam: | 21' 6" (6.55m) |