Superyacht
SAILING TOGETHER: PERINI NAVI
As the family of Ennio Doris grew, so did his yacht, resulting in Perini Navi building him the 60 metre ketch, which he named Seven.
Mo Khatib
“We wanted a name that expressed the strong bond with my family, choosing Seven because seven is the number of my grandchildren,” commented Ennio Doris, Italian billionaire businessman and Seven’s Owner. “With this new yacht we can all sail together, a passion that unites us and brings us together.”
This magnificent 60-metre ketch came across Doris just at the right time, as his family had just grown out of his old 40 metre Perini Navi. A chance phone call from the shipyard eventually lead to Doris taking over the build of this aluminum sailboat, the third in the Blue Water Sailing Yachts series.
Light, bright and curvy: Seven’s Owner commissioned interior designer Dante O. Benini to create a family-friendly home on the water.
Natural light and soft curves were a must-have requirement.
EXTERIOR
Created by the shipyard’s design teams, Seven’s naval architecture was researched in collaboration with the New Zealand studio of Ron Holland Design. Like the previous yachts in the 60 metre series (the renowned Seahawk and Perseus 3), the lightweight aluminum hull of Seven is endowed with a low profile with smooth lines and a number of high-tech innovations. These allow her to reach speeds of up to 15.5 knots with an equally impressive ride quality. Seven can easily participate in top regattas, while staying safe and comfortable during long distance cruises, owing much to a hull similar to the successful 56-metre platform.
Elegant, sleek and squat, Seven cuts a low profile on the water, a look exaggerated by a long foredeck and her steeply raked bow. The glazing is equally slim line, with the huge flybridge superstructure leading the eye back aft. A silver stripe at the waterline helps make Seven’s hill look even more streamlined, with the dark metallic paint hiding the tinted cabin glazing.
A chance phone call from the Perini Navi shipyard eventually lead to Ennio Doris taking over the build of this aluminum sailboat.
INTERIOR
Architect Dante O. Benini was asked by Doris to create Seven’s interior, a task he relished as he’s best known for his vibrant, innovative and unconventional residential designs. Benini used curves and light in the composition of the ketch’s living environments, starting with the informal cockpit with its dining table for six, sheltered under the flybridge’s considerable overhang. Soft furnishings compliment this outdoor space, adding a homely feel to the big Perini – something Doris insisted on, as was his requirement for a light and airy colourway.
Stepping inside Seven’s main deck, we notice that the salon is divided into three functional areas: a dining room, a lounge and a compact office. Family chill time is the order of the day in the lounge, with a pair of semicircular sofas and a neat coffee table, perfect for easy-going afternoons. The ambience in here is warm and light, with a mix of Oriental calm and Italian style. Thanks to its compact location, the dining area with its wooden table and white leather upholstery feels cosy and intimate, which is exactly what you want for dinner without smartphones.
Opposite the dining room is the office, which can also double as an additional lounge, or even a library. Dante has given Seven’s interior a modern look, using an abundance of glass, mixed with the beige colourway to soothe the soul without the experience feeling like a traditional sailing yacht.
At the center of the lounge is a glass staircase that connects all three decks, with the lower deck and its four guest cabins only a short hop down. The master cabin is located closer to the stern, making the most of the colossal 11-metre beam. Boasting a huge dressing room (which is not typical for a sailing yacht of this size), a large double bed, a cozy semi-circular lounge, an office corner, as well as a large bathroom, it’s homely feel comes across well. The VIP-suite is slightly smaller, with the two double cabins receiving a similar finish, but on a smaller scale. All however, keep the sustained beige colourway and have high ceilings, which are surprising, given her low profile superstructure. Poufs, bureaus and day beds for relaxing during the day are grouped around the beds, with a solid sycamore decor courtesy of Armani Casa demonstrating a successful combination of colour, form and calmness.
ON DECK
It has to be said, Seven is a sun lover’s sailing yacht, with a lounge forward of the wheelhouse featuring a semicircular sofa, coffee table and viewing platform. In turn, the platform at the stern, in a matter of minutes, can not only transform into a convenient ‘ladder’ for access to the ship, but also be used as a swim platform for relaxing near the water.
Probably the best place for sunbathing however, is up on the sundeck, with space not only for taking in some rays, but for partying, too. A cozy sofa corner is ideal for taking a coffee (or cocktail), a making the sundeck one of Seven’s most popular entertaining areas.
The Perini Navi way: Thanks to its in-house design capability, the Italian shipyard has been able to implement without compromise its own vision, systems and innovations.
SAIL
To harness Seven’s 2100 square metres of sail, a pair of Panamax aluminum masts were installed, with all the auxiliary equipment — rigging, booms and splinters, made of carbon fibre. The main mast rises to a height of more than 62 metres above the ketch’s waterline, and the mizzenmast (the mast aft of the main mast), is 52 metres high.
Seven’s sails were created by the renowned Doyle Sailmakers, who’s expert design provide strength, reliability while being lightweight. This was achieved by combining several types of threads, such as technora, vectran, carbon and taffeta. Another type of canvases was specially made for the high load areas. All this made it possible to achieve the perfect combination of strength, durability and resistance to stretching.
It should be noted that Perini Navi manufactures its own sailing control systems, as well as building the masts. So, to significantly reduce the time of setting the sails, the Automated Sail Handling System was designed, which was successfully tested on the latest Perini Navi builds. One of the system’s main components is a new generation of Perini Navi winches sunk into the deck with horizontal drums. They have become lighter, have greater productivity and occupy less space in the under deck of the yacht.
| PERINI NAVI SEVEN SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| LOA: | 60m |
| Beam (max): | 11.40m |
| Draught (keel up): | 4.30m |
| Draught (keel down): | 12.30m |
| Main mast height above DWL: | 62.2m |
| Mizzen mast height above DWL: | 52.06m |
| Total sail area: | 2100m2 |
| Max speed: | 15.5kn |
| Naval architecture: | Ron Holland |
| Interior design: | Dante O.Benini & Partners |
| Gross tonnage: | 491 GT |
| Fuel capacity: | 47,100ltr |
| Fresh water: | 12,600ltr |
| Class and LY2 compliance: | Maltese |
| Cross A1 Commercial Yachting Service; | Maltese Cross AMS + MCA |
| Builder: | Perini Navi, Viareggio, Italy |
CONCLUSION
Seven is a high tech sailing yacht, filled to be the brim with advanced control systems enabling her to reach speeds of up to 15.5 knots. She is also a stylish, comfortable and luxurious home on the water for her Owner and family. Super sailing yachts are now an integral part of the superyacht industry, with Seven highlighting the versatility and style that is bound to impress diehard motor yacht owners.
