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Equally
comfortable, high-backed couches in the sky lounge invite everyone to
settle in for everything from enjoying an after-dinner drink served from
the adjacent wetbar to watching a good movie, courtesy of the projection-screen
TV that drops from the overhead. The room looks and feels spacious because
the sky lounge extends farther aft than that on a similar-size megayacht,
therefore taking up deck space other owners typically devote to sunning
and al fresco dining. Atlantica’s owners didn’t mind the trade-off
because they’re not sun-worshippers.
Food-worshippers
will realize they’ve stepped aboard the right yacht. Have you ever
noticed how sooner or later everyone at a party gathers in the kitchen?
It’s easy to imagine the same thing happening aboard Atlantica.
The country-kitchen arrangement means diners will come together in her
galley, but the dazzling atmosphere created by the combination of abundant
gold-tone marble and white cabinetry will likely cause everyone to linger.
And a long, L-shape counter provides a surplus of food-prep space and
plenty of opportunity for friends and family to sneak a sample of the
evening’s meal.
With
an increasing number of professionals working from home a few days each
month, it’s common to find dens and other land-based rooms transformed
into offices. Despite yacht owners’ desires to get away from it
all, they understand that sometimes it’s important to stay in touch.
The owners of Atlantica are no different. Adjacent to the sky lounge’s
bar, the office lets the husband work but still be part of family activities,
since the two rooms can be left open to each other. When work is done,
a folding partition designed to look like a bookcase becomes the backdrop
to the wetbar while discreetly screening in the office.
There’s
another interesting way the couple can enjoy more privacy while onboard
Atlantica. The husband sometimes—well, shall we say, is a loud sleeper—so
the master stateroom, located fully forward on the main deck, can be transformed
into two bedrooms. Sliding wood panels can separate the sitting area to
port from the bedroom area, and the settee in the sitting area easily
converts to become a bed. “Her” side of the his-and-her head
is accessed directly from this side of the master stateroom, while “his”
side is accessed from the main bedroom area.
While
the heads aboard most megayachts really don’t warrant great detail—notwithstanding
their abundant use of marble—the master head on Atlantica does in
the sense that it has quite a practical touch. The starboard-side sink
(a spa tub with a beach-scene mural separates it from the other sink to
port) is much higher than you’d expect. In fact, it’s higher
than you’d find nearly anywhere, ashore or afloat. The owners requested
it be designed that way so that the husband, who is tall, wouldn’t
have to stoop over to wash his face or brush his teeth.
Lest
any visitor begin to forget they’re onboard a yacht and not in a
home, Atlantica will remind them when they venture to the observation
settee in the pilothouse and look over the array of electronics. They’ll
also be reminded when docklines are thrown off. Twin 1,800-hp DDC-MTU
diesel inboards permit a 16-knot cruise and 19-knot top speed, leisurely
paces the owners are sure to enjoy when they cruise the Northeast this
summer. (Atlantica enjoys a 4,000-NM range at 12 knots.)
And
should they or their guests wish to get up close and personal with the
water, Atlantica totes four PWCs (each four-seaters) and two Novurania
RIBs, all stowed on the flying bridge, aft of the hardtop, which shades
a barbecue, wetbar, and Jacuzzi tub. The davit to launch the toys, also
aft, was built by Christensen.
In fact,
Christensen, which over the past 15 years has built yachts from 115 to
155 feet LOA in a 92,000-square-foot facility in Washington State, handles
a number of construction aspects in-house. It has electrical, plumbing
and pipe-fitting departments, a large metal shop, separate paint shops
for wood and metal, a cabinet shop, and a shop that creates interior overheads.
All are arranged around eight large, enclosed, climate-controlled assembly
bays. And while a few of its Pacific Northwest neighbors use hulls built
by Westport Shipyard, Christensen builds its own from a mold that it can
vary to accommodate any of the yachts in its present range. It also employs
coring in its hulls and superstructures; Atlantica, for example, has a
double Core-Cell-cored hull, more than 21/2 inches thick, and a Divinycell-cored
superstructure.
While
the working relationship between owners and designers typically ends once
the last throw pillow is in place, the one between Atlantica’s owners
and Starkey has only just begun: He’s in the midst of designing
the owners’ house. And before you ask, no, it won’t look like
a yacht.
Christensen
Shipyards (360) 695-3238. Fax: (360) 695-4762. www.christensenyachts.com.
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