refit Ex-Apoise Titania this Lürssen refit involved major changes that reflect the owner s desire to enjoy a sun-drenched lifestyle and connect with the sea words: Dag Pike photography: Ed Holt
Bidding among prospective owners started at 20 million, and less than 15 minutes later the yacht was sold for 34.75 million In 2006, the Lürssen yard in Rendsburg delivered Apoise, the first of three sisterships. Saint Nicolas and Martha Ann followed in 2007 and 2008. The styling of all three was the work of Espen Øino, while the interior designer was François Zuretti. This proved to be a winning combination of yard, naval architect, stylist and interior designer as the yachts turned out to be successful charterers. There was one main difference between them, however: Apoise, the oldest, was 67 metres long, whereas Saint Nicolas and Martha Ann were from the beginning brought to a length of 70.2 metres. To some, Apoise looked as if she was truncated, but her owner obviously did not mind as her name means balanced or ready to take one s place. Dave Ritchie, whose family company Ritchie Brothers is the world s largest industrial auctioneer, took delivery of the yacht on his retirement in 2006 and enjoyed cruising around the world before putting her up for unreserved auction in March 2010. Bidding online and among the prospective owners who gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Grand Cayman started at 20 million, and less than 15 minutes later the The sundeck (above and opposite) offers plenty of space for guests to relax outdoors. Pieces arrive before major assembly work (left)
The new owner shrewdly decided to live with the boat for a year, slowly drawing up plans to maximise her lifestyle potential The upper deck is also devoted to the outdoors (left), with lounging areas along the side, and a table seating 10 for informal dining The yacht s stern is lengthened to provide room for the beach club (below)
At first I wasn t going to change anything except for the soft goods, says Caudwell. Then we realised we just didn t like the gym and it seemed the layout did everything badly yacht was sold for 34.75 million. While some brokers felt this was far less than a proper asking price, it suited Ritchie, who said he had received fair market value and was sure her new owner would enjoy cruising the world as much as he had. That prediction has turned out to be true, although British entrepreneur John Caudwell could not have foreseen buying the yacht even a few months earlier at the time he had just completed negotiations for the purchase of the 58.5 metre Lürssen motor yacht Capri, originally delivered in 2003. Just as he had set up Capri for charter, Caudwell decided to put his new acquisition to work earning her keep as well. He shrewdly decided to live with the boat for a year, slowly drawing up plans that would maximise her lifestyle potential. At first I wasn t going to change anything except for the soft goods, says Caudwell. We wanted a bright and cheerful interior with colours like the Med. Then we realised we just didn t like the gym and it seemed the layout did everything badly. I wanted two owner s suites there was too big a difference between my suite and the room for my wealthy friends. To make the yacht more appealing for his own use and more attractive for charterers, Caudwell decided in 2011 that she should undergo a major refit rather than just a face-lift. This entailed rebuilding in three areas: the stern, which was lengthened to provide room for a beach club; the upper deck, which got a second master suite; and the sundeck, which was equipped with an acceptable gym. The aim was to have the yacht ready for the 2012 charter season. Because they would be The upper deck s guest facilities include an attractive pool with wet and dry bars at the forward end A workout in the gym (above), centrepiece of the sundeck improvements. The old observation lounge (left) offered a less impressive place to work out. The upper saloon on the bridge deck (below) has cosy seating areas and a bar changing the business end of the yacht, the owner and his project management team at Hill Robinson took her back to Lürssen for the work, which, in the typical nature of refits, developed into a bigger project than originally planned. First, though, her name had to be changed to something more romantic. He chose Titania, the queen of the fairies from Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream. The most difficult task was extending the stern by 3.8 metres, which directly affected the main and bridge decks. Work started with cutting off the stern section just after the final long hull porthole. Parallel to the cutting, which took one-and-a-half weeks, a new midsection was assembled in one of the yard s construction halls and welded to the hull. The original stern was recycled and reattached so that it would preserve the original look. All piping and cables had to be disconnected and rejoined and deck hardware repositioned. Only the steering gear was untouched. The existing passerelle was lengthened, and because the main deck was enlarged by about three metres, the teak surface had to be augmented. New deck furniture was also put in place. Anyone who enters the main deck from the stern platform up the single stairs to starboard or via the passerelle will not likely notice the change, but the crew love it. They now have new doors opening off the bathing platform port and starboard into storage areas, the tender garage and the engine room beyond. Instead of the original small centre door opening to the lazarette and engine room, a much larger lift door
The biggest visible change to the old Apoise (below) is around the stern, which on Titania (right) now features the beach club The big thing for me with this work was to be in touch with the water, says Caudwell. We have so many entertainment areas now that the boat has been transformed A prestigious second master suite (right) with impressive views was constructed on the upper deck, replacing the old observation lounge (below) now opens on to the new beach club. This has a bar at one side, a sitting area at the other side and enough space for a dayhead and sauna. A rain shower in the doorway allows swimmers to rinse themselves off before entering. In the process of enlargement to create a beach club on the lower deck and a more generous stern platform, Lürssen s project manager Martin Collberg made small alterations to the starboard tender garage. From there, a covered passageway with teak floor leads to the bathing platform and beach club. The big thing for me with this work was to be able to be in touch with the water, says Caudwell. A lot of big yacht owners miss that. We have so many entertainment areas now that the boat has been transformed. The second big attraction for charter guests is to be found on the upper deck. From the technical point of view, the changes here were not as complicated as those at the stern but the results, for those who look for more prestigious interior usage, are much more spectacular. Originally designed by François Zuretti as an observation lounge with a lobby bar and a small exercise area forward of an alfresco living space, the new arrangement supports both the owner s use and charter by providing a second, nearly equal, master suite. That observation lounge is now a full-beam suite with impressive panoramic view, an adjacent large bathroom to starboard, with shower and bathtub, completely clad in light yellow onyx, as well as a pantry and health spa. The aft part of this deck is arranged for outdoor activities, mainly sunbathing and relaxing in a longitudinal pool with an adjacent bar. A table for 10, with seating areas to the sides, allows for alfresco dining. Everything on this deck except the food lift was gutted, and the new walls and doors are a sandwich construction
With two tenders and a variety of watersports toys, the refitted yacht s devotion to a lifestyle of the sea and outdoors is central The new beach club has a bar at one side, a seating area at the other and a wide array of water toys from metal frames and a core of mineral rock wool. The overheads are covered with leather panels, all in the same style and colours as used in the other master suite. The immaculate interior joinery was done by Vedder of Germany and the colour scheme and soft furnishings throughout were chosen by Rebekah Caudwell, John s daughter, who has a design studio in London. The master suite itself had a raised observation lounge, which Caudwell converted to a private massage and spa treatment room. The suite is entered through an exceptionally fine office. The final major reconstruction work was enclosing the gym on the sundeck. Formerly just an open space for sunbathing in front of the antenna mast, this area has been converted to an air-conditioned winter garden, a gym totally surrounded by glass and equipped with two exercise machines facing a large television screen. The front pillars are made of aluminium and covered with thin plates of stainless steel, which has the effect of mirrors. In front of the winter garden is enough space for sunpads and cosy seating around coffee tables. Removing the granite bar on the deck below saved almost exactly the weight of the new structure. Additionally, the whole boat has undergone a complete technical refurbishment, including modernisation of the bridge equipment, the guest laundry has been converted to a twin staff cabin, and the hull and superstructure repainted (the latter done by the crew). Collberg says: There are a lot of details you don t see in the beginning that show up as work progresses and that you will never notice when they are done, except that the boat works better. Technically, the only difference is slightly more load on the air-conditioning chiller and a little more weight, but the increased waterline has resulted in better performance at sea, according to the crew. The owner says she is now very appealing. The boat needed these things. Caudwell visited the yacht three or four times during the six-month reconstruction process, with his enthusiasm occasionally adding features and items to the work list. According to Nick Hill, who was responsible for the project together with Karl Hartmann, the owner proclaimed himself very happy with the result. The inspired finishing touch, however, is unmistakably romantic rather than practical: a figurehead of the fairy queen Titania, which was sculpted in carbon fibre and chrome plate in South Africa. More on ipad
Both fore and aft, the sundeck has plenty of sunbathing space, bracketing the central swimming pool As part of the refit, the observation lounge and bar became a second master suite of near - equal size The bridge deck offers a large saloon amidships, with a variety of seating options and a bar Behind the bridge is the captain s captain, with a VIP suite further aft Most of the guest accommodation is on the lower deck, with crew quarters further forward The owner s suite, with large bathroom and office, takes up the entire main deck forward Lürssen (original and refit) LOA 70.8m current/ 67m original LWL 64.11m/60.31m Beam 12.8m Draught 3.5m Gross tonnage 1,894GT Engines 2 x Caterpillar 3406, 1,380kW, 1,875hp Speed (max/cruise) 16 knots/14 knots Range at 14 knots 4,000nm Thrusters Brunvoll 200kW Generators 3 x Cat 3406 DITA, 160kW Stabilisers Quantum zero speed Fuel capacity 181,000 litres Water capacity 28,400 litres Owner and guests 12 Crew 21 Tenders 1 x 8m Royal Denship; 1 x 6.8m Novurania Construction Steel hull, aluminium superstructure Classification Lloyd s Original builder/year Lürssen/2006 Original and refit naval architecture/ engineering Lürssen Exterior styling Espen Øino Original interior design Zuretti Refit interior design Zuretti/Vedder Owner s refit project management Hill Robinson/ Karl Hartmann For charter Hill Robinson t: +33 4 92 90 59 59 e: charter@hillrobinson.com w: hillrobinson.com Refit yard/year Lürssen/2012 Bremen, Germany t: +49 421 6604 166 e: yachts@lurssen.com w: lurssen.com