Though Cantiere delle Marche may be just two years old, the family and managers behind it have decades of experience with megayachts, cruise ships, tankers, fishing vessels, and more. Specializing in steel and aluminum expedition yachts, Cantiere delle Marche draws upon its commercial know-how to offer megayachts made for adventurous, experienced owners.
The owners of Percheron, the new Darwin Class 86 from Cantiere delle Marche, certainly fit that bill. Having enjoyed time aboard a more traditional yacht previously, they commissioned Percheron for globetrotting with their young family, which includes children. The 85’6” (26.1-meter) Percheron wasted no time fulfilling that goal this summer, setting off from the shipyard on her own bottom to cross the Atlantic. The United States, the Bahamas, the Galapagos, and more are on the megayacht’s itinerary for the winter, followed by the Indian Ocean and further far-flung locales in the coming year.
They’re fitting destinations, given Percheron’s reported 7,000-nautical-mile range (at 8½ knots) under twin Caterpillar power and nearly 11,900 gallons (45,000 liters) of fuel. Few megayachts of her size have that type of capacity. Few her size can rival her volume, too, which Cantiere delle Marche says is 30 percent more than usual. Essentially every conceivable corner has been fashioned for relaxation, storage, or machinery.
Relaxation can be combined with education, given the setup of Percheron’s saloon. A buffet/chart area is here, just visible toward the right-hand side of the photo. Since Cantiere delle Marche allows owners to customize, the unusual setup was an ideal way for the owners to ensure they and their family and friends can become even more involved in itinerary planning.
Itineraries are sure to be topics of conversation over dinner here in the dining area, which is open to the saloon. So, too, should the shapes that stars make in the nighttime sky, thanks to a lovely gift that Cantiere delle Marche presented to the owners. Though it’s tough to fully see, the artwork here against the elm woodwork depicts illustrations of the various constellations. At night, the art is backlit, with the lights mimicking the forms Percheron’s guests will see high above.
They can dream about those constellations in staterooms arranged with practical needs and family in mind. This stateroom is for the owners’ children, all under the age of five (and all of whom are no doubt getting the education of a lifetime by traveling aboard Percheron). The stateroom has enough floorspace for the kids to spread out and play. In addition, the en suite head has a bathtub big enough for all three kids to get washed up simultaneously. A stateroom across the hall from here is ideal for a nanny or, perhaps later down the road, a teacher. It alternately could house other children, perhaps friends or relatives.
As for the grown-up set’s sleeping needs, Percheron has a VIP stateroom and this practically laid out master stateroom. The owners opted not to have a walk-in wardrobe, instead selecting all drawer stowage. The sliding doors you see close off the master bath. Since they’re glass, they allow light coming in from the bath’s port to brighten the below-decks stateroom. Remember, Percheron is 86 feet LOA, so even with her generous 24’4” (7.43-meter) beam, if the master were on deck, it would take floorspace from the galley, dining area, and/or saloon, all of which are appropriately cozy and usable. It also would mean being too far from the children if they need Mommy or Daddy in the middle of the night.
Even though the crew of three, plus the captain, have their own quarters, they readily welcome the children into the crew mess. The mess is opposite the galley, on the main deck, and farther forward are the crew cabins. The location for all of this is certainly unconventional for any size megayacht, but it makes sense aboard Percheron. This is a yacht where the owners and guests will be soaking up the scenery and enjoying outdoor adventures, not watching the world go by through a window. Percheron is also a yacht where the work—and workers—ensuring smooth global cruising gets prioritized.
Another place that work gets prioritized is, naturally, the wheelhouse. The captain and crew have direct access from the mess. Note the leaning bolster at the helm; it can become a chair when needed. This, as well as the electronics on the dash, were laid out according to the captain’s wishes. The observation settee, meanwhile, lets the megayacht’s owners and guests spend time watching the goings-on and the captain impart a little nautical knowledge when wanted.
Despite some uncomfortable sea conditions at times due to 30-knot winds and other remnants of storms, Percheron has, by her crew’s accounts, handled superbly the past several months. They’re maintaining a blog during the megayacht’s travels and have had a good sense of humor when Mother Nature has thrown a lot at them. To wit, the entry from days three and four of their ocean crossing:
Last night [there was] a small squall; I say small as the winds only reached 37 knots. …we were hit by the wind and rain. [The captain] said it only lasted about an hour and immediately the wind changed to the original state. At least the yacht got a little rinse.
“A little rinse”... now that’s a sense of adventure.
Editor’s note: Cantiere delle Marche is represented stateside by Worth Avenue Yachts.
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