Many a megayacht is described as being a floating home. In the case of Chopi Chopi from CRN, it’s actually true. Not only did the owner and his multi-generation family stay aboard the 262-footer (80-meter) for the entire month of August, but they intend to spend a good deal of time aboard this strictly private yacht in the coming seasons. Part home, part floating art gallery, Chopi Chopi is the largest-ever megayacht built by CRN, with a beam of 44’3” (13.5 meters) and comprising more than 21,818 square feet (2,027 square meters) of space dedicated to the owner and his special guests. More than that, though, Chopi Chopi, commissioned by a repeat customer, emphasizes the importance of family time and togetherness while deftly avoiding feeling cavernous.
Because the owner has quite a large family, Chopi Chopi has several seating areas outside and in, with multiple chairs and settees. All are grouped into warm conversation areas, like this one on the aft main deck. Like a similar seating area one deck above, it’s fully shaded. Chopi Chopi’s uppermost deck is where everyone can head for soaking up a little bit of sun.
The cruising lifestyle might as well be called the waterline lifestyle, too, given the importance of beach clubs. Chopi Chopi’s teak-lined beach club is accessible via twin stairways from the aft deck as well as an interior stairway leading from the saloon and enjoys good space thanks to the fold-down transom. Making it more tempting to stay here all day, a massage room lies just inside to port, opposite of a sauna and Turkish bath. A separate gym completes what CRN likes to call the wellness area.
A relaxing massage may encourage further relaxation, so guests can head up to the sundeck pool. Given that Chopi Chopi is six decks high, there can be quite a breeze up here, as was the case during visits at the Monaco Yacht Show. Therefore, the bimini you see comes in handy. Fully aft on this same deck, a bar keeps everyone refreshed; a backlit onyx bar on the upper deck (one level up from the main deck) does the same inside.
Headroom here in the main saloon and throughout Chopi Chopi is in excess of seven feet (2.1 meters). The owner and his wife worked with Laura Sessa to create a relaxing, mostly neutral-palette interior for Chopi Chopi. Oak, marble, onyx, leather, and metal are the materials of choice, with sculptures and paintings. Sometimes sculptures and furnishings are one in the same; mirror-finished stainless steel adorns tables in the dining area and upper saloon.
Speaking of the dining area, it’s on the upper deck and flanked by full-height glass on both sides. The outer bulwarks are also fitted with glass inserts, to permit better views. Recall what was mentioned earlier about the owner having a large family: 24 people can be seated simultaneously, in different arrangements. The single table shown is one option, made of two round tables that can be separated for a second option.
Chopi Chopi’s LOA and wise space arrangement benefit the five guest staterooms, too. All are on the main deck, and all are ample without being oversized. This is called the brown stateroom, due to the color scheme selected. Whoever stays here certainly feels like a VIP, thanks to the fold-down balcony. There’s a fold-down balcony in the room across the foyer, too, but the space is used as a business center.
The youngsters among the owner’s family were allowed to choose their favorite colors, and Sessa incorporated them in the bed linens as well as the furnishings. This aptly named purple stateroom is complemented by a blue stateroom, and it’s impossible to walk into either without smiling. The beds in both, as well as in a staff cabin, can push together when so desired.
The “silver suite,” as this guest stateroom is called, is fully forward on the main deck. First-time visitors aboard Chopi Chopi might naturally assume it’s the master stateroom, but it’s not, since one of the six decks aboard is dedicated solely to the owner.
As for Chopi Chopi’s owner, here’s the master bedroom, nicely rimmed with windows. It’s a peaceful respite and a good size without looking or feeling overwhelming. The same is true of the rest of the owner’s deck, which further contains a private alfresco area and a pool.
Something you won’t find in the owner’s bedroom is a television. Instead, this dedicated TV lounge is just down the hall on the same deck. The owner requested a separate room for practical reasons: He tends to be a bit of a night owl, so he can watch his favorite programs, catch up on the news, or view other shows without disturbing his wife. Note, too, that there’s the door aft to the outside deck space, the latter of which doubles as the helipad when the furnishings are cleared.
Clearly, a megayacht as large and voluminous (displacement is about 1,800 tons) as Chopi Chopi requires a large complement of professional personnel. She’s therefore tended to by a crew and additional staff totaling 31 people. About 4,510 square feet (419 square meters) of interior space is devoted to them, including this properly ample mess. There’s also excellent stowage throughout Chopi Chopi’s six decks, some with doors so well blended into paneling that guests are none the wiser they even exist
Captains among you will really appreciate Chopi Chopi’s wheelhouse, but even the least-technical-oriented person will marvel at it. The 861-square-foot (80-square-meter) space was designed by TEAM Italia, a megayacht marine-electronics firm, with CRN’s in-house engineers as well as the owner’s captain and design team. It’s laid out much like a military ship’s wheelhouse, in circular fashion. Furthermore, Chopi Chopi is the first yacht anywhere to incorporate an i-Chart table, created by TEAM Italia. It’s the 42-inch touchscreen visible in the tabletop in the foreground. Everything from navigation data to onboard systems’ status can be called up, as can the Internet. The i-Chart table is further integrated with 10 other touchscreens installed on this console and the forward-most console, thereby letting it call up the same radar information, engine speed, and more displayed there and giving the captain an unmatched one-screen-shows-all experience. TEAM Italia can update it via a Web connection when needed, too, and customize it according to the captain’s and owner’s wishes.
Chopi Chopi’s significance for CRN is well documented. Besides being the Italian yard’s largest-ever megayacht, she kept an average of 80 people employed each day for a total of 660,000 man hours. Given a reported cruising range of 6,000 nautical miles at 12 knots (with power from twin Caterpillars), Chopi Chopi should contribute to the local economies of more than a few distant ports, too. Given that her owner has a history of enjoying cruising, here’s hoping he finds some of those ports to be suitable homes-away-from-home for his floating home.
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