In sport the saying goes, “Do not change a winning team!” So said German tech entrepreneur Hans Georg Näder, thinking about his sixth Pink Gin. In fact, after sailing with a 151’6” (46.2-meter) Baltic, he decided to have the new 174’10” (53.34-meter) sailing superyacht Pink Gin built by the Finnish shipyard, drawn by the same naval architect (Judel/Vrolijk), and designed by the same interior studio (Design Unlimited).
This time, Näder asked for something unconventional and unique. And he obtained it: Pink Gin cannot be compared with any existing sailing superyachts. The design team started really from scratch, using fashion, art, and music as inspiration. The result debuted during the Monaco Yacht Show 2017, and it was truly surprisingly.
First, Pink Gin is the world’s largest custom carbon fiber sloop. (She’s the second-largest yacht in Baltic’s 44-year history, too.) Baltic built the carbon fiber/Corecell foam hull in three parts for better access during construction. In addition, it scanned each to create 3D images, allowing hull assembly with millimetrical perfection. Pink Gin further features a 71-ton, torpedo-style lifting bulb keel. Three hydraulic cylinders lift it in two stages to reduce draft. The keel counterbalances a towering 222’8” (67.9-meter) mast by Rondal. (It’s 52 feet, or 16 meters, taller than a J Class rig). Sailing performances are excellent as well. Pink Gin sets 14,230 square feet (1,322 square meters) of sail upwind. In moderate downwind sailing and in light to moderate conditions, she cruises at 13 to 14 knots. Car power-steering technology provides a better response at the helm. In light winds, a MAN V12 propels her to 13 knots.
Pink Gin is also a yacht full of innovative features. For instance, she is the only sailing superyacht boasting topside openings forming a balcony in the owner’s suite and a side entry to the main lobby. “The hull doors/balconies are key features,” says naval architect Rolf Vrolijk. “In many yachts of this size, the access is via a side ladder. So, people coming onboard have to move up onto the deck and then down the accommodation. So we asked ourselves, ‘Why not access the accommodation directly through the hull on one level?’ The doors allow that, and also their design and measures dictate the shape and the size of the yacht in terms of freeboard.” Besides this feature, the swim platform features complex engineering. It includes a stairway, which folds out from the transom and offers easy access onboard from the sea.
Näder wanted the yacht to be astonishing also from the design/decor point of view. So, the external layout developed around three cockpits, reflecting how he wants to use the yacht. The aft cockpit includes a large sunbathing and relaxing area. The central cockpit is the steering cockpit, with twin wheels. Finally, the forward one is dedicated to guests, with a large dining area. This zone is the perfect place to organize a party. In fact, two 3-foot-high (1-meter-high) Murano glass chandeliers hang from the boom during some gatherings! While sailing, the crew remove and stow the chandeliers, of course.
“When we began working on the interior design and exterior styling (the latter in collaboration with naval architects Judel/Vrolijk), we started with a blank sheet of paper,” says Mark Tucker of Design Unlimited. “We designed Pink Gin VI on inspiration from fashion, art, and music.” Their influence is evident. In the saloon, to port, there is a lilac, custom-made Edelweiss Sygnet piano. It’s also self-playing, inspired by a happy moment in Porto Cervo, when the owner was enjoying sundowners while listening to a local pianist. Two Murano glass chandeliers hang over the piano and the dining table, to starboard. The table is a piece of art in itself: Dutch artist Marcin Rusak encapsulated petals in resin to create the top (above).
Throughout the superyacht, there’s great attention to detail. Surfaces finishes and textures play an important role, used in unusual ways to create a tactile look. Stained oak joinery, metallic finishes, velvet, and leather all mix up. Various design brands and furnishings lend a luxurious atmosphere. A Louis Vuitton trunk (from the previous Pink Gin) serves as a coffee table, for example. Sofas and armchairs are by Promemoria, the dining chairs are by B&B Italia, and an ottoman is by Aiveen Daly.
Art is everywhere onboard, too. The owner’s suite has an art wall by Cuban artist Roberto Diago, made of wood reclaimed from Cuban fishing boats. A silk painting by Roberto Fabelo is in the owner’s study, where laser-cut stingray and horns cover the desk. Fabelo’s work appears again as a sculpture on the dining table of the cockpit, and as an astonishing female sculpture (above) in the guest lobby. Sunlight flows down over it from a skylight. Complementing the art, precious materials match perfectly with recovered materials, like the subway lights in guest cabins or subway tiles in the bathrooms. All this for a trendy, contemporary, and urban style.
Here’s more of Pink Gin.
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