PHOTO: MARK SIMS
Around for nearly 60 years, and with more than 7,400 designs to its name, Vripack has a storied history. Naturally, it also has plenty of stories to share. It does that, and more, with Yacht Design. This 240-page hardcover book gives you an in-depth look at 10 of its stand-out yachts and superyachts. It also provides brief histories of a dozen more designs. Better yet, Vripack takes you into its studio as it started penning these yachts’ first lines, then straight onboard as some of them set off for the most challenging conditions on earth.
Yacht Design contains 220 color photos and 60 pen-and-ink drawings. Some of the descriptions are ever so brief, letting the images do the talking. On other pages, Vripack lets you peer over its team’s shoulders as its naval architects and interior designers strive to meet clients’ demands. In fact, Yacht Design lets you in on a secret or two, with brutal honesty. For example, it struck out again and again (and again) in its initial designs for Wajer, the Dutch builder. To see the successful Wajer 38 dayboat, you’d never know that “it became patently clear to the team that they were facing one of their biggest design challenges to date,” the book explains. “Everything about boat design was up for discussion, including the question of how one goes about designing an icon.”
Thankfully, other customer relationships were smoother from the get-go. Yacht Design relates how the owner who commissioned AlumerciA (above) got just what he wanted: a globe trotter. He logged well more than 100,000 nautical miles aboard, too. The relationship with AlumerciA’s second owner was equally rewarding. Vripack got to redesign her throughout to suit his specific needs.
PHOTO: VRIPACK
Alumercia, featured on the cover, too, isn’t the only rugged traveler included. Yacht Design spotlights how five of the nine superyachts to cross the treacherous Northwest Passage came from Vripack. Several pages take you into that territory, and aboard two yachts to tackle it: Turmoil and Latitude (above).
Yacht Design contains many notable anecdotes. They start with the foreword by Italian singer and songwriter Andrea Bocelli. He’s the proud owner of Libertas, a 72’5” (22.1-meter) semi-custom motoryacht from Vripack. “To satisfy its owner, a yacht must meet a multitude of very precise needs and make its occupants feel at ease at sea,” he writes. “The design of Libertas makes it feel like my home on water.”
Yacht Design, measuring 11.75 x 11.75 inches (29.85 x 29.85 centimeters), is available for pre-order. Amazon.com and various retailers list it for $85. You can order a copy through the Vripack website, though, at special pricing: €50 (about $61 at press time), excluding shipping and VAT.
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