Bob Book: Newest Yacht Book Ends Is “the Best of Both Worlds”

To say that Bob Book likes yachting is like saying Neil deGrasse Tyson likes astronomy. Book doesn’t just “like” it, he loves it. He and his wife acquired their first boat shortly after their honeymoon about 50 years ago. They haven’t looked back since, with dozens of yachts and megayachts all christened Book Ends. In 2022, Book took delivery of his second new-build Heesen, which started as Project Sapphire. In a wide-ranging conversation at the Palm Beach show in March, our editor, Diane M. Byrne, sat down with him to learn more. Overall, putting his personal touch on his newest yacht Book Ends, a 164-footer (50-meter), meant customizing every single room, in extensive detail.

the 50M Heesen yacht Book Ends — PHOTO: Adam Pass

Carpeting with tiny real silver balls covers the skylounge sole, for example. A compass rose painting with the coordinates for the Western Wall in Jerusalem (left) hangs in the skylounge, too. A chandelier from the same glass artist who created a grand chandelier for the newly opened Fontainebleau Las Vegas commands attention in the dining area. As eye-catching as these all are, however, an equally important aspect of the yacht Book Ends is her performance. Heesen created a shallower draft than previous deliveries in the same range, the 50M Aluminum class. The same changes further make her 12 percent more efficient. Here’s the story behind how she came to be Book’s latest pride.

Diane M. Byrne: When you had taken delivery of your previous 47-meter, you were looking in the 50-meter-plus realm. How did this become the one?

Bob Book: The 47-meter was a ship, a great boat. You could take that boat out in 20-foot waves. But, it was a slow boat because it’s full displacement steel. I’m a speed freak. We like to get from point A to point B. This boat is really sexy. I like her lines, I like her shape, and she’s fast. She’s really fast. We’ve been as fast as 27 knots, even though the spec sheet says 23. The beauty of it is, if you’re spending time in the Med in the summer, instead of having to do an overnight trip and take 12 hours, you get to where you want to go in six hours or eight hours, and that gives you more time. And, she handles like a center console. She’s unbelievably stable.

Here’s the most important thing. We were very limited on the 47-meter. It had a 10-foot draft. This yacht has a draft of 7’3” fully loaded. We have two golden retrievers, so we don’t like staying on anchor because we have to take them out at night. In the morning, this means we can get in anywhere. We can go to the Exumas and we go into Highbourne, we go into Staniel. We couldn’t do that with the other boat. This is really the best of both worlds.

Diane M. Byrne: You had a personal hand in creating so many details aboard Book Ends. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a yacht with that much input by an owner. Was this always your vision, too, or was it the joy of this particular project?

Bob Book: Well, I’m cursed. I’m a perfectionist living in an imperfect world, and I have a passion for detail. I frankly didn’t like the way the boat looked when she came out (as a spec build). I thought she had a potential to look a lot better. So I teamed up with some of my own creative and design people, and we did most of the inside of the boat. Primarily, the finishes and the furniture just to make it flow better. I love the way it looks and feels now. I have my signature orange everywhere. The Dutch seem to like it also. That worked out conveniently.

Diane M. Byrne: One of the things that really caught my eye was the dining table. The top looks like pieces of aluminum.

Bob Book: I love that the table is really a work of art. It started in New York City. There’s a company called Artistic Frame, which has been around since the late 1800s. The family of the CEO and owner goes back a hundred years in Syria. They were silversmiths, and they do custom furniture all over the world. So, I sat down with David (Bibi, the director) and said, ‘We need something that’s light, not heavy, surrounded with chairs which are low, not heavy, and the table has to be a work of art, not a table. What can we do?’ And for two days we had fun arguing. Then he says, ‘Well, I have one idea which you’re going to hate,’ and it’s the table you’re looking at right now. It’s silver leaf, and that’s extremely delicate. Even when we’re underway, they move. They flutter in the table.

Diane M. Byrne: I think people will emulate what you did with the raised sunbed. It’s a nice private area, and there are a lot of places to sit.

Bob Book: Stand back here (gesturing to the deck area facing the sunbed). I’m really proud because it was supposed to just be a flat sunbed. We thought, ‘Let’s have platforms and a sitting area and a bar,’ and it’s a really great place.

Diane M. Byrne: What’s evident to me is that you had fun with every aspect of this. As much as it’s work to make a yacht your vision, you had fun.

Bob Book: Yeah, sometimes you wish it wasn’t so much fun, because it becomes very expensive that way. But at the end of the day, there are cozy corners, there’s whimsy. There’s personality.

Diane M. Byrne: So, if this is Book Ends number 19, is there a yacht number 20?

Bob Book: This is 19, but that doesn’t count the center consoles. That makes it 35. Plus, I’m building a 68-foot Riva as our tender to keep in Europe. But besides the Riva, yes, another Heesen. Bigger and faster. We’ll stop into the shipyard (after the boat show) and brainstorm together. They’re a good business, a good company. They stayed on schedule, and they delivered despite COVID. And you know, everybody thought COVID would be the nail in the coffin for the yachting business.

Look for the yacht Book Ends in the Med this summer. You’ll recognize her surely by her bold orange deck umbrellas. You might also spot Book himself at his newly opened New York style steakhouse in Viareggio. The name? Book Ends, of course. She’s the first of more to come as well—just like his superyachts.

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