Massive megayachts aren’t the only ones capable of staying far from shore for months at a time. Since its founding 14 years ago, Cantiere delle Marche has built pocket-size explorer yachts starting at 86 feet (26 meters). While some customers are building bigger boats with the yard, it’s returning to its early roots with the new RAW yacht series. With the first design being a trideck 102-footer (31-meter), the series name hints at the underlying purpose. The RAW series caters to bold cruisers seeking robust, reliable, real explorers for going farther, longer, and more comfortably.
RAW stands for Recreation All-Weather Watercraft, although “raw” also signifies much of what is going into each yacht. Specifically, the shipyard and Giorgio Cassetta’s studio are focusing on as many raw, natural materials as possible, for lower impact. Additionally, the design and build team wanted to convey the notions of powerfulness, honest capability, and eschewing pretense. The linear styling, imposing bow, and color scheme all do the trick. So does the fact that, in traditional Cantiere delle Marche fashion, technical systems and stowage areas were immediate priorities, as much as, if not more than, luxury areas.
This isn’t to say that the RAW yacht series is overly serious. Yachting is supposed to be fun, after all, as is exploring. According to Vasco Buonpensiere, Cantiere delle Marche’s co-founder and CEO, he and fellow co-founder Ennio Cecchini wanted to create another project for the new wave of owners who seek flexible fun regardless of LOA. In walking around the shipyard, inspiration struck. “I was looking at all those beautiful 499-gross-ton vessels and realized two things,” he explains. “Many of them were for ex-owners of our 100-feet boats.” Furthermore, Buonpensiere continues, he recalled the head of a Northern European yard complimenting the yard for its success with small custom and semi-custom explorers. “With that in mind, I went upstairs, broke into Ennio’s office, and said, ‘Let’s put our head into a new 100 feet!’”
Cassetta, who has the 148-foot (45-meter) Project T nearing completion at Cantiere delle Marche, was delighted to be invited to contribute. “My team and I have been witnessing for a decade now a growing trend towards more ‘informal,’ travel- and discovery-oriented yachting,” he says. “Many owners would enjoy a yacht which offers true explorer capabilities, except maybe they didn’t love what is currently available.”
The first Cantiere delle Marche RAW yacht packs a lot into her 102 feet. Two 16-foot (5-meter) tenders—quite significant, and unusual, for her LOA—stow at the bow. For alternate adventures, an ATV or other land craft can stow here. Up top, meanwhile, the aft open deck can feature loose furnishings, or be home to a sizable drone to film expeditions. Floor-to-ceiling glass lines lounges, to keep everyone connected to the surroundings no matter where they roam. More floor-to-ceiling glass, this time doors, can close the sides of the main aft deck in cool or rainy weather. The upper-deck overhang shelters the area, too, and it flows easily into the saloon. It flows similarly easily down full-beam stairs (above) to the sunbed nestled above the swim platform. The build and design teams view those stairs as ideal sit-and-stare-at-the-view spots, too. Finally, although a low bulwark encircles the swim platform, part folds down for sea access.
Cassetta believes the ideal RAW yacht project owner is “a knowledgeable yachtsman who isn’t afraid to spend four months onboard sleeping in a different creek each night while exploring some remote coasts, and then sail the boat through fashionable rendezvous and lavish parties.” Buonpensiere agrees, saying, “We strongly believe in the flexibility of use of our vessels.” He points out that many customers downsized to Cantiere delle Marche explorers for the ease and intimacy of smaller sizes.
Finally, if you’re wondering about the exterior orange color scheme, there’s good reasoning behind it. It’s the color of search-and-rescue ships, known for their sturdiness and seaworthiness. However, there’s more to it. “Orange is the opposite of blue on the color wheel,” Cassetta says. “If you throw an orange in the sea, you’ll be able to spot it from a hundred meters; your eyes will be naturally drawn to it.” In sum, he says, “RAW is about travelling, exploring, enjoying the beauty of nature, all while doing it safely on a vessel that can be spotted from miles away. Plus, hasn’t orange been the new black for a while now?”
Cantiere delle Marche cantieredellemarche.it
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