A chance meeting three years ago led to Se77antasette (pronounced “settan-ta-set-tay”), a radically different concept not just for Benetti, but for the megayacht market as a whole. The project, ready to build on contract, tosses aside conventional thinking on deck arrangements, while integrating proven technology and, equally important, respecting both guests’ and crew’s needs.
The name Se77antasette plays on a few things. It’s the Italian word for seventy-seven. That, in turn, is the LOA, in meters (253 feet). Furthermore, if you consider the beam, sevens come into play too. Beam is 14 meters, or 7 plus 7 meters (46 feet in total).
Above all, though, Se77antasette represents the introduction of Fernando Romero to yachting. Romero is well-known in the architecture world, with offices in Mexico City and New York. Among other things, he’s working with Sir Norman Foster on the heralded redesign of the Mexico City airport. An ongoing project, it’s striving to make the traveling experience more enjoyable, while simultaneously making the structure “greener,” complying with LEED. “For us, the relationship between nature and architecture is very important,” Romero says.
Romero and Vincenzo Poerio, Benetti’s CEO, happened to be in the same restaurant three years ago and began talking about yacht design. Having spent time aboard a Benetti, and having enjoyed boating as a child thanks to his grandfather, the designer welcomed the opportunity to learn why certain elements of yacht design seem the same from project to project and shipyard to shipyard. More so, he questioned why every yacht puts guest areas and other spaces on single levels. Why not maximize usable space by creating levels, as well as levels that are still connected?
One way Se77antasette does this is through a double-deck-high transformable space at her heart (above). Romero says it can certainly serve as a saloon. However, for an owner who enjoys corporate entertaining, or big personal parties, it’s ideal as a theater, or even a dance floor, complete with lighting and sound. In addition, Se77antasette has a significant spa at the stern, directly accessible from the four guest staterooms and two VIPs via a set of stairs. Featuring a pool, the spa has fold-down platforms on three sides, ideal for using at anchor, too.
Of course, you’ll find an owner’s apartment with private alfresco space, plus other must-haves, aboard Se77antasette. But, you’ll also find an unusual observatory-like space on the uppermost deck. Meant for everyone to enjoy, it has a glass overhead, which Benetti says meets practical stress testing. Romero envisions it as a stronger way to enjoy the surroundings. Being a fan of transformational spaces, he also suggests using it as an augmented-reality display. Interestingly, no navigation mast interferes with the views, because it’s retractable. Romero collaborated with Benetti’s engineers to make it possible.
Even having tossed convention aside, Se77antasette keeps a strong focus on practical matters. This includes crew needs. In fact, Romero ensures they can access every deck and every tech area—efficiently, he emphasizes. Then there’s his, and Benetti’s desire to be more fuel efficient. The megayacht makes use of proven hybrid propulsion. Benetti specifies five Caterpillar gensets coupled to azipods, driven by magnetic motors. It predicts Se77antasette seeing 5,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, and a top end of 16 knots.
Leave a Reply