| Italy. 2000 people attended launch of CRN's 54 metre yacht "Ability" |
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| Wednesday, 11 January 2006 | |
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Boat builder news: The 54 metre displacement CRN, steel and aluminium, megayacht “Ability” - hull number 119 - has been launched at a magnificent occasion for the Shipyard and for all the Ferretti Group. It was the crowning glory of a commercial success, which is without precedence, for sales during the last 6 months of 17 mega yachts ranging from 30 to 72 metres. An exceptional figure, which cannot be equalled and that confirms the extraordinary production capability of the shipyard where currently 25 yachts from 30 to 60 metres are under construction. The event was attended by over 2000 guests, by the directors, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ferretti Group, Norberto Ferretti and Gabriele Del Torchio, as well as the citizens of Ancona. Representatives of the local Authorities also attended, including the Mayor of Ancona Fabio Sturani, the president of the Marche Region Gian Mario Spacca, Enzo Giancarli, president of the Province of Ancona, the Euro Member of Parliament Luciana Sbarbati, Maria Paola Merloni, president of Confindustria Marche, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce Giampaolo Giampaoli as well as senior representatives of the local Armed Forces. Among the local and national industrialists were Arturo Ferruzzi, Andrea Della Valle, Giuseppe Colaiacovo, Silvana Ratti, Paolo Leonardi and numerous other industrialists who had travelled from various parts of Italy. Speeches were made by Norberto Ferretti, president of the Ferrettti Group, followed by the Mayor of Ancona Fabio Sturani, Lamberto Tacoli, Chief Executive Officer of CRN and the Owner who wanted to emphasise his confidence and respect for the Ferretti Group and with which has had 5 yachts built. On the emotional musical notes of Carmina Burana of Carl Orff, “Ability” slipped elegantly into the water accompanied by the applause from public which had held its breath throughout the ceremony. Large-scale volumes and a passion for all the different aspects of the sea provided the underlying inspiration for the creative talent of the Zuccon International Project firm as it designed this project, the first product of a working relationship with CRN that has already resulted in the design of a new 54-metre sister ship for “Ability”, plus the 60-metre “GiVi”, a vessel scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2006. Numerous spaces that open onto the sea characterise the layout of “Ability”, whose distinctive personality is noticeable right from the stern. Unlike other boats, which use their stern for technical functions, the aft portion of “Ability” radically rearranges the rules of standard naval design, transforming the stern into a “VIP” area, with a full-fledged “balcony on the sea”: a beach deck measuring roughly 19 square metres and providing easy access to the tender. A crystal panel opens onto a fitness area meant to function as a spa, with a sauna, Turkish bath and gymnasium, designed by the CRN engineering staff, with consulting assistance from the experts at the Technogym firm, plus the cutting-edge equipment of the Kinesis system. A “reverse motif” would appear to be the implicit theme of the stylistic choices comprising the interior design, dominated by an art-deco look that includes features hearkening back to an imperial style. Veneers of precious woods (no fewer than 8 can be found on the vessel) add further lustre to the different rooms, which are already enriched by an abundant use of silk and velvet, furs and leather, plus exclusive, highly sophisticated accessories, such as Versace lamps. Honey-shaded myrtle veneer lightens the dark tones of the Ralph Lauren couches and sofas in the main lounge, which holds a splendid Steinway baby grand piano at its centre. The interplay of the rich veneers also highlights the dining room seating 12, where the discretion of the dark oak veneer is brilliantly set off by maple inserts. Leaving the dining room, the central lobby is to the right, providing a sumptuous passageway to the strictly private zone reserved for the shipowner. A glass elevator, holding a central position in the lobby, connects the three covered decks. On the pavement, engraved in the black and white marble, is the logo of the owner’s company, a motif repeated on the elevator floor and throughout the rest of the boat, on the glass-coated silk screens of the push locks. The shipowner’s area starts with a private studio featuring an artful combination of skins and furs: crocodile-skin couches, luxuriant cushions made of mink, fox and hare, plus inlays of antiqued leather on the doors. A treasure-trove of opulent materials and facings can also be found in the massive central bathroom, featuring precious marble further enriched by inlays, geometric designs and facings. A Philippe Stark chaise-lounge completes the indoor relax area, whose outdoor counterpart is a large terrace that opens onto the sea, with a design as exclusively private as it is innovative. This feature presented the shipyard with a challenge unlike anything faced to date in the rest of the world, with proof of its successful resolution being the full approval of the Lloyd’s Register of Shipping of London, as well as the MCA, which tested and certified every last construction detail of this innovation. While the large volumes of the “Ability” appear impressive from the moment one steps on the ship, it is on the sun deck that the vessel’s impressive size can be appreciated in full. An area measuring 130 square metres holds a luncheon zone, bar, pool and sun-bathing area, equipped with cushions and chaise lounges that can easily be replaced with a platform on which to land a helicopter. In the engine compartment, which has a control room of its own, are two Caterpillar 3512B engines that drive the vessel at a cruising speed of 14 knots and a top speed of 15 knots. To the aft of the engine compartment is a garage that holds a 6.80 m NOVURANIA tender, while two jet skis are placed in the technical area found in the forward portion of the main deck. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 11 January 2006 ) |
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