Show Boats International May / July 2016
DIVE MASTER
Downsizing was the solution for one superyacht owner on a quest for the perfect family adventure yacht. Wo r d s – L o u i s a B e c k e t t P h o t o g r a p h y – G e o r g e P a n a g a k o s /J i m R a y c r o f t P h o t o g r a p h y
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ometimes bigger isn’t always better.
The Central American owner of the new
102-foot Cantiere delle Marche (CDM) Acala is
an experienced yachtsman who grew up voyaging
on his family’s superyachts and has a couple of his
own, built by prestigious Northern European yards and measuring far in excess of 102 feet.
Nevertheless, a few years ago, a desire for a more intimate
family boat and a passion for scuba diving prompted him to
visit CDM in Ancona, Italy, in search of a smaller, purpose-built
explorer yacht. There, he inspected the technology and processes CDM utilizes in building its steel-and-aluminum Darwin Class
series — long-range explorers based on a seaworthy hull platform by naval architect Sergio Cutolo of Hydro Tec — and liked what
he saw, according to broker Alex Clarke of Denison Yacht Sales. “It’s kind of a merger of Italian style and Northern European
engineering,” says Clarke, who accompanied the owner on his visit to the shipyard.
“He wanted to have a more personal yacht than his bigger ones,”
says Vasco Buonpensiere, CDM’s sales and marketing director, “a
family yacht where you know every single member of the crew and dedicated to real friends only, where the atmosphere can be more informal. Acala also has a specific scope: Cruising the oceans, finding the best diving spots in the world and heading to the
Northwest Passage. No social commitments — only discovery and adventures with the people loved by the owner and with whom he and his family can share emotions and great experiences.”
The owner initially commissioned CDM to build a Darwin
Class 96, a new model in the explorer yacht series, which ranges from 86 to 107 feet. But, as often happens with new projects, the vessel’s LOA got longer during the design phase, particularly when the owner expressed interest in carrying a submarine.
Ultimately, however, the shipyard pushed back on this point. “Do you want the submarine as an accessory to the boat, or the boat as an accessory to the submarine?” asked Buonpensiere.
While plans for the sub were scrapped, Acala still ended
up exceeding her original LOA, making her the first CDM Darwin Class 102.
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Show Boats International May / July 2016
116 Glass doors in the skylounge slide completely open for a seamless transition to the outside. Opposite: With no formal dining room, all meals are served al fresco on the main and upper aft decks.
Comfortable lounge seating on the sun deck is key to a casual atmosphere.
The extra length had a lot to do with the owner’s desire to
explore the ocean’s depths. “We virtually built the boat around the lazarette dive center,” says Clarke. The enlarged aft compartment is equipped with air and Nitrox compressors, 18 dive tanks and dive gear ranging in size from age five to adult. Acala carries
multiple Seabobs and has a large, 20-foot custom Novurania dive tender with an inboard engine that can be refueled from a diesel fuel fill on the swim platform. The oversized hydraulic swim
platform facilitates dive operations by allowing divers to enter
and exit the water easily in full gear, and features a quick-connect to the dive compressor to refill their tanks.
The owner also wanted to maximize the number of family
members and guests he could host aboard the yacht, opting for
an unusual five-stateroom layout on the lower deck. This entailed moving the master suite forward, placing its sizeable walk-in
closet in the bow and locating the bath with shower stall and toilet room to starboard. In place of the typical full-beam amidships
suite are two queen VIP staterooms with en suite baths. The guest accommodations also include two twin cabins with Pullman
berths, allowing Acala to accommodate up to 12 guests in total. An enormous storage area below the raised master stateroom
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holds luggage and supplies for long-range cruising.
A large crew contingent was also a priority. The owner specified
quarters for up to seven, which gives him room to bring a dive
master along on a voyage. The crew quarters, which are finished to the same level as the rest of the yacht, occupies a vast area forward on the main deck. The captain has his own stateroom aft of the wheelhouse, a rarity on a boat of this size.
Indeed, oversized operational areas show her to have the soul
of a superyacht. This includes an exceptionally spacious and
well-equipped engine room with 17-inch motorized bilge pumps and a high-tech gray water-cleaning system.
The level of customization on Acala, the 10th hull to launch
in CDM’s Darwin Class series, illustrates the five-year-old
Italian yard’s philosophy of staying small enough to be flexible and accommodating. “We believe a shipyard is not a factory,”
Buonpensiere said. “The difference is the percentage of human guts and soul.”
Acala has a specific scope: Cruising the oceans, finding the best diving spots in the world and heading to the Northwest Passage.
Acala’s captain, TJ Torrance, enjoyed the experience of working
on the yacht’s build project at the Ancona shipyard, where they treated him well. “This boat is run in a family way, and the shipyard is run the same way,” he says.
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To accommodate five staterooms, the master was moved to the forward part of the lower deck.
The Darwin Class yacht is a slow full-displacement boat
designed for fast delivery — in just 20 months. The owner took
delivery in September 2015, when Captain Torrance picked up
Acala at the yard in Ancona and set out for Palma de Mallorca — only to be hit by an unexpected storm en route.
“The storm was earlier than forecast, with twenty-foot waves
and forty-five-knot winds,” says the captain, who reported being
quite happy with the performance of the yacht’s big CMC electric
on the walls to striking effect. This décor may sound less than child-friendly, but in fact, great care was taken in making it
low-maintenance; for example, the woodwork has a satin finish rather than high-gloss. The floors showcase a unique carved
wood called maffi that has the effect of massaging your feet as
you move. “The more you walk on it, the more you appreciate it,” says Buonpensiere.
The main deck has an elegant, open salon with big windows
stabilizers. “The boat held up well. We were still doing nine-and-
that let in oceans of light. A signature design feature is the
shipyard an email congratulating them: ‘I can now finally say that
by a similar installation on one of the owner’s larger superyachts.
a-half knots in those conditions. When we got to Palma, I sent the it is an explorer vessel.’ ”
Powered by Caterpillar C18 ACERT diesels, Acala has a cruising
speed of 11.5 knots and a top end of 13 knots. Thanks to her fuel-
efficient hull design, she has an impressive range of 5,900 nautical miles at 10 knots. She’s used that range so far to make it to the
Bahamas, Cuba and Belize, while the Panama Canal and U.S. West
skylight at the top of the central staircase, which was inspired
“There’s no formal dining area inside. The dining is all done
on the aft deck or on the upper deck,” Clarke says. The upper
deck’s huge round table can seat up to 12 people just outside the
skylounge. Here, the glass doors slide completely open to bring the outside into the skylounge, a first for CDM’s Darwin Class. On the sun deck, the owner expanded the teak sole from the
Coast may be next, followed by the storied Northwest Passage.
standard 172 square feet to more than 235 square feet. It holds
every inch the explorer yacht on the outside. Her interior, on the
lounge seating and a bar. Standing up here, the illusion of being
With its salty pilothouse and North Sea windows, Acala looks
other hand, is fresh and contemporary. It was created by Simon
Hamui, a design and custom furniture firm that has worked with
a hot tub, an Australian barbecue and two big sunpads, along with on a superyacht is nearly perfect.
The trawler mast that is a hallmark of CDM’s Darwin Class
the boat’s owner on some of his residences and offices. Acala is
series looks from a distance like it might be made of fiberglass, but
with handles to look like fine luggage. (The man-hours invested
and painted. “The owner said, ‘You spend my money right up to the
a study in hand-stitched leather, including cabinets finished
in the leather on this yacht cost in the neighborhood of $90,000.) Simon Hamui used liquidambar wood (also known as sweetgum)
actually, it was constructed of aluminum that was welded, faired top of my boat,’ ” reports Buonpensiere.
Top to bottom, it’s clear that it went to all the right places.
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Hand-stitched leather, sweetgum joinery and a skylight topping the stairwell are among the striking details found throughout, including in the main salon (top left). Right: The lazarette is home to a complete dive center.
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S P E C S
Acala – Cantiere delle Marche Su n deck
Upper de ck
A place in the sun: The hot tub is surrounded by a large sunbathing area.
Main deck
Lower deck
Big mess: A good-sized crew lounge is located across from the galley, with the crew quarters just forward.
One hand on the wheel: The captain’s spacious quarters are aft of the bridge.
50ft
25ft
0ft
LOA: 102' (31m)
Long haul: The yacht accommodates a 20-foot tender with removable bimini.
LWL: 92' (28m)
Speed (max/cruise): 13/11.5 knots
Beam: 24' 4" (7.4m) Draft: 8' (2.5m) Gross tonnage: 240 GT Power: 2 x Caterpillar C18 ACERT
Let there be light: Big windows in the main salon let in plenty of light.
Into the blue: The capacious lazarette caters to serious diving.
Generators: 2 x 55kW Kohler
Tender: 20' custom Novurania
Range: 5,900 nm @ 10 knots
Freshwater capacity: 1,585 U.S. gallons
Fuel capacity: 10,600 U.S. gallons
Black/gray water capacity: 290/550 U.S. gallons
Classification: RINA PLEASURE YACHT C X hull l MACH “Y” (Unrestricted Navigation)
Stabilizers: CMC
Owners and guests: 12
Thrusters: 52kW CMC Marine
Crew: 7
Construction: Steel, aluminum Interior design: Simon Hamui
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Naval architecture: Hydro Tec Builder/year: Cantiere delle Marche/2015 Ancona, Italy t: +39 071 206705 e: info@cantieredellemarche.it w: www.cantieredellemarche.it