4 minute read
“Race” – unmistakeably Riva
Shipyard & Naval architecture: Riva Exterior & Interior design: Officina Italiana Design Furniture: custom made; Minotti, Acerbis, Cassina, Frag, Poliform Material: Hull/Superstructure Steel/Aluminium Length OA: 49.9 m Beam: 8.70 m Depth to main deck: 4.75 m Engines: 2 x MTU 8V 4000 M63 of 1,000 kW at 1,800 rpm Guests: 10 (1 owners suite + 4 guest cabins) Crew: 9 Max speed (half load): 15.5 knots Cruising speed: 14.0 Knots
Author: Manuela Di Mari Photo credits: Courtesy by Riva
The Riva 50 metres is the masterpiece from the Riva Superyachts Division in Ancona. Entirely created by the Officina Italiana Design studio alongside the Ferretti Group’s Strategic Committee, it combines high technology with the yacht building brand’s long tradition
Its owner’s choice of the name Race for his new Riva 50 metre yacht evokes all the qualities of a yacht that is born to stand out and be immediately recognisable. From the yards of the superyacht division in Ancona and created in collaboration with Ferretti Group’s Strategic Committee and Officina Italiana Design, it is the latest in a long line of yachts demonstrating the ambitious desire to go beyond the limits that drove Carlo Riva throughout his career. This majestic, spectacular yacht has a steel displacement hull and aluminium superstructure, and the yard’s new flagship is a worthy heir to Riva’s matchless aesthetic standards, stylistic flair and innovatory drive. It combines an ultra-contemporary vision of yacht building with the traditional canons.
Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta, founders of the Officina Italiana Design studio, which designs exclusively the entire Riva range, handled interior and exterior design with meticulous attention to detail, generating the comfort and liveability usually found in much larger superyachts. Perfect optimisation of space enables the owner to enjoy total privacy and walkways for himself and guests, ten in all. As result the nine-person crew can move around freely when carrying out daily tasks. The spaces laid out over the five decks reflect a clearly-defined philosophy – to provide a full experience of the sea and open spaces. To achieve this all the design choices enhance the comfort and functionality of the exterior areas and provide an uninterrupted view of the coast or horizon, sweeping aside visual and spatial restrictions. Many of the full-custom furnishings are designed as freestanding pieces so they can be used in the outdoor spaces as requirements dictate. They are constructed to optimise weight through a technique involving Nomex®, a material used in the aerospace industry material and
valued for its extreme lightness and outstanding resistance to abrupt temperature changes and wear. Also featured are Minotti sofas, Cassina chairs, statuesque coffee tables with marble tops designed by OID and the Judd dining table by Acerbis. Many details evoke the Riva tradition, resulting in a timeless elegance. The most dominant is the use of mahogany, even on the ceilings, offset by the polished steel elements. The overall effect is softened by light grey shades, combined with the white Apuano marble of the floors, the Statuarietto marble of the coffee table tops, the bathroom walls with darker veining and the Corian of the large fourteen-seat table on the upper deck. The lighting system is full-custom, too - a series of spotlights in stainless steel units and LED lights enable the light intensity to be regulated and create different scenarios, controlled by a sophisticated Lutron on-board domotics system. “We’ve sought to filter natural light to render it soft and restful”, says Mauro Micheli. “In this way guests enter an interior that’s slightly darker rather than the sunny exterior.
This suffuse light makes a valuable contribution to creating a comfortable stay”. Sergio Beretta adds that “Our details can only be discovered by living on board, touching the surfaces and examining them closely. Few brands can afford to follow this kind of subtle philosophy. It translates into spaces and finishes that create an empathetic relationship. We’ve used materials from the Riva heritage, although the layout dimensions are modern. I’d describe Riva Race as a gentleman’s yacht. It’s master suite covers almost 70 square metres, and has an office separated from the lounge area by a glass partition and a multimedia room the owner requested specially as place to watch F1 races in a totally private area”. The designers did not want to emphasise the Riva Race’s beach area, as the yacht already boasts many outdoor spaces on the different decks - the sun deck alone covers 120 square metres – preferring to design it as a place where guests can come in and out of the water rather than as a fully-fledged day area in itself.
