this lürssen refit involved major changes that reflect the ownerls

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refit
Ex-Apoise
Titania
this Lürssen refit
involved major
changes that
reflect the owner’s
desire to enjoy
a sun-drenched
lifestyle and
connect with
the sea
words: Dag Pike
photography: Ed Holt
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Bidding among prospective owners started at €20 million, and less than
15 minutes later the yacht was sold for €34.75 million
In 2006, the Lürssen yard in Rendsburg
delivered Apoise, the first of three sisterships.
Saint Nicolas and Martha Ann followed in 2007 and
2008. The styling of all three was the work of Espen
Øino, while the interior designer was François Zuretti.
This proved to be a winning combination of yard, naval
architect, stylist and interior designer as the yachts
turned out to be successful charterers.
There was one main difference between them,
however: Apoise, the oldest, was 67 metres long,
whereas Saint Nicolas and Martha Ann were from the
beginning brought to a length of 70.2 metres. To some,
Apoise looked as if she was truncated, but her owner
obviously did not mind as her name means ‘balanced’
or ‘ready to take one’s place’.
Dave Ritchie, whose family company Ritchie Brothers
is the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, took delivery
of the yacht on his retirement in 2006 and enjoyed
cruising around the world before putting her up for
unreserved auction in March 2010.
Bidding online and among the prospective owners
who gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Grand Cayman
started at €20 million, and less than 15 minutes later the
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The sundeck (above and
opposite) offers plenty of
space for guests to relax
outdoors. Pieces arrive
before major assembly
work (left)
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TI TA NI A
The new owner shrewdly decided to live with
the boat for a year, slowly drawing up plans
to maximise her lifestyle potential
The upper deck is also
devoted to the outdoors
(left), with lounging areas
along the side, and a
table seating 10 for
informal dining
The yacht’s stern is
lengthened to provide
room for the beach
club (below)
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TI TA NI A
‘At first I wasn’t going to change anything except for the soft
goods,’ says Caudwell. ‘Then we realised we just didn’t like
the gym and it seemed the layout did everything badly’
yacht was sold for €34.75 million. While some brokers
felt this was far less than a proper asking price, it suited
Ritchie, who said he had received fair market value and
was sure her new owner would enjoy cruising the
world as much as he had.
That prediction has turned out to be true, although
British entrepreneur John Caudwell could not have
foreseen buying the yacht even a few months earlier
– at the time he had just completed negotiations for
the purchase of the 58.5 metre Lürssen motor yacht
Capri, originally delivered in 2003. Just as he had set
up Capri for charter, Caudwell decided to put his new
acquisition to work earning her keep as well. He
shrewdly decided to live with the boat for a year,
slowly drawing up plans that would maximise her
lifestyle potential.
‘At first I wasn’t going to change anything except for
the soft goods,’ says Caudwell. ‘We wanted a bright and
cheerful interior with colours like the Med. Then we
realised we just didn’t like the gym and it seemed the
layout did everything badly. I wanted two owner’s
suites – there was too big a difference between my
suite and the room for my wealthy friends.’
To make the yacht more appealing for his own use
and more attractive for charterers, Caudwell decided in
2011 that she should undergo a major refit rather than
just a face-lift. This entailed rebuilding in three areas:
the stern, which was lengthened to provide room for a
beach club; the upper deck, which got a second master
suite; and the sundeck, which was equipped with an
acceptable gym. The aim was to have the yacht ready
for the 2012 charter season. Because they would be
The upper deck’s guest
facilities include an
attractive pool with wet and
dry bars at the forward end
A workout in the gym
(above), centrepiece of the
sundeck improvements. The
old observation lounge (left)
offered a less impressive
place to work out. The upper
saloon on the bridge deck
(below) has cosy seating
areas and a bar
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changing the business end of the yacht, the owner and
his project management team at Hill Robinson took her
back to Lürssen for the work, which, in the typical
nature of refits, developed into a bigger project than
originally planned. First, though, her name had to be
changed to something more romantic. He chose Titania,
the queen of the fairies from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer
Night’s Dream.
The most difficult task was extending the stern by
3.8 metres, which directly affected the main and bridge
decks. Work started with cutting off the stern section
just after the final long hull porthole. Parallel to the
cutting, which took one-and-a-half weeks, a new midsection was assembled in one of the yard’s construction
halls and welded to the hull. The original stern was
recycled and reattached so that it would preserve the
original look.
All piping and cables had to be disconnected and
rejoined and deck hardware repositioned. Only the
steering gear was untouched. The existing passerelle
was lengthened, and because the main deck was
enlarged by about three metres, the teak surface had to
be augmented. New deck furniture was also put in
place. Anyone who enters the main deck from the stern
platform up the single stairs to starboard or via the
passerelle will not likely notice the change, but the crew
love it. They now have new doors opening off the
bathing platform port and starboard into storage areas,
the tender garage and the engine room beyond.
Instead of the original small centre door opening to
the lazarette and engine room, a much larger lift door
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The biggest visible change
to the old Apoise (below) is
around the stern, which on
Titania (right) now features
the beach club
A prestigious second master
suite (right) with impressive
views was constructed on the
upper deck, replacing the old
observation lounge (below)
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‘The big thing for me with this work was to be in touch with
the water,’ says Caudwell. ‘We have so many entertainment
areas now that the boat has been transformed’
now opens on to the new beach club. This has a bar
at one side, a sitting area at the other side and enough
space for a dayhead and sauna. A rain shower in the
doorway allows swimmers to rinse themselves off
before entering.
In the process of enlargement to create a beach club
on the lower deck and a more generous stern platform,
Lürssen’s project manager Martin Collberg made small
alterations to the starboard tender garage. From there, a
covered passageway with teak floor leads to the bathing
platform and beach club.
‘The big thing for me with this work was to be able to
be in touch with the water,’ says Caudwell. ‘A lot of big
yacht owners miss that. We have so many entertainment
areas now that the boat has been transformed.’
The second big attraction for charter guests is to be
found on the upper deck. From the technical point of
view, the changes here were not as complicated as those
at the stern but the results, for those who look for more
prestigious interior usage, are much more spectacular.
Originally designed by François Zuretti as an observation
lounge with a lobby bar and a small exercise area
forward of an alfresco living space, the new arrangement
supports both the owner’s use and charter by providing
a second, nearly equal, master suite.
That observation lounge is now a full-beam suite with
impressive panoramic view, an adjacent large bathroom
to starboard, with shower and bathtub, completely clad
in light yellow onyx, as well as a pantry and health spa.
The aft part of this deck is arranged for outdoor activities,
mainly sunbathing and relaxing in a longitudinal pool
with an adjacent bar. A table for 10, with seating areas to
the sides, allows for alfresco dining.
Everything on this deck except the food lift was gutted,
and the new walls and doors are a sandwich construction
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TI TA NI A
With two tenders and a
variety of watersports
toys, the refitted yacht’s
devotion to a lifestyle of
the sea and outdoors
is central
The new beach club has a
bar at one side, a seating
area at the other and a
wide array of water toys
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from metal frames and a core of mineral rock wool. The
overheads are covered with leather panels, all in the same
style and colours as used in the other master suite. The
immaculate interior joinery was done by Vedder of
Germany and the colour scheme and soft furnishings
throughout were chosen by Rebekah Caudwell, John’s
daughter, who has a design studio in London.
The master suite itself had a raised observation
lounge, which Caudwell converted to a private massage
and spa treatment room. The suite is entered through an
exceptionally fine office.
The final major reconstruction work was enclosing the
gym on the sundeck. Formerly just an open space for
sunbathing in front of the antenna mast, this area has
been converted to an air-conditioned ‘winter garden’, a
gym totally surrounded by glass and equipped with two
exercise machines facing a large television screen.
The front pillars are made of aluminium and covered
with thin plates of stainless steel, which has the effect of
mirrors. In front of the winter garden is enough space for
sunpads and cosy seating around coffee tables. Removing
the granite bar on the deck below saved almost exactly
the weight of the new structure.
Additionally, the whole boat has undergone a complete
technical refurbishment, including modernisation of the
bridge equipment, the guest laundry has been converted
to a twin staff cabin, and the hull and superstructure
repainted (the latter done by the crew).
Collberg says: ‘There are a lot of details you don’t see
in the beginning that show up as work progresses and
that you will never notice when they are done, except
that the boat works better.’ Technically, the only
difference is slightly more load on the air-conditioning
chiller and a little more weight, but the increased
waterline has resulted in better performance at sea,
according to the crew. The owner says she is now ‘very
appealing. The boat needed these things’.
Caudwell visited the yacht three or four times during
the six-month reconstruction process, with his
enthusiasm occasionally adding features and items to the
work list. According to Nick Hill, who was responsible
for the project together with Karl Hartmann, the owner
proclaimed himself ‘very happy’ with the result.
The inspired finishing touch, however, is unmistakably
romantic rather than practical: a figurehead of the
fairy queen Titania, which was sculpted
More on
in carbon fibre and chrome plate in
South Africa.
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Both fore and aft, the sundeck has plenty of sunbathing space,
bracketing the central swimming pool
As part of the refit, the observation lounge and bar
became a second master suite of near-equal size
Behind the bridge is the captain’s
captain, with a VIP suite further aft
The bridge deck offers a large saloon amidships,
with a variety of seating options and a bar
Most of the guest accommodation is on the lower
deck, with crew quarters further forward
The owner’s suite, with large bathroom and office,
takes up the entire main deck forward
TITANIA Lürssen (original and refit)
LOA 70.8m current/
67m original
Speed (max/cruise)
16 knots/14 knots
Fuel capacity
181,000 litres
LWL 64.11m/60.31m
Beam 12.8m
Draught 3.5m
Range at 14 knots
4,000nm
Water capacity
28,400 litres
Thrusters
Brunvoll 200kW
Owner and guests 12
Gross tonnage 1,894GT
Engines
2 x Caterpillar 3406,
1,380kW, 1,875hp
Generators
3 x Cat 3406 DITA, 160kW
Stabilisers
Quantum zero speed
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Crew 21
Tenders
1 x 8m Royal Denship;
1 x 6.8m Novurania
Construction
Steel hull, aluminium
superstructure
Classification Lloyd’s
Exterior styling
Espen Øino
Original interior
design Zuretti
Original builder/year
Lürssen/2006
Refit interior design
Zuretti/Vedder
Original and refit
naval architecture/
engineering
Lürssen
Owner’s refit project
management
Hill Robinson/
Karl Hartmann
For charter
Hill Robinson
t: +33 4 92 90 59 59
e: [email protected]
w: hillrobinson.com
Refit yard/year
Lürssen/2012
Bremen, Germany
t: +49 421 6604 166
e: [email protected]
w: lurssen.com