My way
says the owner of Life Saga when asked about his brief for the new 65-metre Admiral superyacht. Functionality is personal – what’s practical to one owner might be the epitome of dysfunction for another. For the owner of Life Saga , it meant creating a boat that suited the way he uses his ever-growing fleet and his relaxed onboard lifestyle, which mandates spending as much time outside as possible.
Life Saga , designed by the builder – which is part of The Italian Sea Group – with interiors by Mark Berryman, is the latest in this experienced owner’s fleet. He owns the original 42.4-metre Life Saga , built by Heesen in 1994, a 47.5-metre support vessel Mystere Shadow and a 20-metre custom-built Maori motor yacht that he likes to drive himself. And then there are the many toys and tenders that are stowed on his shadow boat, including a limo tender, massive RIB and two 15-metre dayboats. This is an owner who truly loves living and playing on the water.
“ZERO SHOWING OFF AND TOTALLY FUNCTIONAL,”
“The boss doesn’t go indoors unless the weather is diabolical,” says ’s captain, . The main deck is “the sea deck” – an open-air, casual space that keeps the owner connected to the sea and pushes the boundaries of conventional yacht layout. An indoor/outdoor aft deck living area takes over the majority of the level, with hardly a formal saloon in sight. Instead, you are greeted by an enormous aft sunpad leading into a covered deck area with flexible seating (the owner hates fixed furniture, says Captain Delves) and a curved bar to port. The area looks like a casual saloon, until you notice the retractable glass partitions to three sides that open fully – and that there is no watertight door at the normal barrier between inside and outside. This design blurs the line between aft deck and saloon. The use of materials typically found outside, such as teak and durable fabrics on soft goods, solidifies its intended use as an outdoor living area. When the owner does go inside, he turns off the air-conditioning. has been designed to suit this need, with opening windows and a separate air con unit to keep the audiovisual equipment cool.
