Andrea Bocelli the Italian tenor and song writer whose work spans both popular music and classical opera has taken delivery of Libertas, his latest yacht.
Built by Gamma Yachts to the designs of Vripack she is the third in its series of Gamma 20 ‘mini’ superyachts to be completed to date and is noted for its impressive guest space for its length overall as well as excellent fuel efficiency.
The singer who was born with poor eyesight, and became blind at the age of twelve following a football accident has previously owned several vessels in this size range,
Bocelli comments, “I love the way space has been arranged so that our large extended family can be together, enjoying closeness and intimacy, while at the same time respecting everybody’s privacy. A yacht must meet precise needs and be able to make us feel at ease; it must comply with – and express both architecturally and technically – the same priorities as those living on it. Cosiness, warm materials, safety, low noise levels and comfort: these were my needs, and they have been fully met. I needed a solid, safe and comfortable boat, and I am very happy with my choice.”
Built and designed in Holland, the yacht combines the precision and technical capabilities of the Dutch with world-class interior furnishings and materials from Italy.
“There are a number of striking features on board this boat which has been totally customized for the blind artist. Bart Bouwhuis of Vripack says, “The lack of steps and obstructions: each deck is truly on one level, preventing the risk of tripping.”
The yachts fast displacement hull lines are used specifically for comfort at anchor and at sea. Vripack carried out extensive testing and modelling to ensure the Gamma 20 matches up to the expectations of an owner looking for a superyacht experience in a more compact vessel. The Dutch design team worked on the noise and vibration testing with Dutch firm Van Cappellan Consultancy, which also provided the insulation and stabilisers from Naiad offer guests equal comfort whether at anchor or docked in a marina.
As well as adding additional space for crew accommodation forward, the bow shape also provides excellent fuel economy for the yacht, which has a range of 1,270nm on 5,500L of fuel.
Making full use of the volume provided by the wave-piercing bow with cabins for 2 crew, the yacht offers 170 sqm of living space including the lower deck, main deck, fly bridge and walk-around. The addition of a fourth cabin in this yacht increases the accommodation to up nine guests, and the windows in the master cabin have been increased to let in more light and views of the surroundings. Double-glazing insulates the interior, allowing the piano and recording studio equipment to be used in the main salon. For the interior finishes, the owner chose matte oak panelling with natural oak floors. The galley is fitted out with white Parapan and grey stained oak flooring.
Gamma Yachts CEO Guido Bonandrini comments that the degree of customisation available is much closer to that of a superyacht than any other vessel in this size range. “The main elements of the Gamma 20 that are dictated to a client are the hull and superstructure shape; almost all other aspects can be adapted to the client’s tastes, much like you would expect on a yacht of a larger size. Particularly to the exterior fly bridge, we have seen major variations in each of the vessels delivered so far”.
For this yacht’s exterior, Bocelli specified a table and sofa to be placed forward of wheelhouse to offer true immersion into the surroundings, particularly when underway. There is also a custom-built diving board on the extended fly bridge to jump off the uppermost point of the yacht, and the hull is painted in an eye-catching metallic electric blue.
