I’d just finished lunch, and with nothing else immediately scheduled, I made my way to the tender, an Azimut Verve loaded with a smattering of European journalists and a few nervous-looking PR folks.

The trip out was bouncy. A stiff breeze had blown in off the Med and the little boat was rocking and rolling. As we crested a wave just outside the mouth of Port Hercule, I first laid eyes on the Benetti.

My initial thought was, Wow, that’s a handsome boat. Benetti collaborated with Giorgio Cassetta on the exterior, and Kasper 7 has some Cassetta trademarks that will be immediately recognisable to the trained eye, including a stretched-out forward section that careens toward a masculine vertical bow and a graceful arch connecting the aft decks.

The bulwarks on both the main deck and the upper deck were noticeably lower than what might be expected on a Benetti, reduced to allow more light in through the windows. These visual elements act together in a symphony that conveys both grace and strength. It was so rough when we approached Kasper 7 that there was some spirited discussion as to whether we’d be able to board. But fortune favours the bold, and with the help of some attentive crew, we made our way safely to the beach club. Despite the conditions, the first thing I noticed was how rock-solid the Benetti felt, even as salty spray whipped up over her gunwales. The yacht’s zero-speed Naiad stabilisers had her pinned in place nicely – the fruity drinks on the tray the stewardess offered us were as still as a puddle.

As I climbed the steps from the swim platform onto the main deck, this yacht’s one-off appeal immediately announced itself. I gazed into the saloon and saw a wide-open, somewhat anime-influenced space that appeared to glow light pink. Whimsy abounded. The bar to port had large coral-like sculptures integrated into the unfinished-wood bartops and shelves. I’m not sure it was super-functional as a bar, but it would certainly work in a pinch. The piece appeared to be more artistic than functional, and indeed it was the product of French artists Carlès & Demarquet, done using the trunks of white cypress trees.

It was clear this was no ordinary yacht, and the hushed tones and urgency surrounding my last-minute invite started to make a little more sense.

The yacht is owned by Karim and Nisrine Karagulla. Nisrine is a former Miss Lebanon who went on to found the Beirut-based interior architecture firm Askdeco. She took the lead in designing Kasper 7’s one-of-a-kind interior. And while it’s said that a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client, the same apparently cannot be said of interior designers.

Karagulla’s design won best interior design for motor yachts over 500 gt at the 2025 BOAT Design & Innovation Awards. Judges noted the interior’s gallery-like ambience, clever use of windows, and an overall sense of sophistication that raised eyebrows even among yachting insiders in this rarefied sector of the market.

The couple opted to move up to this boat during the pandemic from a Benetti Classic they’d owned for 18 years. While Karim’s decision was mainly financially driven – he thought the yacht was a great deal – Nisrine had more creative motivations. She saw in Kasper 7 a place to make her own. One major deviation she made from the original design concept was to replace a series of smaller portholes with two larger ones just forward of amidships. She also put a series of smaller portholes on the accommodations deck, at midships.

The idea was to give the yacht a more vintage-y look, but it’s also worth noting that the round shapes help take the edge off what would otherwise be a very masculine profile.

Karagulla found a creative use for all the light her portholes let in. The walls are covered in a Tabu veneer that glows in the daylight with an ever-so-slight pinkish hue. The floors and ceiling are also very light, and done in an open-grain limed oak from Listone Giordano. The overall feel is clean, warm and inviting – like opening up the front door to your favourite beachside cottage on the first day of holidays.

Much of Kasper 7’s distinctive ambience comes from the interplay of light. After seeing light filter through the slats of louvres at Benetti’s Livorno shipyard, Karagulla was inspired, and enlisted Italian light specialist Viabizzuno to help realise her vision. Together, they drew on inspiration from cinema to heighten emotions around the boat.

Illumination is just one way light comes into play on Kasper 7. The design itself is also light, as in free of gravitas. Sofas and chairs are polar-bear style, like fluffy clouds dotting the decks. In the interior dining room, an Easter-pink resin table by Korean sculptor Wonmin Park is reminiscent of a giant gummy candy, while the windows in that space have shapes inspired by the drawings of cartoonist André Butzer. (Think Betty Boop.)

Kasper 7 is so deeply imbued with mirthful artistic touches, it’s easy to forget she’s also a very capable vessel.

She has a steel hull with an aluminium superstructure and twin 2,583-horsepower Caterpillar engines rumbling in her belly.

Her top speed is 16 knots, but at 12 knots she can comfortably cruise for 5,000 nautical miles – that’s enough to go from Sydney to Tokyo without refuelling.

Kasper 7 proudly owns one of the more remarkable yacht interiors on the water today. Her owner’s presence and vision are everywhere, and luckily, that’s a good thing.

If you’ve ever wanted to see a yacht that feels nearly surreal from the moment you step aboard, this is one you should make an appointment to view. I’d tell you to wait for a calmer day to see her than the one I had, but then again, the weather only added to the fun.

benettiyachts.com