State of play

But Genesis wasn’t the first project the Winch studio and Heesen shipyard worked on together – that honour falls to Sparta, a stunning 67-metre yacht whose looks belie her length, and whose style and interior finishing are almost beyond belief.

The project started as a collaborative proposal between Winch and Heesen back in 2017. Named Project Avanti, an owner picked the project up shortly after it was shown for the first time at the 2018 Monaco Yacht Show. “This was our first collaboration with Heesen,” recalls James Russell, Head of Yacht Exteriors at Winch Design.

“They’re known for their low, sporty boats, and the sundeck pilothouse allowed us to create a full owners’ deck within the signature Heesen profile. Before the project was signed,” he adds, “Heesen worked with naval architects to ensure her clean lines.”

By any measure, Sparta’s lines are a masterclass in flow and proportion. Lithe and lissom, she carries a wave-like line that balances the connection between bow and stern, an effect Russell describes as sinuous tension. It gives Sparta a tight, urgent stance that implies power and elegance – and also explains in part the yacht’s name, which references the city-state that was the pre-eminent force in the ancient world.

That’s not to say Sparta is all masculine and muscle, however. She was conceived with a singular vision – to become a floating home for a fun-loving family that enjoys entertaining. That she achieves this and more with such style is evident no matter where you look.

There’s the vast aft cockpit terrace with giant 6.5-metre pool and sweeping steps down to the water; there’s a huge private owner’s foredeck with a seating and sunning area and a sundeck that includes a spa pool but also offers alfresco entertaining, either shaded or under the sun with the sunroof open. There are bars seemingly everywhere, and multiple outside dining options.

In fact, says Heesen, each of the decks offers its own activity, from a cinema to stargazing, fine dining to a beach party, spa pool to swimming pool.

It’s evident inside too. The layout features twin owner suites, fore and aft on the upper deck, which means the two vast VIP cabins on the main deck – which are connected by a retracting divider wall – are the enclave of the children, who get a carpet designed to look like a desert island beach surrounded by lapping waves and turquoise water. You don’t have to be a kid for your imagination to run wild and play the castaway (preferably with a distinctly non-Robinson Crusoe cocktail in hand).

The yacht’s layout – designed with the upper deck split between his-and-her suites forward and aft – presents an extremely flexible package for would-be owners or future charterers. With ample entertaining spaces, the upper deck, including the expansive foredeck terrace, has been conceived as a private area, and access to the sundeck can also be restricted to create a huge private enclave.

But equally, the layout allows for two owners – or two charter principals – to share Sparta without fighting over who gets the prime suite. It would also work for multigenerational families when parents and grandparents want an equal share of the high life.

“Sparta is a uniquely dynamic boat that can be privatised or opened depending on the flow of guests,” offers Russell. “The ability to ensure both personal and family time was integral to the design.”

The two suites on the upper deck feature different decor but each is as sumptuous as the other.

The aft suite channels the air element with shading in sky blue and mother-of-pearl inlays reflecting the sunlight. A large walkthrough robe, huge ensuite with bath and shower, and luxurious abstract-patterned Tai Ping carpet complete the suite, while sliding glass doors aft lead out to the private aft-deck terrace.

The even larger forward suite benefits from the wraparound windows offering 180-degree views and includes an accurate representation of the solar system in a metallic headboard that’s not only tactile but also practical – skylights above the bed and the inviting ottoman recliner on the large forward terrace encourage stargazing at anchor.

One deck down, the main-deck saloon revels in the yacht’s 11.5-metre beam. There’s a dining area that Heesen says channels the private dining room of The Connaught Hotel in London, with an earth theme that includes dining chairs upholstered in palm leaves and a giant coffee table in the saloon area crafted from the massive trunk of an ancient oak.

That woodland connection continues with the main spiral staircase midships. Crafted in oak by bespoke wood furniture designer Alex Hull, it snakes around a glass elevator and connects the four decks.

“The staircase is carved in three different ways to tie all the elements into one rather than letting them be seen in isolation,” says Julia Roestenberg, Senior Interior Designer at Winch Design.

With the owner suites on the upper deck, the guests get the forward half of the main deck for their suites, which means not only space but also light thanks to the acres of glass in the yacht’s profile. “I like that the guest cabins are on the main deck with huge windows rather than on the lower deck behind the crew area and with portholes,” enthuses Peter van der Zanden, General Manager of Design and Development at Heesen. “The curved windows were a challenge, though it’s nothing we haven’t done before.”

The island-carpeted VIPs boast further elements that suggest pirate-party sleepovers and connection to the azure deep. Each cabin features a tramazite installation above the beds with twinkling aqua-blue stones recalling sunken sapphires. The cabins’ divider panel features a goatskin vellum tapestry with deepening hues of blue, dyed by Rook’s Books to give a feeling of freediving into the depths.

The other two guest cabins on the lower deck also feature striking yet harmonious blends of material, texture and colour, each distinct yet unmistakably part of the whole. The finishing across the different surfaces both here and throughout Sparta is exquisite, and the high-gloss and high-beam finishes seen on other yachts were eschewed on Sparta in favour of a more muted approach.

“The owners asked us to design something more calm,” says Roestenberg. “The interior palette is suffused by light timbers, bronze accents and almond golds, and every angle is rounded.”

It’s also clear that the intricacies of inlaid marquetry have been superseded on Sparta by carved patterns in wood doors, panels and features – it’s a shift that downplays extravagance while still highlighting exceptional craftsmanship.

The lower deck holds another inviting surprise – a full 65-square-metre spa, wellness area and gym complete with a huge sunken spa bath, Turkish bath, massage tables, experiential showers, recliners and a fully specced gym. It’s a haven of relaxation and, of course, its style and decor blends Zen with cues found throughout the rest of this inspirational yacht.

The large engine room houses Sparta’s beating heart – two MTU M65R engines that can push Heesen’s largest steel yacht to 17.7 knots, while also offering an impressive 4,500-nautical-mile range at 12 knots.

Other practical considerations have also been paramount during the technical design of the yacht and it shows – the wide-body design of the yacht meant a lack of exterior passageways for the crew, so they’re cleverly routed using a portside staircase. An electronic dumb waiter helps with the service load, carrying food from the professional galley to all decks.

With so many exceptional design details and so many exquisite features to choose from, it can be hard to pick a highlight on 67-metre Sparta.

But perhaps that’s the point because the synchronicity of her design, the connection between her interior and exterior spaces, and her elemental cues and oneness with the water are what make this striking masterpiece so distinctive.

From overall concept to the smallest details of furniture, fit and finish, she for sure follows in the wake of her namesake as a pre-eminent force in today’s superyacht fleet – and she’s also available to buy with immediate delivery. Such performance, stance, style and substance would suggest that, of all things, making Sparta your own would be an easy decision. No bold calls needed after all.

heesenyachts.com