Sea At A Glance: Benetti M/Y Seasense

I remember as a kid, seeing a school gymnasium in Beverly Hills where the basketball court slid into a recess, revealing a swimming pool. It was overwhelming. Now, I’ve just repeated the experience: on a yacht! The Benetti Seasense is no ordinary yacht by any stretch of the imagination. It boggles the mind!  There aren’t enough superlatives to describe it.

To start with, this custom-built 67 meter wonder (designed by Dutch designer Cor D. Rover and Los Angeles based AREA)  has a decidedly out of the ordinary layout, featuring indoor-outdoor seating areas, formal and informal salons, a dining room seating 12, a 3-metre high master bedroom, a marble spiral staircase midship leading to five further suites, a large fully-equipped gym and a garage holding a special LIMO tender. There is even an American bar and a pizza oven for those casual al fresco events. Rover calls it his “Benetti beach club” concept.

Special attention has been paid to the quality and aesthetics of the finishings. Aside from contrasting marble finishes in the bathrooms, there are over 100 different materials, including a variety of woods of various colours and patterns. The colour scheme is decidedly contemporary, with varying shades of blue predominating and flourishes of red, white and grey.

But, to get back to the basketball-pool: on the expansive open main deck, amongst the deck chairs, is a 10x4m pool.  With the push of a button, a teak floor slides over the pool, revealing a free deck space for use as a basketball court, complete with baskets! Bring on the LA Lakers!

As for the basics: the hull of this super yacht is steel and the superstructure frame aluminium.  Power is supplied by two Caterpillar engines, delivering 1,380 kW each, giving the Seasense a top speed of 15.5 knots, with a range of 5,000 nautical miles.  Rolling has been significantly reduced by a system of stabiliser fins.

Benetti is the oldest Italian builder of motor yachts, noted for the excellence of its construction and Italian inspired styling.  In Seasense, they have created a unique masterpiece of design and engineering.