Sybaris is one of the largest superyachts ever built by the Italian craftsmen at Perini Navi and has won multiple awards, including “Best Interior” at the Monaco Yacht Show.
But for Bill Duker, the proud owner of this 230-foot-long, two-masted technological and architectural marvel, the awards the yacht might win hardly compare to the satisfaction he feels from having designed and built the ocean home of his dreams with a dream team of designers, builders, and engineers.
“The idea for this boat really began 22 years ago when my son West and I would sit in the cockpit of the 110-foot-long Palmer Johnson sailboat that we had then,” Duker says. “West was six or seven at the time, and at the end of each day we would talk about where we were and also what the boat of our dreams would be like. Thinking about the design of that boat became his assignment, and then it became our dream. As time passed we started to talk to builders.”
He chose Perini Navi to design and build the hull. But Duker is quick to point out that building this yacht was truly a global team effort that included his residential architects, PH Design of Miami, which had never designed a yacht interior before.
“We had a rock star team building this yacht,” he says. “I’ve done 12 projects with PH Design since 1992, when I bought my first apartment in Miami and they had just come off doing Versace’s mansion on the beach. We’re now the best of friends.
“They became part of the idea that we would not only bring together the ‘best of breed,’ which is a phrase in the contract, but would also bring together people who are extraordinarily passionate about what they were doing. And I think the results speak for themselves.”
Duker continues: “We wanted to do something different, so not only did we start with architects and interior designers who had never done a boat before, but we wanted to do it with materials that weren’t used before.
“We started with a conversation that went, ‘What can we do that no one has ever done?’ The idea was to create this razor blade that ran from the back of the boat to the front on every floor.”
And nothing illustrates this idea better than the all-titanium “floating stairs” that combine razor-sharp looks with the metal’s soft, inviting, and calming effect.
The second never-been-done-before idea was the alligator “luggage” in the main saloon, which was inspired by Louis Vuitton alligator bags. “I said, ‘Instead of doing the normal credenza, let’s do these things that look like luggage.’ ”
Duker is right. The results speak for themselves.
Image Credits: Photos Courtesy of Perini Navi.