The single-seat helm faces a burled dash with plenty of space for electronics on the vertical panel and Caterpillar screens on the horizontal. Just outboard of the seat is a horizontal electrical panel with the breakers labeled in both English and Italian. As for the notch behind the helm seat, it holds an icemaker behind one door and fridge/icemaker behind the other. Another example of clever concealment, it also makes good use of the space used on the standard Euro layout that would be taken up by a stairwell to the lower deck galley and crew cabin (which will probably never be used in North America).
The centerline stairs lead to the accommodations, which ought to please anyone with their tidy and efficient passageways. And I loved the master suite. Besides the Capt. Nemo windows, it spans the full beam and seems to have even more room than the actual dimensions would permit. This particular yacht had a mini-dinette to starboard with two seats and a small table rather than the predictable settee shown on the plans-a recent trend from the Italians, who seem to have discovered the pleasures of the breakfast nook (which could also be a champagne nook, depending on the hour). A great place to have a morning croissant and coffee, enjoy a private cocktail or simply catch up on your diary while enjoying the view.
When you first enter the suite, you're actually on a level above the suite itself, and this space has been allocated as a dressing area complete with a huge, almost walk-in, closet; a full-length mirror; and a second hanging locker. It's a clever use of space, particularly the way they've placed the private master head just forward on the same level.
And this head really delighted me, giving off something of the same ambiance as Capt. Nemo's undersea aquarium. Uniesse's construction and design again triumph with a look that is trendy, a symphony of blues and steel and teak, and very comfortable: The two-door shower is amply sized with teak grating on the sole, and the molded bulkhead paneling is glamorous and, to me, dramatic. The floor is nonslip-finished Tanganyika.
Forward, the VIP stateroom has an island berth, two tall hanging lockers, three plastic bureau drawers underneath, and direct access to the day head that is sized and furnished like the master. The joinery and construction are, again, a joy to behold-and to touch. Just off the lower foyer to starboard is the two-bunk cabin, which is fitted with a tall, hanging locker and two drawers under the lower berth.
Back outside, the cockpit has big storage lockers on each side plus two line lockers under the corner cleats, a bench seat aft and a cantilevered bridge overhang that is nicely finished on the underside. The transom coaming hinges up to reveal an Opacmare 675-pound crane suitable for launching a RIB from the transom platform.
