Jack Setton Main

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Photo by: Mary South

Setton could probably have any boat his heart desires. After all, he’s had a 193-foot Feadship (Calixe), a 254-foot Schichau-Unterweser expedition yacht (Lone Ranger, ex-Simpson S), a revolutionary 197-foot icebreaking superyacht (Senses) and countless others. And because he could have any yacht in the world, I love that he has Pink Shrimp.

A 104-foot shrimper built in 2000 by Jemison Marine in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and refitted by Setton for long-range cruising, this ship is the real thing. Her profile is pugnacious — the high bow juts out and up like a bully’s lower lip; the pilothouse sits forward enough to seem assertive — and the rest of her is all business too: a dry stack exhaust, a vertical steel ladder to the pilothouse roof — which is really a discrete bridge deck — and a stern that’s outfitted with a crane davit and serious RIB. Pink Shrimp is so true to her roots that, even as I spied her anchored before a hillside villa on the outskirts of Portofino, Italy, nothing about her hinted at luxury.

But after you clamber up that straight steel ladder to the bridge deck, you’ll notice two clever custom chaises all the way forward. The seat backs are bolsters on mechanized arms designed to fold forward if you want to recline and sunbathe. Or swing them in the other direction to form the backrest of a proper seat that faces forward for the full, unobstructed wind-in-the-face view as you cruise. Gorgeous. Setton likes to skipper from up here, and all the usual bridge-helm components are mounted beside the starboard chaise. Pink Shrimp is full of these small custom details that demonstrate Setton’s experience as a passionate yachtsman. Luxurious she is. Cookie-cutter she is not.

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Of course, luxury is a relative term. If you’re looking for a helipad, a spa deck and a Jacuzzi, Pink Shrimp is probably not the yacht for you.

Pink Shrimp was designed to be low-maintenance and run with a small crew. She’s also very fuel-efficient, burning 14 gallons of fuel per hour at her long-range cruising speed of 9 knots, powered by twin, 600-horsepower Cummins KTA 19 diesels.

“You’ll see flaws in the service,” warned Setton after he and his wife, Sylvia, welcomed me aboard. “There are no small soaps here,” as he put it, referencing the lack of fussiness he sought in his refit of Pink Shrimp.

Her aesthetic is simple, minimalist, bulletproof luxury. Not that she wants for comfort or toys. There’s plenty of diving gear aboard and a 28-foot Herreshoff daysailer on the stern, in addition to the 26-foot Zodiac Hurricane. The custom davit makes launching either of these the work of a few minutes for the crew. Amidships there’s a varnished, open companionway to the accommodations below and a covered teak deck with a casually chic lounging area and dining table to port. Heavy Lexan panels separate this area from the port and starboard side decks leading to the bridge and foredeck. And, oh, what walkways — there’s enough sheer to make this comfortable in any sea.