It’s harder than it looks-that’s the thing about sin. Truth be told, few of us are capable of juggling more than two or three of the seven mortals at any one time. But, hey, a guy can dream, can’t he? And if his dreams don’t come true, he can still look for and even find other ways of attaining them which may or may not be the case with a magnificent recent delivery from Holland’s Heesen Shipyard.
Finished in semi-gloss cherry throughout, Seven Sins is a 136-foot trideck motoryacht that has it all-sauna, steamroom, water toys galore, and a range of 3,500 nautical miles. Her stainless steel galley with a full range of commercial-grade equipment caters to my personal favorite among the sins, gluttony, and opens through a butler’s pantry to a dining room that seats the yacht’s full complement of ten.
While open to the main saloon, the dining room is partially divided from it by side trunks that provide both air to the engineroom and emergency escape from it. Forward, etched-glass doors lend an air of privacy for dining while still allowing light to stream in from the starboard entry foyer.
The saloon is comfortably and informally furnished with large, overstuffed freestanding sofas and chairs. An entertainment center lies to starboard, as does a small corner bar. Glass doors open onto the aft deck and beyond it, to the integral swim platform and the full sidedecks.
Seven Sins‘ European owner occupies the magnificent suite forward on the main deck. Spanning the full beam of the yacht, the main room in this suite has a king berth and a sitting area with nine windows looking out over the bow. Large ports in the hullside bring even more light and view into the space. To port is a bath with double sinks and both a whirlpool tub and a spacious shower; the toilet and another sink are in a separate compartment to starboard. A huge hanging locker is situated between the two, and additional clothing can be stowed in a bank of drawers and cabinets beneath the starboard windows.
An owner’s office serves as a buffer between the master suite and the large entrance foyer, which has an open circular staircase as a central feature spanning all three interior decks. On the lower deck, the staircase opens into a vestibule at the heart of the four guest staterooms. There are two full-beam VIP staterooms, one forward and one aft, each with a queen berth. The aft stateroom has both a tub and shower, while the forward is shower only. Each has a small sitting area as well as a desk/vanity. There are also two twin-berth staterooms flanking the stair and vestibule, each en suite with showers. Crew quarters are forward on this lower deck, and a large garage lies abaft the engineroom.
At the upper end of the central staircase is the wheelhouse deck. In addition to the navigation area, there’s a captain’s cabin, a day head and skylounge with wet bar. Tucked in a niche at the forward corner of the lounge is a game room, and aft through the lounge’s sliding-glass doors is another dining area, again with enough seating for all the guests. There’s also a comfortable settee with an additional dining area for day guests.
The top deck, accessed by an open stair at the after end, is devoid of navigation equipment and is fully dedicated to guest enjoyment-there’s space here, it seems, for at least five of the Seven Sins. Forward, under the shade of the expansive canopy mounted to the radar arch, is yet another dining table. Whether moored stern-to in a picturesque Mediterranean harbor or anchored off a remote isle, this is sure to be a favorite spot. Also partially in the shade of the canopy is a large octagonal spa, and abaft it, sunpads overlooking the stern. You could house an entire pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses with ease up here.
For those who have followed the yachts coming out of Heesen’s yard over the past couple of decades, Seven Sins is a marked departure from “business as usual. The Dutch builder established a well-deserved reputation as the place to go if you wanted a high-speed, full custom, aluminum yacht and were willing to pay the cost that such a vessel commanded.
While making it clear that Heesen is not abandoning that market, director of sales Thom Conboy told Yachting in an exclusive interview that Seven Sins is indicative of the type of yachts he sees as being a big part of its future. She is a full-displacement yacht built for long-range cruising at moderate speed, in comfort, with a steel hull and aluminum superstructure.
Seven Sins is also part of a selection of semi-stock designs from 115 to 164 feet that the yard is offering, all measuring under 50 meters and less than 500 gross register tons to simplify construction requirements for the builder, as well as to ease manning and operational requirements for owners. Conboy says customers will be allowed considerable flexibility in speed, style and materials, as well as in interior layout, and that cost savings achieved by standardized structural and mechanical packages will be passed along to buyers. “We’re trying to follow our customers, says Conboy, “getting away from full custom due to cost considerations.
Conboy also emphasized that Heesen had no intention of becoming a player in the bigger megayacht field. Maybe it had something to do with our discussion of the Seven Sins and the temptation of Eve, but Conboy took a turn toward fruit as he reiterated this point. “We’re selling red, green and yellow apples, he said, “not oranges, grapefruit and watermelons.
We took a look at Heesen’s busy order book. Under construction or recently delivered are a handful of sisterships to the sleek 123-foot Lady Ingeborg, delivered in 2004 and featured earlier in Yachting. All are semi-displacement hulls that can show a good turn of speed when desired but still offer reasonable economy for cruising. In addition, there are four yachts over 150 feet. Perfect examples of Heesen’s new flexible semi-stock approach are two 154-footers, one with a semi-displacement hull like Lady Ingeborg and the other with a full-displacement hull like Seven Sins. Proof of Heesen not giving up the building of full-custom designs lies in a 105-foot sportfisherman at the yard.
If you’re in search of a little more sin for yourself, you have a couple of options. Seven Sins will be on display at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October, where you can see her for yourself. If you’d prefer a little more private time with her, she’s currently available for charter through selected brokers.
