Perle Bleue is one of the nicest superyachts we have seen in recent years. Experienced American owners Peggy and Stanley Bey, noted English exterior stylist and interior designer Donald Starkey, and picturesque Monnickendam-based Dutch yard Hakvoort have, between them, created a real gem.
By Bruce Maxwell Photos Interior Matthieu Carlin Exterior Alexis Andrews
Perle Bleue has kept busy since final outfitting in Holland last fall. A mid-autumn dash across the Atlantic allowed her to make a noted appearance at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Days later, undaunted by high seas and cross winds, the 125’ steel-hulled yacht departed for a season in the West Indies. Her busy schedule, which included a few weeks of charter, took her to the island of St. Barts that inspired in part the yacht’s interior decor.
Owners of prior superyachts tend to form views about what best suits them, and Stanley Bey is such a man. He has written a lengthy paper called The Joys and Horrors of Building a Yacht, and the fact is he has had more opportunity than most to assess the issues. The 125’ Hakvoort Perle Bleue—French for blue pearl—is the latest in a series of yachts that he has owned. Intriguingly, with a 125’ length, Perle Bleue is 22’ shorter than Bey’s Campbell Bay built at the same yard—although the tab was 27 percent higher at today’s prices. So what makes this yacht so special?
We try to avoid that old cliché about “looking like a much larger yacht,” but the fact remains that within a 125’ LOA and 27’ beam hull, Bey has indeed achieved such an effect in a way that may be of considerable interest to other owners contemplating their next build. He wanted a boat that would accommodate a party of 10, plus eight crew members. And he knew that in both private and charter use facilities on outer decks are much in demand. One key decision was to abandon the formal dining room that has been such a centerpiece of many superyacht layouts. Instead, on the main deck, forward of a sophisticated indoor lounge, there are two tables for four, aligned symmetrically to the slightly angular roof and floor design. These tables articulate together for the odd occasion when everybody wants to be in the air-conditioned interior for a more formal gathering. Square footage saved in this manner allowed Bey to indulge in far larger aft main deck dining and recreation areas. Then he added huge outdoor expanses on the bridge and sun decks, plus another al fresco dining option for six, under triangular Australian “sails” shades, forward of the wheelhouse.
“There is more deck space on the 125’ Perle Bleue than on my previous 147’ Campbell Bay,” he said during our visit. “We developed this highly livable beach house concept everywhere, from the Castoldi tender on the lower swim deck, which is launched by a Hydromar sliding davit passerelle, to the sweeping main, bridge and sun decks…The aft façade is distinctively styled by its central, semi-circular loops on the bridge and sun decks, and see-through glass and windbreak panels are free standing, at extra expense, so that guests always have excellent visibility, rather than having to put up with thick stainless-steel frames and railings that often seem to be annoyingly at eye-level.”
Perle Bleue’s remarkable sun deck has a substantial forward Jacuzzi and sunbed, and a bow-facing lounge has another clear-view glass windshield. Aft of this area is a modish cracked-glass bar with five stools, offset by a couple of easy chairs and ottomans. There is a day head, and a dumb waiter serves all decks. One of the two large aft sunbeds lifts to reveal a gym treadmill. Substantial storage lockers are provided. The wide overhead radar arch and upper instruments mast has a cold water misting system. The bridge deck is no less advanced. Aft dining is for 12, protected by port and starboard glass windbreaks, and there is room for four more scattered easy chairs with ottomans and a wet bar. Inside, the upper lounge is thoughtfully presented with different nooks and crannies for readers or game-players, and an enormous 64” entertainment screen. Bey has performed as a drummer in jazz ensembles so the sound system is an important consideration. Bey has chosen Kaleidescape with Runco and B&O installed by Intellect. “I wouldn’t buy anything else,” he says flatly. “I’ve looked at everything.” The bridge is equally well finished, with a washed teak effect, augmented by rosewood and walnut; sofas and navigation console are finished in leather upholstery in three tones. The very complete electronic equipment is comparable to what is found on a much bigger yacht. Perle Bleue is perfectly suited for extensive navigation, with a steel hull designed by tried-and-true naval architect Diana Yacht Design, and a 5,750 nm range at 9 knots.
The main deck salon, like the upper lounge, provides attractive individual and small group seating areas and includes a Yamaha Clavinova for musical interludes. The French modern décor, with touches of Art Deco, uses gloss mahogany and rosewood, and features a unique leather sole. A foyer, leading to a washed teak library-styled office, precedes the ondeck full-beam owner’s suite. Designer Starkey sees Polynesian-Balinese influences in the décor that combines wenge-paneled walls, shoji screens and washed teak cabinetry with high-gloss lacquer accents. The bathroom combines stone, mother of pearl and glass mosaic finishes. A smooth epoxy-faced oval concrete tub would look at home in the grand French-era residences that remain in Saigon and Hanoi. The yacht’s commercial galley completes the main deck arrangements. Here are two ovens, six cooking plates, plate warmers, an enormous walk-in refrigerator and 30 square feet of freezer space. In another innovative move, Bey had an air curtain installed to keep cooking temperatures over the ovens separate from other food preparation areas, which stay about 20 degrees cooler. A door between the dining room and the galley is concealed behind a print in the style of 1930s Paris, done by a Brazilian artist.
Below are the crew galley, mess, laundry and cabins. Three guest suites—reached from the central staircase— and the captain’s cabin form the substantive part of this lower-deck accommodation. Two suites, named Eden Rock and Isle de France in keeping with the rooms’ St. Barts theme are identical, apart from color. The bathrooms, with twin vanities, feature pebble floors. The third suite, called François Plantation, sleeps four through use of Pullmans.
Although Bey had built at Hakvoort before, this vessel presented different challenges. “Doing glass work with no frames, and bamboo floors and paneling were new for us,” said Albert Hakvoort Jr. Nonetheless the award-winning yard that built other superb vessels such as Lady Marina, Spada and Freesia, was up to the task.
Captions :
The 125’ yacht welcomes up to 10 guests and eight crewmembers and offers large aft deck dining and recreations areas
The master stateroom’s decor is contemporary yet warm and inviting thanks to washed teak and mahogany accents
The perfectly equipped bridge console matches the yacht’s understated elegance
LOA: 124.8’
LWL: 108.2’
Beam: 27.2’
Draft: 7.2’
Displacement: 349 tons
Engines: 2 x diesel Caterpillar C18
Propellers: Van Voorden 5 blade, S1
Speed (max/cruise): 13/11.5 knots
Fuel capacity: 12,600 Gal.
Range: 5,750nm @ 9 knots
Bow thruster: Hydromar
Stabilizers: Quantum QC1200 zero-speed
Generators: Kilopak 99kW
Watermakers: Matrix, Silver
Freshwater capacity: 2,642 gallons
Grey/black water: 686.4 gallons
Sewage system: Hamann
Fire-control system: Danfoss/Seafix
Security system: Frankentek
installed by Intellect
Monitoring system: Dekasis ships
alarm system installed by A. De Keizer
Air-conditioning: Dometic, Marine
Air Systems installed by Heinen & Hopman
Radar: Furuno FA-2117E
Electronic chart plotter: Tranfas
Autopilot: Raytheon NP2015
Gyrocompass: Anshutz
GPS: Northstar 951
Satcom: Nera F77
Magnetic compass: Plath
SSB: Sailor
Depth finder: Furuno
Wind instruments: B&G
Entertainment systems: Kaleidescape, Runco, B&O, installed by Intellect
Owner and guests: 10
Crew: 8
Tender: 1 x Castoldi 16
Passerelle: Hydromar
Paint: AWL Grip, by Klaver Yacht Painting
Construction: Steel hull,
aluminum superstructure
Classification: Lloyd’s +100A1
SSC Yacht Mono + LMC MCA
Naval architect: Diana Yacht Design
Exterior styling and interior design:
Don Starkey Designs
Builder/year: Hakvoort Shipyard/2007
www.hakvoort.com
