SUPERYACHT #11
Winter 2007
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
articles, images and yachting news
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Article by
Lino Pastorelli
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M/Y SHYRAGA
Shyraga is a classic 1950's motoryacht, twenty-nine metres LOA
with a six metre beam and a tonnage of about 122 tons. The lines
are harmonious and well proportioned with a characteristic canoe
stern, the work of Laurent Giles. This English designer, well
known at the time for his innovative sailboats, superbly
interpreted the Italian customer's request for an elegant, tough,
seakindly hull. It was such a success that after Shyraga's launch
in 1954 he had a considerable increase in similar commissions, all
for large motoryachts.
The vessel was built at the German shipyard
Abeking & Rasmussen, where steel was the standard building
material. The carefulness of the work process extended to a
special type of zincing applied overall which, though it upped the
price more than a little, also meant that all the structures could
be preserved intact for a long time, thus considerably reducing
maintenance costs. Suitable techniques were employed for heat and
sound insulation of the interiors, for example the creation of
cavities between the decks, and a special layout of the tanks
between engine room and cabins, not to mention the use of sound-
absorbing materials. With the crew's and captain's quarters
forward, in accordance with the rational rules of the day, and the
spacious cabins for owner and guests aft of the engine room,
Shyraga was a comfortable, luxurious yacht, at home throughout
the Mediterranean. She had several owners, including the
industrialist Piaggio, which resulted in various name changes, but
the philosophy of the yacht didn't change, nor was her original
fitting out ever tampered with. It was only in 1986 that Shyraga
underwent a first extensive refit, at the CBI Navi yards: the
flying bridge was elongated, both to make up for the space
required by the new tenders and electric davits, and to better
protect the external living area on the main deck. Then two more
powerful generator units were installed, the galley was renovated,
Vosper stabilisers were added, two GN engines replaced the
original Foden FDs and the yacht was equipped with air
conditioning, electronic navigation systems and a new mast to
house the various aerials necessary. All in all, more than a
year's work. Her range was now 3000 miles, practically doubled,
and her cruising speed is between 11 and 12 knots. She underwent a
further series of modifications during her American period in the
late 1990's, mainly to do with the furnishings. An interior
designer was engaged - Maria Nevelson of Philadelphia - who
introduced various hints of Art Deco though in a fairly personal
interpretation. The years the yacht spent in Florida at the turn
of the century were not the best for Shyraga: neglect, inadequate
maintenance, a negative biorhythm let's say, but which was
inevitably followed by a positive one. In 2004, with the mediation
of Mortola Yacht & Ship Brokers Management, the yacht was
purchased by the present owner at Fort Lauderdale. This may sound
like a normal operation: a broker finds a boat, the owner likes it
and buys it. But this case was rather different, not a wholly
fortuitous occurrence but rather the epilogue to a waiting period
of nearly twenty years, which had begun with a fleeting encounter
in 1986, a real youthful coup de foudre which triggered a desire
in the present owner to have precisely that vessel, and all
courses cross sooner or later.. The yacht's arrival at La Spezia
aboard a cargo vessel on 6th January 2005 and transfer under her
own engine power to the Alfayachts Yard in Sestri Ponente, may be
defined as act one of her rebirth. Under the supervision of the
Mortola Brokers Management Division an initial series of works was
decided on, indispensable in order to sail safely and not miss the
cruising season, but also preliminary to the definitive
restoration. Sandblasting of the hull was an important moment for
checking the structures, which turned out to be in good condition,
and it was followed by a complete repaint cycle, replacement of
the non-functioning Oman units with two 33 kW Kohlers, and
overhauling of the engines. The main body of work was resumed the
next autumn with structural modification of the bow: the
hawsehole, which is to say the anchor housing, was redone in
stainless steel on both sides, to a new design which allows the
chain to run more smoothly and puts less strain on the winch,
which itself was completely overhauled while maintaining its
original structure and appearance. The chain is now in stainless
steel, six cable lengths on one anchor and five on the other:
these are heavy Mason anchors in steel, specially imported from
New Zealand. The works carried out forward also involved the
crew's quarters, two double cabins plus the captain's, which were
dismantled and redone with furnishing improvements. And then the
installation of a powerful hydraulic bow-thruster: a captain's
skill is sometimes of no avail in crowded Mediterranean ports! The
engine room too underwent extensive interventions: total
dismantling, sandblasting of sheet metal, renovation of
soundproofing and the mounting of new engines with invertors,
shafts and propellers. The old GM engines were replaced by two 331
kW at 1800 rpm MAN D2876 NE403, which is to say slow engines with
low consumption, but thanks to optimisation they give the vessel a
little more range and speed: now she touches 13 knots maximum with
a cruising speed of 11.5-12 knots. Of course all the tubing was
replaced and all the service plant, including the forced aeration
system which has supplementary intakes and the extractor exhausts
on the aerial mast. The new engines have electronic controls while
the steering gear is hydraulic with separate circuits for indoor
and flying bridge. Obviously the navigational instrumentation is
appropriate to the vessel's class (Shyraga recently obtained RINA
100-A1) and a satellite TV system has been installed. The air
conditioning has been completely renewed to allow comfortable
sailing in all seasons, while the Vosper anti-roll system has been
thoroughly overhauled component by component. The powerful
desalination plant is also new. The cabin and saloon furnishings
have been taken down to the wood, dismantled and restored, giving
the old mahogany the splendour it once had. In this phase of the
restoration consultancy was sought from a name well known in the
field of interiors and also the owner's friend, the Florentine
architect Bonini, to harmonise the elements of a style which is in
a word composite but with strong references to early Art Deco,
such as the lamps and the grating with stylised palm beneath the
handrail in the wheelhouse. Another noteworthy aspect is the new
chroming of the elements, precisely to highlight the typical
contrasts of the style: bare metal, dark, light, no affectedness.
The lower deck houses the owner's cabin amidships with private
bathroom, and two guest cabins with beds set out in an L shape and
a shared bathroom. The VIP cabin is aft and a fifth guest cabin is
forward of the engine room: it was the vessel's old fumoir, with
its own external bathroom serving as a day toilet. Radical works
in the galley too where the precious Calacatta marble worktops
match perfectly with the period mahogany and the stainless steel
of functional Miele appliances. The rubber on the deck was
replaced, as was the support plate of the hand top rail, on the
bulwark, with one in stainless steel in order to preclude rust
blemishes. The glass prisms are the originals while the downtakes,
which weigh 20 kilos each, were cast in brass on the original
model and then chrome plated. The flying bridge was subject to
more radical works, such as replacement of the metal sheets
forming the covering of the gangways and complete renovation of
the teak. The rail was given an opening in correspondence to the
main tender to aid its manoeuvring with the davits that have also
been fully renovated. The second tender, a 14 foot Nautica from
the USA, has only recently come into service. With Shyraga's
skipper Marin Duka as our competent guide, Superyacht visited and
photographed the boat at AlfayachtsYard last July, just before her
delivery. Though the Sestri Ponente skyline isn't exactly the
ideal backdrop for a yacht of her class, the photos show a
timeless elegance, a wave that opens up at the bow and closes
harmoniously at the stern. Sailing without vibrations or shudders.
Shyraga will be back here in autumn, after summer cruises, for the
last fine-tuning and the works under guarantee.
For further information: Mortola Yacht & Ship Brokers
Management; 32, S.Michele di Pagana; tel. +39 0185 234360; fax +39
0185 234352; port. +39 335 5301577; 16035 Rapallo; www.mortolabrokers.com; info@mortolabrokers.com
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