Offering comfort in stately surroundings, Tivoli is well equipped for loing distance cruising. Report by Roger Lean-Vercoe. Interior photography by Bugsy Gedlek.

When [the owner] decided to circumnavigate the world he was faced with a dilemma—whether to set sail in his 22m Sangermani yawl, Tivoli, which, although much loved and very seaworthy was slightly small for his purpose, or whether he should seek a larger and sturdier yacht for the voyage. The advice of his captain, Edward Collingridge, was unequivocal -go for a larger yacht to maximize living space and comfort and, with so many areas of light winds or calms on the preferred route, think seriously about a motor yacht. For the owner of a classic sail boat this was almost heretical advice but he could see the logic of the argument and a hunt for a suitable motor yacht was set in train. Initially, the two scoured the brokerage market without much success until a meeting with the Dutch naval architect, Dick Boon, of Vripack-Yachting, convinced them to look for a new vessel.

An initial study resulted in a 29.5m expedition vessel but the cost of this was found to be well outside the proposed budget, a difficulty that was resolved by changing to a smaller 27.6m custom design from Boon's Doggersbank family of trawler yachts Although smaller than the expedition yacht concept, this retained the original requirement for an owner's stateroom and three guest cabins, saloon/dining area and accommodation for four crew, together with ample deck spaces. Following the distribution of the bid package, the most favorable quotation was a joint proposal from the Turkish builder, Proteksan, and project managers, Turquoise Yachts, located in Tuzla, near Istanbul, and their offer was accepted in time for construction to start in November 1998.

The commercial fishing trawlers that inspired Boon's Doggersbank concept need a large hold and spacious working deck so the new Tivoli, with its ample beam of 6.93m, is actually a much larger vessel than its overall length might indicate. Her steel hull features a round bilge with underwater lines flowing sweetly aft from its bluff-bows to an open sterm, incorporating a fashionably-integrated bathing platform. The designer selected a pair of relatively small and economical Caterpillar 3406 diesels that develop a mere 300hp each. These give a top speed of 12 knots and, at ten knots squeeze, around 6,400 nautical miles from her 34,000 litre fuel tanks - excellent for her world cruising role, giving her the flexibility to bunker with the utmost economy.

Above the water, her sheerline steps down amidships from her high, seamanlike bow to the lower freeboard of the sterm but the break is cleverly camouflaged with a pleasantly curving line that runs aft from the bow at deck level to join the cap rail amidships, where it continues aft on top of the metre-high bulwark to the stem. The chunky aluminum deckhouse, positioned well forward on the hull, mirrors the split level deck with an upward step from the saloon to the pilothouse, one that is repeated on the lower deck at the forward end of the owner's suite as it rises to the guest cabins. This floor level is carried through a watertight bulkhead from the guest accommodation to the crew quarters in the bow, so the crew accommodation is positioned high within the flare of the bow where there is greater beam. At the same time, this releases a huge storage space beneath the sole of the crew mess, aft of the chain locker and bow thruster compartment. The forward slope of the pilothouse windows might provide Tivoli with a jaunty 'Tugboat Annie' look but any professionally-minded skipper will cherish this on account of the absence of internal reflection which often hinders outward visibility through a conventionally aft-sloping screen. Much lower levels of sun falling on the windows also ensure that the pilothouse is a cooler, more pleasant working space.

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