Kimberly II: Confort and Technology

Written by Miquel Mallafré Translation Marco Benevento

On board

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Presented during the past Cannes boat show, Kimberly II is a yacht that combines the technological effectiveness with the pleasure of navigation. Its interiors offer a great comfort, its outer lines are very attractive and the propulsion system by means of a pitch propellers system provides the maximum performance.

Kimberly II is one of the most recent yachts produced by the Italian shipyard Mondomarine. Aesthetically the boat participates in the last trends adopted by this shipyard, with a ver y dynamic outer look, with an aluminium superstructure on a displacement hull built in steel and with a bulbous bow. The project has been developed completely by the Studio Ruggiero, a Genovese studio led by the naval engineer Vincenzo Ruggiero and his children Valerio, also engineer, and Maria Elisabetta, architect, who have taken care both of the naval architecture as well as of the ianner and outer design of the yacht, also following the instructions of its owner, Spyros Metaxa. The name will ring the bell: Metaxa is the most famous Greek brandy.
The previous experiences of the owner have been fundamental at the time of shaping a yacht both as suitable to live on board with the family as being extraordinarily hospitable with the guests, so that the elegant aesthetic aspects do not reduce a single bit the functionality. The development of the project by a single technical and design office adds personality advantages, with a great connection between the technical and the aesthetic aspects. Of the first ones we will stand out the disposition of the structure to obtain the best stability at sea, whereas of the second ones stands out the combination of curved and straight lines, that provide to the yacht an appearance of great dynamism and at the same time of remarkable solidity. It also stands out the group of windows that shape an oval forward, where there is the owner’s cabin, arranged at full beam, omitting the lateral walkways. In this way three objectives are achieved: to obtain the maximum amplitude, to enjoy large windows directly over the sea and, finally, to obtain a privacy that the lateral walkways on the same deck where crew and guests would go through would not allow.

Gym Deck

The main deck is occupied by the saloon, the dining room, the galley, the owner’s cabin and a gym, located forward of the main entrance, where other yachts usually place the owner’s office.
The communication between the aft deck and the saloon is framed by the two staircases that go up to the second deck, providing a privacy appearance to the saloon and a certain contrast between the outer functionality and the inner warmth, obtained with the furniture and the classic look fabrics. From the outside we will highlight the two staircases that descend to the bathing platform, symmetrically, but independently from the hydraulic gangway to reach the quay, which is hidden on the starboard side. These stairs also frame the outer dining room table, so that, seen from astern, the yacht displays a tidy symmetry. In addition, the central part of the transom, contained precisely by the stairs, is folding with the purpose of allowing the launching of the tender, after taking apart the protection stanchions anticipated on the platform itself.
The saloon has been distributed in different living areas with sofas and low tables, but the bar cabinet of the entrance attracted specially our attention, whose counter top has been made by the company Zunino Marmi inlaying fossil in the granite. Different paintings of Byzantine style decorate the bulkheads. Going forward, the dining room is totally independent, is separated by means of electrical sliding doors and offers capacity for ten; in this case the decoration has been completed with classic still-lives. From the dining room one goes to the galley through the port side and through starboard to the main entrance, where there is the guests’ staircase, a courtesy bathroom, the gym, equipped with a treadmill in front of a television screen, and the access to the owner’s cabin, that takes place through a corridor flanked by closets, despite the cabin has its own dressing room. Of this cabin we will stand out its large lateral windows, next to one of which a sofa has been placed to relax with splendid views, whereas by the other one there is a piece of furniture that will act as an office. The bathroom is even more forward, and it is accessed from both sides of the bed head, in such a way that each one of the occupants has its own area, equipped with washbasin, toilet and bidet, but the side of the wife also has a bathtub, whereas between both areas a shower accessible from both sides has been arranged.

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