Can you tell us about Ishtar and other projects in Turkey?

Our experience in Turkey began on the year 1990 with a 21-meter wooden schooner, gaff rigged, calledIshtarentirely projected by my father Ugo and built in Bodrum. I didn't work on that project because I was too young but I remember my father told me that was an amazing work there with local people who had to follow strictly all the plans he made. Actually I firmly believe that all Mediterranean people who work on traditional ship-building, share the same culture, almost a common language expressed by hand work. I had the same feeling in Spain where we restored a couple of classic boats.

More recently we made the design and the wooden structures in 2006 for a couple of schooners, of 33 meters. They were built in Bodrum and finished in Italy, one, with the name ofRenaissance, was presented at the Monaco Yacht Show 2012.

What are demands of market these days?

In this moment I think that the most interesting demands that the market has, is the refitting. Many boats have been sold for nothing and there are many other half made boats in the yards because of financial crisis. Furthermore, I believe this is an ecological attitude as well to reuse existing projects. Must be the present and, of course, will be the future.

What makes a yacht green?

Indeed, innovative technologies and the will to adopt them to improve the respect for nature. It is from several years that I ask myself about the way the shipyard industry is going ahead, because for too many years the trend has been only the profit without thinking that being honest with the environment is not only a conscious way of living but also a way of having benefits if you use it correctly. So I am very excited to be partner in a brand new project calledSound of Silence, because I think it's the beginning of a new way of sailing and building, respecting the sea environment.

Tell us about this new project

The project comes from an idea of green energy linked not the future resources, but present one, already available in the big quantities: Sun and Liquefied Natural Gas.

This is a 55 metres Exploration vessel respecting nature and a possibility to discover our unique coasts with the time of enjoyment proportional to the silences to be met. For this reason the project has been called:Sound of Silence.

The project is an idea ofEastprojectin cooperation with myStudio Faggioni Yacht Designas designers of styling and interiors.Sound of Silenceis a new concept boat,forefrontin terms ofecology, being endowed with theLiquefied Natural Gas(LNG) propulsion further to traditional Diesel and electrical.Use of methane with propulsion system on modern dual fuel engines will allow to anticipate Regulations 2015 – 2020, severe referees of emissions regulation, governed by IMO(International Marittime Organization), Port Authorities restrictions for the protected areas and American Coast Guard.

What does it mean in terms of emission?

This means reducing of CO₂emissions by 30%, Nitrogen Oxides by 85%, fine dust and Sulfur Oxides by 100%, further to an important saving in terms of operating saving cost of the yacht.

Hull and superstructure external styling, modelled byStudio Faggioni, that recalls traditional support vessel, intends to respect the environment without imposing embarrassing and eccentric forms, far away from simplicity, that will levy from a tradition to go at sea relaxing. This is also a form that cares about owners who love the space and comfort (the whole internal vessel surface is more then 700 m², 540 of which are dedicated to a luxury area)and are the supporters of a big respect for the environment, anticipating a life style, which is even now a right moral choice, and that tomorrow will be obliged.

Do you thing green concepts is the future for boating industry?

Must be. Even if now, nobody is thinking about. Everybody thinks just convertible electric batteries is green. Our project is not like that. In this case gas is not only green energy source. We are using solar power with a lot of panels we are powering more than 100 kilowatt. Because we have special panels of new generation calledSolar Yacht Technology, that follow the sun. This is the first time these panels are being used in yacht. We can stay almost for one day without generators on. Sound of silence name comes from there. Without generators we can give electricity for air conditioning and galley equipment and enjoy the absolute silence in beautiful areas. Absolute harmony with nature. It is a good challenge and this is the power of this project. This is our new project. We are quite focus on restoration of classic boats.

We started Brittannia's replica in England but it has momentarily stopped because of funds but we've just started in Naples with a new restoration work for Joyette, a 1907 Camper & Nicholson's gaff ketch.

Every restoration has a story, which one is your favourite?

Lulworth, Patience, La Spina, are very special for me. Now the owners use to give us carte blanche and confidence to be the guide of the philosophy of work. It is a huge work. It's not measurable in time all the work we do but the passion must be the guide for the architect, the owner and the whole yard to discover the lost spirit and soul that every boat like this has.

How can you find these old accessories and details?

Sometimes in Antiques shop, sometimes we find rest of old boats but most of the times we make them. Actually the industry doesn't help us so much so, if the owner wants, we prefer to produce a brand new drawing, not a copy of an old one, of all the accessories we need and that will be considered authentic jewels of the boat. You see, all these pieces are like originals because made with an original spirit and techniques. So, drawings, mold for casting, foundries, glass artists, etc…it's a great orchestra.

So you really love to be involved in restoration of classic boats…

I find it quite different from every other brand new boats. You are rebuilding the soul of the boat. Because this kind of boats have names like persons, not by an industry code or series name. These boats are like persons and every person is different with different character. You have to find this character, find a good spirit. With original spirit everything you make is original. That's why when you go inside of this kind of boats, you find everything original. You get in a time machine. You must not even see the architect hand after a good restoration. It's almost a mission.

What do you feel when you are in a Classic boat?

Since I was a child I get into this kind of boats like Orion, Astra, Mariette… These are boats for me.

A vintage hull embody the very meaning of the boat as a single object with seductive forms, not astonishing. A natural prosthesis in the sea of a ??classic home, built to enjoy the nature that surrounds it and the culture that created it.

I like new project sometimes; I mostly like supply, explorers or tugboats, they never fail who really wants to use the boat to navigate.

Design, for me should not be the desperate search for diversity, a design exercise that often goes against the nature with some forms of hulls that just want to shock, but is rather a question of balance.

Do you sail?

Sometimes I attend regattas with friends, most of the times owners of the boats we restore, but not very often. I like cruising and enjoy the beauty of a classic sail working hard, but not fighting to be first.

Did you consider choosing another profession when you were younger?

I studied architecture; I was not going to be a yacht designer because I did like civil architecture. I was interested in historical buildings and about modern architecture, I can repeat the same I said for yacht design. We are following strange shapes that don't make sense at all. I love good architecture even modern one, but must have a sense.

Do you think computer kills the soul?

I think computer should be used as a hand. With that philosophy our computer drawings are very handful. It helps a lot. I'm not crazy for photo renderings, even if we do it as well; it seems to me to kill the dream and the poetry from the beginning. And also it's rarely faithful to the final result because the lights you put in are artificial. I prefer the owner start to imagine the scene and finishing it touching real materials (samples), only in this way can be more part of the projecting process.

You do exceptional restorations and also draw some modern eco boats. How do you balance these two different concept in same studio?

You can also add home design as well. Well I think that is important to know exactly what you are doing and for who you're doing it.

Designing with the mind directed historically at the time of construction, the place and the current owner with whom (and for whom) we define the atmosphere of the time that you want to rebuild or the ambiance you want to create.

Restoration is important because sometimes you have to work to re-build the history. You cannot build the boat without knowing her story and the culture which created her. I must say that for this reason is extremely important to project a restoration, it's impossible to restore in a proper way, simply replacing old stuff with new one;you must be critic and judge the safety first of all and then the comforts we enjoy today that did not exist many years ago like electrical winches, generators, air conditioning, showers, ovens, etc.

The boat, even if true piece of art, is by its very nature, designed to sail, that is to live. She is a living creature like the passengers who live in, and around them and for them have to be done or restored, always in compliance with the current requirements of space, comfort and safety.

The same for brand new project, you cannot design them without knowing the owner who will impress his culture on it and will be part of the history of the boat or the house.

Aysegul Bakis