The Italian “maestro” has always had a keen relationship with the sea and boats. The Libertas is his own 20 meter long stainless steel and aluminium motor yacht, built by Gamma Yachts
by Alessia Cherubini – photo by Andrea Muscatello, Luca Rossetti, Giovanni De Sandre and Veronica Berti Bocelli
ANDREA BOCELLI, BOATS, THE SEA, WILDLIFE ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A PERFECT SYNTHESIS WHICH COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER WELL. He has a very deep relationship with these elements, just think of the Calm evening Sea song which marks the beginning of his career winning the Sanremo Festival in 1994. We know Bocelli’s recent past well: it’s made up of global successes and we are not surprised to know that he considers the boat a very important place where he can find the ideal conditions to regain energy. The maestro has a “necessary and lasting” relationship with silence because it reveals important things: «It inspires you to ponder, to meditate on time and life. For these reasons the monks and the ascetics favor it».
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- Gamma 20
Boats can certainly help you find this condition. Bocelli had already owned other boats In the past, but he states that the Gamma 20 is his favorite one: «I love the way space has been arranged so that our large extended family can be together, enjoying closeness and intimacy, while at the same time respecting everybody’s privacy. A yacht must meet precise needs and be able to make us feel at ease; it must comply with and express both architecturally and technically the same priorities as those living on It. Coziness, warm materials, safety, low noise and comfort: these were my needs and they have been fully met. I needed a solid, safe and comfortable boat and I’m really happy to have chosen a Gamma 20».
Maestro, what does the charm of a yacht mean for you?
My love for all the types and sizes of boats is tightly tied to what I have always felt for the sea. The sea is a place of freedom, It is the guardian of wonders and mysteries that fascinate man and drive him to dare and live unforgettable experiences.
How did your love for boats begin?
My father always had a rib of five or six meters long. I believe that my great passion for boats comes from the holidays spent outdoors, when, together with my father and my brother, I went out on the sea for short and safe cruises. Every morning, me and my brother Alberto, carried the heavy engine on our shoulders which every evening before leaving the beach was stored by dad in the cab, and in a few minutes we were beyond the safety buoys, where we could start the engine and begin our trip.
Why did you name your last boat Libertas?
Peace and freedom are two of the most important values of mine. I had a boat named Pax, now I have chosen Libertas to remind me and all of those who will be onboard how much freedom is important.
How much have you been involved in the design of the yacht and what are the most important details you’ve asked Vripack for?
When I fall in love with a boat, it means that the yard has already won my trust. There are details that I usually suggest, based on my family’s specific needs, but in general I leave the task of identifying the most practical and intelligent solutions to those who, for many years, have been engaged in the construction of boats.
How much time do you spend onboard a year?
Time spent onboard depends firstly on my work commitments, which luckily are still many. Secondly, it also depends on the type of boat I own: for example for a few years I had a 10 meter long rib, very convenient and fast, but not particularly comfortable for all day use. Instead with a boat like the one I have now, the greatest thing Is moving aboard and spending both day and night in peace, perhaps without even setting a foot ashore.
Which kind of advice would you give to someone who wants to buy a yacht?
The same as what I’d give to someone who wants to get married. It’s a very difficult choice which must be made thoughtfully and after a careful examination of one’s conscience about their real love for the sea.
Your music inspires a lot of people all over the word… How have you been inspired by the sea?
More than a muse, the sea is the place where I can relax and I can recharge those energies which are essential for those who have to deal with the stage and with an increasingly demanding and selective public.
Sound is a very important aspect of your life… What do you feel in the silence of the boat’s motion or In the sound system onboard?
In the silence of the sea, to listen to music is particularly suggestive and full of emotion. I have often chosen the sea for long study sessions of very complex operas. The results have always been fantastic.
Onboard you have a piano and all the recording equipment…
Yes, I have an electric piano on board which has, however, a mechanism like the one of a classical piano. The advantage consists in the fact that being electric it’s never out of tune and you can adjust the volume in compliance with the requirements of the rest of the family.
Could you tell us something about the experience on your previous boats?
Oh, it would be long and so boring! I’d just like to say, very briefly, that the sea is a paradise where it’s easier to understand or consolidate the Idea that life is an amazing gift and that it would be a sacrilege to waste even a single moment.
Could you tell us something about your best experience at sea?
The most beautiful experience at sea was certainly the one of last summer: a journey that took my whole family to Valencia. We spent many hours sailing and went through the Gulf of Lion at night, on a sea which I could define more than rough… A journey where I combined work and vacation, allowing me to enjoy my yacht completely, just like a home.
The Gamma 20 has been both built and designed in Holland with interior furnishings and materials from Italy. «Although the traditional threshold for a superyacht starts at 30 meters in length, – Said Guido Bonandrini, Ceo at Gamma Yachts – the level of customisation available to an owner is much closer to that of a superyacht than any other vessel in this size range. The common elements of every Gamma 20 are the hull and the superstructure shape; almost all other aspects can be adapted to the client’s tastes, as well as you would expect on a yacht of a larger size». For this yacht’s exterior, the Maestro Andrea Bocelli has specifically asked for a table and a sofa to be placed forward of the wheelhouse to offer his guests a true immersion Into the surroundings, particularly when underway. There is also a custom-built diving board on the extended fly bridge to jump off the uppermost point of the yacht; the hull is painted in an eye-catching metallic electric blue. As standard the deck is in teak and there is an optional hydraulic stern platform which lowers into the water.
GAMMA YACHTS SARL
Le Montecarlo Palace
7, Bd. Des Moulins
98000 MONACO
T. +377 97980600
[email protected]
www.gamma-yachts.com
PROJECT: Vripack
HULL: Length Overall (LOA) 22.1m (72.5ft) • Type Approved Length 20.5m (67.3ft) • Length on Waterline (LWL) 20.2m (66.3ft) • Beam (max) 5.9m (19.4ft) • Draught (half load) 1.5m (4.9ft) • Displacement (half load) 63 tons (138,891lb)
CLASSIFICATION RINA-CE: A (Below 24m)
HULL MATERIAL: Steel 42, Grade A – Stainless Steel AISI 316 L
DECKHOUSE MATERIAL: Steel 42, Grade A – Stainless Steel AISI 316 L
FLY BRIDGE MATERIAL: Aluminium Alloy H321
PERFORMANCES: speed (max / cruising) 16kn / 14kn • Range (economic speed) 1,270nm • Fuel Consumption (economic speed) 36L/hr
FUEL CAPACITY: 5,500 l (1,453 US gal) •
FRESHWATER CAPACITY: 2,000 l (528 US gal)
WASTEWATER CAPACITY: 800 l (211 US gal)
ENGINE: Caterpillar C12 ACERT 715 hp
STABILISERS: Naiad
ELECTRICAL: 220V AC – 24/12V DC
GENSETS: 1 x 17.5kW Onan, 1 x 7.5kW Onan
(Gamma 20 and Andrea Bocelli, The Calm evening sea – Barchemagazine.com – April 2015)
