Magnificent Mirabella
July 1, 2005
“I refused to have a nautical look,”
says Luciana, who used a lot of Georgian and Regency furniture onboard. “I
shopped long and hard at the same places in Europe where I buy for our homes.”A
good example of this can be found in the sleeping quarters of their
coral-colored master suite, where antique chests and mirrors from England are
juxtaposed with modern lighting. The California king-size bed with silk-covered
headboard and the antique Oriental carpets are visually tied together by a
modern painting hanging on the wall. Sliding closet doors, designed by Viscount
David Linley, the nephew of Queen Elizabeth, are inlaid with wood maps from
Joe’s favorite sailing areas, such as Positano and Naples.
John Raimondi’s bronze sculpture The Jazz Singer hovers above the dining table in the saloon. The boat’s his-and-her bathrooms were designed using teak and lightweight Avonite with stainless steel ornamental inlays, buff stainless steel Hansgrohe faucets and spa bathtubs. Luciana even created custom bath products and a customized fragrance, Mirabella.
The master suite’s adjoining library/sitting room is a stunning blend of past and present, with Holland-designed teak, antique rugs, contemporary couches, chairs and throw pillows. A 24-by-30-inch Larry Rivers Pop Art lithograph, ca. 1963, hangs in the room. “All of Luciana’s rooms have an old-world quality,” says John Raimondi, a sculptor and collector with whom she consulted on the purchase of 16 paintings. “She matched their colors to the art. That is quite unusual.” Indeed, Luciana decorated much of the pale-wood-and-teak saloon around the yellow, red and orange in a 40-by-80-inch oil-on-linen landscape by Brian Rutenberg. Contemporary couches, armchairs, game tables and the occasional antique fill out the airy room. Meals are usually taken alfresco in the cockpit or on the sky deck. “Breakfast in the cockpit is our favorite time of the day,” says Luciana. “It starts around 7:30 a.m. and can linger until 10:30 a.m. Our Australian chef, Keiran Glossop, cooks to order—waffles, muffins, fresh blueberry pancakes.” If the weather is good, dinner is served on the sky deck, reached via one of two spiral staircases. There, a full gas barbecue, glassware cabinet, crockery storage, icemaker and refrigerator are on hand. And when the boat is at anchor, an Arabian-style sun awning is suspended from the boom to provide shade and ambience. Over cocktails, the Vittorias often watch sunsets give way to glittering nights. “Seeing the stars from the sky deck is amazing,” muses Joe. “But watching the sails go up in the morning actually gives me goose bumps. For regular sailors, it takes our breath away.”
To charter Mirabella V, contact Jacqui Beadon at Jacqui Beadon Yachts, +33.493.01.86.71, www.mirabellayachts.com.
The vessel can accommodate 12 guests, who can choose from the master suite or five of the six en suite staterooms. Each room comes with bathrobes that match the decor, a plasma TV with surround sound and a DVD player.
Charters vary from around one week to a month, at $275,000 per week. For the occasional charter of three to five days, the monthly fee is divided by six. Around Christmas and New Year’s, the price can spike to $300,000 a week.
The charter fee includes the hire and insurance of the yacht, food for the crew of 13 and their salaries. All other expenses—including fuel, food, drinks and dockage—are at the charterer’s expense. An advance of 25 percent of the charter fee is requested to cover these costs.
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