With a nearly 2,153-square-foot (200-square-meter) private alfresco area on an equally private owners’ deck, the yacht Project Setteesettanta is months from her inaugural cruise. From the smallest of details, her owners commissioned the megayacht as an entirely custom, family-focused home at sea.
Commemorating her keel laying at Heesen Yachts in December 2023, the yacht Project Setteesettanta (a.k.a. sette e settanta, Italian for “seven and seventy”) measures 187 feet (57 meters). Although their previous yacht remains confidential, the owners are repeat clients of the shipyard. According to Heesen, they and their family got to know the management team and craftspeople quite well during their first build. They came back because they wanted to enjoy the same experience while developing a fully custom superyacht.
They had a few specific things in mind. Firstly, the owners wanted the yacht Project Setteesettanta to have a shallow draft. It’s just seven and a half feet (2.3 meters). This will allow them to access some modest-depth anchorages. In fact, the owners intend to spend as much time at anchor as possible. In turn, the draft led to the selection of aluminum for both the hull and the superstructure. Yet another must, the superyacht needed to have ample outdoor spaces. Plenty of sunning areas are aboard, for instance. So, too, is a 13-foot (4-meter) infinity pool, the center of the main aft deck.
Information about the interior, with a volume of 920 gross tons, is still largely confidential. However, in late 2024, the owners visited a marble quarry in Verona, Italy to personally choose the stone for some rooms (below). Those rooms likely include the master bath, part of an entirely private upper deck. As mentioned above, the owners’ deck further features an alfresco lounging area. It’s adjacent to the master stateroom, allowing the owners to step straight outside in moments. The lounging area doubles as a touch-and-go helipad, too, when wanted. Yet another special request is an observation deck directly above the master suite, created by moving the wheelhouse to the fourth deck. This configuration is a first for Heesen Yachts.
Additionally featuring a main-deck VIP next to a gym and a main-deck dining area opening onto the aft deck, the yacht Project Setteesettanta bears interior design by Cristiano Gatto. The owners collaborated with him on their first Heesen project. Simultaneously, he advised them, as he did the previous time, throughout the build process. “To see this project finally afloat is deeply moving,” he says. “Every element of her interior was conceived from scratch and refined down to the finest detail, with nothing left to chance. She has truly been a labor of love.”
Sea trials later this summer should confirm an 18-knot top speed. Delivery, meanwhile, is set for late December. Jeroen van der Meer, Heesen’s CEO (above), says the owners’ wishlist “asked a great deal of our engineers and our craftspeople, almost all of it answered in-house.” As many shipyard executives can attest, van der Meer notes that repeat customers are the best accolades to get. “Experienced yacht owners arrive with real ambition and set genuine challenges for the yard and its people, and we welcome that,” he says. “It is exactly what moves us forward and sharpens our craft.”
Cristiano Gatto Design cristianogattodesign.com
Heesen Yachts heesenyachts.com
More About the Yacht Project Setteesettanta
LOA: 187’3” (57 meters)
Beam: not specified
Draft: 7’6” (2.3 meters)
Guests: 12 in 6 staterooms
Engines: 2/1,450-hp MTUrs
Range: 3,900 nautical miles at 12 knots
Builder: Heesen Yachts
Stylist: Omega Architects
Naval Architect: Van Oossanen Naval Architects
Interior Designer: Cristiano Gatto Design
