Cantiere delle Marche: Archipelago, the fifth Darwin 102

Archipelago was launched on the 15th of June 2019 and soon after she cast the ropes off and started her first season in the Med with the Owner and his family on board.
We didn’t have time to do a photo shooting then. Today, we are able to fully present her, eventually. Archipelago is the fifth Darwin 102 built by CdM and delivered to enthusiast Owners who enjoyed this model’s many virtues: reliability, robustness, seaworthiness, long range, comfort. The Darwin Class strong points need no further presentation. Yet, it is worth remembering that all Darwins’ hulls have 12mm thick steel plates and are built to sail far and wide in total safety thanks to redundant, top-end equipment.

“We are very proud of launching the fifth Darwin Class 102' confirming that there is no other more successful explorer vessel’s model between 90 and 110 feet in the whole market” said Vasco Buonpensiere, co-founder and Sales and Marketing Director of CdM, on the day of her launching. “This build has been another amazing example of the incredible flexibility of this shipyard when it is needed: the last 4 months of the build have been followed step by step personally by our General Manager Bruno Piantini who has led the project teams on both sides with unbelievable energy and capacity, putting all his knowledge and experience at their disposal. It has been an amazing lesson for everyone involved, and I personally thank my friend Bruno for having done that!” Designed by Sergio Cutolo/Hydro Tec, who is also responsible for all the Darwin Class vessels’ naval architecture and engineering, Archipelago has high-end interiors signed by Francesco Guida.

The Owner’s wife worked shoulder to shoulder with Filippo Bevilacqua from Interior Design Department of CdM, to define the project to its smallest details and bring it to completion. Materials, fabrics, loose furniture, lamps have been selected by the Owner’s wife who is very keen of interior design and has a wide knowledge in this field. With a total length of 31 metres, a beam of 7.43 metres, Archipelago has five comfortable guest suites, four on the Lower Deck and a large Owner apartment on the Main Deck forward. Guests are pampered by a crew of 6.

“Slow and steady wins the race” is the Darwins’ motto and Archipelago is no exception: powered with twin Caterpillar C18 Acert engines delivering 500kW each, she reaches a maximum speed of 13 knots and has a relaxed cruising speed of 11.5 knots. At 9.5 knots she has a remarkable range of 4.700 nautical miles.

A closer look at Archipelago’s interior design

Her interior layout offers large and well-appointed social and private areas on all decks. On the Main Deck a large open-plan living room include also a formal dining area, a most informal and relaxed one being located on the Upper Deck astern directly connected to a skylounge with uninterrupted views looking out to the sea. The interior project directs all the livable spaces towards the sea. It is all about living in a beautiful place where colours recall those of the open sea, the clouds and the sky. Her refreshing style is a treat for the eyes with white, green and blue hues creating a truly relaxing atmosphere.

Sun Deck 

There’s no doubt the social life on board revolves around outdoor areas with the Sun Deck taking the lion’s share. In terms of Owner and guest amenities, the Sun Deck is the highlight of the outdoor areas. The forward area, shaded by an openable hard-top, hosts two lounging areas with C-shaped settees with foldable teak tables. Fully equipped bar, fridge, sink, icemaker are at guest disposals while a barbecue/oven give the possibility to prepare express meals to be savored while enjoying the sea breeze. Astern, a large sun pad and a spa-pool are the best spot to relax under the sun. Fabrics of both sofas and sun-pads are solution-dyed acrylic fabrics by Maria Flora especially produced for yachting as they avoid mold and mildew and resist to UV rays, salt and chlorine.

Upper Deck

On this deck there is a perfect integration between indoor and outdoor spaces. The sky-lounge, less formal than the main salon, opens onto a large stern terrace equipped with a round custom table made of solid teak surrounded by comfortable SeaX armchairs by Dedon. Inside, a white sofa by Minotti upholstered with a bouclé fabric by French manufacturer Nobilis is enlivened by colorful cushions by Mastro Raphael.

The stern section of this deck is where the tender is stored during the longest passages. When the tender - a Williams Dieseljet D565 - is in the water, this area equipped with stylish sun-beds by Summit. The Upper Deck is also the Captain’s place as both the Wheelhouse with adjoining cabin are located here. A well-organized dashboard with all instruments at hand incorporates four Furuno displays providing all navigation data as well as the monitoring system of the yacht.

Main Deck

The heart of the interior layout, the main salon fully expresses the interior design philosophy. Bright and fresh yet extremely elegant, the main salon features two sinuous sofas by Cappellini upholstered with a soft Dedar fabric. Subtle contrasts resulting of different haptics and materials soothe the senses: the warm, tactile oak flooring, the super-soft, bespoke rug by Luxury Carpet, the bouclé fabrics of both sofas, the smooth velvet of the chairs, compose a welcoming and cozy environment where guests can relax after a day spent en plein air.

Nice coffee tables in bronze and table lamps have been chosen by the Owner’s wife who also gave precise indications for the dining table shape and material: it is a bespoke oval table made of two transparent glass slabs encompassing a fractured glass layer. Dusty pink Saarinen Executive chairs by Knoll surround the table offering comfortable seating to ten diners. At night, hanging over the table, an asymmetric lamp by Atelier Areti spreads light throughout the room reflected by metallic lacquered ceiling’s panels.

On the Main Deck forward a comfortable Owner suite, spanning the whole width of the deck with large picture windows on both sides, oozes quiet opulence. This room is indeed pervaded by a refined and relaxing atmosphere. Round shaped furniture coupled to a pastel color palette with white, cream, beige hues of the custom carpet by Luxury Carpet and bed fabrics by Nobilis, coupled to oak or lacquered wall panels, mint throw and neutral color fabrics, create a relaxing retreat. Storage is abundant thanks to lots of built-in cabinetry. Sliding doors, when needed, separate the cabin from a beautiful bathroom with double sink. The shower cubicle and WC stall are enclosed on both sides of the ensuite. Basins’ top, floor and shower stall are clad with Travertine marble whose natural holes and voids are filled with a silvery plaster which turns the marble into a precious, smooth surface.

On the same deck, almost amidship, is located a large, functionally laid-out galley with Miele appliances and stainless-steel cabinetry with synthetic stone top.

Lower Deck

Below deck are four guest cabins, two doubles and two twins. The material and finishing are the same of the Owner’s area so the design flows seamless and cohesively everywhere, the only difference being the marble that has been chosen for the bathrooms: all guest bathrooms are clad with Grey Stone. Forward the guest area, crew space is generous. Two cabins with bunk beds and bathroom and a cozy dinette are accessed through a dedicated staircase and the crew area had direct access to the guest quarters to ease the service.

A large engine room occupies the hull stern area alongside a roomy lazarette. Archipelago’s engine room is as well-appointed as all engine rooms built by CdM. The all white, tidy space benefits from generous headroom and all equipment are easily accessible for maintenance. The engine room gives evidence of CdM’s technical excellence. Valves, switches, pumps, control panels are easy to get to and, thanks to the amount of available space, away from the more dangerous/hot machineries such as engines. The lazarette hosts a few technical equipment, a freezer, two washing machines and two driers and it is also equipped to store properly water toys, canoes, diving equipment, etc.

At the extreme end of the Lower Deck a large swim platform is equipped with a transformer passerelle by Besenzoni.