When I first saw the Custom Line 108 Ferretti yacht resting along the quay in Cannes, France, I was struck by her shadow-inducing size juxtaposed with what was a relatively low profile, enhanced by glass. Lots of it.
Glass is used extensively on the Custom Line 108 to help connect those on board the Ferretti yacht with the salt of the ocean. For instance, the high-impact-resistant, rectangular hullside ocean-view windows in the four VIP cabins measure about 18 square feet apiece. The main-deck master’s windows have a curious eyebrow look, also providing stunning saltwater vistas. After giving her a good look from the dock, I walked across the passerelle onto a deck of warm, welcoming teak. A bevy of international journalists were mingling, marveling, pointing and staring wide-eyed.
This bright-white-hulled Custom Line Ferretti yacht was contemporary yet cozy; opulent, but not ostentatious; and as bright and open as you can get in 108 feet of luxury yacht. (The first four 108 hulls were sold before her debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival.)
An abundance of light, both natural and LED, enhances the volume of the salon, while the bleached-oak sole seems to lengthen it. Dark oak furniture adds warmth without affecting the sense of openness. The area is built for cocktails, with a conversation-encouraging, light-fabric, C-shaped settee opposing a large sliding door that leads to the starboard-side foldout teak-deck terrace. A marble-top salon coffee table is a clever and stylish flourish.
A dark oak cabinet, around the same height as the settee and just forward of it, provides a physical break between the salon and formal dining area, outfitted with a Gallotti & Radice stainless-steel glass-top dining table. The chairs feature super-soft Poltrona Frau leather.
Forward and to port of the dining area is access to the Miele-equipped galley. Crew quarters access is here too. To the starboard side of the dining area, a corridor leads to a main-deck master stateroom with an aft-facing, king-size berth and flat-screen TV mounted into the bulkhead. Abaft the berth to starboard is the master head, while abaft to port is a walk-in closet that will satisfy any clotheshorse. Beyond the view, those flanking side windows flood the room with light.
Bleached-oak steps off the same corridor lead belowdecks to the guest accommodations, with two VIP suites and two twin-berth staterooms. All have en suite heads and are finished to the same level as the master.
Walking back across the passerelle, my view from the quay changed. The Custom Line 108 wasn’t a large, shadow-inducing Ferretti yacht, but instead the best in waterfront living.
