When my grandmother baked cookies, she’d let me lick not just the bowl or the spoon, but both. That’s what grandmas do. Serve sweets. Take you to the toy store for a splurge. Let you stay up past midnight. Build a 94-foot yacht. What, your grandmother didn’t do that for you?
The nana who owns Adventure Us II did. She commissioned Hargrave Custom Yachts to build a Sky Lounge model so she could enjoy the yacht with three generations of family.
To be clear, most owners say that their yachts, regardless of size, are for enjoying family time. But Adventure Us II has the grandmotherly touches to prove it, considerations that go well beyond including a few Blu-ray discs of Disney movies.
“I want my children and grandchildren to look back someday and say the best times in their lives were aboard our family’s boat,” Grandma (who wants to be referred to only as Grandma) told Michael Joyce, CEO of Hargrave Custom Yachts.
That, essentially, was the blueprint for Joyce and his team: best times of their lives. And it’s pretty clear the team had some fun with the order.
Start with the granddaughters’ stateroom on Adventure Us II. What might appear to be an ordinary twin cabin in the belowdecks design drawing is actually one of the most unique arrangements afloat. The room is an L-shape, with two twin berths and a TV straight ahead of the threshold. Over the shoulder upon entering are a raised daybed and another wall-mounted TV for a lucky teenage friend. The decor is fittingly pink and coral.
The owner, with Shelley DiCondina of Yacht Interiors by Shelley, designed the remaining two guest staterooms (a VIP and a twin cabin that can convert to a queen) for specific family members. The use of makore wood (a warm, reddish tone) actually entices a wide smile here.
What grandmother encourages her family to take mobile phones and tablets anywhere? This one knew enough to roll with the times, which is why Adventure Us II has Wi-Fi on different decks, plus enough power outlets to charge the devices that a party of six typically takes along. Oh, and those TVs in the staterooms? They’re 46 inches, same as those on the aft deck. The salon has a 55-inch TV.
Not even Grandma wants eyes focused on a screen at all times, though. Enter the sky lounge, “a big party area,” as she puts it. That statement became reality at a recent party for 24 friends and family members. There are bar stools, L-shaped seating and teak tables, and the bar runs much of the length of the room — with a wine chiller, refrigerator drawers and stowage.
Because of her boat knowledge, and recognizing that simplicity is smart, Grandma asked that the master stateroom be on the main deck (aching joints do not get along with stairs). The master is set apart from all other spaces with art deco elements from the headboard to the sconces. Anyone who appreciates the idea of customizing a yacht will note the configuration: Few 94-footers are arranged with three closets in the owner’s suite. Fitting for the lady of the house, one closet is dedicated to her hats, purses and accessories. Given how much emphasis Adventure Us II puts on “us,” it’s nice to see Grandma devoting a special space to herself.
If you ask DiCondina about the yacht, she’ll tell you another item on board is the embodiment of the owner. It’s a striking glass etching in the dining room. Dating from the 1920s, it depicts a graceful, well-heeled Parisian woman. The entire dining room was designed around this etching.
It’s easy to sit here, look around, and be reminded of evenings spent at my own grandmother’s home. And to think this home away from home can go wherever family members wish. Some young girls are about to have the best times of their lives.
