Benetti FB 276 – Metis

SY 77 – Spring 2023

Metis, construction number FB276, is a 63-metre 4-deck custom megayacht penned by Giorgio Cassetta for the exterior, and furnished by English Studio Bannenberg and Rowell. Birgit Otte’s German Studio was in charge of décor. Metis was sold by Kurt Lehman, Yacht Moment, to a German owner.

Benetti’s Metis confirms the yard’s excellency of Made in Italy in the world. At 1245gt, she is 63 metres long and 10.60 wide, and has a 3.10-metre draught. Her construction is the result of a constant interaction between the luxurious yacht’s owner, personally involved in the process, and technicians who let themselves inspired by the owner to create an unprecedented boat.

They listened to his needs, met them, and carried on a careful design study to enhance the boat’s massive vertical prow and her general proportions. Metis is based on Benetti’s 63-metre platform, yet the owner’s request for an additional deck made her a one-off. The customer bought a half-built boat, and Benetti were able to satisfy his request: together with Giorgio Cassetta, they drew up an incredibly stylish solution for this. The garage was moved forward on the main deck.

Being higher than waterline, it makes tender launching and retrieving much easier, no matter the weather: the tender is lifted by a crane, and kept away from the waves. Replacing the aft tender garage, the aft beach club provides port and starboard balconies as well as an ample platform. Metis is a modern, timeless yacht, showing huge volumes behind smooth lines and innovative features.

Her minimal design typically reflects Cassetta/Benetti’s style and know-how: a customized gym, on the owner’s request, was also added to the Sun deck when the ship was close to being completed. It allows guests to train both inside and outside: sliding doors, prow and aft, virtually cancel any separation, while dark glass windows guarantee privacy and unparalleled view at the same time.

The customized Sun Deck gym, the prow helipad and the 160 square-metre owner’s suite, with two king size beds and outside balcony, make Metis really unique. The internal architecture is based on particularly modern style and design. As said, it is Bannenberg & Rowell’s job, who chose carbon, polished steel and whitened durmast as materials.

Leather’s finishing tops the picture with a touch of fineness. Bannenberg and Rowell’s touch is also revealed by sever uneven spaces. A sneak peek to GA shows that the main living room, the upper level one and the beach club lounge were rotated by 30 degrees. “This is less strict and formal”, says studio leader Dickie Bannenberg, who also penned Adnan Kashoggi’s Nabila in 1980- “it makes internal room and rooms more captivating and relaxing. Besides providing slightly different view when you lean out, you do not only have the conventional prow, aft, port or starboard ones. The dynamic changes. It was the first project we ever started from a blank sheet since Multiple.

The unusual layout with connecting owner’s rooms, children’s rooms and nanny’s close to them make the ship really unique”. The main deck actually provides a new solution to combine the kids’ playground, their room with private bathroom, and nanny’s symmetrically laid room, complete with a small living room and small balcony facing the sea.

The main living room, on the same deck, is home to a relaxation area with its backgammon table and a long rectangular one for dining. The dining room shows a light wooden table, framed by stainless steel, and its own Bruno Moinard chairs, dark leather upholstered. A wonderful cellar is not missing, for the owner’s favourite wine, wrapped in leather and framed by smooth stainless steel with a dark durmast band.

Closer to aft, a tailored table, also steel framed, occupies the centre of a welcoming living room. Fendi Casa armchairs, with warm wooden armrests, complete furnishing. The durmast panels on the ceiling clearly reflect underlying furniture, highlighting the unorthodox 30 degree rotation. Wood turns out crucial in the whole scheme: dark durmast wall panels are opposed to light leather ones, and two different kinds of wood were used on the floor to define different spaces.

Facet-cut durmast is found in the living room’s cupboards; elsewhere, carpentry unveils a recurring long parallelogram motive reminding of car design. It is found on handles, in the asymmetrically worked durmast of cabins and living rooms, in the durmast panels surrounding the staircase, and on the grey Texalium panels inserted in durmast doors.

The asymmetric living room on the upper deck shows a grand piano, a silky, smoke coloured carpet, steel finished art-déco ground lamps and armchair armrests. A glamour space, dominated by a white marble desk, also framed with smooth stainless steel. The shaker’s noise making cocktails is virtually heard here! Closer to aft, an open air dining area and its large round table.

The upper deck was conceived to extend life in the open air beyond summer months. The owner being from northern Europe, this area also features ceramic induction heaters: should he or his guests decide to dine in the open air, temperature is kept convenient even in case of a small breeze.

Centre-ship and prow area of this deck are dedicated to the owner, and his 160 square-metre suite that guarantees absolute privacy. It is almost entirely surrounded by full height windows, providing light and a panoramic view. Design is based on matching whitened durmast, smooth steel, carbon and marble, both Calacatta and Coffee Brown.

Brave and yet geometrical shapes are also seen on the stainless steel bed frames and other furniture items. The large suite has two bathrooms, man and woman: one is equipped with sauna and shower, the other one with a bathtub. A 55 square-metre balcony and a touch-and-go helipad crown this stately suite.

The Bridge deck, clearly shadowed by the Sun deck, hosts the wheelhouse, its chart work tables, and the Captain’s room with private bathroom. Outer spaces were devised to spend as much time as possible in the open air, thanks to a large relaxation area featuring whirlpool, sun lounge, minibar, ice making machine and teppanyaki grill, a metal electric burner which allows guests to eat food directly from the hob.

The garage, as said, is closer to prow. Its side door opens externally nearly two metres above sea level, for easier launching regardless of weather conditions. It has enough room for a 7,5 metre tender and two waterjets. Four guests’ cabins and a crew area for 12 people are laid on the lower deck. Its best part, however is the aft beach club, whose finely arranged furniture is matched with two side balconies adding to the aft platform, to turn the area into an unprecedentedly large living room at sea.

Ahead of guests’ cabins, on the lower deck, nine double rooms and a kitchen are at crew members’ disposal. No external connection is present between this area and the guests’ areas on upper decks, which means the Captain and his crew can carry on with sailing procedures with no sort of interference. An elegant, open air prow area is also here for the crew, which does not clearly lean on the owner’s deck yet provides outer space for the crew.

Propulsion is entrusted to two 1380kw/1580cv MTU 12V, allowing for a 16 knot maximum speed and a 5000nm range at 12 knots, thanks to the 15000-liter fuel tank. Metis won the World Superyachts Awards for the category “Displacing yachts between 1000 and 1499 grt”, and the World Yachts Trophy for the “best 54 to 82 metres external design”.

“Benetti confirmed their international reputation as excellent yacht builder, both for quality and reliability”, said the owner, “the yard was perfectly capable of understanding my needs and requirements. I am particularly satisfied with the unique owner’s suite, perfect synthesis between customization and excellence”.

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Text by Roberto Franzoni – Photos by Jeff Brown