First Impression: Selene

Date toured: May 2007

At virtually every boat show, there is a brand-new yacht that brokers rush to see, a yacht all but certain to be named belle of the ball because of her sheer newness, her exquisite craftsmanship and the expectation that she just plain was born to exist in the upper echelon of the worldwide charter market.
     Such is the case with Selene, a 183-foot sailing yacht built by the renowned Italian yard Perini Navi and launched just a few weeks before the 2007 industry-only charter show in Genoa. With not a day of charter experience to her name, she was asking—and likely to get plenty of takers for—a lowest weekly base rate of 179,000 euros, or about $25,000 per person with 25-percent expenses included.
     If you want to charter one of the biggest, newest, best-known brand-name sailing yachts, then Selene is your choice in the Mediterranean for this coming summer.
     Part of the fleet at Camper & Nicholsons International, Selene has an elegant, art deco-inspired interior that is built to hold 12 guests—although two are in Pullman (aka “bunk-style”) berths, so ten adults is likely to be more comfortable with service by a crew of eight. (The master cabin and its en suite bathroom are shown in the photos at right.)
     In what I feel is a fantastic design choice, the owners stopped the art deco theme at the exterior deck’s door, leaving natural teak and light fabrics that won’t distract guests while they’re outside enjoying nature’s view (see the bottom two photos on this page). The top deck, in particular, is nicely organized for charter guest comfort. It has an area shaded from the sun by a bimini as well as an open-to-the-sunshine section that includes a hot tub for worshipers of warmth.
     Selene also has all the newest onboard entertainment bells and whistles, including WiFi throughout the yacht, iPod docking stations and satellite/digital television and music systems. All the better to enjoy her rich, warm interior, which is crafted from burled vavona wood with ebony edging. 
     The yacht’s owners also know a thing or two about service, having hired a crew that almost entirely came from onboard other successful charter yachts. Capt. Chris Dawson, for instance, previously worked onboard other significant Perini Navi launches including the 131-foot Thetis and the 210-foot Felicita West (a CharterWave favorite).
     Beyond hiring experienced crew, Selene’s owners also built the yacht to help the crew do their jobs well. For instance, there is a “hidden” corridor that runs along the entire left side of the yacht. Crew can walk the full length of the boat without any guests seeing them, inside or out, thanks to snap-open blinds that guests can leave closed unless they want to look from the saloon’s windows through the yacht’s exterior windows on the other side of the corridor. 
     “The owners do not like to see the crew,” chief stewardess Karine Baillet told me. “They like their privacy.”
     As you can see from the exclusive photographs on this page, the owners like beautifully crafted surroundings, as well. There’s no doubt that many of the world’s premier charter guests will agree as they sample Selene for the first time in the Western Mediterranean this summer (and in the Caribbean this coming winter).—Kim Kavin