Throughout their marriage, Bob and Amy Book have enjoyed a love affair with the water. They see no better place than their yacht to spend quality time with their kids, grandchildren and friends. They have covered a lot of territory, cruising throughout the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mediterranean and beyond. This summer, they are aboard Book Ends, their 19th yacht of the same name.
Book Ends is a 164-foot (50-meter), all-aluminum, semi-displacement motoryacht. She is the second hull in Heesen’s 50-meter aluminum series, with a sporty exterior design by Frank Laupman of Omega Architects. The Books made their mark by customizing the interior design.
“You want a story no one else has?” Bob Book asks. “Well, I’ll tell you: Getting this yacht built was quite a soap opera.”
When Book says something like that, it’s best to lean in and listen. The American entrepreneur is also a hands-on yachtsman (see Yachts International, Fall 2021, “Another One for the Books”). He has built more superyachts than many people have seen.
“We were mid-build at Heesen when Russia invaded Ukraine,” he says. “A Heesen stakeholder was sanctioned by Australia and the U.K., so before I felt comfortable moving forward with the build, I became an unwilling expert on sanctions. I retained five diverse international lawyers to fully understand what my options were.”
At the time, Book says, he had already made 60 percent to 80 percent of the progress payments. He was eager to finish the build.
“This was a very challenging time for Heesen,” he says. “To their credit, they did everything right. They did not stop building my boat even though I had to halt final payments under the advice of my legal team.”
In May 2022, full ownership of Heesen was transferred to an independent Dutch foundation. “During the transition of ownership, Heesen management kept the business running to support its large workforce and to honor its commitments to owners who had yachts in build,” Book says.
But even then, the construction saga for Book Ends was not quite over. After the Books took delivery, Bob and Amy decided they needed to make a number of interior changes.
“The fact is, whenever I take delivery of a new yacht, I seem to spend about 12 shakedown months making alterations to the way we like to experience a boat,” Book says. This time around, he adds, “We made about a million dollars’ worth of tweaks.”
They included switching out every piece of loose furniture. “It was a lot of work and frustrating at times, but now every time I go aboard the boat, I smile,” he says. “Maybe I should go into boat design.”
There is, indeed, a lot to like about Book Ends. Sole-to-ceiling glazing in the main- and upper-deck salons creates a flood of natural light. The contemporary interior design and layout is cheerful and inviting. The Books chose a curvaceous couch and armchairs configured for relaxation, which is key to their time aboard. Particularly striking are the custom circular dining table and bespoke chandelier by Riki Lighting in California.
A light blue Tai Ping carpet complements the tatami-textured African wenge parquet sole. Tableware is stowed in low, built-in cabinets along the windows. The fixed furniture is decorated with Tabu’s caleidolegno, a multilaminar fabric-effect wood veneer.
The owners’ suite is forward on the main deck. Its bathroom has Bisazza tiles and ivory onyx countertops. There’s also a walk-in dressing room and a separate study.
Up a level, Book Ends has a bright, light sky lounge with a glass games table and wet bar. Sliding glass doors flow to the outside deck, where a dark wenge tatami-finished parquet sole complements the light-wood vertical surfaces. The Books chose artwork to enhance all the spaces aboard.
Bob Book has owned several boat brands. A few years ago, he had 154-foot (47-meter) full-displacement, steel-hull Heesen that he really liked, but he needed a shallower draft for the Bahamas. He also wanted more speed, to run home quickly if he sees weather on the horizon or to reach a destination with minimal passage time.
Initially, he was dubious about the stability of an all-aluminum yacht, but he became convinced that Heesen could build the best possible one with the characteristics he prized.
“My yacht does 23, maybe even 25 knots and is very Bahamas-friendly,” he says. “I feel like I have a Ferrari on the water, and we have not had to suffer any compromise in terms of stability.”
Book Ends measures just under 500 gross tons in interior volume and is the first of its kind to comply with IMO tier III emissions standards. Her two MTU 16V 4000 M65L engines are fitted with selective catalytic reduction units. At a cruising speed of 11 knots, she has a transoceanic range of 3,100 nautical miles.
Notwithstanding the geopolitical saga and excursion into the world of interior design, the Books ended up with a terrific yacht. Their soap opera had a happy ending—but judging by their past, expect a sequel in their future.
For more information: heesenyachts.com
This article was originally published in the Fall 2024 issue.
