Virtuosity means great skill or talent in an artistic pursuit. It’s an entirely appropriate name for the second hull in Sanlorenzo’s 185-foot 57Steel series. The yacht is a virtuoso performance by the Italian builder in collaboration with Zuccon International Project for the clean-cut exterior styling, and with Piero Lissoni for the crisply contemporary interior design.
“During the design process, I always try to find a key word to explain the meaning of the process, and in the case of the 57Steel, the key word is balance,” says principal designer Bernardo Zuccon. “Today’s market wants new volumes, new features, new opportunities on board in terms of lifestyle and space. I started studying what’s going on with yachts of 60 or 65 meters in length, and then tried to squeeze some of these ideas into something smaller. It was challenging because you have to find the balance between function and shape.”
An illustration of that concept is in the wheelhouse, which would usually be on the upper deck on a 185-footer. Instead, the 57Steel has a dedicated bridge deck. This choice frees up real estate on the deck below for a master stateroom overlooking a private foredeck with a hot tub, as well as space for a full-beam VIP on the main deck forward. (Another four staterooms—two twins and two doubles—are on the lower deck, for a total of 12 guests, with quarters for the same number of crew.)
“The idea was to create a real private deck for the owner, so we increased the height of the boat while taking care to maintain the elegant shape and profile,” Zuccon says. “That’s something you find on much bigger yachts, which is why I like to describe the 57Steel as the perfect balance between content and container.”
The bridge deck has a starboard side deck for passage between the wheelhouse and aft deck, and is wide-body to port, creating space for a generous captain’s cabin and a covered DJ station when the yacht is in party mode. This is a feature borrowed from Sanlorenzo’s SL Asymmetric range. Subsequent hulls of the 57Steel will likely have a side deck to port as well.
Virtuosity’s 1,050 gross tons of interior volume are felt most in the main salon and dining room. She is about 16 feet (4.8 meters) longer than the 52Steel, but seems far bigger with twice the interior volume, a beam of almost 36 feet (10.9 meters), full-height windows and freestanding furniture. A bar at the entrance to the main salon makes use of the space between the engine room ventilation shafts. It is ideally placed for serving the aft deck lounges and glass-bottom pool, which allows light to filter into the beach club below.
Lissoni’s interior design in the main salon sets the tone for the rest of the boat. The Milanese architect, who is also Sanlorenzo’s art director, created a décor and selected furnishings that are comfy and casual, but also stylish and sophisticated. The sculpted staircase would not look out of place in an art gallery.
“The owners were very clear that they wanted a modernist, light-filled interior that combined beautifully designed furniture with selected classic pieces, and the inside with the outside,” Lissoni says. “The language of architecture is the interaction between exterior and interior, and for me, Virtuosity is a floating villa.”
Virtuosity’s beach club is a highlight. On some yachts, fold-down platforms above the waterline can seem intimidating when you’re swimming next to the hull, but on the 57Steel, the dimensions feel just right. When all the platforms are deployed, they create 1,184 square feet (110 square meters) of waterfront real estate.
On the other side of the bulkhead abaft the bar are a gym and spa with a hammam, sauna, day head and shower. The side-loading tender garage in the bow can house a 24-foot (7.3-meter) limo tender, a crew tender and a couple of personal watercraft.
The galley is on the main deck. There is a cold store and dedicated laundry on the tank deck. Forward on the lower deck are the crew mess and six cabins, including separate cabins for officers. The crew has its own stairways for servicing the yacht.
Virtuosity is equipped with Caterpillar main engines. Sanlorenzo cites a top speed of 16 knots and a cruising speed of 11 knots, but in line with the builder’s mission to build more eco-responsible yachts, hybrid propulsion is an option. In fact, the first 236-foot 72Steel, due for delivery next year, will have hybrid diesel-electric propulsion. According to the shipyard, its new 1,900-gross-ton flagship “embodies the best green technology on the market today that will make it possible to significantly reduce emissions in the atmosphere and at sea while maintaining a high level of comfort on board.”
Sanlorenzo is known for ideas that are stylishly out of the ordinary, whatever the size of the boat. Virtuosity is a good example of that. In terms of functionality and layout, she is certainly different, and yet the brand’s customary poise and grace still shine through.
For more information: sanlorenzoyacht.com
SANLORENZO VIRTUOSITY
LOA 185ft. 4in. (56.5m)
Beam 35ft. 11in. (10.95m)
Draft 9ft. 10in. (2.5m)
Construction Steel and aluminum
Engines 2x Caterpillar 3512C
Speed (max./cruise) 16/11 knots
Gross tonnage 1,050
Exterior design Zuccon International Project
Interior design Lissoni & Partners
Builder Sanlorenzo
This article was originally published in the Summer 2024 issue.
