It’s rare for a superyacht to remain with the same owner for 15 years. But what’s really unheard of is that the owner loved her boat so much that she designed, built and sold three more superyachts based on the same platform. Debra Reuben’s 241-foot Siren is more than a story about personalized design. It’s her template for enjoying life at sea.
Siren was Reuben’s first attempt at yacht design, though it wasn’t her first yacht. In 2006, she and her husband, David, took delivery of the slightly smaller 223-foot Nobiskrug Triple Seven (made famous in 2021 after it was chartered by Tom Cruise.)
The sun-deck Jacuzzi is the centerpiece for the boat’s focus on outdoor living.
Nobiskrug
Siren arrived two years later, also courtesy of Nobiskrug, with a sleek, sporty and timeless profile and a silver-gray hull that “shimmers in the sea and absorbs the light all around.”
As with Triple Seven, large exterior deck spaces are one of Siren’s key features, with lots of sunbathing options and alfresco dining spots. This is best seen on the sun deck with the jacuzzi, which forms the hub of the yacht. Sunpads forward are twinned with a shaded aft deck for yoga and massage treatments. There is also lounge seating for cozy evenings in front of the outdoor cinema. A second indoor cinema is located on the bridge deck, with three double daybeds and blacked-out walls for the full experience.
Siren has undergone multiple interior refits, but the owner uses the same materials each time.
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“After building Triple Seven, I wanted to change the way we would use Siren to enhance outdoor living space and add clean, uncluttered and simple interiors that allow the sea and surrounding beauty to be the main palette,” Reuben told Robb Report. “At the time it was quite avantgarde, because most yachts were about the interiors, not the outdoor space.”
The beach club—a water-level area that Reuben credits David with dreaming up—highlights this ethos. “The beach club is my favorite place onboard, close to the sea and away from it all,” she says. “It certainly created a trend that all upcoming yachts followed. We have our gym there as well, and I like working out on the swim platform.”
The foldout terrace in the main suite is the owner’s favorite “private” place on the yacht.
Another of Reuben’s preferred spots is the cozy top deck crow’s nest. That’s her preferred spot when sailing towards a new destination. The fold-down balcony in the master suite comes in as a close second for private viewing spaces. “When we have a full house I like to sit on the terrace inside the master cabin, where I can be private yet see all that’s going on,” she says.
The master suite is defined by its adjoining spaces, with a walk-in wardrobe that leads into large his and hers bathrooms with Lalique fittings. A fold-down double bed can be assembled in the office area and sectioned off to create additional family accommodation. Four ensuite cabins are located on the lower deck, including a VIP with a sofa area and desk, two double cabins and a twin. A fifth double cabin is positioned on the bridge deck, with an elevator connecting all three interior levels.
Two possible cinematic experiences, outside and indoors.
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It was during the design of Triple Seven’s minimalist interior by Newcruise Design that Reuben was introduced to Katharine Raczek, a recent graduate who just started working at the Hamburg-based studio. She enlisted the young designer to assist with Siren.
“The design brief was that it shouldn’t feel like a yacht interior but more like an airy apartment overlooking Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London,” says Raczek. “It had to be more modern than Triple Seven in a radical way.”
The owner wanted an interior that wasn’t “yacht-like, but more like an apartment overlooking Central Park.”
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Across the interior, silk hand-knotted carpets, fine wool and cashmere are twinned with straight, curly and birdseye maple, black-veined limestone and marble. Bleached maple veneer is used for the interior walls. As a design highlight, Raczek points to the floating central staircase that wraps around the elevator. It’s underlit, so it appears to “dance at night” on the open, foldable helipad.
“I resolved to use as few interior finishes as possible to create an environment of calm and serenity,” says Reuben. “I also didn’t want to be too precious, as I have a large family with grandchildren and wanted a yacht where no areas would be off limits.”
The yacht has a small flotilla of water toys.
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In the two years following Siren’s delivery, Reuben designed and built Sapphire (also designed with Raczek), Graffiti and Mogambo—three 241-foot yachts built by Nobiskrug, which were quickly sold. Despite listing Siren for sale in 2010, it has so far escaped the same fate. Instead, the family have used the boat to cruise Europe, the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
“I love Siren’s design and tend to keep renewing her with the same fabrics, keeping her as fresh as the first day I embarked,” says Reuben. “I feel joy each time I approach her on the tender. She is my great love.”
Sharing the love is possible, since Siren is up for charter via Burgess Yachts.
Click here for more photos of Siren.
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