The owner of Baltic Yachts, Professor Hans Georg Näder, is all about evolution. So much so that, despite sailing since the age of seven, he has fully embraced the motoryacht life with his just-launched 190-foot Damen SeaXplorer Pink Shadow.
The original Pink Shadow (now part of Anthony Hsieh’s Bad Company fleet) was a support vessel commissioned to follow Näder’s 174-foot Pink Gin VI sailing yacht around the world. He loved that vessel so much that he decided to transfer not just the name, but also artwork, into his new yacht. A large female statue that was originally commissioned to sit under Pink Gin VI’s mast is now in Pink Shadow’s dining area. Näder also tapped artist Marcin Rusack, who had a large influence on his former yacht’s interior, to create the Amazonas bar panels and a dining table.
Despite the name, Pink Shadow will be anything but a support vessel. As a primary explorer yacht, it will have six staterooms spread across six decks and quarters for 17 crew, along with three bars, Tahiti beach club and a “snug” seating area on the uppermost deck. The vibrant interiors penned by Design Unlimited were inspired by the bizarro 1980s movie Fitzcarraldo, by the eclectic German director Werner Herzog. It’s an unusual source of inspiration, though not surprising considering the name for his fleet of Pink Gin sailing yachts came after a night of drinking pink-gin cocktails with his then-captain Henry Hawkins at Hamburg’s famed Old Fashioned Bar.
“The owner introduced the Fitzcarraldo idea during our first meeting in Antigua, inspired by the film’s adventures in the Amazon,” says Mark Tucker, founder of Design Unlimited. “The film set the crazy-ish tone for the boat and gave us the freedom to be more eclectic with the interior, while the size and space on board ensures the design really sings.”
The Amazon theme runs throughout, from the central staircase mural that begins under water and ascends into a treetop canopy, to the bridge deck dayhead with a bamboo backlit ceiling and faux tropical plant walls. “Each guest cabin tells a story from the moment you open the door,” says Tucker. “The wallpaper on the interior of the wardrobes sets the tone for the room, even down to color-coordinated clothes hangers.”
Here are insider 12 facts about the world’s only Fitzcarraldo-themed superyacht (there’s really room for only one), available for charter with Y.CO.
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Undercover Exploration
Image Credit: Y.CO The dark-green exterior with dark-gray detailing, created by Design Unlimited, gives Pink Shadow a military-style stealth aesthetic. It’s less about blending in, however, and more about continuing the Amazonia explorer theme. The copper-colored fins are a particular highlight that the owner wanted, giving the yacht a distinguished look.
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Floral Fancies
Image Credit: Y.CO A lot catches the eye in the full-beam owner’s suite, including a knotted silk jungle rug depicting a leopard. But it’s the hand-painted mural on the wall behind the bed that truly leaps out. The artwork by James Roper is painted onto a fitted canvas, which was shipped from the shipyard in the Netherlands to the artist in the U.K. and back again before being fitted on the bulkhead. In the far corner, a “siesta room” for relaxing with sea views completes the eclectic primary suite.
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Hot and Cold Jacuzzis
Image Credit: Y.CO The yacht’s two Jacuzzis allow for warm soaks. But the central rope shower on the edge of the hot tub will deliver a stream of frigid water for an Arctic-style ice bath.
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A Trio of Bars
Image Credit: Y.CO The Amazonia bar is the owner’s favorite of the three-on board bars. He loves the hand-painted, tropical rain forest murals but also the exceptional views of the water. The exterior Boat Bar, by contrast, is right next to the water and has a shelf of liquor bottles that raises when needed.
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The ‘Fitzcarraldo’ Link
Image Credit: Y.CO The main lounge is awash with stylized, luxurious vintage appeal, including the purple-velvet sofa, a Louis Vuitton travel trunk, and a custom hand-tufted rug that depicts the Fitzcarraldo steamboat sailing up the Amazon. A second trunk with hand-hammered brass studs opens to reveal a secret drinks cabinet.
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Crocs on Boats
Image Credit: Y.CO Pink neon signs and personalized maps that chart the owner’s favorite locations are also part of the boat’s artwork. The biggest eyecatcher is a giant silver crocodile sculpture that sits atop a trunk on the bridge deck salon, made by British artist Michael Turner. “It was bought by the owner for his previous Pink Shadow, where it sat in the salon among surfboards and Hermes wallpaper, but it fits so well with this boat’s Amazon theme that we factored it into the design,” says Tucker.
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Feathered Canopy
The wheelhouse continues the crocodile theme with a wooden tabletop carved by Piers Mason into the shape of a “crocodile smile,” that also converts into a daybed. Jungle-themed De Gournay wallpaper covers the bulkheads and doors with silk-embroidered tropical birds bringing bright pops of color. The effect is carried onto the velvet ceiling with hand-painted birds. Two mustard-colored sofas look out over the wings of the boat for views all around.
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Cocktail Hour in Tahiti
Image Credit: Y.CO The enormous beach club has bamboo walls, palm tree pillars, hand-carved totem poles, and a pastel-colored, weathered wood bar. The design is a nod to the Tahiti Beach Club in Saint-Tropez, one of the owner’s favorite locations. “We’ve had many design meetings there, as well as the Pink Gin V launch party, so the beach club represents a place that is very close to the owner’s heart,” says Tucker. The open swim platform is accentuated by two drop-down side balconies and a wave-patterned dancefloor.
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Sitting Pretty
Image Credit: Y.CO Two of the most fun elements on a yacht designed around pleasure are the nest chairs on either side of the beach club. They hang from the cranes used to deploy the yacht’s dinghies and swing out over the water. They’re twinned with louvre doors that carry a sea breeze to the lower deck aft (which doesn’t have air-conditioning) and can be closed off when the wind picks up.
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Smoke on the Water
Image Credit: Y.CO The Havana Lounge includes a bespoke humidor built by Baltic Yachts to store the owner’s extensive cigar collection. There are even cigar trays built into the arms of the chairs. The cigar bar is on the upper deck—or the Fitzcarraldo deck—and was initially an observation room before being turned into the relaxing cigar lounge.
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Adventure Beckons
Image Credit: Y.CO The touch-and-go helipad on the bridge deck aft is also where the owner likes to keep his Land Rover and two motorbikes for land adventures. There’s also a large container to store expedition gear.
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Exterior Snug
Image Credit: Y.CO Offering best views on board, the top-deck exterior “snug” is the owner’s private sanctuary.
