Post on 23-Mar-2016
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Sessa CtlDave Marsh takes a cruise off the Srcrlran coast to
get under the skin of Sessa's new work of artTextr Dave Marsh Pholos Sessa & Dave Marsh
Hidden b€neaththe sttaggy rugis Sessa's usualstylish oak floor
Unusually, air-coni5 standafd, but
lórge opening portsprovide a quieter
fresh alr altematlvè
lmmedlately to rightof seat is . usetul full-height dr€ssing ftirror
Fridge/f reèzer reside under
CRUISING INASESSAC54 I
he afternoon was dripping with heat as I
disembarked ftom the ferry that runspassengers 1ìom Milazzo in Sicily, out tolipari, the largest of several minusculevolcanic islands that comprise theAeolianarchipelago.I was not here for a formal test-
we had aìreadyput the near-identical Sessa 54
fly through its paces - instead the plan was to
live on board the C54 for a couple of days, taking short jaunts out
around these spectacular islands,that lie some ten to 30 miÌes north
ofsicily. Swapping formal test hours for more leisurely cruising time
woùld alÌow me to get ùnder the skin ofthe C54.
As much as we try to go through the motions of everyday cruisìng
when we perform tests (even if, at tìmes,we have to imagine that
activity), the repetition that living on board involves can hìghlight
a boat's good and bad points, sometimes sPectacularÌf What seems
to be a minot inconvenience can become an unbearabÌe aggravation
when itì repeated a hundred times. And vice versa.
Practical issues aside,I shoùld confess nowto an initial bias. Sessa
are not alone in producing fantastic looking modern sPortscluisers,
and builders today are more prepared than ever to Push the
boundaries of design. To my eyes, though, a gulf exists between Sessa
and the rest, in the way designers Christian Grande and Massimo
Radice extend their dramatic styling theúes beyond the
sùperstructure into the huìl itsell h the flesh, the C54's hull looks
even mor€ strikingthan the pictures,with its dazding metaìlic silver
hue enhancing its unusual swooping lines. Sessas beautiful detailing
around their paired ports makes most others look like they've simply
been stuck on aimlessly. And how many ofthe ubiquitous ships-side
windows you see look like escapees fiom a wholesale Parts birl Éther
than interestìng forms designed to suit their surroundings? For me,
the C54 transcends ìts purpose - it is also a piece ofart
Back in the real world ofboats as boats, though, what stood out
after a few days on board this beauty? On the upside, what shoùe
through more than anlthing (highlighted byour ùùmerous trips in
and out ofLipari marina) was just how eÉlaordinariÌy easy it is to
handle and manoeuvre and moorthis boat, especially in the stern to
posiîion that it wìll nomally lìnd itseÌf adopting in Med ma nas
Even with just the two of us on board - me and my helpfulvenetian
co-pilot, Simone - it could not have been any easier.like its neal
identical54lly counterpart (full rePort, MByFebruary 2010) the
C54 is powered by Volvo's 700hp IPS900, which means the balletic
wonders of joystick manoeuving are just a stubby rubber stick away
Still,I found the C54 so responsive and Positive to maloeuvre
conventionally, using the wheel to vecfor the IPS'legs'as you would
with a sterndrive boat, that I often chose this option, Preferring the
near silence this method bestows.Also contributing is the thoroughly practical core design ofthe
C54's decks. Having separafe port and starboard access steps leading
liom the cockpit down orto the huge hi-lo bathing Platform made
stern-to mooring far easier, Particularly as we needed to scoot
around quicklybecause we were short-handed Had there been a
tender ìn residence impedìng access across the bathing platform, Îhat
benefitwould have been even more marked. Likewìse'wide teak-laid
side decks, minlbulwarks, and tall sturdy guardrails are ordinarily
the stuffoftrawlers, or much larger sportscruisers. Yet Sessa have
managed to incorporate all ofthese ingredients without imPacting
on Christian Grande's ultra glamorous style one jot. Stir in a useful
transom locker, exposed mooring gear, and an invaluable handraiÌ
for bathing platform dwellers, and here was a boat I found so easy to
moor, that in calm conditions even single-handed skippers would
have nothing to fearPicking the C54's most annoying characteristic was equally easy
Somebody decided that the door handles on wardrobes andbigger
lockers should reside slap bang in the middle ofthe door, rather than
"l^-- rr,^ -,r.. ".
,,-.,1 -^ .l^"hr . ervlF fhìna Rnr these tre
countertoF so galleyis ai a premium on
--d
hrr
$ooden boat doors, not steelbankvaùll doors, so they naturally
1$'ist a little. The consequence is that shutting many ofthese bigger
Lìoors involvcd first pushing the door handle hard, then rvalloping
the basc ofthe door shut against the stifffrictìon catch at the bottom,
then a sinlìlîr thump for the catch at the top. AÌso, having the
handlcs mid door means halfthe mechanical advantage when the
door is being pulled open, and Sessis stifffriction cat.hes lìght back
rvith considerable resolve. By the cnd ofthe trip,l'd discovered
severallvals to ctrse inanimate doors,
l'd like to tell yorL rnore about the C54's Performrnce on the \\'ater.
Sadl,v, our prototype boÀt had rotbeen lìtted lt'ith the correct
propellers. Consequently, the 700hp Voh'o D11s were undcr-rewlng
by around 300rpnl far too nlùch for lPS, whose mr.rlti bladcd
props prefer to rev freely for best perfonnance GìveD thrt wc
achieved 32.3 knots frorn our 54 fly (same hull, identical lPS900
engines), Sessat clainred 34 knot top sPecd seems about Ììght givcD
the sportscruiser's redùced weight and lvindage. Oddly, the C54
did not feel as agile as the 54 fly. M,v suspicion is that the Ltnder-
rewing props took away the exPccted sparkle, and it's also possible
that beiùg a prototype, our C54 w:rs slightl,v oveflvcight, as
prototyPes olten are.Cefiainly, the 54 fly $as a deliSht to drive,lvith light but precjse
stccring and an enjoyably sporty feel. Given the common platfòrm,
there's no reason to assuÌne that a'normal'C54 won't be at leist
as good, ifnot slightly better.
'l heÌ e \r'ere two Ltnexpccted lessons leerned from my time on thL'
54. \\4Ìen I first stepped on board,I found a big bucket ofwater in
myheads compartn,ent, sittillg portentously nc'xt to th€ toilct lt iu'i
so happened lhat m].arrival had coincidcd wirh rhe C54's solitàr\
fresh n'ater pump failing, so a'bucket ofwater down thc loo'proce"
replaced the usual slick'press a button' Procedure. Ofcourse, the
sholvers rvere affected too, rvhich neant freezing coÌd showers on th.
dockside. Lcsson one wàs that, o\,er the collrse ofa day, the hot
Sicilian sun rvould heat just enough water in the long coiled fresh-
rvater hose on the docksìdc for a single rvarmish sholver you just
hacl to be first in linclLesson tlvo, rvhich alas cane later, rvas provided lry SimoDe's
ingenuity. He figurecl out that the docksicle hosc could be used to
pressurise the boat's t'ater systenr (and hence Polvcr the on board
showers) by pìugging it into the fresh-water outlet on the C54's
traùsom. È-rgo, hol showers againlAl1cr a couple of da,vs spent pottering arollnd the bcautiftLl
Aeolians, and living on boàrd the C54,I was Pleasantly sùrprised to
1ìnd that there \|'as lìttle bel'ond the annoving doors that did raise the
blood pressure. And I reckon thatì a notable aclÌievement on a boat
designed rvith such passionately exuberant stylirg, proofindeed
that form and function cau exist in harn, onv rvhen designers
really put thcìr minds to it. ffiContact Batcs \\ 'harf Marine. Tel: ' 41 l0)Ì912 571141
L r ' " i l : ' r l c . l . r r . * v h r f l . . u . u l \ \ . 1 ' \ { . ' L " J r - r r i n e - o l
CRUISING NASESSAC54 M
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FBig cockpit bimini(overhèad) is a vèÌyworthwhile t5.O0O
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Despité its irresistibleglamour, th€ C54 sports thesafest side decks in its class THE DATA
LENGTH OvERALL 53' t 8 | (16 20m)
!
FUEL CAPACITYrra rìrp ga (2000 tres)WATER CAPACITY: : .:p ga (640 | tres)DRAUGHT 4ft 5 r l (1 40m)RCD CAîEGORY B (for14 peop e)DESIGNERS'. ' .r5: rno Rad ce (Sessa)-.- 5r en Grande
DISPLACEMENT21 3 ionnes ight (empty)23 6 tonnes f! Ì fuel& waterTEST ENGINESTw n Vo vo D11.700hp ao 2 350rpnl6 cy nder 10 B tre dlese sPROPULSIONVolvo lPS900PRICE FROMApprox !860.000 (t\r in 700hp)