Marilee’s interior, shot by Alison Langley.
Marilee’s owner had the bold vision to create an interior that reflected and honored a century of time, providence, design, and design intent while creating a wide-open space below that captured the imagination of the entire project. The owner had been fortunate to sail on and tour over one hundred classic yachts throughout his love affair with sailing, the classics, and racing around the world, and came to both realize and appreciate that on many classic racing yachts, below decks always featured interiors dominated by darkness in all things from varnish to seat cushions. As part of his learning and growth in his deep appreciation for the classics and for Herreshoff himself, he realized that these “cigar room” type interiors were often unable to translate in a modern era where people value openness and comfort. He found that after sailing, sailors and guests left the boats to enjoy other spaces, ultimately leaving the majesty and the beauty of these classic pieces of naval art behind far too quickly. He also began to notice that these dark interiors were significant barriers to younger owners who loved classic yachts but needed a sailing yacht worthy and comfortable enough to both sail and cruise, and whose friends and families had little interest in enjoying below decks as much as they enjoyed sailing! After many weeks of research, thought, and deliberation, the owner and the team along with the restoration stewards made the decision to stay true to Marilee’s originality by crafting the Herreshoff paneled bulkheads, seating areas, and functional areas out of cypress, as was originally specified, but chose to emphasize and slightly interpret one of Herreshoff’s guiding principles of achieving uncluttered sightlines. The team worked with Paul Waring to translate vision to reality and achieve an interior design that celebrated all of these attributes and considerations. This resulted in a very traditional and properly constructed interior that carefully and sympathetically updated the space for modern day use. The result has been beyond gratifying to the team and overwhelmingly popular with all who see here from the most pure of restoration experts and believers to those who have never seen a classic yacht before.
Further to the support for the decision to vary slightly from the original interior drawings, it is clear throughout the MIT files that since the inception of the NY40 Class, the interior space has been the domain of the owner. Herreshoff designed many different layouts to accommodate the widely varied preferences of the various owners. Marilee’s restoration team worked hard in this spirit to create a fresh, innovative space that accurately and appropriately reflects the soul of the boat.
The detailed process of creating the desired patina began with using the materials authentic to Marilee’s original design. Old growth cypress logs that were sunken for 150 years in a North Carolina riverbed were resurrected and sawn for her interior bulkheads. The team used distressing techniques and custom finishes available at time of her original build, to create a sense of depth and age to the newly made panels. Metalwork of bronze and copper were forged, cast, and fabricated with metallurgy techniques used over a century ago in Bristol and were accentuated as seamless structural and aesthetic elements that now became integral and celebrated parts of the interior. With the help of interior designer Angela Thompson, antique linens, leathers, wood and pewter accents were sourced to bring additional texture and warmth to the space. The only more modern addition to the interior came in the form of hidden LED lights which were installed to highlight the design details and further emphasize the full interior sight line. These LED lights did not usurp the role and installation of original lighting fixtures throughout, they only serve to enhance ones appreciation and extend the usefulness of the cabins and salon well beyond sundown.
Ultimately, the owner felt strongly that stepping into a classic yacht’s interior should be comforting like a well-loved t-shirt or pair of jeans. Marilee’s interior now accomplishes that very feeling. The number of people that have been embraced by her rich patina, and have expressed their overwhelmingly positive vocal and visible reactions to her, is the greatest gift the team could receive from her many admirers. Marilee’s interior truly has a look and feel like no other vintage yacht, yet feels equally like an authentic and true evolution of her space. The interior ensures that everyone who has the opportunity to sail on or step below her is quickly seduced in to hours of storytelling and enjoyment, exactly as sailors and admirers should, and as Herreshoff intended.
