on 1 Jun 2020
Attila, the 64-metre flagship of Sanlorenzo, features a fearsome mien up front, but the good-time nature of this yacht is in its aft beach club.
The name Attila looms large over the imagination of Europeans – fearsome, all-conquering and cunning. And it makes you wonder: if Attila wanted a superyacht, what would it be?
Sanlorenzo’s flagship superyacht, Attila, was delivered to an Argentinian client, who previously owned a Sanlorenzo 46 metre, in June 2019.
“Yachts come to life from ideas. These are the ones that gave birth to Attila, our 64-metre yacht, our flagship,” says Antonio Santella, vice president of sales and marketing, Sanlorenzo Superyacht Division.
Despite the fearsome name and the intimidating looks, Attila is a sweet place to be, thanks to the focus on the aft deck, bringing together the aft spaces into one contiguous area. “We had the idea to connect the three areas of the transom together,” said Santella, in an interview with Asia-Pacific Boating. “The idea was to have a space where everyone could spend the whole day without having to move. Everyone could be in one place, at the back, in an informal setting.”
Santella points out that the problem with superyachts is the physical divisions that separate groups of people – some are at the aft deck, others on the flybridge, yet more could be in the main saloon. The transom area can be particularly crowded if a large group congregates there, so Sanlorenzo created double-sized spaces. When the side platforms are open, the beach club area covers 78 square metres.
“Through this idea of connection, we created a live atmosphere aboard the boat,” says Santella. “That was the main focus: to create this continuous area.” The main deck aft area was tightly connected to the beach club.
Santella, who spoke to Asia-Pacific Boating nearly 10 months after the owner took delivery of Attila, reported that the owner had used the formal dining area once in the previous ten months. “People like to live informally aboard a superyacht. The only need for a formal dining area is for having formal guests on board.”
The boat was supposed to be 67 metres, according to Santella, but the Owner asked that it be dropped to 64 due to berthing reasons. The beam was kept the same, making it a very voluminous yacht. Coming in at 1,600 gross tonnes and five decks, Attila is by far the largest yacht yet produced by Sanlorenzo. During the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show, Attila was on display as the yard’s statement of superyacht-building prowess.
The beach club, which features a sauna, hammam, massage room and a gym, all at the waterline, is connected to the pool and dining area on the main deck by a double stairway.
While the aft deck area is the key point of enjoyment of Attila, it is not the only remarkable feature of this yacht, whose owner was deeply involved in the design process. An entire deck was reserved for the owner, including a bedroom that faces the bow and which comes with its own large whirlpool bath on an outdoor terrace – a fine place to hail the conquering hero.
On the main deck, the dining area may not be the most popular place to hang out, but as it comes equipped with a large barbeque, the yacht’s chef and stewards are no doubt busy keeping the meat flowing down to the beach club area, apres swim. Attila reportedly includes a large meat storage locker and wine storage facility. The arrangement of an open fire in an enclosed space required the use of fireproof stainless steel and an advanced smoke removal system to be installed.
While the design and layout of Attila are certainly to be envied, they are not the only things of note in this Sanlorenzo flagship. Attila features a fast displacement hull and a maximum speed of 17 knots.
There is space for two big tenders of over 10 metres in length, which can also be limousine tenders, owing to the height of the tender bay spaces. A helipad at the bow can be used for touch and go landings. The pad can be converted into a solarium when not in use.
For Sanlorenzo, the showcase of Attila also marked the biggest achievement yet in its steel division. Currently, Sanlorenzo’s superyacht division can build yachts from 40 to 70 metres in length. Headquartered in Italy’s famous La Spezia shipyards, Sanlorenzo Superyachts acquired a 50,000 square metre production site.
“We have an upper limit of 70 metres and we are sticking to that,” says Santella. “Our idea is to keep the same engineering platforms, as we have solved the technical problems.”
Sanlorenzo started steel and aluminium construction in 2006 and has since delivered 10 40-metre yachts, eight 46-metre yachts and six explorer superyachts. Speaking just before the Covid-19 shutdown hit Italy, Santella confirmed that Sanlorenzo had nine superyachts in build, including two 62-metre yachts.
Sanlorenzo’s successful superyacht strategy is being spearheaded by the namesake of the man who nearly took Europe by storm.
Technical Specifications – Sanlorenzo Attila
Length Overall: 64m
Maximum Beam: 13.1m
Gross tonnage: 1600GRT
Hull: Steel
Superstructure: Aluminium
Exterior design: Officina Italiana Design
Interior design: Francesco Paszkowski and Margherita Casprin
Guests: 12
Crew: 17
Engines: 2 x Catepillar 3516C Diesel 2375HP
Images courtesy Sanlorenzo / Guillaume Plisson