ENIGMA TSR143.pdf - atlantic refit center

conversion report | Enigma XKTo circumvent the need for gasdetectors and other costly systems, thefuel for the tenders and toys is stored infour 200-litre pods, two on either sideof the main deck astern, which can bejettisoned like life rafts into the sea incase of emergency. Unusually, the ownerchose Bolidt’s Future Teak resin deckingover natural teak throughout the yachtafter seeing the same product on Garçon,the 67m Amels Sea Axe, at the 2012Monaco Yacht Show. The syntheticmaterial is lighter, less costly and easierto maintain than real wood and alsoserves to minimise sound and vibration.areas, such as canteen-style, stackableplate warmers in the crew dinette andhot-air hand dryers in communal areasto reduce laundry loads.top: master suite (left) & control room (right).middle: the upper deck helipad.above: the large windows of the upper deck sky lounge.One issue with converting workingvessels is that they lack the foldingtransom door and swim platformcommon to superyachts. Retro-fittingsuch features is usually impractical andalways expensive. Although EnigmaXK is fitted with two hydraulic sidepassarelles for access to sea level, theyare not ideal for transferring guestsbetween the yacht and her tendersin anything other than ideal seaconditions. So Captain Orio sourced alocal company to supply two floating‘mattresses’, the largest of which isaround 35sqm, that can be inflatedwhile suspended from the sides of thehull and then lowered into the water toserve as a mooring platform. Originallydesigned for fire departments for usein flood situations, the low-pressurestructures become rigid once inflated.They even include inflatable benchesso guests have somewhere to sit down,swim ladders and docking stations forthe wave runners.During her working life, Norna’sinterior volume was almost entirelydedicated to technical areas andaccommodation for the crew. Theofficers might have had their own messand bar, complete with fireplace, butrest and relaxation were somethingdone ashore, not afloat. For practicaland cost reasons, there were limits tohow much the lower and engine roomdecks could be altered, although atthe time of our visit a few bulkheadspainted in red primer indicated somemodifications to the GA. In fact, thecrew areas have actually been enlargedto take into account MLC 2006regulations. Captain Orio has furtherintroduced several features to improveefficiency and workflow in the crewAnother challenge was dealing with thepronounced camber and longitudinalsheer of the main deck. This is soevident that the head of a tall manstanding in the bow is at bridge decklevel and you can feel the inclineincrease as you walk forward fromamidships. It was not just a question ofensuring the guest beds were perfectlylevel (in the owner’s suite the sleepingarea is on a raised platform for thisreason), but also for less visible yetessential details such as providingsufficient gradient for condensationevacuation. Ceiling heights have beenfurther reduced by the need to routeAC piping and extra cabling throughthe deck head (nearly 150km of newelectrical wiring has been installed,including 2km of optical fibres) andby the fact that the entire interioris now floating on rubber bushes toreduce noise and vibration (consultantsScanVibra were brought in to advise onsound control). In the end, headroomvaries from a reasonable 2.10m to asomewhat cramped 1.80m. This is oneof the more noticeable compromisesthat come with the conversion territory.As Enigma XK will be exploringremote and often protected areas, theblack- and grey-water treatment alsorequired attention. The existing sewagetreatment plant was well maintainedand has been left in situ, but theretention tanks were deemed too smallfor charter operations. The problemhas been overcome by converting twoforward seawater ballast tanks for extraretention capacity, thus increasingthe yacht’s autonomy to three weeksor more without needing to offloadtreated effluent.The engines had beenmaintained with militaryprecision and will onlyrequire a routine serviceand a new coat of paint.The vessel came with anextensive inventory of spareparts and unlike modernelectronic units, the originalengines will keep onchugging even in the caseof an electrical blackout.38 THE SUPERYACHT REPORT | ISSUE 143 THE SUPERYACHT REPORT | ISSUE 143 39