My family and I love exploring uncontaminated areas out of the reach of conventional yachts this is the reason why we bought our first explorer yacht built by Cantiere delle Marche: the first Acala, a Darwin 102, was launched in 2015 and since then we sailed the world and lived unforgettable experiences, sailing to archipelagos lost in the expanses of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and diving in the most beautiful spots in the world. The first Acala, a 31-metre explorer yacht, took us safely to remote places, yet we needed a larger yacht for more comfort and mostly to have it built with all characteristic and features we knew we needed. A custom explorer yacht, indeed.

Our experience with Cantiere delle Marche had been great so I wanted to have my new explorer yacht to be built by them. With Argentinian/Italian designer (and naval architect) Horacio Bozzo we defined the total length, style, exterior features and an interior layout that matched the way we live on board. We were on the same page and Horacio gave shape to my requests. I think that Acala is a remarkable piece of design.

What to say about Cantiere delle Marche? The shipyard has outdone itself. We worked with them on the technical aspects for almost a year and this allowed the construction process to be smooth and totally under control. The quality of her construction is impeccable. Acala was delivered in mid-March and since then we almost never left the yacht. We have enjoyed cruising in the Med from Croatia to Greece, the Balearic Island, South of France and we have great plans for the months to come.

For the interior design and decoration we entrusted, Mexican designer Simon Hamui. We know Simon from a long time and what we have is more than just a working relationship. Our new explorer yacht has been designed to allow us to sail far and wide for long periods of time and to reach remote areas of the world (as we did with our previous, smaller CDM yacht). We travel as a family and we frequently share our ‘adventures’ with some close friends of ours so Acala had to be roomy and comfortable for us, our guests and crew. We wanted her to be beautiful too, both outside and inside.

Simon perfectly understood the mood and the style I was looking for and we shared ideas and thoughts on almost all aspects of the interior and exterior decoration. Beauty and functionality go hand in hand on Acala. The style Simon Hamui created is aesthetically pleasant and logically coherent with the exterior look of the yacht and with our way of living on board. We wanted welcoming, warm interior spaces and well-appointed exterior areas for outdoor living.

We don’t need to show off. What is on board Acala is what we like and what makes us feel at ease. Consistency and homogeneity of the interior decoration was one of our requests and the result is what we wanted: the internal environments highlight a neatness and formal rigour perfectly combined with comfort while the choice of subtle colours create a relaxing atmosphere.

After having spent months on board Acala, I can witness that together with Simon we did the right choices!