Elly Reisman, superyacht owner, developer and lifelong boater tells Grace Trofa how 47 metre Entourage got her stunning penthouse looks...
Boats have always been a part of my life. When I was seven years old I was driving ski boats and taking people waterskiing on the lakes of northern Canada. The rule was if you could swim across the lake you didn’t have to wear a life jacket. My dad had a 9.1 metre boat and then an 18.9 metre Chris-Craft – I thought it was huge. He docked right in front of the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. I got my passion for boats from my father.
I bought my first boat, an 24.7 metre Benetti, with a partner and then bought a 115ft Benetti before building the Maxima 47. Dragana Maznic is an interior designer and I am a developer; in 16 years we have done many buildings together and she never gets it wrong. Entourage was her first boat project. We liked the Maxima and, although we changed the interior, we felt the exterior was really cool.
The Italian Sea Group was pretty good at envisioning our desires – they were new and willing to do things that no other shipyard would do. Back when we built the boat in 2012 big windows and loose furniture were not common on yachts.
Every time I walk into this living room it makes me feel good, it just feels so organic and it has a classic sophistication. We are now working on the GA for a larger yacht; I told Dragana to take this boat and put it on steroids. The whole family loves watersports and we charter the boat, so we need a bigger garage for all the water toys and room for the tender.
We plan to be in Croatia this summer, but my favourite cruising grounds are in the Caribbean. I love the Tobago Cays and in Europe my favourite area is Sardinia – they both have that beautiful turquoise water.
My son Josh understands engineering, he oversaw some work on the boat in Mallorca before we picked up our new tender and headed to France.
In the Gulf of Lion, we expected 25 knots of wind but instead were hit with 60 knots in the middle of the night about 200 miles offshore. The wild weather lasted seven hours but incredibly we didn’t lose the tender.
I want to travel further and explore the world. On board a yacht you are surrounded by luxury in the middle of nature and the view changes moment to moment. I spend most of my time on the main deck because I like to be close to the water.
We were very selective about the artwork on board, but the best art on any boat is the view outside the window.
Entourage is available to charter with Bluewater and is also listed for sale with Moran Yacht & Ship.