my
Marie
An owner’s story
Using the words superyacht and philanthropy in the same sentence
may not be illegal but, until now, it has certainly been a challenge. By definition,
superyachts are about personal pleasures while philanthropy, well, it leans in the
opposite direction towards doing good for others. Until Marie. Both of them.
You see, there are two Maries and they are inseparably entwined.
Words by Chris Caswell
52
53
MY Marie
Marie Bosarge
conceived the
idea of a nonprofit performing
arts organisation
that would create
events to enrich
the mind, heart
and soul.
T
PREVIOUS PAGE:
MY Marie is a newly launched
54-metre ketch built by Vitters.
THIS PAGE:
(Left) Marie Bosarge
christened the yacht with
champagne and a performance
called Marilyn! Babydoll
Reflects. (Right) SY Marie
serves as a floatable stage for
charitable gatherings.
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he first Marie is Marie Bosarge, who
shares two passions with husband Dr W.
E. Bosarge: sailing and philanthropy. The
result is the other Marie, a newly launched
54-metre (179’) ketch built by Vitters with
classic good looks and a sleek black hull. But the Bosarges
wanted more than just a luxuriously appointed yacht. They
wanted a yacht that could take their charitable efforts to
faraway places.
And so designer Andre Hoek was presented with a
challenge: build a yacht that is fast enough to out-speed the
wind in many conditions, luxurious enough for the most
demanding charter guests and yet which can serve as a floating
stage for charitable gatherings. That Hoek succeeded with élan
was abundantly clear to the guests who attended just such a
gathering during her debut at the Monaco Yacht Show.
Marie Bosarge, along with mezzo-soprano Sonia
Bruzauskas, conceived the idea of a non-profit performing
arts organisation that would create events to enrich the
mind, heart and soul. Divas World was founded four
years ago to revive the nearly forgotten European salon
style of performances, which combine superb music with
stimulating discussions. A salon evening consists of a classic
or jazz concert with music around specific themes that have
ranged from Venice to roses, cabaret to myths. Each evening
embraces the senses with world-class musicians, thoughtprovoking moderators and inspiring discussions.
And so Marie, the sailing yacht, was built with salons in
mind and the real Marie not only christened the yacht with
champagne, but also christened their floating salon concept
with a performance at Monaco called Marilyn! Babydoll
Reflects. In this hour-long musical cabaret, Marie Bosarge (an
immensely talented singer with credits too lengthy for this
55
MY Marie
With many WWII
veterans now passing
away, the Bosarge
family collection
will be making the
airshow circuit to
bring back memories
for these men.
03
ABOVE:
Owner Dr. W.E. Bosarge
indulges in his love for antique
cannons by having them built
on to the deck.
OPPOSITE:
A Steinway grand piano was
lowered onto the yacht during
its construction.
56
article) takes guests into the tumultuous life of Marilyn
Monroe, using her songs and quotes to create a poignant yet
clever and insightful look at the human condition through
Monroe’s struggles for acceptance and approval.
Future plans for Marie include salon performances in
both the Caribbean and Mediterranean, drawing upon local
musicians as well as the world-famous regulars from Divas
World. Among those is the Delfeayo Marsalis Jazz Band from
New Orleans, which performed at the christening ceremonies.
With these concerts in mind, the Vitters yard had one final
task before they finished the coachroof above the main salon:
lowering a Steinway grand piano into place. Set in the lower
salon that is open to the deckhouse via sweeping stairs and an
open atrium, the piano is essential for the concerts but, with
its digital player, the Bosarges also delight in the soft tinkle of
piano music as Marie sails through tropical nights. For Divas
World events, more than 40 guests can enjoy comfortable
seating in the salon around the piano as well as in the
deckhouse, which provides a ‘mezzanine level’.
Marie is a derivative of Hoek’s earlier Adele, but with a
larger deckhouse and an open foredeck designed to store the
primary tender as well as an elegant captain’s launch from a
1910 design. With the tenders removed, the yacht is ready for
the race course, and race Marie will, with plans for various
Bucket regattas worldwide.
The interior by New York-based David Easton is elegant,
with exquisite joinerwork in a pale anigre, and it’s here that
another side to the Bosarge family is on display. Dr Bosarge,
an accomplished mathematician who began his career at
NASA and later created predictive financial technologies
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glides up the mast to give guests a spectacular view from
far aloft. The sails are controlled by sophisticated hydraulic
captive and drum winches to minimise the lines on deck,
and the masts are supported by rigging made from (are you
ready?) isotropic crystal polymer for strength. Under sail, Dr
Bosarge says the yacht consistently sails about a knot faster
than the true wind speed in light airs.
HOW TO
APPRECIATE
YOUR YACHT
MORE.
owen marine marketing
for the automated trading of major equity and foreign
exchange markets, is an avid collector of militaria.
If you happen to be near Marie in a harbour, be prepared
because one of the two antique cannons (from a 1796 French
gunship) cleverly hidden near the owner’s cockpit may be
fired at sunset. Other cannons aboard include one that fired
the last shot of the Civil War, and another was Wellington’s
personal signal cannon at the Battle of Waterloo.
Throughout the yacht, guests enjoy Dr Bosarge’s taste
in classic nautical art as well as his collection of weaponry,
from miniature suits of armour to naval cutlasses to a pair of
cannons that stand guard outside a stateroom.
Dr Bosarge’s collection extends to Texas, where he is
gathering a squadron of WWII aircraft because, as he says:
“I want to preserve the tradition of old pilots.” With many
WWII veterans now passing away, the Bosarge family
collection will be making the airshow circuit to bring
back memories for these men, and his hangers are filling
with warbirds such as the P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, P40
Warhawk, Japanese Zero, and B-25 bomber. He plans to have
several of these performing overhead at the next St Barth’s
Bucket Regatta.
With room for eight guests and a crew of eight, Marie
has a number of appealing features, such as the private
master suite aft with study, sofa area and a private cockpit
with deckhouse. Like the Alustar hull and lightweight
construction, the towering ketch rig of Marie is equally exotic
with carbon fibre masts to carry up more than 18,000 sq ft
of high-tech Spectra sails upwind. A two-person crow’s nest
BARAKA
ABOVE:
Throughout the yacht,
guests can enjoy owner
Dr. W.E. Bosarge’s collection
of antique weaponary.
FIRSTLY, GET MORE OF IT.
As a Proteksan Turquoise owner, not only do you get a finish to world class
standards and the utmost quality, you get a lot more for your outlay.
NORTHERN EUROPEAN YARD, COST PER METRE
w o r l d
Divas World is clearly on a roll, with programmes that
provide musical instruments for deserving youngsters,
music scholarships and their immensely popular ongoing
salon concert series, which is provided free to charitable
organisations in need of fundraising help. Marie, the
yacht, is also setting new benchmarks on the yachting
scene, combining timeless elegance with luxurious
accommodations and a remarkable turn of speed. Whether
you’re aboard for a European salon concert or for a weeklong charter, there is no other yacht like her. And we’re not
saying that just to be charitable.
c l a s s
y a c h t s
PROTEKSAN TURQUOISE, COST PER METRE
THEN, MAKE THE MOST OF IT.
Proteksan Turquoise has built over 1000 metres worth of world class
yachts which themselves have achieved outstanding charter success
and resale value and has currently a further 380 metres in build.
Get in touch to become the next world class owner.
ON THE WATER TURQUOISE 50M MOSAIQUE 50M VAJOLIROJA 47.5M
CAMELEON B 42.5M PEGASO 53.4M VINIDREA 39.5M TALISMAN C 54.2M
PETARA 58.2M HAIDA G 71.1M ODESSA 49.9M VINYDREA 53M
LEO FUN 53.9M SEQUEL P 54.7M BARAKA 58.2M
www.proteksan-turquoise.com
Telephone : +90 216 474 25 90
e-mail. [email protected]
IN THE SHED
NB55 74.0M AVAILABLE
NB54 72.6M SOLD
TALISMAN II 70.5M SOLD
YOGI 60.2M SOLD
TURQUOISE 55.4M SOLD
NB56 50.0M SOLD