Far from ordinary: 47m Cantiere delle Marche explorer RJ

Stepping aboard RJ feels like falling down the rabbit hole: the unusual interior decor elicits a mix of curiosity and quiet exhilaration. Light fixtures grow out of furniture and architectural lamps hang like branches on walls, while the ceiling over the dining saloon ripples out in concentric circles.

Few yacht interiors have stuck with me as hard and fast as this highly customised 46.71-metre Cantiere delle Marche explorer, but then even fewer feel like an accurate physical manifestation of the Mad Hatter’s inner monologue come to life.

Just as Alice journeyed into the unknown of Wonderland, the new 498GT flagship of the Italian builder’s RJ series is ready for adventures of her own. Her raked bow, expansive window cut-outs and bold geometrics, penned by exterior designer Francesco Paszkowski with naval architecture by Pierluigi Ausonio, point to the yacht’s long range, seaworthiness and expedition capabilities. And her imaginative, contemporary interior straight from the drawing boards of Achille Salvagni is an exploration in playful creativity.

RJ, the first RJ155 model, is Cantiere delle Marche’s longest yacht to date and “built for owners who want more than a yacht,” says Vasco Buonpensiere, co-founder and CEO of Cantiere delle Marche. The elegant profile may disguise her owners’ expeditionforward intent, though the thick hull, built from 8mm steel plates and coated with dark metallic blue-grey paint, drives the message home.

Large, uninterrupted single-pane windows offer sweeping panoramic views and flood the eye-catching interiors with natural light. The glazing is framed by gently rounded edges that mirror the curves within and is matched by the tiered deck overhangs that soften the yacht’s profile and provide functional shading for outdoor living.

“Every deck has huge areas where guests can feel in close contact to the sea during long-distance cruising and take full advantage of the seascape,” says designer Francesco Paszkowski. “A desire for exploration and adventure hasn’t compromised comfort. The owner is an expert yachtsman, so he had clear ideas about what this larger RJ had to be and what he wanted to have.”

Commissioned by two experienced and highly cultured owners – she’s from London, he’s from New York but has lived extensively in Italy – both of whom are passionate collectors of contemporary art, the yacht was “born from the desire to combine the highest standards of maritime performance with a sense of serene, sophisticated interior architecture”, says Salvagni.

“My wife and I love elegant and essential style, nothing unnecessarily flashy and disconnected from practicality”

The owners’ love of yachting was ignited by their experience of a Mediterranean sailing regatta in the mid 1990s, which led them to take the leap into ownership, first with a Gozzo for cruising Italy’s Liguria in the summer, followed by a suite of motor yachts.

“Our first yachts were in fibreglass: a 60-footer [18-metre], then an 85-foot and a 105-foot – with each of them we took the level of our travels to the next step and inevitably the boat to its limit,” says the owner. “At that point both my wife and I understood that we had to aim for a yacht [that was] up to our needs, and that is an explorer yacht.”

Their first Cantiere delle Marche was a 40-metre RJ130, delivered in 2021 with an interior by Paszkowski informed by the wife. “I remember how great the emotion was the first time we stepped on board,” the husband says. “We organised our maiden voyage in Greece and fell in love with her.”

And yet, just a few months after their Greek odyssey, they were back at the shipyard ready to do it all again. “It was the same enthusiasm felt on board the RJ130 that made us decide to grow once again. RJ materialised together with the shipyard in the space of about a year.

As hull No 1 of Cantiere delle Marche’s RJ155 model, RJ was designed from the outset for ocean crossings and remote cruising with the highest level of personalisation.

“The basic philosophy had to remain the same as the previous project: to build the best elegant yacht explorer, but taken to the next level in terms of tailor-made requests to increase performance and comfort,” explains the owner. “My wife and I love elegant and essential style, nothing unnecessarily flashy and disconnected from practicality; this is the initial input we gave the architects.”

According to RJ’s captain Gabriele Carniglia, who has been with the owners for 15 years, they wanted more spacious guest areas and greater privacy throughout the yacht. They also wanted an interior that allows them to host their art collection, says Salvagni.

“The intention was to keep the interior plain so as not to invade the space, and that’s how we arrived at the subtle Japanese theme, not imposing but with some referential details that could drive the idea without shouting it,” he says.

Salvagni defines the interior as “soft minimalism” – a language of curved lines and gentle transitions. It’s based on the theme of a Japanese wooden box, much like the kiribako used for holding valuables and tea, or masu for sake. “The interior is light, calm and serene,” says the designer. “There’s not a single painted surface; it’s all koto wood, except for the aluminium wall on the central stairs, which is eggshells laid over parchment.”

Serene, perhaps, but RJ’s interior is far from the typical. At the heart of the interior are “organic elements” that surprise at every turn, such as mushroom-shaped metal lamps that grow out of the sofas and sideboards, coral branches hung from the ceiling or handles that evoke octopus tentacles.

There are joyful elements from the depths of the sea, including fish skin textures and sculptural elements inspired by marine life. “There’s irony behind the story – the owners never take themselves too seriously and they wanted this aspect to be reflected in the design,” says Salvagni.

In the main saloon, curved panels and gentle transitions create warmth and luminosity, complemented by the buttery tone of the interior wood. A circular ceiling feature includes a suspended water drop that spreads into textured ripples.

“It recalls the ripple created by a stone dropped in still water – a concentric echo of peace, balance and natural rhythm,” says Salvagni. It hangs above a curved peppermint-green leather sofa and a circular cocktail table that rises to become a card table and then, with an extension, morphs into a dining table that seats 12 people.

“It’s completely useless to dedicate a big slice of the living area to an exclusive dining space that feels like a monument and doesn’t allow you to enjoy the space,” Salvagni points out. “This way, you double its usage.”

Flexibility has also been factored in for storage, which is discreetly built into the bulwarks and loose furniture, all of which is bespoke, designed by Salvagni’s atelier and crafted in-house by Cantiere delle Marche, from the tables to the sofa trays to the cabinets.

The sense of interior irony continues in the master suite, where yet more quirky lamps, leafshaped cut - out wardrobe handles and bold accent colours make a design statement. The suite is accessed via a private office where a blue leather desk with matching chair faces out to sea. To the left of the desk where shelving might be expected to reside – or in this case in lieu of a walk-in wardrobe – is a large private gym area, as requested by the wife, discreetly closed off behind sliding metal doors.

In the en suite, soft brushed wood meets Rosa Portogallo marble finished in peach-skin honed textures. Centrally placed in the middle of the en suite sits a cream armchair for restful repose. Or, as Salvagni notes, a welcome book nook to look upon from the comfort of the bed.

A further four guest cabins – three doubles and one twin – are found on the lower deck, each with integrated lighting and its own en suite. A further four crew cabins are found on this level, along with the generous crew mess, while the captain’s double cabin resides on the upper deck close to the wheelhouse, for which Carniglia had considerable input.

In the master suite, more quirky lamps, leafshaped cut-out wardrobe handles and bold accent colours make a design statement

It includes a semi-integrated dashboard combining Furuno and Böning systems for navigation, monitoring and vessel control. The yacht’s explorer capability is underpinned by a thermal camera for monitoring maritime traffic in real time and integrating thermal imagery with radar data – “an essential feature during night passages or when navigating in low visibility,” says Carniglia.

While technology was a priority in the bridge, it is welcomingly absent in other parts of the yacht. The upper deck saloon features one of only two television screens on board and is large enough to serve as an indoor cinema when required. An adjacent pantry with a small wine cellar aides the interior crew in catering to guests during a movie night.

According to Carniglia, increased autonomy, higher cruising speeds and low fuel consumption designed “to extend their range of destinations without compromising efficiency” were high on the owners’ wish list. They are provided for by the yacht’s twin Caterpillar C32 engines, each delivering 895kW and providing reliable propulsion with both efficiency and range. This is complemented by two next-generation Caterpillar generators of 110kW each.

Other explorer-worthy features requested by the owners include generous refrigerators and freezers for provisioning on longer journeys, as well as a water purification system capable of producing potable water to reduce the use of plastic bottles on board. The owners also mandated advanced waste treatment solutions, such as a vacuum system and a refrigerated garbage room useful when navigating for extended periods far from port facilities.

When addressing onboard comfort and stability, the owners selected larger stabiliser fins with electro-drive technology from CMC Marine. “This ensures smooth cruising even in rough conditions, allowing guests to fully enjoy life on board without compromise,” says Carniglia.

That includes enjoying outdoor living to the fullest. On the main deck aft, which feels connected to the main saloon via sweeping glass doors, there is a dining table and comfortable seating shaded from sun.

Lowered gunwales and glass in the bulwarks on the main deck back to the stern allow guests to take full advantage of the views from all angles. Unwilling to compromise on this space – yet required to factor in large storage for adventure in remote areas – Paszkowski stowed the main tender and a crane in the forward section of the upper deck. It marks a first for an RJ model, where the tender is typically positioned aft and managed with a concealed crane.

Further al fresco dining is found on both the upper deck aft and sundeck, Paszkowski’s favourite space, which is largely shaded from the sun. It features an abundance of seating that is also custom designed by Salvagni, and glass balustrades “that offer unrivalled panoramic views”. On the lower deck, an integrated swim platform with built-in loungers and an enclosed beach club create a luxurious, private retreat ideal for leisure in warmer climates.

“A desire for exploration and adventure hasn't compromised comfort. The owner is an expert yachtsman and had clear ideas ”

“The brief was to think out of the box to design an innovative yacht…that could combine two apparently different approaches of design on the same boat: the highest comfort as found on a large luxury yacht, with long-distance cruising in every sea condition, a typical feature of an explorer,” says Paszkowski.

Since taking delivery in July 2025, the owners have fulfilled that dream, cruising extensively in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as Greece and Sardinia. For Cantiere delle Marche, RJ sets a new course for the shipyard, says Buonpensiere.

“RJ is more than a flagship; she is a milestone that defines the future course of Cantiere delle Marche’s explorer yachts,” he says. Sometimes embracing curiosity and falling down the rabbit hole is the necessary step toward discovering a whole new world of possibilities.

First published in the May 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.