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Sessa CtlDave Marsh takes a cruise off the Srcrlran coast to

get under the skin of Sessa's new work of artTextr Dave Marsh Pholos Sessa & Dave Marsh

Hidden b€neaththe sttaggy rugis Sessa's usualstylish oak floor

Unusually, air-coni5 standafd, but

lórge opening portsprovide a quieter

fresh alr altematlvè

lmmedlately to rightof seat is . usetul full-height dr€ssing ftirror

Fridge/f reèzer reside under

CRUISING INASESSAC54 I

he afternoon was dripping with heat as I

disembarked ftom the ferry that runspassengers 1ìom Milazzo in Sicily, out tolipari, the largest of several minusculevolcanic islands that comprise theAeolianarchipelago.I was not here for a formal test-

we had aìreadyput the near-identical Sessa 54

fly through its paces - instead the plan was to

live on board the C54 for a couple of days, taking short jaunts out

around these spectacular islands,that lie some ten to 30 miÌes north

ofsicily. Swapping formal test hours for more leisurely cruising time

woùld alÌow me to get ùnder the skin ofthe C54.

As much as we try to go through the motions of everyday cruisìng

when we perform tests (even if, at tìmes,we have to imagine that

activity), the repetition that living on board involves can hìghlight

a boat's good and bad points, sometimes sPectacularÌf What seems

to be a minot inconvenience can become an unbearabÌe aggravation

when itì repeated a hundred times. And vice versa.

Practical issues aside,I shoùld confess nowto an initial bias. Sessa

are not alone in producing fantastic looking modern sPortscluisers,

and builders today are more prepared than ever to Push the

boundaries of design. To my eyes, though, a gulf exists between Sessa

and the rest, in the way designers Christian Grande and Massimo

Radice extend their dramatic styling theúes beyond the

sùperstructure into the huìl itsell h the flesh, the C54's hull looks

even mor€ strikingthan the pictures,with its dazding metaìlic silver

hue enhancing its unusual swooping lines. Sessas beautiful detailing

around their paired ports makes most others look like they've simply

been stuck on aimlessly. And how many ofthe ubiquitous ships-side

windows you see look like escapees fiom a wholesale Parts birl Éther

than interestìng forms designed to suit their surroundings? For me,

the C54 transcends ìts purpose - it is also a piece ofart

Back in the real world ofboats as boats, though, what stood out

after a few days on board this beauty? On the upside, what shoùe

through more than anlthing (highlighted byour ùùmerous trips in

and out ofLipari marina) was just how eÉlaordinariÌy easy it is to

handle and manoeuvre and moorthis boat, especially in the stern to

posiîion that it wìll nomally lìnd itseÌf adopting in Med ma nas

Even with just the two of us on board - me and my helpfulvenetian

co-pilot, Simone - it could not have been any easier.like its neal

identical54lly counterpart (full rePort, MByFebruary 2010) the

C54 is powered by Volvo's 700hp IPS900, which means the balletic

wonders of joystick manoeuving are just a stubby rubber stick away

Still,I found the C54 so responsive and Positive to maloeuvre

conventionally, using the wheel to vecfor the IPS'legs'as you would

with a sterndrive boat, that I often chose this option, Preferring the

near silence this method bestows.Also contributing is the thoroughly practical core design ofthe

C54's decks. Having separafe port and starboard access steps leading

liom the cockpit down orto the huge hi-lo bathing Platform made

stern-to mooring far easier, Particularly as we needed to scoot

around quicklybecause we were short-handed Had there been a

tender ìn residence impedìng access across the bathing platform, Îhat

benefitwould have been even more marked. Likewìse'wide teak-laid

side decks, minlbulwarks, and tall sturdy guardrails are ordinarily

the stuffoftrawlers, or much larger sportscruisers. Yet Sessa have

managed to incorporate all ofthese ingredients without imPacting

on Christian Grande's ultra glamorous style one jot. Stir in a useful

transom locker, exposed mooring gear, and an invaluable handraiÌ

for bathing platform dwellers, and here was a boat I found so easy to

moor, that in calm conditions even single-handed skippers would

have nothing to fearPicking the C54's most annoying characteristic was equally easy

Somebody decided that the door handles on wardrobes andbigger

lockers should reside slap bang in the middle ofthe door, rather than

"l^-- rr,^ -,r.. ".

,,-.,1 -^ .l^"hr . ervlF fhìna Rnr these tre

countertoF so galleyis ai a premium on

--d

hrr

$ooden boat doors, not steelbankvaùll doors, so they naturally

1$'ist a little. The consequence is that shutting many ofthese bigger

Lìoors involvcd first pushing the door handle hard, then rvalloping

the basc ofthe door shut against the stifffrictìon catch at the bottom,

then a sinlìlîr thump for the catch at the top. AÌso, having the

handlcs mid door means halfthe mechanical advantage when the

door is being pulled open, and Sessis stifffriction cat.hes lìght back

rvith considerable resolve. By the cnd ofthe trip,l'd discovered

severallvals to ctrse inanimate doors,

l'd like to tell yorL rnore about the C54's Performrnce on the \\'ater.

Sadl,v, our prototype boÀt had rotbeen lìtted lt'ith the correct

propellers. Consequently, the 700hp Voh'o D11s were undcr-rewlng

by around 300rpnl far too nlùch for lPS, whose mr.rlti bladcd

props prefer to rev freely for best perfonnance GìveD thrt wc

achieved 32.3 knots frorn our 54 fly (same hull, identical lPS900

engines), Sessat clainred 34 knot top sPecd seems about Ììght givcD

the sportscruiser's redùced weight and lvindage. Oddly, the C54

did not feel as agile as the 54 fly. M,v suspicion is that the Ltnder-

rewing props took away the exPccted sparkle, and it's also possible

that beiùg a prototype, our C54 w:rs slightl,v oveflvcight, as

prototyPes olten are.Cefiainly, the 54 fly $as a deliSht to drive,lvith light but precjse

stccring and an enjoyably sporty feel. Given the common platfòrm,

there's no reason to assuÌne that a'normal'C54 won't be at leist

as good, ifnot slightly better.

'l heÌ e \r'ere two Ltnexpccted lessons leerned from my time on thL'

54. \\4Ìen I first stepped on board,I found a big bucket ofwater in

myheads compartn,ent, sittillg portentously nc'xt to th€ toilct lt iu'i

so happened lhat m].arrival had coincidcd wirh rhe C54's solitàr\

fresh n'ater pump failing, so a'bucket ofwater down thc loo'proce"

replaced the usual slick'press a button' Procedure. Ofcourse, the

sholvers rvere affected too, rvhich neant freezing coÌd showers on th.

dockside. Lcsson one wàs that, o\,er the collrse ofa day, the hot

Sicilian sun rvould heat just enough water in the long coiled fresh-

rvater hose on the docksìdc for a single rvarmish sholver you just

hacl to be first in linclLesson tlvo, rvhich alas cane later, rvas provided lry SimoDe's

ingenuity. He figurecl out that the docksicle hosc could be used to

pressurise the boat's t'ater systenr (and hence Polvcr the on board

showers) by pìugging it into the fresh-water outlet on the C54's

traùsom. È-rgo, hol showers againlAl1cr a couple of da,vs spent pottering arollnd the bcautiftLl

Aeolians, and living on boàrd the C54,I was Pleasantly sùrprised to

1ìnd that there \|'as lìttle bel'ond the annoving doors that did raise the

blood pressure. And I reckon thatì a notable aclÌievement on a boat

designed rvith such passionately exuberant stylirg, proofindeed

that form and function cau exist in harn, onv rvhen designers

really put thcìr minds to it. ffiContact Batcs \\ 'harf Marine. Tel: ' 41 l0)Ì912 571141

L r ' " i l : ' r l c . l . r r . * v h r f l . . u . u l \ \ . 1 ' \ { . ' L " J r - r r i n e - o l

CRUISING NASESSAC54 M

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FBig cockpit bimini(overhèad) is a vèÌyworthwhile t5.O0O

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Despité its irresistibleglamour, th€ C54 sports thesafest side decks in its class THE DATA

LENGTH OvERALL 53' t 8 | (16 20m)

!

FUEL CAPACITYrra rìrp ga (2000 tres)WATER CAPACITY: : .:p ga (640 | tres)DRAUGHT 4ft 5 r l (1 40m)RCD CAîEGORY B (for14 peop e)DESIGNERS'. ' .r5: rno Rad ce (Sessa)-.- 5r en Grande

DISPLACEMENT21 3 ionnes ight (empty)23 6 tonnes f! Ì fuel& waterTEST ENGINESTw n Vo vo D11.700hp ao 2 350rpnl6 cy nder 10 B tre dlese sPROPULSIONVolvo lPS900PRICE FROMApprox !860.000 (t\r in 700hp)