OCEAN CRUISE CONTROL
The Michaello epitomises everything that is luxurious in ocean cruising. It has it all – a Crestron control system, a fully equipped gym, jet skis, colour changers on the deck and much more ...
Those of us who dream of an idyllic life aboard an ocean-going yacht, sailing the warm waters of the world and putting down anchor in exotic destinations around the globe, would be deeply envious of the owner of the 26.4 metre Michaello, which was unveiled in Durban Harbour recently.
Designed and built to the owner’s specification, the Michaello offers 6-star ocean-going living in four sumptuous cabins, a glamorous saloon, a superbly outfitted galley, a high-tech home theatre and even a fully equipped gym.
Needless to say, a boat needs crew and their living quarters were also well thought out - there are two bunk beds, a bathroom,a kitchenette and a TV screen for entertainment.
Every aspect of the Michaello is customised and every detail executed to perfection, including the hand woven carpets, glass spiral staircase to the sundeck, mother-of-pearl inlays to the joinery, gold plated bathroom fittings, 24-carat gold leaf trim to the ceiling of the master cabin, mirrors to ceilings with fibre optic light throughout the vessel to enhance the feeling of spaciousness, a German-crafted sculpture of steel and glass to serve as a dining table and motorised curved glass doors from the saloon to the deck.
Take a deep breath
Needless to say the unveiling of the Michaello elicited “oohs” and “aahs” from everyone privileged to be invited aboard, and were enthusiastically echoed by the Electrosonic KZN team which was involved with the design of the lighting control system.
Although the creation of the Michaello has been a four year long project, the Electrosonic KZN team was only contracted when the electrical installation was almost complete. Having explained the infinite possibilities offered by a Crestron control system, Electrosonic was asked to supply lighting control keypads, dimmers and relays in the cabins, galley, saloon and home theatre, as well as control of video distribution and head-end equipment. The ability to add other equipment to the system proved useful when RS232 control was needed in the home theatre – and was easily achieved by adding a dual RS232 port unit.
Due to the constant motion of the vessel and limited space, all the cabling was secured in concealed cable trays in the ceiling, and the Crestron CH-PD4x570 and CH-HRELD6 relays were din rail mounted in ventilated ceiling mounted electrical enclosures.
Rather than using a centralized dimming DB, multiple DBs were strategically placed in ceilings around the Michaello. This allowed the existing cabling to be simply pulled to the new DBs from the previous banks of light switches and in-wall dimmers.
The Crestron network weaves its way through the Michaello connecting all the control keypads, relays and dimmers to the main controller in the bar, which is the point of control for all the audio, video and lighting equipment on board, as well as the satellite receiver, security cameras and local DVD player.
As this control area is easily accessible, new devices can be added to the network in the future. The security cameras and satellite feed can be routed to any of the six screens, and additional AV sources and lighting control are managed via the Crestron ML600 remote controls, and two TPS6X wireless touchpanels. At the heart of this system is a Crestron CP2E control processor.
There are 14 Crestron CNXB-12 12-button keypads installed around the vessel in each of the four cabins, living areas, bar and galley area and in the staircases.
The four cabins comprise a master cabin ensuite, a guest cabin en-suite, and two single cabins sharing a bathroom.
All lighting scenes are user programmable with default ON and OFF scenes, and can be customised to suit each cabin’s requirements. All the cabins lighting scenes can be adjusted and stored via the TPS6Xs, ML600s and CNXB12 keypads.
For example, if the owner wants the shower scene to be brighter, he simply adjusts the light to suit the mood, and saving the scene is as simple as using a car radio – just press and hold a scene button until it flashes, indicating the new scene has been saved.
Careful attention has been paid to lighting throughout, with rope lights in all the alcoves of the master and guest cabins, bedside reading lights, and subtle lighting to illuminate the master en-suite’s precious stone slab vanity, bath and shower.
The guest cabin’s vanity is made from mother-of-pearl and precious stone slabs were used in the en-suite shower area.
Because of space constraints in the single cabins, the 2 keypads were mounted outside the doors of the cabins. Additional portable control of the lights and AV system within the cabins is done via the ML600 remote control.
Crestron CNXB-12 12-button keypads were installed at the three staircases and in the saloon to control the lighting scenes in the main living area.
An override function ensures that when the ‘off’ button is depressed for 10 seconds, all the lights in all the cabins are switched off. A backlight to the keypad enables easy location of the light switches in the dark.
At the bottom of the glass stairs the keypad can be used to turn the theatre lights on so you need not enter a darkened room.
Home Theatre and Bar
Lighting control in the home theatre and in the bar of the Michaello is via two Crestron TPS6X touchpanels. These may also be used to adjust the lighting in every cabin or common area as well as the Bose systems and Kramer video routing system.
The light fixture’s name is transmitted by the software to the touchpanels. Changing the name stored in the lighting modules changes it on every panel, with the result that name changes are simple and fast to make.
Entertainment equipment
Every cabin has its own entertainment system, consisting of a Bose DVD/ Tuner and a HD television screen/monitor, with compact Bose speakers delivering audio from source equipment housed in the bar.
Although the displays in the guest and single cabins are visible, the display in the master cabin is hidden behind a painting which is motorised to slide down to reveal the screen when needed.
The home theatre, located on the sundeck, features a 57" NEC LCD screen with a custom designed lift that fits neatly into a cabinet and unobtrusive 5.1 speaker system mounted to the ceiling.
The finale to the lighting of the vessel is the LED colour changers installed on the sundeck, which becomes the party deck when the sun sinks toward the horizon and the prospect of another balmy night of cruising lies ahead.
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE MICHAELLO
Length overall: 26.4 m
Beam Overall: 6.5 m
Speed: 14 knots (cruise) 16 knots (maximum)
Engine type: 2 x Caterpillar C18 – 1000hp at
2400 RPM, with underwater exhaust
Fuel Capacity: 25 000ℓ (16.2 tonnes)
Water Capacity: 3.85 tonnes
Navigation System: Northstar 6100
Accommodation: Master suite, guest suite,
two single cabins (interlinked), crew cabin
Naval architecture: P C Volschenk
Interior: Karien Oosthuizen/Caron Mitchell