Original Sins

- Justin Ratcliffe

Hugo Verlinden bought his first Sanlorenzo, a 60-foot plywood boat, in 1978. It was close to the shipyard’s size limit at the time, so when he was ready for a larger boat, he had no choice but to look elsewhere. He eventually built two yachts with the Italian yard’s Dutch rival Heesen—all the more reason why his return to Sanlorenzo after nearly four decades was a cause for celebration.

“After 39 years, we’re back!” exclaimed Verlinden, punching the air at the Seven Sins launch ceremony in La Spezia. The announcement earned him a cheer from the guests on the dock, who included the workforce responsible for building the 170-foot (52-meter) displacement yacht.

It was a reunion that almost didn’t happen. Verlinden stepped in only after the original buyer for the first 52Steel pulled out a year from delivery. A shrewd negotiator who has grown his family-owned insurance business into an international concern, the Belgian requested no fewer than 72 changes to the original specifications before signing on the dotted line.

In terms of general concept, however, the 52Steel ticked all the right boxes as a family cruiser and commercial charter vessel in a stylish, sub-500-gross-ton package. The yacht continues Sanlorenzo’s evolution of metal superyachts beyond the 40Alloy, 46Steel and 460Exp (a 64Steel is also in build). For the 52Steel, the shipyard worked with Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta of Officina Italiana Design, best known for designing the current Riva range.