VESSEL OF REBIRTH

ORION OF THE SEAS

Today she’s called Orion of the Seas. But the first yacht to arrive in Imperia for the Vele d’Epoca regatta in 2021 has also been Pays de France, Diana, Vira and originally Sylvana. In fact: she has been. Because – the crew explains – according to English language a boat is not a thing, but a living creature. Moreover: a female one.

Historically, vessels were dedicated to female deities who protected them at sea; when the cult of goddesses faded, other benevolent figures took their place, such as the Virgin Mary or Queen Elizabeth; in fact, how many ships do we know with these names?

Listening to the crew talk about Orion by repeating the feminine pronoun “she” – instead of neutral “it” – one can really feel that a sailing vessel is a living creature. And who better than Orion to embody this concept? In 110 years she has had at least five names, surviving dramatic adventures including abandonment – and every time she was reborn.

Created for Colonel Courtney Morgan by Camper & Nicholson to a design by famous Charles E Nicholson, she was launched in 1910 in Gosport, on the British coast west of Brighton. She lived in England, France, Spain, Italy and Corsica. In 2003-2005 she underwent a meticulous restoration process that modernised her while maintaining the original interiors. At 127ft (38.7m) in length, in teak and iroko on steel armor, Orion has a mighty 174ft (53m) mast and can spread up to 24,200sqft (2,250m2) of canvas.

“Orion is a phoenix,” says Marc, on board since last spring. “In 1935 she survived a fire that damaged deck, boom and wheelhouse. The boat moored alongside her, her competitor, was not damaged, and some thought of sabotage. In 1967 a storm tore off both masts. Yet, here she is. More beautiful than ever.”

As humans, we re-invent ourselves and are reborn; similarly, it is difficult to say if Orion’s vicissitudes are a sign of bad luck or instead an opportunity to demonstrate strength and beauty. In fact, this yacht has defied not only fires and storms, but also some of the many superstitions that characterise seafaring culture. Apparently, to change a boat’s name brings bad luck and in order to avoid it, special rituals are performed; in Orion’s case, can we instead suggest that every name has sanctioned a new, better beginning?

“Who knows how many lives have been on this bridge, how many sailors have pulled the lines and held the wheel.” Manu from Bergamo has been on board for a few months. She chose to work on classics because every detail tells a story or allows you to imagine one. Moreover, sailing a classic yacht is such a different process to the functioning of contemporary yachts:

“Everything requires attention and dexterity”, explains Sergej, an engineer from Kiev who, after years of building systems, threw himself into this new adventure. “In order to desalinate the water, on a yacht you just need to press a button; on Orion, instead, you must perform a series of manoeuvres – but that’s the beauty of it.”

Orion has a powerful engine, which is fundamental: without it, she would drift with the weakest winds and currents. There are places in the world where, without an engine, one might stall for weeks, like the

Intertropical Convergence Zone, the (in)famous doldrums where some say that sailors, blocked indefinitely, risk going mad.

Many legends accompany people sailing with classics and Marc, who descends from a family of English sailors, knows all of them. He started working on boats at the age of seven, following the footsteps of his grandfather Malcolm and great-grandfather Paul. Paul had the most incredible and frightening adventure: embarked on the Jolly Horn en route from Hawaii to England, at Cape Horn he was caught in a storm so powerful that the 148ft (45m) mainmast was torn away, along with the bridge. The crew tenaciously brought ashore what was left of the boat and remained in South America for seven months in order to repair it. “You mustn’t know how to swim!” Marc laughs. “People say that if the sailors can’t swim, the boat won’t sink.” “And what if you can swim?” I ask. “Well... just don’t say it!”

We laugh. The atmosphere aboard Orion is cheerful. Complicity connects the crew members, who come from Italy, England, Ukraine, Australia, South Africa: “We are the United Nations! We speak different languages but we collaborate for everything: navigation, maintenance and daily life. Large yachts are luxury hotels at sea in which everyone has a strictly defined role; on classics we have roles and titles as well, but in reality everyone ends up doing everything, both women and men. We are a real team. Now that I think about it” – Marc laughs – “we are better than the United Nations.”

Who knows how many lives have been on this bridge, how many sailors have pulled the lines and held the wheel