Nerissa: A Masterpiece of Classic Yacht Design

Dario D'Atri
May 29
2 min read

The Nerissa is a masterpiece of classic yacht design, born from the elegant lines of New Zealander Arthur Robb and the meticulous craftsmanship of the Beltrami shipyard, one of the most refined on the Italian coast. Built in 1965 in Sturla, near Genoa, she is a 16.3-meter-long sailing yacht with a sleek and harmonious hull, designed for long-distance sailing without reliance on an engine.

The hull, caulked with such precision that it still maintains its original watertightness today, testifies to engineer Vincenzo Beltrami’s obsession with perfection. He inspected each plank with a magnifying glass, tolerating no errors in the joinery. Her waterline, painted in blue and red, reflects her affiliation with the Cinzano family, for whom she served as a floating emblem for years.

Nerissa is a yacht with character: her first owner, William Whitehouse-Vaux, forbade the use of the engine even on long voyages, such as the one from Argentario (Tuscany) to Athens. The quality of her design and construction upholds this philosophy to this day: the current owner has accumulated only a few engine hours over more than two decades of sailing.

She also belonged to Count Marone Cinzano, cousin of King Juan Carlos I and a wine producer, explaining her close ties to the social and maritime history of the Mediterranean. Today, restored and active, Nerissa continues to sail as one of the great classic yachts of her generation.