The M/Y Bright Star

Which reminds me, I was meaning to ask you, Kisk: Michele has a large-ish boat right?

Yes, he owns a 37 meter berthed in Genoa (Porto Antico). So if you need a boat in your story, feel free!

Kiskaloo wrote:Yes, he owns a 37 meter berthed in Genoa (Porto Antico).

But where do you land the helicopter?

Professor Voodoo wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Yes, he owns a 37 meter berthed in Genoa (Porto Antico).

But where do you land the helicopter?

GOA.

Michele has money, but not Sultan Qaboos money.

Kiskaloo wrote:Yes, he owns a 37 meter berthed in Genoa (Porto Antico). So if you need a boat in your story, feel free!

Yes I do actually need a boat, a second boat really... not till quite late in the piece though

Alfisti wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Yes, he owns a 37 meter berthed in Genoa (Porto Antico). So if you need a boat in your story, feel free!

Yes I do actually need a boat, a second boat really... not till quite late in the piece though

I'll let the crew know to stock the bar and larder!

Shiny. As a matter of interest: what make and model? I'm going to eventually need to round up more reference images.


In other news: Kara must really be new to the world if she's describing Clarkson as a "gentleman"

Scene: Michele is lounging on the top deck with a large rum drink when Marisa comes bounding up the stairs.

Michele: Hello Mari, I hope you're enjoying your visit.
Marisa: Yes Mr. Pagani, thank you for having me aboard, but I have a small problem.
Michele: Well if there's anything you need just ask the boat crew and they'll get it for you.
Marisa: It's not like that...you have teak decking, and I can't find a place to weld the davit & winch.
Michele: Why on earth do you want to weld anything to my deck!?
Marisa: For the shark cage.
Michele: (facepalm) We do not need a shark cage.
Marisa: Oh, I agree, they're for wimps. I'd never use one, but Claes was reading about Great Whites and she said she'd love to see one up close, so...
Michele: Stop right there...you are not putting Claes in the water with a bunch of Great White sharks & you are not installing a shark cage on my yatch, understood?
Marisa: (disappointed) Okay...but now what should I do with the 6 barrels of bloody chum I loaded on the back deck?
Michele: #%&@* cyborg! Elio, get up here and deal with this!

No Mari, for teak and fiberglass decking what you need are some nice load-distributing steel plates, one for above and one for below, then just bolt though.

Alfisti wrote:Shiny. As a matter of interest: what make and model?

It's a Sunseeker 37 meter. I'm not positive it actually was available in 2005, but I really like the design. So that's why I just refer to it by length.

Alfisti wrote:In other news: Kara must really be new to the world if she's describing Clarkson as a "gentleman"

It is the first time she's seen them. The Top Gear: Revved Up DVD shipped in the June 2005 issue of Top Gear Magazine so I originally wrote a scene where they watched it on the hotel TV that first evening in France, but I cut it as superfluous. Top Gear was broadcast on BBC Prime on SKY Italia so I'll eventually work in Kara becoming a fan of the show and muttering "Oh, cock!", "That's not gone well", and "POWER!" from time to time.

Professor Voodoo wrote:Scene: Michele is lounging on the top deck with a large rum drink when Marisa comes bounding up the stairs.

Yes, Michele is indeed a Girl Drink Drunk.

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Michele: (facepalm) We do not need a shark cage.
Marisa: Oh, I agree, they're for wimps. I'd never use one, but Claes was reading about Great Whites and she said she'd love to see one up close, so...

At which point Kara would probably go "that sounds cool!" and she and Claes would then double-team their handler and he'd have to call up the construction plans to find out where to place some...

Alfisti wrote:...nice load-distributing steel plates, one for above and one for below, then just bolt through.

Kara, Claes and Mari:



Michele and Elio:

Awesome, cheers Kisk... defs going to need all of them 'cause that thing's, though an awesome design, is going to be a cast-iron-bitch to draw. Over and over again

I've downloaded the reference zip as well...maybe it will inspire a future episode. One important point though...a boat needs a name! It's very bad luck to put out to sea in an unnamed vessel. Sheesh, you live in Seattle, you know this!

That said...scenes from Michele's boat, take 2...

With the unnamed vessel at anchor, Elio & Olga are up top at the outdoor bar, with Olga practicing her bartending skills...

Olga: (reading from Michele's drink recipe cheat sheet) So you ever tried Sex on the Beach?
Elio: Once, but I didn't like it, too much sand.
Olga: (flirty) Oh, I agree, I very much prefer sex in my cabin.
Elio: I always considered Russians a very practical people...I'm so glad the cold war is over.
Olga: Ahh, sadly, things must always remain cold as long as you have your jealous little cyborg in tow.
Elio: I think I can take care of that problem.

(Elio stolls over to the starboard side, where Rico is watching the sea.)
Elio: Hey Rico, look, a dolphin!
Rico: Wow! (leans over the rail to see it. Elio accidentally knocks her overboard)
Elio: MARISA! Livesaving drill! Rescue Rico!
Marisa: I'm on it, boss! (throws her mask & fins on, jumps overboard)
Elio: (to Olga) That will buy us enough time to disappear to your cabin.
Hillshire: Alboreto, you are one sick puppy...

Professor Voodoo wrote:I've downloaded the reference zip as well...maybe it will inspire a future episode. One important point though...a boat needs a name! It's very bad luck to put out to sea in an unnamed vessel. Sheesh, you live in Seattle, you know this!

From memory it's also pretty bad luck to re-name a boat isn't it? Which always makes me wonder as to why those high-tech, change the name with the sponsor, ocean-racers are constantly breaking stuff....

Alfisti wrote:
From memory it's also pretty bad luck to re-name a boat isn't it? Which always makes me wonder as to why those high-tech, change the name with the sponsor, ocean-racers are constantly breaking stuff....

I've never heard that part of the superstition. It seems like 90% of the oilfield boats I work abord are on their 2nd or 3rd name. As far as the ocean racers go, I'm sure lack of funding would bring a great deal more bad luck than a name change!

As for a ship's name, I suppose I could pull from my old Star Trek fan fic and go with Bright Star or Dreamwave...

Kiskaloo wrote:As for a ship's name, I suppose I could pull from my old Star Trek fan fic and go with Bright Star or Dreamwave...

The first name sounds in keeping with Michele's passion for astronomy.

Then she shall be the M/Y Bright Star.

Kiskaloo wrote:Then she shall be the M/Y Bright Star.

Professor Voodoo wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Then she shall be the M/Y Bright Star.

Kara - Bless this ship and all who sail on her!

Michele - That better not be my Cristal!

Kiskaloo wrote:

Professor Voodoo wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Then she shall be the M/Y Bright Star.

Kara - Bless this ship and all who sail on her!

Michele - That better not be my Cristal!

Kara - Michele, I'm appalled. The ship is great, but not that great.

Michele - Oh...well that's good.

Kara - Besides, all the Cristal went to the pre-christening party.

Michele - WHAT?!!

Kara - I only use the Cristal on 100m+ boats. 50-100m gets Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. For sub-50m dinghies like this, Dom Pérignon is good enough!

Kara - Besides, all the Cristal went to the pre-christening party.

Michele - WHAT?!!

Elio: (returning to the the top-deck with Olga, both looking very satisfied) Quit being so uptight Pagani, you were probably just planning to mix it into one of those incredibly girly "Pink Jewelry" cocktails anyway.

(a half dozen sets of angry cyborg eyes are instantly locked on him)

Claes: (representing the group) What may I ask is wrong with girly?

______________

This also begs the question...how much of a "pocket money" allowence does Michele give his cyborg, and how long will it take Kara to pay off 8 cases of Cristal at that rate?

Claes: (representing the group) What may I ask is wrong with girly?

*Avise roars by on a rib - he doesn't get on with Michele and so he wasn't invited on the "B.S."*

AVISE: You've all got cooties!

*Avise turns to Agapita, who's manning the rib's wheel*

AVISE: Surgical strike delivered with exact precision! AWAY!

AGAPITA: Oscar-Mike this Charlie-Delta-Foxtrot reporting a Kilo-Whiskey-Tango on the Delta-Yankee, beginning extraction, over and out!

*The rib scuds off. Avise is still physically cringing from that signals heresy, "over and out".*

AVISE: Agapita, dearest... please leave all the Operational Commando talk to me.

*Meanwhile, Claes snaps the stalk off a wine glass and tests the edge with her thumb*

CLAES: I wonder... could I puncture their buoyancy tube from here, d'y'think?

Professor Voodoo wrote:This also begs the question...how much of a "pocket money" allowence does Michele give his cyborg...

Kara always carries €350 on her when she is outside the compound. It's broken down as follows:

1 x €100 (note)
2 x €50 (note)
3 x €20 (note)
4 x €10 (note)
5 x €5 (note)
5 x €2 (coin)
10 x €1 (coin)
€5 in loose coinage (50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent denominations)

Crikey, Kiskaloo, you've throught that through very precisely!

{Oh... why not!}

Up at the forecastle...
Juanita: Fernando! You Said You Dont Get Seasick!
Fernando: ZZZZZZzzzzzZZZZzzzZZz.....................

Several decks up... at the wheel house...
Francesca: What are we doing up here? Are we supposed to change into our bikinis downstairs?
Rachel: This is a good place as any to change, its private, right? (looking at the ship's control) Oooo... what does this red button do?
*Presses Red Button*

Robert Frazer wrote:Crikey, Kiskaloo, you've throught that through very precisely!

Mainly because I want Kara to have "a bill for all occasions" and not need to worry about making change for a purchase (which could be important if she's tailing someone).

Also, if she needs to bribe someone, for example, a single €100 bill works better than a wad of various denominations.

BTW, Kisk- on Bright Star

ElfenMagix wrote:{Oh... why not!}
Several decks up... at the wheel house...
Francesca: What are we doing up here? Are we supposed to change into our bikinis downstairs?
Rachel: This is a good place as any to change, its private, right? (looking at the ship's control) Oooo... what does this red button do?
*Presses Red Button*

Monty, quietly sitting at the back of the bridge working: (deadpan) I wouldn't touch tha...

Automated Voice: Thankyou for pressing the self-destruct button. This ship will self destruct in one minute.

Monty: *Sigh. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother opening my mouth. Did anyone think to invite the bombsquad girls?

*closes up laptop, ambles off to find Jethro and mention that this might be a prime opportunity to find alternative transport.

Kiskaloo wrote:
Kara always carries €350 on her when she is outside the compound.

I don't think that will buy one single bottle of Cristal. Yep...she's screwed. Perhaps she'll get lucky and Michele will forget all about it when Rachel reduces his yacht to a smouldering wreck.

Francesca (yelling and pointing at Rachel): ITS NOT MY FAULT!

As chaos ensues...

Elio: (to Marisa) What are you grinning for?
Mari: All hell is breaking loose & for once, none of it is my fault! (twirls around on one foot excitedly) It's a wonderful feeling!
Elio: Yeah, there's a first time for everything I suppose.

Professor Voodoo wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:
Kara always carries €350 on her when she is outside the compound.

I don't think that will buy one single bottle of Cristal. Yep...she's screwed. Perhaps she'll get lucky and Michele will forget all about it when Rachel reduces his yacht to a smouldering wreck.

She'll just use her innate cuteness (what she calls "being blessed with good karma") to get out of it.

As for the self-destruct device, it's a fake. Michele just uses it when it's time for the party to wind down, but the guests don't want to leave.

If you find 37 meters to be a bit large, Alfisti, I just saw the Baia Atlantica 78:










Model: Baia Atlantica 78
Length: 23.8m (78.0ft)
Beam: 5.8m (19.0ft)
Draft: 1.0m (3.4ft)
Built: Baia, Italy
Class: R.I.N.A.
Construction: GRP hull / GRP superstructure / Teak laid decks decks
Engines: 2 x 2000hp MTU
Cruising Speed: About 40 knots
Max Speed: About 47 knots
Guests: 6 guests in 3 cabins
Crew: 2 crew in 1 cabins

Wow, that's awesome...

Honestly mate, whichever you think is more suitable for Michele I'm happy to roll with. All she's going to do for most of her part in the story is sit in Monaco harbour as a base for the dive and demolitions crew. Then possibly be used as their exit strategy.

...not sure how I'd feel about being the bloke who had to land that Robinson on the foredeck though.

[The attention of those aboard the Bright Star is taken by the thrum of helicopter blades and the sound of excited yelling as an MD-500 helicopter zooms by with Clayland and Brian at the controls while Laine sits in the open passenger doorway, feet on the landing skids as she films Allison wakeboarding below them.

Allison- Hey Brian, pop up! I wanna catch some air!

[Brian gives a quick tug on the collective lever as Allison catches a small wave, lifting her out of the water. She executes a perfect Tsunami flip, grabbing the pull handle in time as she lands in the water. Jethro is watching with slight interest, drink in hand. Monty approaches from his side.]

Monty- Jeth, you mind calling Brian and asking him to hook up his FRIES rig?

Jethro- Why? Something wrong?

Monty- Rachel pressed a conspicuous red button.

Jethro- Ah.


I figured it would be appropriate if Brian owned a helicopter where Michele has fixed-wing aircraft. Of course, the M/Y Bright Star is proof that Michele is considerably wealthier than he is.

Alfisti wrote:All she's going to do for most of her part in the story is sit in Monaco harbour as a base for the dive and demolitions crew. Then possibly be used as their exit strategy.

She might prefer the Baia Atlantica 78 for that, then. It's a bit smaller and more maneuverable. Of course, if she wants to make a quiet exit out of the harbor... the Atlantica uses "surface skimming propellers" that sit out of the water about 3cm. This reduces drag and also provides a beautiful 100m "rooster tail" - so when she opens it up, people are going to notice. On the plus side, the thing is good for like 45 knots, so everyone may very well see her go, but they likely won't be able to capture her they hijack James May's XSR 48 powerboat down the road in Saint-Tropez.

Alfisti wrote:...not sure how I'd feel about being the bloke who had to land that Robinson on the foredeck though.

Michele doesn't have a Rotary Aircraft endorsement so he didn't order that option with his.

That being said, Monaco does have a heliport...

Hmm, I shall consider both. There's still a few chapters to go before Jethro needs to call Michele and suggest he take a holiday.

Michele should upgrade:





The Strand Craft 122. Four staterooms, B&O soundsystem and a top speed of greater than 50knots. Comes with 880bhp supercar as standard.

Did I mention the interior is Art Deco?




Via Uncrate

Alfisti wrote:Michele should upgrade:





The Strand Craft 122. Four staterooms, B&O soundsystem and a top speed of greater than 50knots. Comes with 880bhp supercar as standard.

Did I mention the interior is Art Deco?




Via Uncrate

Kara: "Do you think the Veyron would fit in that bay?"


Seriously, that is an amazing boat. It lacks the open air feel I like from the Sunseeker, but this kicks the Baia Atlantica 78's ass up and down the harbor. Still, I think it would make a better M/Y Bright Star than the Sunseeker for Michele, since he was running around the world and this boat is fast - so it works for both entertaining and for being entertained.

Of course, Jethro and Monty will have to take the Strand to Monaco. They'll put you in pole position in the harbor with that thing. Hell, I would expect there is a sign: "Reserved for M/Y Bright Star."

I'm sure the Veyron would fit in there... from memory it's not that large for a supercar.


Hmm, you know with something smaller (say a Mini Cooper S... a real one) you could probably fit two or three in there... with the added bonus that it's quite difficult to hang a boat halfway over a cliff.

Alfisti wrote:I'm sure the Veyron would fit in there... from memory it's not that large for a supercar.


Hmm, you know with something smaller (say a Mini Cooper S... a real one) you could probably fit two or three in there... with the added bonus that it's quite difficult to hang a boat halfway over a cliff.

Indeed.

Noël really likes the PM's Roller because it's quiet and uncomplicated inside, so maybe they could shoehorn a MINI Cooper Rolls Royce Edition in there with the Veyron for Kara.

Admittedly I was thinking more down the lines of:

Alfisti wrote:Admittedly I was thinking more down the lines of:

Indeed I knew you were, but this is Michele and Kara we're talking about.

Still, they could certainly have the boys at Goodwood re-do the interior while another team re-worked the powertrain and Oxford restored the original bodywork.

True, though, considering the interior styling of the yacht a Bugatti Type 57 Atlanic may be more appropriate

Alfisti wrote:True, though, considering the interior styling of the yacht a Bugatti Type 57 Atlanic may be more appropriate

Quite true. I considered putting one of those in Michele's garage, once...

Guess it's time he ante's up the $1.6 million for that Parmigiani Fleurier Bugatti Faubourg Watch because I think the Parmigiani Fleurier Bugatti Tourbillon that comes with it would match the boat:

I thought I'd read somewhere that Bugatti was dropping the four-door concept though in favor of a two door...

...I think they're keeping the watch though

For something a bit bigger (55m range), the Ghost G180V looks intriguing:





I'd still install the Art Deco interior from the Strand Craft 122, however.

the bow on that looks like an old dreadnought !