Shallow-Draft Luxury: Inside Bob Book’s Heesen Superyacht “Book Ends”

This latest Book Ends started as the spec build Project Sapphire in 2020. Jim Raycroft

Some people buy a shallow-draft yacht because they spend a lot of time in the Bahamas. Other people want the speed benefits. Both are true of Bob Book, who, with his wife, Amy, has owned dozens of vessels over the past 50 years. What he calls “the most important thing” about his newest Heesen is something you’d never expect. Actually, it’s two things: his two golden retrievers.

“We don’t like staying on anchor because we have to take them out at night,” he says. Their previous Heesen, a 154-footer from 2017, had a 10-foot draft. Their current 164-foot Heesen has a draft of 7 feet, 3 inches fully loaded. It makes a world of difference in the Bahamas, he says: “We can get in anywhere, so we can go to the Exumas, we go into Highborne, we go into Staniel. We couldn’t do that with the other boat.”

Book Ends has pops of color everywhere, including in shades and decorative humidors. Adam Pass

It’s not every day that a pair of dogs dictates the depth of a yacht. But it’s not every day that a shipyard has a client like Book. Self-described as cursed for being “a perfectionist in an imperfect world,” he’s extraordinarily detail-oriented about technical features and creature comforts alike. In fact, the gusto that he brought to the engineering of this project is matched by his enthusiasm for tailoring every part of the interior.

Soon after cruising began aboard the 154-footer, a Heesen 47M Steel, Book knew he wanted to buy another boat from the Dutch shipyard. This latest Book Ends started as the spec build Project Sapphire in 2020. The contract signing came in 2021, after Book visited the shipyard.

Project Sapphire was a good fit for a few reasons. First, it was a Heesen 50M Aluminum. “She’s really sexy,” Book says. “I like her lines. I like her shape.”

The owner worked with several designers to create Book Ends’ look and feel. Adam Pass

Second, Heesen had tweaked the hull design. This one had a shallower draft than prior 50M Aluminum deliveries, and the yard anticipated 12 percent better efficiency with a top hop of 23 knots. “The 47-meter was a ship, a great boat,” he says, “but it was a slow boat because it’s full-displacement steel, and I wasn’t willing to make that compromise. I’m a speed freak.” One of his “slower” center-consoles hits 50 knots, he notes, adding that the new Book Ends has seen 27 knots.

The next order of business was customizing the interior and on-deck areas. Project Sapphire was already pretty far along, with work by Cristiano Gatto Design. Book gathered with a variety of designers and rethought everything.

Today, there isn’t a corner on board without his influence. This yacht has custom carpeting, with tiny real-silver balls in the salon. Wispy sheets of silver leaf are under glass as the dining area tabletop, fluttering while underway. He added seemingly routine things, such as recessed lighting that outlines sculpted ceiling details.

The yacht has a Bahamas-friendly 7-foot-3-inch draft as well as eye-catching visual hooks. Jim Raycroft

“None of this was here,” Book says. “I have a guy who’s a genius in Florida. He templated the whole thing. He laid on the floor for hours figuring it out. We did it in 60 days, and it’s magnificent. It changes the whole feel of the boat.”

Book is just as proud of areas out on deck. He’s a fan of the foredeck lounge, for instance. “When you’re underway, this is the greatest spot to sit,” he says. “You feel like you’re on a sailboat. You don’t hear anything.”

The main deck aft has an elevated seating area, giving everyone unobstructed views and allowing conversation with anyone at an adjacent bar and seating area. “That was supposed to just be a flat sunbed, which nobody would want to lie on anyway,” Book says.

The yacht’s interior feels modern and chic, and yet casual and comfortable for the whole family to enjoy. Adam Pass

From center-consoles to superyachts, Book cannot get enough of the boating lifestyle. He also can’t speak highly enough of Heesen. “Heesen has a great young management team in place,” he says. “Niels [Vaessen], who I’ve known for many years, is the former CFO and now the CEO. He’s great. I’ve known Thom Conboy for years. He’s probably the most knowledgeable sales ambassador Heesen could ever have. He knows every aspect of boating. And Mark Cavendish [director of sales and marketing] is fantastic.”

Book is already hinting that he’ll commission another superyacht from the shipyard, saying simply that the next Book Ends will be “bigger and faster.”

No doubt his two golden retrievers will approve too.  

Book Ends, the Restaurant

If you’re ever in Viareggio, Italy, order a T-bone or other fine cuts of beef at the Book Ends steakhouse on the harbor. Bob Book partnered with a local restaurateur to open it in December 2023. Photos and paintings of some of his yachts hang on the walls.

35, 36…

Counting just superyachts, the current Heesen is Book’s 19th boat. Among all his boats past and present, it’s number 35. A 68-foot Riva under construction as a tender makes number 36. The next Heesen could be number 37—unless the buying itch strikes in the interim.

Lights, Please

The dining area chandelier is by Riki Lighting, which designed the signature chandelier for the recently opened Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Although the company doesn’t do residential or yacht projects, Book persuaded the CEO to make an exception. “He loved the whole boating experience,” Book says. “It’s really a beautiful piece.”

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