PANERAI BRINGS THE SEA TO HOMO FABER
PANERAI BRINGS THE SEA TO HOMO FABER
The yacht Eilean, its fascinating history and the story of its restoration are among the features of “HOMO FABER. Crafting a More Human Future”. Created by the Fondazione Michelangelo and running from 14 to 30 September, this event will attract enthusiasts from all over the world to the Cini Foundation in Venice to witness the spectacle which has been created by the application of the most remarkable craftsmanship skills in Europe.
A LEGENDARY YACHT
Eilean is a Bermudian ketch of 1936 created by William Fife III, one of the most legendary constructors of sailing yachts of all time. Her extraordinary beauty and technical performance can still be seen today thanks to Panerai, which arranged for its restoration and made the yacht its own ambassador. The work of restoring the vessel was entrusted to one of the historic Italian shipyards, whose craftsmen still work with traditional techniques and materials.
MORE THAN 40,000 HOURS OF RESTORATION
The restoration of Eilean has been as epic as its history. Discovered in an abandoned state in Antigua in 2007 and brought to Italy on a cargo boat, Eilean has been worked on by the craftsmen of the Francesco del Carlo shipyard in Viareggio for more than 40,000 hours. These masters of yacht building recovered all the materials and instruments which could be saved, using the original designs of the Fife shipyards as inspiration and employing traditional techniques to guarantee that the result would be as faithful as possible to the original.
A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
The craftsmen recovered 60 percent of the hull's Burma teak cladding and restored the wooden rudder. They also reconditioned the compass and the bronze portholes and reinstalled them. The parts which could not be recovered have been recreated extremely accurately: for instance, the woodwork of the elegant interiors dominated by rectangular panels, so that entering the large central saloon seems to have the effect of a journey through time.
To register for the Homo Faber event, click here.
