Boats: A Strange Kind of Love

What could be better, asks Mary Wells Lawrence, than life on a boat? Flip through the photos below to climb aboard her beloved yacht, Strangelove.

• From Architectural Digest: Mary Wells, founder of one of the world’s largest advertising agencies, Wells Rich Greene, and a cofounder of Wowowow.com, worked with David Mlinaric and Jason Roberts, of Mlinaric, Henry & Zervudachi, on the interior design of her 155-foot yacht, Strangelove. The boat was designed by Arthur De Fever and built by Feadship. Here: The aft deck.

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  Image: David Matheson/Architectural Digest

  

• Strangelove's salon. “It’s where we have cocktails before dinner or gather to watch the news or a special movie,” Wells says. Mlinaric and Roberts gave the space an Art Déco look. Shade and blue armchair fabrics, Rogers & Goffigon. Sofa fabric, Claremont. Doris Leslie Blau rug.

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  Image: David Matheson/Architectural Digest

  

• A bookcase, at right, was added to the dining area, says Roberts, “to divide it from the living area and to create a symmetrical library atmosphere.” In general, the design instruction from Wells (above), Roberts says, “was that the boat have a ‘masculine feel,’ with simple, textured but unpatterned fabrics in muted colors.”

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  Image: David Matheson/Architectural Digest

  

• The beautiful co-founder of wowOwow.com, Mary Wells.

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  Image: David Matheson/Architectural Digest

  

• Since Strangelove has a travel range of 3,900 miles, the master bedroom was designed with long-haul comfort and practicality in mind: It’s outfitted with a king-size bed, plentiful discreet storage areas, its own air-conditioning and heating systems and a fully equipped entertainment center. The suite also has two baths and an office. Doris Leslie Blau rugs. E. Braun bed linens.

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  Image: David Matheson/Architectural Digest

  

• “In the summer, Strangelove’s port is Coal Harbour, with its beautiful view of Vancouver,” Wells says.

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  Image: David Matheson/Architectural Digest

  

• “The lounge at the far end of the upper-level sundeck is a favorite place for naps, but also for watching movies under the stars,” says Wells. The champagne-bottle-cork table was a gift from Hubert de Givenchy and Philippe Venet.

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  Image: David Matheson/Architectural Digest

  

The world looks more beautiful from a boat. No matter where you are — cosmopolitan cities like Paris or Hong Kong, elegant resorts along the Mediterranean, exotic developing countries like Thailand — everything looks beautiful from a sea or river or lake or canal. On the water, you miss the grubby sides of civilized life. When you live on a boat, the beauty around you takes hold of you and makes you feel lucky – sometimes chosen.

And there is freedom on a boat. If you are in a town or a bay that is not up to your dream, you just move on. Think about it. You don’t have to take off your shoes for the customs man. You don’t have to stand in line. And you don’t have to pack – not your toothbrush or your “Casablanca” DVD or your Charlie Parker CD or any of your tech stuff. All your possessions move on to a new and better place with you, and you don’t lift a finger.

There is a special feeling of safety in boat life. On Strangelove, we never sail to dangerous places. And the crew has become part of my family. Most marinas are aware and protective. And water sounds are spa sounds. They lower your blood pressure.

I have always had a gypsy spirit. Boat life suits me. There is something warming about living in the center of a chosen crew of capable men and women. If you are suddenly alone, your husband has died or you are divorced, it cheers your soul and calms your brain and slows you down so that you don’t do something silly. Your family would agree. Life on the water is life at its best: free, beautiful, educational, private, exciting, warm and friendly. A wee bit feminist, but romantic too. The bottom line: boats are good for your health.