Simply Abu Dhabi XXII

2 0 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I to be creative and be different. The more creative you were, the more successful you would become,” he says with an upbeat confidence. He found it to be an unforgettable time to be an entrepreneur, working with the best designers in France and the best designers in fashion . By the early 1990s, the entrepreneur was ready to make a move and broaden his horizons by introducing his creations to a wider audience. He arrived in New York, where he forged relationships with department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman. One day, while at a jewelry show, he had a sense that another challenge was awaiting him. It was 2004, and he had decided that he had done everything he could do in the jewelry business. “I had sold to every big department store in the world; I had designed for the biggest brands; I had been everywhere in the world.” He began talking to a businessman in attendance and the two hit it off and became friends. The initial project that Leone took on for the man — who would become not only a friend, but a client — was to find him a yacht. After searching, he purchased a 160-foot yacht for the businessman, a private person whose identity Leone keeps anonymous. “We tried to charter it for a little while when we bought it. It was a good boat for entertaining corporate clients.” But Leone, who was used to yachts that were made for cruising San Tropez, Cannes, and the French coast, thought the boat was too enclosed. “There was no open deck.” So rather than sell the yacht and purchase one withmore outdoor space, Leone decided the yacht should be extended 25 feet. “When I told the people in the yacht industry my plans for the yacht, they started laughing and told me I was crazy. They said it was impossible.” It took 18 months and $20 million to rebuild the boat. Leone redesigned the boat by cutting off the back of the vessel to add a larger deck space that is basically a beach club aboard the yacht. The sundeck also doubles as a helicopter pad, and Leone designed the yacht’s interiors, too, and added all new state-of-the-art technology, including audio and visual systems to accommodate an outdoor movie theater. “This way, you can watch movies under the stars.” My Seanna — named for the owner’s daughter — was a finalist at the coveted 2015 World Superyacht Awards in Amsterdam.