The Duchessa certainly plays the part of the mini-superyacht. She wouldn’t be a Riva if she didn’t boast distinctive looks, with a dramatic black hull and contrasting superstructure beautifully set off by the warmth of teak. And the 92 wouldn’t be a true Riva if she didn’t display some radical new thinking, which in this case takes the form of the optional “sea lounge,” a large sunbed that replaces the PWC in the garage and can be rolled out onto the fold-down bathing platform, allowing guests to relax right down at the water’s edge. The other external living areas are perhaps more conventional, but no less comfortable. These include the flying bridge, with a full-size bar and a big, eight-seat dining table, the cockpit, which is completely shaded by the overhead, and the fore deck, which has a private table and seating area protected by its own bimini top.
On a main deck that is clearly designed to impress, the most impressive thing, perhaps, is the simplicity of the layout. You can walk in a straight line down the port side of the interior, from the cockpit to the wheelhouse bulkhead, passing the saloon seating (three sofas), the dining table (which seats ten, and can be pulled out into the center), those huge windows that let in the daylight that accentuates the yacht’s largely white color scheme, and the day head. With more than 4,400 hp courtesy of MTU, the 82-ton Duchessa promised to be no slouch at sea, and indeed, Riva estimates a maximum speed of 28 knots.
