The Legendary S/Y Tiziana

Italy, Riviera dei Fiori, San Remo, Visione d'incanto, Charming view 1960s unused, Postcard 14.7x10.2 cm

We at Sea Bags have always been inspired by these romantic images of the sea and instill them into all our designs. Yet sometimes, a special sail tells a story so compelling we feel we need to do something more. The sails from the sailing yacht Tiziana are exactly that.

One of the most famous leisure sailing yachts in the world, Tiziana was designed in the early 1960s by the most sought-after ship designers in the world: Newport-based Sparkman & Stephens. Their portfolio includes the elegant S/V Dorade 52—which won the Transatlantic Race by more than two days—as well as nearly every America's Cup winning boat for four straight decades. Constructed by famed German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen, the 35-meter boat was designed for maximum comfort and effortless speed, with a steel hull and teak superstructure. Racing lineage brought competitive innovations to all S&S designs, and the S/Y Tiziana is no exception, boasting significantly greater speed than all other boats of her size at the time.

While Tiziana holds a significant performance pedigree, the story of her ownership so far is equally fascinating. The vessel was built on commission to expand the fleet of Italian business magnate Gianni Agnelli, who at age 25 became the owner of Fiat in 1945. Agnelli was a worldwide celebrity, and his family still owns FIAT today. As Tiziana was built to sail around the globe she completed a circumnavigation under the ownership of renowned German film producer Horst Wendlandt, who allowed his son Mathias to helm the yacht for two and a half years. Her passage through Brazil, the Amazon River, the Seychelles, and up the Suez Canal—before returning to the Mediterranean—was documented in the German television show, “On the Wings of The Wind.” She changed hands yet again with the Dornier family, famed founders of the now defunct Dornier Flugzeugwerke, who made airplanes for more than a century, and was notable for their manufacturing of flying boats.

Tiziana still sails the ocean today, having been restored in 2006 with significant modernization. She retains her reputation of elegant opulence. Privately owned and registered in Amsterdam, she continues to bring adventure and the enjoyment of the sea to all who sail her.

With such a storied past, our design team embraced the challenge of creating a unique tote to balance the beauty of the Tiziana's recycled sails with special finishes that would evoke the adventures of days past on this exquisite yacht. We made the most of the sail material to create just 50 of these limited-edition totes and finished them with materials one might have found on the yacht itself: rolled leather straps, vintage brass hardware, and a full-grain leather medallion emblazoned with a silhouette of the vessel. The bag is light, yet sophisticated, and you'll imagine it as your trusted companion as you step aboard the Tiziana for your next adventure. View the Heritage Tiziana Tote and our past Heritage releases here.