Six of the best in 2017
The past year has seen six striking superyachts join the Feadship fleet. Ranging from 97 to 35 metres and featuring an incredible array of bespoke facilities, these Feadships were built for use in all areas of the world. They include the ultimate diving buddy which will often be seen exploring the pristine waters of Asia, the first Feadship ordered from Australia, a superlative ‘toy for the boys’ for a South American owner, and a family Feadship designed to access shallow waters in Europe, Scandinavia and the Indian Ocean. Add in the award-winning Faith and a Feadship echoing the classic designs of an earlier era and you have an unprecedented spectrum of yachtbuilding excellence.
Letani
The first ceremony of the year was for Letani, setting a new record of just over two years for the time between first client contact and launch. The family have since enjoyed discovering parts of the world that are often out of reach to larger superyachts while retaining the full range of Feadship’s superlative standards of quality. Just like her length and shallow draught, the interior layout of this Feadship was also related to her use. Our favourite examples are the TV nook dividing the lounge and dining room, and the informal French bistro ambience of the latter, with its tapered table and long banquette.
Hasna
Another Feadship launched in 2017 was the 73-metre Hasna, which fulfilled her owner’s lifetime dream and became the first Feadship completed for someone hailing from Australia. A proficient yachtsman, he also used his vast experience in life and business to create a true family Feadship, blending a variety of home-from-home entertainment features within a timeless sculptured exterior and a suave beach chic interior.
Samaya
Every Feadship has a theme of her own but few have been quite so extensively custom-designed for a specific purpose as the stunning 69-metre Samaya. Our PILOT Update on the launch explained the thinking behind the yacht’s colourful exterior and interior, connected to the owners’ love of the underwater world. As well as having the capacity to head offshore for at least 30 days, Samaya has amazing facilities for diving both off the boat and from her bespoke tenders. These include a flat-bottomed hot water plunge pool to speed post-dive recovery and the ability to heat all luxury areas to 30 °C rather than the normal 25 °C.
CID
Fun on the water was a more pressing concern for the owner of CID, another Feadship launched in 2017. ‘Fun and games ahead’ was the title of our PILOT Update back in May and that’s certainly been proven true over the past months along Mexico’s west coast and the Baja California peninsula. The owner was very involved in creating a Feadship that would allow him to enjoy the sailing life with friends who also own motoryachts. CID’s layout and facilities are based on private and single use configurations: while a six-strong crew ensures the highest Feadship service standards to those who join him on board, the client spends much of his time at the helm – hence the fixed bimini on the flybridge to give shade when driving from there.
Project 697
The most recent launch at Feadship took us back in time to the designs of the 1990s. Many people who attended the launch ceremony were struck by the striking Majestic Blue hull, sophisticated Matterhorn White superstructure and lacquered teak handrails, part of a classic profile requested by the client. In terms of features and technologies, ‘Project 697’ is very much a child of the 21st century. Check out, for instance, the grilles on the mast, superstructure sides and main deck forward: these are not composite additions but part and parcel of the underlying aluminium structure. They also showcase an exceptional degree of skill on the part of our designers and craftsmen.
Faith
The same goes for the last of our six Feadships for 2017, the phenomenal Faith. Strictly speaking, this 97-metre masterpiece of design, engineering and construction was launched in November 2016. At that time, however, she still carried the project name Vertigo and the owner attached a great deal of importance to the delivery ceremony which took place earlier this year, at which point he immediately changed the name of the yacht to Faith. Check out our press release on this project, which has already won the International Superyacht Society Award at the Fort Lauderdale show.