New Feadship captures the joy of the outdoor life

Feadship has launched the 70-metre Joy at its Kaag yard in the presence of her owners, invited guests and the workforce responsible for her design, engineering and construction. Featuring a great wealth of exterior spaces and a contemporary classic interior, Joy is an astonishing superyacht which truly meets the owner’s brief to ‘create something totally different to every other yacht.’

All Feadships are, of course, pure custom creations and the vast majority are built for experienced sailors. The Joy project, however, was predicated on a fresh perspective, as the client is completely new to the industry and has never owned a superyacht before. The first of many distinctive aspects to result from this approach is the radical exterior styling, which brought with it a raft of challenges for the yard in terms of construction, fairing and painting.

Statement of intent

As such, Joy offers a serious statement of intent by Bannenberg & Rowell as the London- based studio showcases its exterior expertise for the first time since the death of Jon Bannenberg in 2002. “It has been a great pleasure to work with an owner who was keen to bring something new to the superyacht world in the same way as my father did from the early 80s onwards with Feadship and others,” comments Dickie Bannenberg.

“While our design studio has an excellent reputation for interiors, including twelve for Feadship owners, Joy is the first visible exterior design of a new era for us. The flow between the interior and exterior spaces and her generous wide walkways are without precedent on a motoryacht of this size and the vast exterior spaces have been used to great effect. Moreover, the wealth of concave shapes in the superstructure and judicious use of surface texturing have given Joy a design language and identity all her own.”

Panoramic views 

 Amidst the breathtaking surface geometry, Joy features countless well-conceived features in terms of logistics, liveability and functionality. There are two ways into the beach club, for example – a transom door which swivels up above head height, and bomber doors on the aft deck which serve as a lounging platform when closed and as sofa backrests when open. Other physical/visual connections between interior and exterior include the link between the capacious foredeck and the owner’s stateroom, reinforcing the panoramic effect of 270- degree wraparound windows. Glass eyelets built into the structure of the lowered bulwark complement the views. In a similar vein, the superstructure coamings have been cut away along the companionways, with the ceilings chamfered up at an angle to bring more light into the interior while providing a dynamic aesthetic from the outside.

Holistic design 

 An example of Joy’s holistic design is how easy it is to extend the interior spaces, just by opening the glass doors on to the main, owner and bridge decks aft. “Known as winter gardens, these air conditioned outdoor-in zones are part and parcel of the fundamental leitmotif of blending exterior and interior spaces,” explains Mike Fisher, creative director at Studio Indigo. “Our team was inspired by the sleek profile to create a natural flow between the interior and exterior spaces facilitated by the layout. To further enhance the feeling of space, a clever use of finishes, materials and styling makes the exteriors feel like they are an extension of the interior spaces. Moreover, every living area has windows looking out onto the wide walkways, making the rooms feel much larger than they are.”

Joy’s interior style exudes elegance and richness, with cohesive architectural detailing bringing the boat together within a unified structure. At the same time a sense of individuality is assured between the spaces by the use of over 250 different finishes and materials. “Our task was made much easier by Feadship’s superior skills and expertise in bespoke yachts,” adds Fisher. “Delivering the epitome of comfort and luxury, the interior is a unique reflection of the client’s personality and has a vibrancy which ensures that Joy lives up to her name.”

Art of sculpture 

 One of the many interior highlights is a centrally located cantilevered wood spiral staircase which wraps around a glass elevator connecting each deck. The stairs serve as a reference point and the knuckle of the layout, giving guests an instinctive sense of their location no matter which deck they are on. A beautiful sculptural piece of artwork frames the stairway, while elegantly integrated mirrors and art add opulence and a sense of space to the corridors linking the forward and aft segments of the boat.

“Joy is a testimony to what can be achieved when you genuinely start a superyacht build with a blank sheet of paper,” concludes Feadship director Jan-Bart Verkuyl. “The owner’s wishes have been successfully combined with Feadship’s experience and the excellent teams from Studio Indigo and Bannenberg & Rowell to fashion a truly pioneering 70-metre yacht.”