Drettmann Yachts Start Two Winter Refits

Bandido 90

Drettmann Yachts Winter refit projects arrived at their yard in Germany just before Christmas so they can be ready for the Summer Med season. The length of these expedition style megayachts is a lot smaller than other refit work going on in the other yards around Europe. These two Bandido series megayachts constructed in collaboration between Horizon and Jade Yachts measure 24m (75ft) and 30m (90ft). Smaller megayachts need love and care too and Drettmann have tapped into this niche market in perfect style.

The Bandido 90, seen in the above image is the largest megayacht that Drettmann have housed at the yard to date. She measures 30m (90ft) in length, has a beam of 7.70m (25ft) and has a weight of 230 tons.

The other Bandido 75 arrived at the yard around the same time and measures 24m (75ft), has a beam of 6.60m (21ft) and weighs in at a smaller 100 tons. The lucky owner of this expedition yacht is none other than the famous F1 racing driver Ralf Schuhmacher. We will bring you the progress of their refit's throughout the winter.

Bandido 75

 

Trinity Yachts Deliver Tsumat

On December 17th in Gulfport Mississippi, Trinity Yachts announced the recent delivery of "Tsumat" a 50m (164ft) tri-deck superyacht that we previously wrote about earlier this year. She is a fully custom built superyacht with an aluminium hull and superstructure. Her owners have enjoyed yachting for many years and are repeat clients of Trinity's.

Her exterior styling and innovative interior was developed by Ramon Alonso of Loguer Design and J.C. Espinosa of Espinosa, Inc. Tsumat, from an ancient Mexican dialect, means "beautiful girl" or "princess". Her layout includes six staterooms and a tender garage that allows for an oversized sundeck complete with workout stations and relaxation areas.

"Tsumat is the result of our passion for architecture, translated into the world of yacht design," says Ramon Alonso of Loguer Design. "The design team's Latin and European influences and the use of select materials and elements historically found in Mexican architecture such as walnut lattices, solid blocks of stone and hand-stitched leather details with a high level of craftsmanship were the key ingredients in the creation of Tsumat’s interiors. Coupled with the design concept centered on comfort, attention to detail and simplicity, Tsumat blends natural and high-end materials with the latest technology thus creating functional spaces of great elegance," he adds.

Her six stateroom all ensuite layout includes a full beam main deck owner’s master suite, with wrap around forward facing windows providing 180 degree views, an adjacent owner’s study, his and her heads that feature custom made orange onyx sinks with stainless steel fixtures over Thassos marble countertops with walls covered with horizontal textured stone tiles. The shared shower is made with full slabs of white Thassos marble on floors, walls and ceiling, all enclosed in frosted glass. The master suite is spacious enough for the owners to unwind and relax.

Her four guest staterooms include two king and two twins for children and their friends are on the lower deck amidships, with the fifth queen guest stateroom on the pilothouse deck. The staterooms are framed in walnut and leather with waterfall edges, and flanked with hand stitched leather wrapped nightstands. Large windows give guests remarkable views.

"This is the second yacht I have designed for this particular client," says JC Espinosa. "His request, as in the previous project, was for a clean, modern and elegant yacht. Since he always travels with family and friends, we provided large outdoor gathering spaces on all decks and an open interior plan with large spaces flowing together within the public areas," says Espinosa. "We worked closely with Geoff van Aller of Trinity to make sure the end result would please our client. In my 25 years in the megayacht business, this is my first time working with Trinity and I must say they have delivered an outstanding yacht, Tsumat!"

Specifications

• Length: 50m (164ft)
• Beam: 10.2m (28ft)
• Max Speed: 22.5kts
• Range: 3,700nm @ 10kts
• Guests: 12
• Crew: 11

Heesen Yachts Sell Custom 50m

Heesen announced just before Christmas that the contract has been signed for a fully custom 50m (164ft) Superyacht. YN 17350 is the fourth vessel that they have sold in 2012 and their order books run into 2015 with 13 yachts under construction.

The owner has appointed Clifford Denn Design to create the stylish, sporty lines of his new 50m Superyacht, with Van Oossanen Naval Architects and Heesen taking of the naval architecture. She is a round bilge, displacement Superyacht that's below 500GT. She will be powered by two MTU 8V4000 that will take her to a maximum speed of 15kts and at 12kts she will have a transatlantic range of 4,000nm.

She will have some interesting features including a fully inclosed forward garage for tender storage and a very unique bar on the main deck that is half on the aft deck and continues inside to the main saloon to create an inside/outside connection.

She will be able to accommodate 8 guests in three doubles and one twin. The owner will enjoy a traditionally located suite forward on the main deck.

Exclusive: The Story of Pendana, Part 4

This is the final part of an exclusive four part series spread out over the past few months about M/Y Pendana, her passionate owners James and his wife Claire and the planned expedition that James and his family are planning, which is to cross the notorious Tasman Sea at the end of the year.

Pendana’s New Zealand Trip - The Adventure That Wasn’t

It is with some sadness that I have to report that Pendana didn’t make it across the notorious Tasman Sea due to a severe weather pattern which saw a tropical low depression enter the Tasman Sea and a Cyclone form north of New Zealand.

I spoke with James a few days after the decision was made who said the main reasons why the New Zealand trip was cancelled at 0700 on Tuesday 11th December 2012 were:

1. He had made a promise to his family and Parents In-Law not to go if weather wasn’t good enough.

2. He mentioned that the forecast received on day of departure (11th December) had absolutely no signs of weather conditions improving and all the signs were, that the weather could potentially get a lot worse.

3. James mentioned that at the time the decision was made (0700) there was a tropical low that was becoming more organised with the chance of becoming a cyclone/hurricane. One thing James knows about cyclones in the South Pacific is that it is incredibly difficult to predict their speed and direction and history has proven this to be the case on countless occasions.

4. James also said that Pendana would have to ensure Short period seas of 5-7 seconds for the entire trip. The average forecast was for 10ft seas with a five second period which would not be comfortable in most small ships! James said that for him short period seas are to be avoided at all costs.

5. Finally, James said that the chance of the high pressure cell that we were being routed through becoming over-run by what were two strong and large low pressure systems to the north and south of Pendana’s planned route/track was too much risk.

On December 13th, two days after planned departure on the 11th, the tropical low that James was worried about became a cyclone/hurricane and was officially named Cyclone Evan, packing winds of between 180kph/111mph and 360kph/222mph causing havoc to commercial shipping. While Cyclone Evan is further north part of it did break apart during formation and headed south as a deep tropical low depression which would have impacted Pendana’s transit around North Cape/Cape Reinga, New Zealand.

Clearly on this map below you can see the low pressure system and how close it would have been to our route and the north tip of New Zealand which is just off this map to the south.

James said that he was satisfied that the call not to go was the correct one however difficult to make. I am sure there are lots of mariners who would have battened down the hatches and soldiered on but for us, this is pleasure boating and not a test of one’s endurance. The idea of being smacked around in short period seas was and is not something I am too interested in doing for two days, let alone six!

James sang the praises of Fleetweather and said they were, in a word, brilliant. Their forecasts were so much more than he was getting via online subscriber or free website services. Without Fleetweather we would have made the wrong decision. James wanted to stress, that if they had made the trip, then Pendana would have had no problems at all in combating the seas, swell, period or winds. The reason for not going was not so much based on safety but rather the comfort of the passengers and crew aboard Pendana.

To set course in sustained bad conditions is not something I will ever do and while a few days of rotten weather is manageable the relentless reality of what we were facing would have worn thin after the first twenty four hours.

James did say that one thing throughout all of this that he had learned is that when using a weather forecasting company one must be very specific about what weather is acceptable and what is not. He did initially tell Fleetweather winds below 25kts, seas under 3mtrs/10ft were fine but went onto say that he didn’t expect to cop this for the full six days. What James said, he should have said was, over the six day passage he wanted at least half with winds under 20kts and a swell/wave period greater than the height of the combined swell/wave for 90% of the trip.

James and his wife Claire are now planning to spend New Year’s Eve in Sydney Harbour with friends and after that, who knows? Let the adventures begin.

Benetti "Four Aces" Sold

The iconic 56m (183ft) Benetti 'Four Aces' has just been sold by IYC in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Now that is what we call a nice Christmas present. She was built in 2005 and went through a major refit in 2010.

Her interior and finish is one of the finest ever delivered by Benetti. A dream yacht from bow to stern and every detail of Four Aces has been thoroughly executed. Her light and airy feeling is created by the open plan main saloon and dining room, with her most noticeable feature being her striking entrance with staircases to the wheelhouse or guest accommodations below.

The full beam master stateroom is located forward on the main deck, with the owner’s gym situated forward with large vertical windows for fantastic views. There are 5 guest staterooms with a very large VIP cabin located on the wheelhouse deck to starboard. There is one twin and three king staterooms located on the lower deck, all en suite.

Heesen Yachts Join Project "Azuro"

The construction of YN 16650, project 'Azuro' is progressing on schedule and is due for delivery in the spring of 2014. Her hull and superstructure were joined together on Saturday the 1st of December at the Heesen facility in Oss, the Netherlands. Project Azuro is the fourth in the 50m (164ft) all aluminium class. The first Superyacht in this class was the multi-award winning MY Satori, which was then followed by YN 15850 in 2011 and YN 16050 which is currently under construction and due for delivery in 2013.


Azuro has three out door areas including dining options on both the upper and main decks as well as on the foredeck. Integrated seating and quadruple sunpads provide some great privacy when berthed stern-to in port. Glazed doors between the main saloon and the aft deck open to create a huge 25m entertainment area. On the upper deck, half of the sky lounge is surrounded by glass with doors that retract to create an indoor/outdoor lounge and dining terrace. She will be able to accommodate up to ten guests in a full beam master suite and study on the main deck, a full beam VIP cabin, two double and two twin cabins on the lower deck.

In the next seventeen months the interior by Francesco Paszkowski will be fitted and we will bring you more details as they come in.

 

Superyacht industry surges into 2013 by: Yachting Pages

The ultimate flavour of the superyacht industry going into 2013, after a somewhat tumultuous year amid seas of inclement weather and economic instability, is one of sweet success, with silver linings hidden in some unexpected corners, according to insider sources at Yachting Pages.

European shipyards orders are thriving, due to the poor performance of the Euro on international markets. Though bad news in some quarters, the deflated currency has made the Eurozone’s shipyards and component parts incredibly attractive to buyers in markets such as Russia, and therefore the new-build and refit region of choice for many.

Globally, emerging markets such as China and Brazil may have more rapidly growing competitors to contend with such as Mexico, described by Forbes magazine as "the little darling of the emerging market investors". According to Esther Barney, The Superyacht Report’s US editor, Mexico could overtake Brazil as the leading economy of Latin America by 2022.”

On the boat show front, the public-facing gauge of the superyacht industry’s health is positive exhibitor and visitor figures, which confirm the market’s robust vital signs.

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show fought back from Hurricane Sandy to finish with a record-breaking weekend. Overall visitor figures were down just 2% on 2011 and exhibitors reported serious buyers, qualified leads and order books full.

The Yachting Pages team was ecstatic with the outcomes from FLIBS 2012, where their booth was housed in the US Superyacht Association (USSA) pavilion near to the America’s Cup trophy. Ian Jones, sales manager of Yachting Pages, said, We smashed our sales targets and met some very interesting new clients.

Through our business card prize draw, we were thrilled to offer free advertising to three lucky businesses – MTN Satellite Communications, Servowatch Marine Automation, and Broward Shipyard who we look forward to working with in the future.

From high winds to low lands, the Netherland’s Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) this November also produced encouraging results. The event was the largest in its 25 year history and Jessica Pegg, Yachting Pages’ sales team leader, said, We sent a robust sales team who spent a very busy three days meeting with long-term clients as well as many new ones. International visitor levels were up by 2%, and attendance levels offered a real vote of confidence for the industry. The networking and social events buoyed the atmosphere yet further.

Written by Yachting Pages

Lurssen's Northern Star, Listed For Sale

The beautiful and bold looking Northern Star has just been listed for sale with Moran Yacht & Ship. She was built in 2009 by the Lurssen shipyard under the supervision of Moran Yacht & Ship. She measures 75m (246ft) in length and brought the term 'exploration yacht' to a new level when she was launched. Her exceptional range and ice class hull allow her to cruise to the most remote locations of the world, which are otherwise inaccessible. She can accommodate 12 guests in 6 classically designed staterooms.

She is listed at €129,000,000. offers are encouraged.

Burgess Unveils A Big Secret!

Little information is known about the impressive 82m (269ft) superyacht currently under construction at Abeking & Rasmussen. However, Burgess who placed the build order, has now announced that this closely guarded 'secret' was commissioned for experienced owners and delivery is slated for May 2013. Exterior design is by Sam Sorgiovanni and a stunningly elegant interior has been designed by Jim Harris, the long-time designer of the owners, who was also responsible for the much lauded interior of their previous yacht, the 61m (200ft) Feadship named SECRET. Captain Andrew Lawrence has served as build captain and owners' representative since inception of the project. This exceptional new vessel promises to be one of 2013's most eagerly anticipated arrivals on the superyacht scene.

Abdulbaki Senol's 90m Design Concept

The very talented Turkish yacht designer Abdulbaki Senol has just presented Mega Yacht Global with his newest images of his 90m (295ft) concept. His 90m concept features in Lurssen's design book on their website. 

Abdulbaki comments: "The main target of this design was to create more comfort and luxury for the owner and guests", thus producing this very impressive design. This design is like no other as the VIP accommodation has been specially designed to include a private dining area and balcony. The owners cabin is forward on the upper deck and has 3.2m high ceilings, office and private outside jacuzzi and sunbathing area.

We will keep you posted on the progression of this project and other designs form Abdulbaki Senol.

Second 67m SEA AXE Sold By Amels

This style is really starting to catch on as Dutch superyacht builder Amels has sold the second Damen built SEA AXE 6711, a 67m (220ft) Fast Yacht Support vessel, which is due for delivery in spring 2014. It will have many similarities to Garçon, the SEA AXE 6711 which made an impressive appearance at the Monaco yacht show earlier in the year, although there are some interesting differences too.

In co-operation with Imperial, a yacht management company which is known by its portfolio of prestigious superyachts build under its supervision, this latest SEA AXE is being constructed with an extensive dive area, designed specifically for scuba diving expeditions. The platform is also being equipped with a LY2 certified helipad, with a maximum take off load of 5,000kg and a D value (diameter) of 14. This makes the helipad able to accommodate a Eurocopter Dauphin or an Agusta Grand. The working deck will be equipped with a crane with a maximum working load of 6.6 tons at a reach of 16.6m.

Managing director Rob Luijendijk commented: "One of the things that owners and captains noted about Garçon at the Monaco Yacht Show was the potential dual-purpose of a vessel like the SEA AXE. They can see the potential as a support ship to a superyacht, particularly the opportunity to win back valuable luxury space on the mothership, because much larger tenders and a greater selection of watertoys can be stowed with ease on the SEA AXE. But some are also excited by the concept of owning a high-performance expedition vessel, and the decision to fit a customised scuba diving centre on this latest SEA AXE 6711 project is an example of how versatile this kind of vessel can be.
We are pleased to be working on delivering this project with our partners at Imperial, with whom we have built up an excellent relationship after many shared superyacht projects. With her superyacht paint finish, Bolidt teak and several luxury areas including the bridge and the Beach Club, the SEA AXE is very much at home in the world of superyachting - even if her primary function is as a high-performance support vessel."

You can be sure that there will be a lot more of these rugged Superyachts gracing the worlds oceans over the next few years as their dual purpose as a support vessel and an expedition yacht will meet the needs of a wide range of owners. 

Project "REACH" by Ricardo Pilguj and Sven Faustmann

Some of you may already know about this magnificent expedition yacht concept, project 'REACH' as her designer's Ricardo Pilgui and Sven Faustmann were one of the finalists in the young designer of the year awards 2012.

Reach has your classical trawler appearance with its stacked superstructure and vast open foredeck, blended with its bold cutting edge exterior lines to give you the perfect expedition yacht for the modern times of today. Living on board is centered around her main deck which is fully dedicated to the owner and their guests, where they will be able to enjoy a spacious aft saloon, private pantry, lobby and dining room. The dining room is framed in floor to ceiling glass sliding doors so that the outdoors can enhance their dining experience.

The owners have a whole deck that is fully dedicated to them and includes outdoor and working spaces. The guests are accommodated in two twin and two double cabins on the lower deck which incorporate large hull windows. The guests also have direct access to the beach club a spa area forward, where they can relax and unwind.

Ricardo Pilguj and Sven Faustmann both comment on the REACH project below:

Ricardo Pilguj: "For the interior we use some unusual layout arrangements. We located the beach club with enclosed spa area in the forward part of the lower deck to have a direct connection to the guest cabins. While anchoring, this is a very nice place to relax. Under way the beach club has the double function as a second informal saloon. Normally, it is very common on this size of yachts to have an aft beach club, which is also the tender garage. We split up this configuration: The aft tender garage is only dedicated to the crew, where we kept all the technical equipment. The main deck, which incorporates indoor/outdoor dining area, private pantry, main saloon and a forward spa pool area, is mainly reserved for owners and guest to maximize daily life onboard".

Sven Faustmann: "Designing a vessel like REACH is a very thankful job. You start such a unique task on basis of the basic requirements and by discussing different design solutions. In fact we started with a couple of profile and front views to get some kind of feeling for the right proportions of the vessel. From our point of view, the proportions of a yacht are crucial for the success of a proper appearance. Furthermore, it was the goal to have the exterior design both exceptional and long lasting. We didn’t want the vessel to look currently interesting but outdated in the future. From our point of view we have been quite successful with these goals".

Specfications

• Length: 50m (164ft)
• Beam: 10.5m (34ft)
• Max Speed: 15kts
• Cruising Speed: 13kts
• Range: 12,000nm at 11kts
• Guests & Owner: 10
• Crew: 10

Exclusive: The Story of Pendana, Part 3

This is part three of an exclusive five part series spread out over the four months about M/Y Pendana, her passionate owners James and his wife Claire and the planned expedition that James and his family are planning, which is to cross the notorious Tasman Sea at the end of the year.

There is little doubt that James and Claire have planned meticulously for this trip and after speaking with him again to get the latest on his trip I find that he is full of excitement and anticipation as the trip nears. James is also keeping his fingers crossed for the right weather window to open.

James told me that his forecasting ability is not that great and while Pendana has been caught out on occasion in nasty weather it has only ever lasted a day or so. James said that as this crossing will take six days it is imperative that we get the forecast right. As such, he has engaged the services of Fleetweather in the USA to make sure he does. Fleetweather is used by both commercial and private marine crew as an aid to ensure forecasting and routing is within the vessel’s and crews’ capabilities. James mentioned that he really didn’t want to see seas greater than three metres or winds in excess of 20kts for any extended period. He did go onto say that he realises that the seas approaching the North Island of New Zealand can and often are between seven to ten metres. While he is prepared for this it is certainly not something he wants to face for the entire trip. James mentioned that he has a great respect for the power of the ocean as it can snap Pendana like a tooth-pick and, as such, getting the weather right is imperative.

James went on to talk about the customs’ clearance process and said that he was confident that all requirements for a successful clearance and arrival have been crossed off his ever growing list. As Australia and New Zealand have some of the strictest quarantine and customs laws in the world James said that making sure he gets this right is important. James went onto say that he had heard horror stories from mariners who entered New Zealand and Australia where the entire contents of the ship’s stores were removed and where overzealous customs and quarantine officials made life very hard indeed for mariners trying their best to enter or exit the country. That being said, he was adamant that his experience so far in dealing with both countries’ officials has been nothing but pleasant and highly professional. He went on to say that there is a process to follow and rules to abide by and so long as you follow them then there should be no issues or areas of concern. The rules are in place mainly to protect the countries’ agricultural economy and while ignorance is bliss it is certainly no excuse for not doing one’s homework and preparing accordingly. James went on to explain that he had a suspicion that most mariners who encounter problems only had themselves to blame.

James did go on to say that if you arrive unannounced, unplanned and unprepared in a foreign country there is no doubt that this will not endear you and your crew to the officials waiting to greet you on arrival. If you decide to drop anchor before clearing customs then it is no wonder you receive a fine and if you take strictly prohibited food into a country that clearly forbids it then one should not take issue at it being confiscated. James did say that while his experience at this stage has only been by phone he is confident that Pendana will meet all the requirements for exit and entry and will whiz through the customs process without any issues at all. We shall see!

Abi and Bianca (12yrs & 8yrs respectively), James’ and Claire’s children, are incredibly excited and are looking forward to the trip. James said that he and his wife made a mistake recently and have been fielding questions from the children ever since. The family decided to watch the film’ Titanic’ and while it is a great film the children were somewhat horrified to see the ship go down. Oooops! Questions like, "Daddy, will Pendana sink?" "What if it does?" "What if our life-raft blows away?" "How long can we survive in a lifejacket?" "Daddy, what if we don’t get time to activate the EPRIB?" These are just some of the questions coming thick and fast around the dinner table each night. James mentioned that the answers to these questions have been honest at all times and that the questions are slowly starting to ebb. It will be very interesting to see how two relatively young children handle what is a major trip across some potentially nasty waters.

Mega Yacht Global will bring you part four in early January as we re-join James and his family in New Zealand to find out how the trip actually went and what their experiences were. For more information on Pendana visit www.pendana.net