M/Y Global (ex Kismet) Completes Refit

Lurssen has completed the refit of M/Y. Global, formerly known as Kismet. She left the shipyard at the end of June and is now cruising in the Mediterranean with her new owners for the summer season.

The hull has been given a beautiful new lease of life with a stunning light grey colour that Tim Morley describes as "a great credit to Lurssen’s refit team and the contractors who undertook the work". Her helicopter deck that incorporates lighting and hinged railings has been enhanced and is now significantly larger and safer for regular helicopter operations.

Espen Oeino was commissioned to draw the new hull lines, maintaining the DNA of the original design, and the owner is delighted with the result. Minor changes have also been made in the interior, in accordance with the new owner's taste and specifications. Kismet was originally delivered in 2007 and measures in at a length of 68m (223ft).

Morley Yachts is the owner's representative and Hill Robinson supervised the refit. She has already been spotted when she left the shipyard as well as a few days later when she arrived in Gibraltar, seen in the picture below.

M5 (ex.Mirabella V) Powers Up

The newly refurbished superyacht M5 (ex.Mirabella V) was put through her paces off Falmouth in the UK as her new carbon rig was tested during sea trials. Her super light weight rigging was designed and manufactured by Carbo-Link with OYS making the fittings, the 34 new carbon fibre stays and titanium fittings with built-in dynamic fibre optics have decreased the weight of the rig by a massive 18 tonnes. During several hours of sea trials with challenging sea conditions M5 reached 17.7kts in 18-23kts of wind.

During the refit Pendennis completed extensive engineering works which included replacing the main engines, generators, switchboards and sewage treatment plant along with an upgrade of the air conditioning system, electrics and entertainment system, and a 10 year DNV survey. The interiors have been redesigned by Redman Whiteley Dixon.

The project was a collaboration between Pendennis and the original designer Ron Holland, to achieve the owners idea of extending the stern by 3m which has created a new sleeker profile providing an impressive aft deck area. Access to the yacht has been improved with the installation of side boarding platform. M5 is currently undergoing her final fit out and systems testing before her scheduled departure from Falmouth later this month.

Home After 45 Years

Its amazing to hear and see stories like this, after impressing her owners and onlookers across the Mediterranean region for four and a half decades, the 25.80m (85ft) Feadship "Olympia" has returned home to the Netherlands for a complete refit. She was launched in 1969 as "Monara", her current owners intend to restore Olympia to her original name and condition in a comprehensive project inspired by her sister-ship.

Monara and Din-Dina III (now Sultana) were built completed in 1969 for Italian clients. These impressively elegant motoryachts were ordered on the back of the Feadships built earlier in the decade with the legendary Carlo Riva.

"Sultana was successfully refitted at Feadship from 2011 to 2012 and the exceptional results served as an inspiration to the owners of Olympia," comments Feadship project manager Harry Hankel. "There is no better place to have a Feadship refitted than at her place of birth. Moreover, the same
team that was responsible for Sultana’s rebuild will now be working on Olympia."

The yacht’s interior had already been dismantled in preparation for the project and the refit
team members were delighted to find her in great shape after all these years. Now she will be restored into better than new condition, cherishing the past while adding the very latest technologies and comforts.

The refit is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2015 when she will then be rechristened "Monara."

ISA Yachts - Busy For The Winter

This winter ISA Yachts will have several of the megayachts they've delivered over the past number of years back at their yard in Ancona, Italy for maintenance and refit work. At the moment they have four megayachts that were delivered between 2007 and 2012 back at the yard, with three of them seen in the above image. Its a wonderful sight to see megayachts return back to their birth place for yard periods, which must say something about the Italian yard and their quality of service.

The megayachts that are back at the ISA facility over the winter are:

• Gemini, 36m (120ft), delivered in 2007
• Alexandar V, 48m (157ft), delivered in 2008
• Mary Jean II, 60m (197ft), delivered in 2010
• Belle Anna, 50m (164ft), delivered in 2012

Ewan Paterson, Captain of Mary Jean II said "There is no better yard for the maintenance works than the yard that built the megayacht". Ewan is right on the button with his analogy, as yards that have built the megayachts know them inside-out so that the work can be completed efficient and in a faster time. The captains and owners will also know that the best people will be working on their megayacht.
  
   

Tatoosh stops in Trieste

Trieste is attracting more and more megayachts from all over the world because of its natural beauty, fabulous scenery but most importantly its shipyards and refitting services. The world renowned 93m (305ft) megayacht "Tatoosh" has just taken up a berth at the Quaiat Yard for some work that will include: carpentry, joinery, upholstery, internal cleaning, supply stocking. The work will be managed by TRS (Trieste refitting system) which is a new yachting hub created in March 2013 by five companies of Trieste specialise in refitting of megayachts: Quaiat Yard, Meccano Engineering, Cergol Engineering, Ocean Team and Zinelli & Perizzi.

Tatoosh which was built by the German shipyard Nobiskrug in 2001 for owner Paul Allen and has an interior designed by Terence Disdale and an exterior by Studio Yacht. She features five decks, 10 suites that accommodate 20 guests , a cinema, a swimming pool, a helipad, a tender and a small yacht (the mast can be seen in the image above).

The Majestic SY Rebecca Heads For Refit

The iconic German Frers designed 42m (138ft) ketch Rebecca, launched by Pendennis in 1999 has returned to the yard in Falmouth for a winter refit. Even though she has been back to the yard twice since her launch, this time will be the most significant refit since her launch in 1999. After her arrival she had her masts de-stepped in advance of her haul out earlier this month. She will spend the next 8 months inside Pendennis' new 90m (295ft) construction hall where she will be written into the books as the first superyacht to enter the new facility.


Rebecca will be in the yard until April 2014 for her 15 year ABS survey as well as substantial engineering and technical works including an upgrade to the hydraulics, electric, alarms and monitoring systems, the installation of new generators, a full overhaul of her original main engine and the addition of a sewage treatment plant on-board.

Some interior layout modifications will include an expansion to her library to add more books along with a general upgrade and overhaul of her interiors. Her exterior will be substantially improved with the addition of a new teak deck.

The Owner’s representative, Jon Barrett, commented "Great to be back at Pendennis amongst so many familiar faces. 14 Years may have passed since we built Rebecca but the commitment to her by the Pendennis team is being felt by all involved. We are looking forward to a very successful winter refit!"

We look forward to seeing a refreshed Rebecca in April just in time for the Mediterranean summer season.

Utopia Re-Launched After Refit

The well known 71m (235ft) Feadship Utopia has completed her refit and was re-launched back into the water last week. Her refit that was completed in a relatively short time scale included extensive repainting work on her hull and superstructure along with mechanical improvements as a HMSA Sewage treatment plant system was installed.

This was the second time that Feadship has had Utopia in for a refit since her launch back in 2004. The yard and the owners representatives worked closely to construct the perfect yard period so that the timing would fit in with the owners cruising schedule and budget.

"The main reason to come to Feadship for a refit is to retain the essence of how the boat was built and ensure she remains of the highest pedigree possible in the world today," says Utopia's captain, Kevin Collins. "This has certainly been achieved and the owners are looking forward to putting their better than new Feadship through her paces as they embark on their next adventures." Expect to see Utopia in a marina near you very soon.

New Refit for Keyla (ex Chevy Toy)

This week RMK Marine re-launched the 45m (148ft) Keyla (ex Chevy Toy) after her extensive refit that lasted more than a year and a half. It was time well spent as she she came out into the Turkish sun you first notice her beautiful bold gray hull and wooden trim.

RMK Marine and the Hot Lab design studio in Milan worked closely together to refit Keyla along with input from the owner and his family, who are photography, art and fossil collecting enthusiasts. Her extensive refit involved a lot of change starting with the substantial interior layout and styling changes, to the 2m (6.5ft) hull extension at the stern to incorporate a large swimming platform.

One of the owner’s first requests was to improve the crew and service area. The laundry area was resized to fit additional cabins in the crew quarters. This enables Keyla to have an additional number of crew members, bringing the total number of berths for the crew to 9. Hot Labs and RMK Marine re-designed the galley, main saloon, upper lounge, sundeck and the bridge, where changes were made to the interior layout with extensive changes made to the helm station apart from keeping the original systems.

The lower deck is the guest deck, with a total of  four cabins, including two VIP cabins and two twin cabins with two Pullman beds, all with en suite bathrooms and large walk in wardrobes as requested by the owner.

The new interior styling features an underwater theme where laser designed jellyfishes decorate nabuck leather surfaces on the main and upper deck. The owner, who was very pro active in developing the interior design, asked for simple shapes that would be safe for children with rounded corners but with a contemporary twist.

Specifications

• Length: 45m (148ft)
• Beam: 8.50m (28ft)
• Builder: Trinity Yachts, Refit 2013 RMK Marine
• Interior Design: Hot Labs
• Exterior Design: Trinity Yachts
• Max Speed: 18.5kts
• Cruising Speed: 17kts
• Guests: 10

Pendennis Complete "Fair Lady" Refit

The beautiful classic 42m (138ft) Fair Lady, built in 1928 by Camper & Nicholsons shipyard in the UK has just been launched back into the Mediterranean water at the STP shipyard in Palma. Pendennis were contracted once again to work with Fair Lady on this short but extensive six month refit. She has been a regular visitor to Pendennis over the past 16 years, with her initial visit in 1996 involving a complete renovation bringing her classical lines to the viewing world again.

Her six month refit included a 5 year MCA LY1 survey which involves substantial engineering work, a full re-paint, an overhaul of all the standing rigging and the topside joinery was refurbished.

Specifications

• Length: 42m (138ft)
• Beam: 6.4m (21ft)
• Draft: 2.75m (9ft)
• Guest Cabins: 8
• Crew Cabins: 7
• Build: Camper & Nicholsons Shipyard

Utopia Arrives Home

Feadship have welcomed home the 71.60m (235ft) Feadship Utopia for a range of maintenance activities and technical upgrades. She was launched in 2004 and this is the second time Utopia has returned to Feadship for a refit, the first being a successful project in 2007 to personalise the yacht to her then new owner's requirements. "The main reason to come to Feadship for a refit is to retain the essence of how the boat was built and ensure she remains of the highest pedigree possible in the world today," says Utopia's captain, Kevin Paul Collins.

The project will entail the repainting the hull and superstructure, adding a new coat of underwater antifouling, installation of a new A-Sea shore power convertor, installing a new HMSA sewage treatment plant to meet the latest IMO requirements, and reconditioning the teak decks. Feadship will also carry out a range of minor maintenance jobs on the exterior, interior and machinery systems.

"We are both delighted and proud to have Utopia back for the second time since her launch," Ico Vergouwe, Refit Manager at Feadship. "This shows how both the owner and crew feel confident that Feadship offers the best service at a reasonable price, making sure that Utopia keeps her high value. It is also pleasing to note that our open approach makes it attractive enough for an owner to bring a yacht back to the Netherlands even when this means adapting his schedule to fit in a tight refit slot."

Captain Collins, who has been at the helm of Utopia since May 2011. "Although we have covered some 46,000nm over the past two years, Utopia has been exceptional. She has also been very well maintained and we could easily have waited another year for this refit. However, when he heard that a dock was available in March the owner changed his cruising plans and sent us off on our third Atlantic crossing in seven months. It is definitely worth the effort as the owners get a better product and it is a great experience for me as skipper to take a signature Feadship like this back to the yard. It gives us all a real sense of pride."

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

 

m5 (ex Mirabella) Refit Progression

m5's intensive refit is well underway at the Pendennis facility in Falmouth, with her new developments starting to take shape. As we announced previously her visit will see the installation of a new 3m stern extension by Mirabella V’s original designers Ron Holland Design. The new composite stern has been manufactured by Green Marine and is now in place, with the post cure scheduled to begin shortly. As well as this a significant amount of new open deck area has been added aft of the communications arch on the top deck (known as the flybridge) which is also undergoing remodelling. Once completed, these new areas will add a significant amount of flexible social space to the exterior of m5. Perfect for those wine & dine parties.

Before

After

The other structural changes also include the installation of a new side boarding platform, that extends out from the port hull to water level, allowing easy access for guests arriving by tender. The splash mould has left Pendennis and is currently with the door manufacturer for construction. The recess in the hull is scheduled be cut this month in preparation for the new door structure to be bonded in.

The hull and superstructure will be undergoing a full repaint over the next few months by the Pendennis in house paint team. Preparation work for this large scale operation has already started, with areas not undergoing structural modifications primed ready for the new paint system. We will bring you more updates throughout the project.

32m Lunar Mist Completes Refit

The 32m (105ft) Superyacht Lunar Mist is nearly ready for launching after her extensive 12 month refit at Solent Refit in Southampton. Lunar Mist arrived at Solent Refit following structural work carried out in Palma that had caused serious problems and almost resulted in the owner, Martyn Meade of investment company Hadleigh Partners, writing her off. Solent Refit's project manager, Phil Millard, worked closely with the owner to resolve the structural issues and develop a programme for a major refit to bring the yacht back to her original pristine condition.

She was designed by Bill Tripp and built by Windship Trident in the United States, Lunar Mist's refit included an engineering and internal refit, rig overhaul and a high-quality hull respray. She is now ready to be moved on the transverse rail system to the horizontal slipway, where she will be slipped into the water and the mast will be re-stepped.

After a series of sail trials in the Solent, the Lunar Mist will be signed off and the yacht will start her new world cruising programme.

Scottish Patrol Vessel Gets New Lease Of Life

The Atlantic Refit Center (ARC) in the beautiful town of La Rochelle in the west of France has started a major conversion on MY Norna, a 72m (236ft) ex Scottish patrol vessel. We love to see projects like this when old yachts get a new lease of life to explore the world by an enthusiastic and passionate owner. She will be converted into a commercially rated luxury expedition yacht that will be registered under the St Vincent & the Grenadines commercial yacht code. ARC are working closely with the owners team to achieve the perfect medium between a robust expedition yacht with exciting and luxurios interior.

MY Norna is being designed and converted to enable her to travel around the world as a full luxury expedition yacht that will be able to withstand all types of sea conditions. The owner has specifically requested that the finishing on the yacht be only semi faired so that it will keep the style of an explorer yacht. The owners intends to use her to explore the most extreme destinations of the world.

The conversion will include the following work:

• New steel superstructure with a helipad
• New accommodation to accommodate 12 guests and a crew of 21
• Full electrical, hydraulic and mechanical overhaul
• 2 new MTU 500 LW generators
• Extensive class survey
• Full overhaul of the main engines
• Strip and painting of hull and superstructure to a semi faired finish

Mega Yacht Global will be bringing you exclusive updates throughout her conversion, so watch this space. The below picture shows the project getting underway.

MY Big Fish, To Return To NZ For Refit

Photo: Tahiti, Tim Mckenna

The adventurous 45m (147ft) Megayacht Big Fish that was launched in 2010 by McMullen & Wing will be returning to her birth place in New Zealand for a refit in September. McMullen & Wing will be collaborating with Diverse Projects Ltd on her four month refit and maintenance period to ensure that Big Fish remains in the pristine condition that has made her one of the most traveled yachts in modern times, and among the most active charter yachts since her delivery in July 2010.

If you think of the most beautiful exotic and out of the way places in the world the chances that Big Fish has been there are pretty high. Some of the places and trips she has been to over the last 2 years are:

• Antarctica
  
• Falkland Islands
• Argentina
• Circumnavigation of South America
• Galapagos
• Amazon
• Brazil
• Caribbean
• Sweden & Scandinavia
• London
  
• Med
• US
• Bahamas
• Tahiti and the South Pacific

She is currently in the South Pacific where she is available for charter until the end August, then she will start to make her way back to NZ for her refit. By the time she arrives in NZ she will have completed over 60,000nm of world cruising, what an achievement.

Photo: Antarctica, Aquos Yachts

Whilst in Auckland, Big Fish will receive a fresh coat of paint as well as a full service of her electrical and mechanical systems. Also receiving a new coat of paint and a thorough mechanical service will be her extraordinary, all purpose, custom aluminium tender Triple Ripple. She will be chartering again over the Christmas and New Year period in the cooler water of New Zealand, and then she will make her first visits to Asian ports in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other Asian Superyacht ports.

Big Fish is currently for sale through Y.CO and is available for purchase at the recently reduced price of $25m USD. For more updates and stories on Big Fish visit the Aquos Yachts web site at: www.aquosyachts.com

Photo: Sweden, Rick Tomlinson

Icon Yachts Rapid Refit of 41m Seven Sins

Icon Yachts have just successfully completed a rapid 6 week refit of the 41m (135ft) Heesen Seven Sins that was launched in 2005. Early in the morning on June the 19th Seven Sins left the Icon yard in Harlingen, Holland and headed down to the Mediterranean Sea for the summer season.

Icon Yachts managed to complete the extensive refit under the estimated time of 10 weeks, quite an achievement by the yard to complete it within 6 weeks. There was a list of jobs to do as long as your arm which included; A hull re-paint, generator overhaul, new teak on the swim platform and internal systems overhaul just to name a small fraction of the jobs.

A total of 8 refit projects have now taken place at the yard over the last 18 months. Martin Anderson Captain of seven Sins commented 'This was a 10 week refit done by Icon Yacht in 6 weeks. This was only possible due to a very dedicated and efficient team. working until midnight was more common than an exception'.

Major Refit Completed For The 74m 'ILONA' By Amels

The 74m (243ft) ILONA returned to her birth place at the Amels yard in Holland last August where she under went a successful 8 month refit, which included the addition of a helipad and a pool with movable floor. These were the changes the owner wanted to make to the yacht especially the large helipad so that he could accommodate his Agusta 109 Grand New helicopter, check out the below video for the first landing of the helicopter during her sea trials.

An interesting feature is the swimming pool with movable floor that enables the pool to be replaced by an additional deck space depending on the needs of the owner and guests. The pool can be filled with up to 40,000 liters of sea water, which is then purified through a filtration system. The water can be heated up to 6 degrees higher than the original sea temperature in just one hour. To make way for the swimming pool the below deck helicopter hanger was removed, now he can keep his helicopter up top on the helipad.

Due to the work load and the short period to complete the refit, the yard constructed the deck extensions prior to the yachts arrival at the yard, a great idea to complete the project in time. Justin Redman of Redman Whiteley Dixon commented 'Adding the additional superstructure to accommodate the helipad would have affected the lines of the yacht, so we extended the owners deck and the bridge deck by 2 meters in order to bring the aesthetic appearance back into balance. We also used metallic gray paint to reduce the visual impact of the helideck, and the overall result is that the yacht, despite all the changes, looks every bit as streamlined and well proportioned as before'

Specifications

• Length: 74m
• Beam: 12.1m
• Gross Tonnage: 1836
• Owner & Guests: 14
• Crew: 18
• Speed: 17kts

SY SuRi Nears Refit Completion

SY SuRi is into its final month of its extensive refit by the Bay Ship & Yacht Co. located in California who have also collaborated with naval architects Kirilloff and Associates, and Herringbone design on this project. Her most obvious enhancement during the refit (as seen in the above image) is the addition of a 36ft hull and superstructure mid section that will increase her overall length to 208ft. Due to the mid section addition the sun deck will be extended by 24ft to allow for the owners new alfresco dining area and there will be a newly added underwater viewing area in the hull, so the guests can view the wonders of the ocean from the comfort of SuRi's media/entertainment lounge.

There is also the addition of four guest cabins (3 doubles and 1 twin cabin) that will be located on the Mezzanine level and will be outfitted similar to the existing cabins. The added length has created space for a new guest lounge aft of the main lounge, and its incorporated large glass paneling that can be opened to allow the ocean breeze to cool the guests. SuRi is known for its capability to carry large amounts of 'Toys' and now she will be able to carry even more such as; planes, helicopters, submarines, hovercrafts, jeeps, motorbikes and many other water toys to keep the owner and guests busy all the time.

The American owner will be taking delivery sometime after her completion date of the 6th July and you can be sure that SuRi will embark on another world trip where she will explore some of the most beautiful areas of the world. Mega Yacht Global will bring you pictures of her launch in July so stay tuned.

m5 (ex Mirabella V) Gets Her 43tn Rig Pulled

The worlds largest sailing sloop Mirabella V 247ft (75.2) that is at the Pendennis yard for and extensive year long refit just had her mast taken out last week. More pictures can be found in the Photos section in the above tab bar. Below is a short video on the rig pull and the extent of her year long refit.