INSIDE AMELS magazine

THE AMELS MAGAZINE

ISSUE 10

INSIDE AMELS Another Step

FULL CUSTOM Travel Reports

EVENT, KAMALAYA, SPIRIT 67 metres of Power & Performance

YACHT SUPPORT

Interview with Andrew Winch, Tim Heywood and Rob Luijendijk

Stepping up LIMITED EDITIONS

•

FULL CUSTOM

•

REFIT

•

YACHT SUPPORT

IN THIS ISSUE Cover photography courtesy of Michal Baginski/Andrew Winch Designs

08

“FULL CUSTOM IS ONLY NATURAL” Interview with Rob Luijendijk

10

CALM DETERMINATION

16

AN EVENT TO REMEMBER

24

STEPPING UP

50 36 48 52 57

CEO DAMEN SHIPYARDS: SYNERGY BEYOND ANYONE’S EXPECTATIONS

TRUE FREEDOM

AMELS CLASSIC CAR RALLY Get behind the wheel THE DUTCH KNOW HOW TO CREATE Design Art & Culture AN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE Happy CREW!

60 66 68 76

CHARTER REPORT

TESTIMONIALS What the experts say...

PAINTING MADAME KATE The application of Brilliance REFIT VOLPINI Integrity is ageless

AN ARTIST’S CREATION THAT PROMISES TO SURPRISE AND FASCINATE AROUND EVERY CORNER

Z This INSIDE AMELS magazine is interactive. Look out for the ‘Play' buttons to enhance your experience with extra information, including online video, 360-degree presentations, fleet tracking, etc.

4 INSIDE AMELS

Z’s expressive interiors continue to surprise and fascinate around every corner.

Extraordinary ideas challenged the interior architects at Andrew Winch Designs and the AMELS team to finish the superyacht to the very highest creative and technical levels.

No less beautiful, the exterior lines, penned by Tim Heywood, follow his signature curves, creating athletic, feminine shapes. AMELS completed the 65.5-metre AMELS 212 superyacht on time and with a minimal snag list. In July 2014, after a brief stopover in London, Z reached the Mediterranean.

Effective spaces The talented team of Andrew Winch Designs and AMELS created the individual

spaces on board Z – drawing inspiration from the great masters of expressionism and symbolism. These remarkable details and finishes reflect the owner’s close involvement in the yachtbuilding process. With unique and startling ideas born from the owner’s imagination, Z is certainly an expression of creativity, passion for art and commitment to hand-crafted finishing at the very highest level.

Z is a revolutionary boat, Andrew Winch commented during the launch of Z at the AMELS yard in Vlissingen, but also a very comfortable one. The superb Limited Editions’ seakeeping keeps the owner’s family and friends on a solid footing while the interior architecture is designed for life on board. The AMELS 212 platform has a very large volume and great care has gone into considering every element of the interior architecture, Winch explains.

INSIDE AMELS 5 MAIN SALOON THE FULL BEAM MAIN SALOON’S ELEGANT TEXTURES AND FINISHES CREATE A SLEEK AND EFFORTLESS INTERIOR, WITH HAND-CARVED SILK CARPETS, BOLD CUSTOM DESIGNED FURNITURE AND A HAND PAINTED ‘LIQUID MOTHER OF PEARL’ CEILING.

Z

Where imagination and craftsmanship meet

Photography courtesy of Michal Baginski/Andrew Winch Designs

STAIRCASE GLISTENING AGAINST A BACKDROP OF FLOORTO-CEILING MARBLE BULKHEADS, THE SEAMLESS STAIRCASE STRUCTURE IS CRAFTED FROM GILT METAL AND TRANSCENDS ALL THE WAY FROM THE SUNDECK TO THE TANK DECK.

SKYLOUNGE THE SKY LOUNGE CINEMA AND BAR IS BROUGHT TO LIFE WITH BOLD AND FRESH DETAILING INSPIRED

BY GREAT ARTWORK.

6 INSIDE AMELS

ON HER MAIDEN VOYAGE Z PASSED LONDON, MAKING AN EYE-CATCHING TREAT FOR THE BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL SECTOR IN THE HEART OF THE BUSTLING CANARY WHARF DISTRICT.

VITAL STATISTICS LENGTH OVERALL 65.5 METRES (215 FEET) GROSS TONNAGE 1,574 GT DESIGN EXTERIOR TIM HEYWOOD DESIGN INTERIOR ANDREW WINCH N AVA L A R C H I T E C T U R E A M E L S RANGE 5,000 NAUTICAL MILES

Z IS AN EXPRESSION OF CREATIVITY, PASSION FOR ART AND COMMITMENT TO HAND-CRAFTED FINISHING AT THE VERY HIGHEST LEVEL “With the team here we’ve spent a lot of time on working out the effectiveness of using the space. Otherwise you’ve got a lot of real estate that has the potential to be left unused. I think that would be a great shame.

I want the owners to use different spaces at different times of the day and never to not use a space because they find it boring.

That would be dreadful.”

There is little risk of that occurring on board Z. The main saloon immediately captures this philosophy – much more than an extension of the lobby, it creates its own atmosphere with marble floors and with a hand painted ceiling which Winch calls liquid mother of pearl. “I think when Z reaches the South of France, the ceiling will come alive.

It’s going to look sparkling in that sunlight.”

Realising a vision The main staircase is an exceptionally beautiful object in marble and gilded material, descending from the sundeck all the way to the tank deck. On main deck, demi-spheres of coloured glass emerge along a wall like bubbles. The owner’s suite has a huge 5-metre wide wall, a meticulously crafted relief inspired by the colour and form of great symbolist artwork. Everywhere, the expressive language of colour combines with special finishes.

Z’s owner was intimately involved in the design process, regularly visiting both the yard in Vlissingen and Andrew Winch Designs in London. AMELS Project Manager Peter Dijkwel says the team could feel the owner’s enthusiasm and involvement – something that pushed them even further to realise his vision. “Z was a very complex yacht to build,” he says. “The owner’s ideas really challenged us to look for technical solutions, how can we make it happen. It’s been enjoyable and really satisfying for all of us to see what we’ve made possible.”

Inside-out feeling The owner’s influence is also seen in the layout alternations made to the Limited Editions platform. Two guest cabins on the lower deck made way for

INSIDE AMELS 7

Z’S UNIQUE SIGNATURE OF LIFESTYLE, STYLE AND CREATIVITY RUNS THROUGH EVERY ASPECT OF HER ANDREW WINCH DESIGNED INTERIOR.

a full-beam wellness centre with sauna, gym, massage room and hair salon.

Sunlight pours into the main deck’s fullheight windows along the owner’s suite and corridor. On the main deck aft, large semi-circular doors open up for al fresco dining. That inside-out feeling repeats throughout, including the two VIP cabins on bridge deck, with French windows opening onto the balcony.

“It’s an imagination studio,” Winch says of the development of Z from the AMELS Limited Editions platform. “I love the boat we’re launching today. It’s really an artist’s boat. Z’s spirit inside is completely different. It’s beyond what we thought when we started out. I think it’s a triumph of AMEL’s versatility.”

8 INSIDE AMELS

INTERVIEW WITH ROB LUIJENDIJK

“AMELS Full Custom is only natural” AMELS recently revealed the next phase in its growth – AMELS Full Custom. The Dutch luxury yacht builder will build one-off creations in the 80 to 110-metre segment, alongside the already successful AMELS Limited Editions range and AMELS Refit division. As Managing Director Rob Luijendijk makes clear, full custom yacht building is a natural step.

Can you explain why AMELS is taking this step into full custom?

Well, in recent years there’s been a market shift towards larger yachts and I think in the top segment of that market we’re really talking about full custom. If you look at 80-metre plus yachts, they are complex constructions. There aren’t many yards that can build at that level and deliver the highest quality at the same time. At AMELS we’re proving our capability with the 83-metre project we’re building now. At the same time, the success of the Limited Editions concept that we introduced 10 years ago means we have a very strong basis for further growth. So it’s a very organic process that has lead to this next step for AMELS. Is this the right time to enter the full custom market?

What we’ve seen is owners coming back to us and asking for larger yachts, and in particular, full custom yachts. That repeat client effect has been very strong and has grown naturally as the Limited Editions fleet has expanded. And particularly as the 83-metre AMELS 272 takes shape, the market has taken notice and we’ve had a number of enquiries for large projects. Owner representatives know that we’re very capable; we have a reputation for very professional and reliable project management. So the market approaching us with enquiries has definitely been an important factor in developing our AMELS Full Custom offer. I think the time is right.

Will AMELS keep building Limited Editions yachts as well as full custom?

Yes, we’re absolutely committed to our AMELS Limited Editions range and all the benefits our concept delivers for owners. The difference with our AMELS Full Custom offer is that in the 80 to 110-metre segment, we’re really talking about a quite small market for very high value, one-off creations. So I think the two offers have a slight crossover around the 80-metre mark, and from there it’s all AMELS Full Custom. Our clients can decide for themselves which offer best suits them.

Is there currently enough capacity at AMELS for full custom projects?

It’s true that we’re in the fortunate position of having quite a full order book. We have nine yachts under construction, which include projects from all five of the Limited Editions designs. But over the years since introducing the Limited Editions concept, our team has perfected our build process to a very high degree. So while we have a full yard, it’s very smooth production, very predictable and well-planned and that’s why we feel ready to grow with this step into full custom. It’s a controlled growth and we’re supported in that by our parent company DAMEN Shipyards. They are not only financially strong but also familyowned so they take a long-term view of the market.

What facilities and expertise does AMELS have for large yacht building?

In terms of facilities, we’ve just commissioned a modern climate-controlled 200-metre covered dry dock. Our yard is the largest superyacht facility in the Netherlands. We also have a very strong reputation for project management and our team of craftsmen and co-makers work at the very highest level. Our internal design department has vast experience working with the best designers in the world as well as classification societies and flag states. Plus

our engineering team is second-tonone and closely linked with our parent company DAMEN’s R&D programme.

We work together on CFD calculations and tank testing. DAMEN is also our neighbour in Vlissingen with a very large naval shipbuilding yard. That’s where DAMEN completed its largest vessel ever last summer – a 204-metre Joint Support Ship for the Royal Netherlands Navy.

We have access to those facilities and expertise in full SOLAS shipbuilding, so we’re in a very strong position when it comes to building large yachts.

Can you detail AMELS’ experience in large yacht building?

As I already mentioned, the first AMELS 272 – the 83-metre yacht at the top of the Limited Editions range – is rapidly becoming a reality. We’re well into the project and on track for scheduled delivery at the end of 2016. In terms of design and engineering capacity, as well as build capability, I think the AMELS 272 is an excellent example of the expertise we have for AMELS Full Custom. It also shows how we can collaborate very well with the most renowned designers, in this case Tim Heywood and Andrew Winch. And of course, if we go back one or two decades, you can still see AMELS’ heritage as a full custom yacht builder in iconic yachts that were among the largest yachts of their day – 78-metre MONTKAJ, 76-metre BOADICEA (now REBORN), 74-metre ILONA, 68.5-metre LADY ANNE (now LADY S), 64.5-metre MY SHANTI (now AQUARIUS), and 58-metre GU (now ASTRID CONROY).

These full custom yachts are still very prominent references for AMELS Full Custom.

INSIDE AMELS 9

ABOUT ROB AMELS MANAGING DIRECTOR ROB LUIJENDIJK HAS WORKED FOR DAMEN AND AMELS SINCE 1999. IN 2004 ROB AND HIS TEAM OVERSAW THE CONCEPTION AND ROLL OUT OF THE AMELS LIMITED EDITIONS CONCEPT. NOW THE SAME SUCCESSFUL TEAM IS BEHIND AMELS FULL CUSTOM.

Building full custom 80 metre plus yachts in our 200-metre dry dock; this is another step forward alongside our successful Limited Editions range.

Calm determination AMELS has the largest superyacht facility in the Netherlands. A recent snapshot captures the yard just before scheduled spring deliveries with no less than nine luxury yachts in Vlissingen – six new builds and three refit projects. Significantly, all five Limited Editions designs are currently in production, including the 83-metre AMELS 272, the largest yacht AMELS has ever built.

GET A 360° INSIDE LOOK AT THE AMELS YARD

INSIDE AMELS 11

Z. AMELS COMPLETED THIS 65.50-METRE AMELS 212 WITH EXTRAORDINARY INTERIORS BY ANDREW WINCH DESIGNS AND NO LESS BEAUTIFUL EXTERIOR LINES PENNED BY TIM HEYWOOD. READ MORE ON PAGE 4.

VOLPINI. AFTER AN INTENSIVE WINTER REFIT, THE 49.30-METRE VOLPINI LEFT AMELS FOR THE SECOND TIME, 10 YEARS AFTER THE YACHT’S ORIGINAL DELIVERY. READ ALL ABOUT HER ON PAGE 76.

ASTRA. DELIVERED ON TIME FOR THE SUMMER SEASON, THE AMELS 180 ASTRA IS A BEAUTIFUL SUPERYACHT ILLUSTRATING THE TIMELESS LINES OF TIM HEYWOOD’S EXTERIOR DESIGN.

SERENITY J. THIS AMELS 180 FEATURES AN ELEGANT CUSTOM-DESIGNED INTERIOR

BY LAURA SESSA. READ MORE ON PAGE 34.

12 INSIDE AMELS

AMELS 242. THE FIRST AMELS 242 IS A HIGH VOLUME SUPERYACHT NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SHE IS THE RESULT OF APPROXIMATELY 100,000 HOURS OF UP-FRONT ENGINEERING TO ENSURE THE HIGHEST QUALITY. GET TO KNOW THE ‘BRAINS BEHIND THE BOAT’ – OUR ENGINEERING TEAM – ON PAGE 54.

Delivering the highest level of quality, on time and on budget, is the job of 600 and sometimes even more personnel at the yard, plus hundreds more craftsmen at co-maker facilities.

With several very complex superyacht projects underway at once, you might expect a madhouse. Quite the contrary, says René Berkvens, CEO of the DAMEN Shipyards Group, owner of AMELS.

AMELS 272. AT 83M, THIS IS THE LARGEST YACHT EVER BUILT BY AMELS. THE AMELS 272 DEMANDS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY AS WELL AS THE WORK OF TWO ESTABLISHED DESIGN TALENTS – ANDREW WINCH AND TIM HEYWOOD. READ THE INTERVIEW ON PAGE 24.

MADAME KATE. THE AMELS 199 STANDS OUT NOT ONLY FOR HER RADICALLY MODERN DESIGN, BUT SHE IS ALSO THE FIRST AMELS FINISHED ENTIRELY IN PEARL EFFECT PAINTWORK. READ MORE ON PAGE 68.

“Every time I go there, which is quite regularly, I am always struck by the sort of quiet, determined professionalism,” he explains. “You walk into these buildings, you see a lot of people at work and everybody is very purposely doing their thing. Nobody is panicking. You don’t have a lot of noise, you don’t hear people shouting. The whole atmosphere breathes with what I think AMELS is, which is quality, a top product and you feel surrounded by it when you walk in there. That’s what I always find. It makes AMELS very different to many other businesses.”

The Dutch way AMELS achieves it in a very Dutch way – with hard work, craftsmanship and a love of doing things the right way.

That was reflected in the words of the Nathan McFadyen, Captain of the AMELS yacht VOLPINI, following the yacht’s winter refit at the yard.

INSIDE AMELS 13

AMELS 242. WHILE THE PRODUCTION TEAM WORKS ON COMPLETING THE FIRST 74-METRE SUPERYACHT, AMELS HAS ALREADY LAID THE KEEL FOR THE SECOND AMELS 242.

14 INSIDE AMELS

BUILDING THE LARGEST AMELS SUPERYACHT SO FAR The 83-metre AMELS 272 is the largest yacht so far for the Dutch luxury yacht builder. The project is progressing well and the 2,827 GT Limited Editions yacht is on track for delivery at the end of 2016. Finishing will take place in AMELS’ 200metre dry dock facility, which recently became fully operational with the latest yacht building technology and full climate control. To ensure smooth production, AMELS invested in first-class upfront design and engineering, including CFD calculations and model testing in collaboration with parent company DAMEN Shipyards’ research and development resources. The AMELS 272 stands out with a very sleek profile, long decks and a very large volume compared to length. In addition to five generously proportioned VIP guest cabins on main deck, the dedicated 42-metre owner’s deck offers 300 square metres of luxury space.

INSIDE AMELS 15

GENEROUS PROPORTIONS. DUE FOR DELIVERY IN SPRING 2016, THE FIRST AMELS 242 LIMITED EDITIONS PLATFORM COMBINES ELEGANT TIM HEYWOOD EXTERIOR LINES WITH INTERIOR STYLING BY ANDREW WINCH. WITH THE LIGHT AND AIRY 1,787 GT DESIGN, GUESTS ALWAYS FEEL CONNECTED WITH THE SEA.

“Morale here is fantastic,” he says. “Everyone is always on time.

It’s a set work day and it’s always the same. People are very, very qualified. When we took over the ship, we had problems that the previous crew had been trying to fix for the last 5 years – dealing with electrical issues and so forth. When we came here, they guys came on board and they’ve got the knowledge and they’ve got the experience. They had it fixed within about a week. You kind of sit back wondering, why didn’t you come here earlier?”

Enjoyable experience AMELS’ delivery record speaks for itself. An AMELS yacht won’t have hundreds of rest points when it leaves the yard, but just a handful at the most, and the yard is getting closer to its goal of a clean sheet. However, it’s not just the quality that sets AMELS apart. It’s having an enjoyable experience during the build, and that includes co-makers as well as crews, designers, consultants and the owners’ teams. It’s something that designer Andrew Winch calls the AMELS family.

“The relationship within the company is all friends,” Winch says.

“You don’t get that a lot anymore, but you do here. When you walk into the yard, everyone who you’ve known for years says hello to you and it’s nice. It’s a very pleasant environment to visit and to work in, because it’s friendship and that builds better boats.”

Less surprises AMELS Head of Design Hans Konings reiterates the importance of having a friendly yard. “It sounds very logical, but it’s very rare, because it’s very complex to build yachts at this level.

And it’s not that we don’t have challenges, but it’s the way we solve them. We don’t hide from them, we talk with the technical consultants and the owners representatives in a constructive way. It sets us apart.”

The experience at the yard is also one of the reasons that owners come back to AMELS. As Managing Director Rob Luijendijk says, the repeat clients are really a reward for AMELS. “When you build something with the right ingredients in design and engineering, the right quality, and delivering on time – all these factors come together, something happens in the mind of the client, and they come back. That level of trust is a good barometer that we’re doing something right. I think that connects to the fact that we deliver what we promise.”

With family and friends Even though there’s a lot of focus on quality and getting every detail right, Luijendijk says the aim in everything AMELS does is the perfect yachting experience. “Building a yacht at this level is one thing, but the enjoyment of being on the water with family and friends — that’s what yachting is really about. In a way, when you get on the water, you change as a person and I think that’s also one of the things that attracts these people. Another tranquility. Life is short, the more you laugh and the more you feel good, well I think it’s a great thing.”

KEY BENEFITS OF THE YARD • OUR ENGINEERS, PROJECT MANAGERS

AND DESIGNERS DELIVER ON TIME AND

O N B U D G E T S U P E R YA C H T S , E A R N I N G

THE TRUST OF OWNERS AROUND

THE WORLD

• TECHNICAL FACILITIES SECOND

TO NONE FOR NEW BUILD AND REFIT

PROJECTS UP TO 200 METRES

• O U R YA R D I N V L I S S I N G E N H A S

A S H I P B U I L D I N G H E R I TA G E

STRETCHING BACK OVER 100 YEARS

• I D E A L LY L O C A T E D O N T H E N O R T H

SEA – FOR CENTURIES THE CENTRE

OF MARITIME EXCELLENCE IN THE

NETHERLANDS WATCH THE VIDEO 'WHAT SETS AMELS APART'

16 INSIDE AMELS

VITAL STATISTICS LENGTH OVERALL

60.00 METRES (199 FEET)

GROSS TONNAGE

1,119 GT

DESIGN EXTERIOR

TIM HEYWOOD

DESIGN INTERIOR

LAURA SESSA

N AVA L A R C H I T E C T U R E MAXIMUM SPEED RANGE

AMELS 16.5 KNOTS 5,000 NAUTICAL MILES (13.0 KNOTS)

SEE MORE BREATHTAKING IMAGES OF EVENT CRUISING THE NORWEGIAN FJORDS

INSIDE AMELS 17

MAIDEN VOYAGE REACHES ARCTIC CIRCLE

An EVENT to remember

18 INSIDE AMELS

A long way from the sun-drenched Caribbean or the Mediterranean, Norway offers one of the wildest and most spectacular coasts on the planet. Among the teeming bird life and magnificent whales, this rare place still has seclusion and exclusivity. Those passionate about the yachting experience can fully enjoy remote sanctuaries of pure nature together with friends and family.

No wonder the award-winning EVENT, the first AMELS 199, headed to these northern climes for her maiden voyage, just weeks after delivery.

INSIDE AMELS 19

“THIS YACHT IS WITHOUT DOUBT THE GREATEST THING I HAVE PRODUCED. IT’S NOT THE LONGEST, IT’S NOT THE BIGGEST VOLUME – BUT IT’S JUST A JEWEL" Tim Heywood

EXQUISITE DETAILING AND FINISHES EVENT’S INTERIOR DESIGNER LAURA SESSA CREATED WHAT COULD BE DESCRIBED AS A MODERN CLASSIC LOOK – ELEGANT WITH A LOT OF RESEARCH INTO DETAILING, COMFORT AND THE PRACTICALITY OF EVERY SPACE. EVERYTHING WAS CUSTOM MADE, INCLUDING DETAILS IN EMBROIDERY, COLOURS, AND MATERIALS, AS WELL AS SPECIAL ATTENTION IN SELECTING THE DIFFERENT WOODS AND SPECIAL FINISHES.

20 INSIDE AMELS

RADICAL FORM & PERFECT FUNCTION

INDOOR OUTDOOR LIVING THE SUNDECK HAS A WONDERFUL CENTRAL LOUNGE – A BEAUTIFUL ROOM WITH LARGE SIDE WINDOWS AND COMFORTABLE SOFAS THAT CAN BE REPOSITIONED TO FACE A DROP-DOWN MOVIE SCREEN. FLOOR TO CEILING TEAK AND GLASS DOORS THAT CONCERTINA AT BOTH ENDS CAN BE OPENED TO THE SUNBATHING AREA OR LARGE SPA POOL. WHEN THE DOORS ARE OPEN, IT’S LIKE HAVING AN EXTRA DECK; WHEN THEY ARE CLOSED, IT IS A FANTASTIC, COSY AREA FOR THE FAMILY. THIS VERY VERSATILE AREA IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE BEAUTIFUL COMBINATION OF FORM AND FUNCTION THROUGHOUT EVENT.

It’s a testament to the trust in AMELS’ ability to deliver high quality and reliable yachts that Imperial as Operational Manager began planning the trip to Norway while the AMELS 199 was still under construction at the AMELS yard. After Imperial – the broker who sold EVENT, supervised construction and acted as Operational Manager – had overseen the on-time delivery, EVENT crossed the notoriously rough North Sea. Then, with guests on board, the yacht sailed through a prism of ever-changing wind and weather conditions from the quiet sanctuary of the UNESCO World Heritage sites Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord to the remote Arctic Circle archipelago of Vesterålen. The yacht glided over mirror-like surfaces and then cut cleanly through breakers coming in from the open ocean.

Radical form and perfect function Far from shipyards and spare part stockists, the guests and crew on board EVENT put their faith in the craftsmanship and quality that AMELS is known for around the world. Those qualities were particularly important on this yacht, as it was the first in class of a radically modern new Limited Editions design.

EVENT performed perfectly across the board – on speed, noise and vibrations, seakeeping and comfort on board. The results prove the value of AMELS’ extensive engineering and commitment to research and development, which saw the hull of the AMELS 199 tank-tested at the renowned MARIN institute in the Netherlands.

Of course, it is not only EVENT’s technical prowess and quality craftsmanship that sets the yacht apart. It has one of the most surprising and beautifully modern exterior designs seen on the oceans today. The Tim Heywood design, unveiled to the public as the star of Monaco Yacht Show in 2013, also wowed the World Superyacht Awards jury in 2014 – taking home the award as overall winner of the hotly contested 500 GT to 1,299 GT Displacement Motor Yacht category.

Pinnacles and mountain peaks Yet it was during EVENT’s maiden voyage, sailing confidently on the arms of Norway’s beautiful and dramatic Sognefjord, where its design and performance met the true judges – the owners on

INSIDE AMELS 21

“WE REALISED THAT THE AMELS 199 IS A TRUE BENCHMARK FOR OUR COMPANY" Rob Luijendijk

board and the sea around them. Part of this ultimate experience of yachting, EVENT navigated the Nærøyfjord – the name originates from the norse god 'Njord', the god of the seafarer and the sea. Where better to appraise the quality and beauty of EVENT, a pinnacle of Dutch yacht building, than set against Norway’s stunning mountain peaks?

Exterior designer Heywood was effusive in his admiration for the result. “This yacht is without doubt the greatest thing I have produced. It’s not the longest, it’s not the biggest volume – but it’s just a jewel. To create something pushing the envelope as much as this boat does and get the yard to build it was a unique challenge in itself. It has exceeded my expectations.

Everyone is impressed with it. It’s everything that I’ve wanted to do, and I am just so proud of EVENT.” Complex, curved surfaces Heywood’s curvaceous designs are always challenging to engineer and build. However, the AMELS 199 is

notably different from traditional yachts. The complex, fully curved surfaces, combined with long hard edged lines on both hull and superstructure required a high level of skill in construction, fairing and painting.

He also came up with what he calls the Scimitar bow, from which he says, everything flows. “The boat is full of details, little surprises, little differences. Aft of the wing station the form of the boat shoots up to the deck above and then I changed the tumblehome from in to out – from positive to negative – and it makes such an interesting form.”

Benchmark avant garde design “After receiving the first very positive responses on EVENT,” AMELS CEO Rob Luijendijk says, “we realised that the AMELS 199 is a true benchmark for our company. We proved that within this 60-metre avant garde design, AMELS is able to offer our clients an exceptionally high level of customisation.”

AMELS were confident that their upfront investment in engineering would help them sell the second AMELS 199, and so it proved. Now under construction, the second yacht is due for delivery in Spring 2015. And May 2014 saw the keel laid for the third AMELS 199, ready for customising to a new owner’s wishes – a beautiful confirmation of the radical concept created on the boards of Tim Heywood and delivered by the craftsmen at AMELS.

22 INSIDE AMELS

GULLWING DOORS It’s all very ‘James Bond’. Push a button and the gullwing doors open, and EVENT’s crew can deploy the limousine tender in under 5 minutes.

EVENT’s Scimitar bow created more space in the forward sections, which gave AMELS the option to locate the tender garage in the bow. Built into the hull forward are enormous gullwing doors on port and starboard hiding a vast internal tender garage. An overhead crane lifts the tender and slides it out in one smooth operation. Alongside the limousine tender, there is plenty of storage in the garage for personal water craft, diving equipment and other ‘fun in the sun’ toys.

Moving these operational areas of the boat forward also means that the aft of the yacht is a 100 percent guest area – the three larger than normal lower deck guest cabins have direct access aft to the Beach Club.

CUSTOM TENDER Under Imperial supervision Tim Heywood also designed a custom limousine tender complete with matching Scimitar bow to complement the mother ship. The custom-built Yachtwerft Meyer tender reflects the styling of the mothership, right down to the bow detail and the circular ports in the hull.

INSIDE AMELS 23

INTO DETAIL: SCIMITAR BOW Tim Heywood envisaged the so-called Scimitar bow for the AMELS 199, but it was up to the AMELS design and engineering team to execute it. Project Manager Adriaan Roose explains the engineering challenge, “The bow is narrow, and it’s complex to build, from a welding and construction point of view.

But then there are the benefits of a longer waterline which gives the hull the same efficiency as a typical superyacht of, say, 67 metres in length.”

In tank-testing at the MARIN institute in the Netherlands, the hull proved to be quick and made little fuss through the water. The model proved that the hull could reach the minimum contractual speed of 16.5 knots smoothly, and even exceed 17 knots without much trouble. “We asked Tim Heywood to work on an aesthetic design for the spray rail, and it has become a feature clients have really responded to. It gives the AMELS 199 a bite and an edge, and shows that it means business.”

24 INSIDE AMELS

“As a team, we’re really working at the top of our game with these large yachts.”

Rob Luijendijk

INSIDE AMELS 25

AMELS 242 and AMELS 272

Stepping up At the AMELS yard in the Netherlands, designers Andrew Winch and Tim Heywood join AMELS Managing Director Rob Luijendijk for an exclusive interview.

26 INSIDE AMELS

Two very different yacht designs – for the AMELS 242 and AMELS 272 – flowed from the boards of two of yachting’s most established creative talents: Tim Heywood for both the exterior lines and Andrew Winch for both the interiors. During a visit to the AMELS yard in Vlissingen, the two designers met with AMELS Managing Director Rob Luijendijk and described the growing sense of excitement as the reality of these two large yachts unfolds.

Owners of existing AMELS yachts looking to step up to a larger vessel – that was the rationale behind the development of the two newest AMELS Limited Editions. “The lifestyle will change a lot on these boats,” says Winch. Heywood agrees, “It shows the flexibility of AMELS to deliver what the clients are after.”

Construction of the first AMELS 242 and the first AMELS 272 is well under way. These will be the largest AMELS yachts ever built, demanding the highest level of technical proficiency at Holland’s largest superyacht facility. The two projects also represent the two great British yacht designers performing at the top of their game.

“On all the big Limited Editions boats we have now, all three of our signatures are on them,” Winch explains. “People like that. People are confident about all aspects of the boat. Interior, exterior, technical. It fits.

It’s the top.”

Signature structures & spaces On the 83-metre AMELS 272, part of Tim Heywood’s signature is the rub rail curvature all around the aft end, which he says, is an indication of the craftsmanship at AMELS. “These are what I call feminine athletic shapes.

“We’re not just doing yesterday’s job again. We really are working years ahead with these projects.”

Andrew Winch

ANDREW WINCH DESIGNS The 83-metre AMELS 272 is a very big volume boat, says Andrew Winch, designer of the yacht’s interiors. Luxury spaces flow from the main saloon to the seven generously proportioned guest cabins on main deck to the impressive owner’s suite.

“The spaces are actually more undecorated. More beach villa, muted tones. It’s not a sort of Sardinia bright. It’s very gentle, almost ethnic in its interior.” In contrast, the AMELS 242 has Andrew Winch’s take on a more classical Côte d'Azur interior.

“These are going to be very original boats when they are launched.”

INSIDE AMELS 27

TIM HEYWOOD DESIGNS Tim Heywood has not only been awarded with all five AMELS Limited Editions exterior designs so far, he is of course also no stranger to very large superyachts.

So how did Heywood approach the design for the largest AMELS so far – the 2,827 GT, 83-metre AMELS 272? “It was like a clean sheet of paper. Of course, there’s a heritage from the other yachts in the family. But she’s become a yacht in her own right. She doesn’t look anything like where the design began.

Which is nice. She really does have her own identity. She’s a big girl, but with a very streamlined profile.”

There are some benefits to doing curved structures I feel, but it isn’t easy.

None of this is easy. This is as difficult as it gets in yacht building. It’s a major investment in time and effort to make that curvature around the aft end. But AMELS, very kindly, have done that for me.”

Both the 242 and the 272 began with an architectural detail that was still very adaptable, creating spaces open to imagination. Winch believes that what AMELS has managed to do is develop the confidence in the Limited Editions platform by engineering repetition. But that doesn’t mean that clients have a copy. Everything has an adaptation – in signature, in look, in spirit, in colours and furnishings. In fact, as creator of both interiors, Winch says the two designs could not be more different.

Opening a new chapter Combined with AMELS quality, these are yachts that not only reflect the pedigree of their designers, but also the teamwork and a passion that has gone into providing these owners with premium yachting experiences. This teamwork stretches back more than three decades to the AMELS custom yacht building era when both Heywood and Winch were at Jon Bannenberg Designs, which was behind many of the early AMELS yachts.

“So the relationship goes a long way back,” Winch says. “Longer than one would want to admit! That’s important for the market.

That’s valuable. But this team hasn’t sat back and done old fogey drawings. We’re producing, I think, reality for tomorrow, rather than just yesterday’s ideas. They’re not what you would expect.

But when you see them, they’re going to open a new chapter for yachting owners.”

“It’s amazing to see the owners develop a passion for their yacht during this process.”

Tim Heywood

28 INSIDE AMELS

Captain Christoph Schaefer shares the story of KAMALAYA’s first season

A SARONIC GULF CRUISE

On 1 July 2013 AMELS delivered Project 464, an AMELS 180, with a delay of 4 hours. The delivery was delayed by the Chief Stewardess forgetting to buy sufficient milk, the Captain’s wish to take a picture of all the AMELS staff on board, and difficulties of the deck crew to find takers for their trusted bicycles they wanted to give away.

When the doors of the building shed finally opened, everyone was excited to take our fine ship out to sea and out into the wide world. During the trip to Malta we encountered true wind speeds of 55 knots, and the associated seas, on the nose. This experience showed us just how good a boat we had. Our summer cruise took us all across the Mediterranean and after clocking some 8,000 miles we pulled into Athens in early October 2013 to a warm welcome from our agent Kostas Skiathitis of Oceania Yachting. Greece has always been one of my favourite cruising grounds in the Med and I was excited to be here already during our first season.

Escape the metropolis At the end of our Aegean cruise we dropped anchor in Vouliagmeni, on the outskirts of Athens. While Athens certainly does not have any shortage of marinas that can KAMALAYA’S DELIVERY WAS DELAYED BY THE CHIEF STEWARDESS FORGETTING TO BUY SUFFICIENT MILK AND THE CAPTAIN’S WISH TO TAKE A PICTURE OF ALL THE AMELS STAFF ON BOARD

INSIDE AMELS 29

VITAL STATISTICS LENGTH OVERALL

55.00 METRES (180 FEET)

GROSS TONNAGE

671 GT

DESIGN EXTERIOR N AVA L A R C H I T E C T U R E RANGE

handle large yachts, Vouliagmeni – lying halfway between the city and the airport – is the ideal staging ground to board your yacht to explore the Greek Islands. The small bay is calm and well protected. On its southern shores lies the Astir Palace Beach Resort, a five star resort and spa that offers first class facilities (and a heliport, for those that do not want to land a helicopter on their yachts). The resort is not open to visiting yachts, but Kostas arranged for us to get permission to anchor off the resort and use its facilities.

TIM HEYWOOD AMELS 4,500 NAUTICAL MILES (13 KNOTS)

Kamini Harbour Hydra

Unless drawn to the sights of Athens such as the Acropolis, most visitors will be glad to escape the throbbing metropolis, and will want to head straight out into the Aegean to visit the islands. I do believe there are only a few readers who would not instantly recognise the white-washed houses clinging to the sheer cliffs of Santorini, the windmills of Mykonos or the ancient ruins of Delios. These images appear to be engraved in our collective memory.

Across the Gulf However, on a balmy October morning we pointed the bow of KAMALAYA west, across the Saronic Gulf and towards the islands of Aigina and Agkistri lying just 20 miles from the city, in search of different destinations that lie off the beaten track. Certainly Greece offers plenty of just that. Over the next few days we slowly worked our way from there south along the shores of the Peloponnese and the off-lying islands of Hydra and Spetses, to Monemvasia

Agios Nickolaos Crete

30 INSIDE AMELS

NOT A BREATH OF WIND RIPPLED THE WATERS THAT NIGHT

and on to Elafonisis, one of the best Greek beaches located on the south eastern tip of the peninsula.

Surrounded by history and mythology, the cruise takes you to some of the most underrated destinations in Greece. While many of the Aegean islands are windswept and harsh we encountered flat seas with windless days and quiet peaceful anchorages, the air heavy with the scent of pine trees and herbs.

Preserving integrity of place Our first night we spent stern-to at Moni Island with a full moon rising behind the island.

While there were a few day sailors at anchor off the island, by sunset we had the island to ourselves. Not a breath of wind rippled the waters that night. If it was not for the glow of the city lights of Athens giving the clouds in the distance an orange tint, you could have thought you were alone on the earth. After an early morning swim we picked up anchor and while breakfast was served, sailed down the coast towards the island of Hydra.

PASSING THROUGH THE CORINTH CANAL Watch the video of KAMALAYA as she passes through the dramatic Corinth Canal. With spectacular views captured by the crew using a drone camera, you’ll see KAMALAYA passing through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea.

The statistics of the island are really quite exciting: not large at 52 square kilometres, 1,900 people live in the town of Hydra, other hamlets are Mandraki (population 11) and Vlychos (population 19). The statistics do not mention how many live in Kamini, Palamides, Episkopi and Molos. But what really makes Hydra interesting though is the fact that motor vehicles are not allowed by law. The only vehicles on the island are some rubbish trucks.

You either walk, or you take a donkey or of course a boat. So Hydra has managed to maintain its integrity in this fast paced world. It was voted by National Geographic Traveler the highest ranking Greek island (ranked 11th out of 111 islands worldwide) as a “unique destination preserving its integrity of place”. Offering numerous bays and coves we chose to anchor at the south end of the island in a perfectly protected bay, again offering us an absolute quiet night at anchor.

Gibraltar of the East Just a short hop down the coast lies Spetses and, similar to Hydra, the absence of the omnipresent automobile is striking. Private vehicles are not allowed within the city limits and only taxis, horse drawn carts and delivery vehicles are encountered. Spetses has developed into one of the favourite get aways for the Athens high society.

Sailing even further south our next stop was Monemvasia, nicknamed the Gibraltar of the East or The Rock, an island separated from the mainland by an earthquake in 375 AD.

INSIDE AMELS 31 The island was an important port and trading town until the mid 18th century and was at one time or the other ruled by every power active in the Mediterranean over the centuries. Much of the city has been restored and its medieval streets are too narrow for any kind of traffic.

Finally at the very southern tip of the Peleponnes lies the island of Elafonisos, Where you will find some of the finest beaches of Greece. Another highlight of the island are the petrified forests of the island.

Elafonisos

As so often, when we finally pointed the bow of the fine ship KAMALAYA towards new destinations beyond, I felt that we had spent far too little time and seen far too few places, missing out on Navplion, for example and many of the historic sites along the coast. I am not sure just how long it would take to get to know the Greek islands properly and visit all the special places.

I feel that even after half a lifetime cruising there you would still discover the one or the other hidden gem on every voyage.

Pictures by Fraser Gow, Aaron Riegen of the KAMALAYA and Kostas Skiathitis of Oceania Yachting, Greece

Oia Santorini

32 INSIDE AMELS

Hans van Triet

How to stay small when you are big Things are getting big at AMELS – big yachts, multiple projects, larger production facilities and hundreds of craftsmen. As Technical Director Hans van Triet describes, the impact of this growth on the yard is huge.

“When you look at the gross tonnage we are constructing with bigger superyachts – our largest yacht is four times the size of our AMELS 180 – you can imagine what that means for our yard operations. Everything from engineering to procurement to interiors is bigger, more complex with more people working for longer periods. And when you’re working on twelve projects of different size yachts at the same time, the challenge is to give full attention to each build as a unique project. Our organisation is very much focussed on that. Even though we’re growing, we want to stay a small shipyard in our mentality.”

AMELS makes each project unique “One of the things I was surprised and very pleased to see when I arrived is that the Project Manager Roeland Berrevoets was devoted just to us, he doesn’t have any other projects,” says Captain Grahame Shorrocks of IMAGINE. “In other yards you sometimes have two or three projects for one guy. Here Roeland is 100 percent for us. We’ve had an excellent relationship with him.

We’ve found him very open to our ideas, to changes.”

WATCH CAPTAIN SHORROCKS DESCRIBING HIS EXPERIENCE DURING THE BUILD OF THE AMELS 212.

No lawyers’ way of working According to Van Triet, one of the reasons owner representatives have such confidence in AMELS is their close connection with project managers and everyone at the yard.

“Our clients and their teams have strong relationships with our project managers, they know they can depend on us. The way we are set up, we have a very flat organisation here. When something needs to be solved, we are quick to the case. It’s not a lawyers’ way of working. What we see as well is that repeat clients ask for the same project team they had the first time.”

Working at AMELS, it’s hard not to notice the maritime traditions of the area. It’s not just in the harbour activities, the active naval and commercial shipbuilding, but also in the monuments recalling centuries of maritime excellence. Often first-time visitors to the yard like to visit the historic former headquarters of Royal Schelde. Just a short walk from AMELS’ on-site helicopter landing

platform, the history of Dutch shipbuilding is embodied in the great halls of this magnificent building. AMELS is proud to maintain the proud legacy of shipbuilding in Vlissingen.

Stay sharp teams As the yard grows, AMELS works every day on developing the team needed to coordinate all the works and ensure consistently high standards – particularly as the number of co-makers involved increases, Van Triet says. “It’s a complex job and we’re pretty strict about how we want people to act. It takes time to develop that in people.

We’re very fortunate that we have a loyal team. Dedicated people.”

CLOSE CONNECTIONS KEEP AMELS DOWN TO EARTH, EVEN WHEN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AT WORK IN HOLLAND'S LARGEST SUPERYACHT FACILITY.

INSIDE AMELS 33

ABOUT HANS HANS VAN TRIET HAS BEEN THE AMELS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR SINCE 2008. HE BROUGHT A WEALTH OF TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE WITH HIM WHEN HE MOVED TO ZEELAND FROM ROTTERDAM. WITH FRIENDLY LOCALS AND A RELAXED LIFESTYLE, IT’S VERY EASY TO FEEL AT HOME IN VLISSINGEN – ESPECIALLY WITH THE TOWN’S MARITIME ROOTS AND PASSION FOR SHIPBUILDING.

Even though we’re growing, we want to stay a small shipyard in our mentality

34 INSIDE AMELS

INSIDE AMELS 35

a s s e S a r u a L y b d e r i p Ins Every AMELS yacht has a custom interior, inspired by the owner’s individual experiences and tastes. So it’s a testament to designer Laura Sessa’s talent and versatility that she has already created custom interiors for 11 Limited Editions builds. Over the years, her designs have continued to surprise and impress, revealing new possibilities and interpretations of the Limited Editions concept.

the materials, the fabrics, and everything that can go inside their yacht. They can do all that at the studio.”

The location in Italy also reflects her inspiration. “I’m from the Mediterranean and I love the colour, the feeling of holidays and everything that surrounds the marine world. Every client makes a special request, so it’s not always that every boat has that feeling in the end. But for me the start is always the Mediterranean and the feeling of the sea.”

Since Laura Sessa’s first project with AMELS back in 2000, she has been such a regular visitor to the yard in Vlissingen that she could call herself a local. “It’s like a family. When I’m at AMELS, it’s home, like in Italy. More or less.”

Mediterranean inspiration Although she definitely has a ‘second family’ at AMELS in Holland, much of the creative design and selection of materials happens at her studio outside Rome – a beautiful estate where she not only works with her team, but where she also welcomes owners during the design process.

“While we’re working together, clients nearly always want to come to my studio in Italy. All the clients love to touch

Enjoying the design process “We’ve always had very good relationships with the client,” she says, highlighting that the design process should be enjoyable for the client. “We try to follow the taste and request of the clients, in an elegant way, and suited for life on the boat.”

Some examples of her work on AMELS Limited Editions include BEL ABRI, LADY NAG NAG, STEP ONE, 4YOU and the World Superyacht Award 2014 category winner EVENT. She is currently working with AMELS and the owner team for the second AMELS 199, MADAME KATE,

due for delivery in 2015. For each build she and the AMELS Design Department work together with suppliers of interior elements and carpentry. “When we are customising something, I like to work with different companies, so you’re making it very individual, like a home. It is a home, as well as a yacht.”

We try to follow the taste of the clients, suited for life onboard.

36 INSIDE AMELS

WHAT DOES TRUE FREEDOM FEEL LIKE?

GARÇON

Yacht Support vessel GARÇON has made quite an entrance.

First, the vessel turned heads at the Monaco Yacht Show – one of its first destinations following delivery; then went on to take the award for Innovation at the International Superyacht Society Gala. And recently, in the blue waters off Sicily, GARÇON demonstrated for the cameras just how well it combines functionality and performance with beauty and form.

Together, DAMEN and AMELS have developed the next generation of support yachts under the Yacht Support brand.

The range of vessels, purpose-built to superyacht standards, is based on the successful DAMEN SEA AXE platform. The 67-metre GARÇON perfectly captures the concept, providing the owner with a new level of freedom to fully enjoy the yachting experience.

Boys and their toys and much more Both below and on deck, there is ample space for toys such as tenders, jet-skis and sailing dinghies. Without the beam or height limitations of the mothership’s tender garage, GARÇON carries the right gear for each destination on the 360 square-metre deck and in the 140 square-metre storage area below deck. The heavy-duty knuckle-boom

INSIDE AMELS 37

WATCH GARÇON COME ALIVE AND GET A TASTE FOR THE UNCOMPROMISING POWER AND PERFORMANCE OF A YACHT SUPPORT VESSEL.

crane can handle tenders, gear and almost anything else required during a superyacht voyage. This also makes the mothership more spontaneous – able to depart while GARÇON stays behind to retrieve toys.

GARÇON’s deck is as attractive as it is practical, laid out with hard-wearing Bolidt artificial teak. And it’s not just about fast and large tenders – the vessel’s capacity opens up new possibilities in superyacht logistics. The deck has standard 20-foot container twistlocks, which makes it possible to quickly mobilise the vessel with different configurations. It can carry refrigerated containers to store perishables until required, or containerised equipment for diving or entertainment. Containers can hold automobiles and specialist vehicles as well as advanced security equipment. This modular approach can make planning for different holidays and charters a lot simpler.

Helicopter freedom One of the key attractions of a Yacht Support vessel is the fully certified helideck, making the mothership easily accessible without sacrificing luxury spaces and sundecks. GARÇON features a helideck

38 INSIDE AMELS

VITAL STATISTICS LENGTH OVERALL 67.15 METRES (220 FEET) BEAM 11.50 METRES (38 FEET) DRAFT (FULL LOAD) 4.00 METRES (13 FEET) DISPLACEMENT (FULL LOAD) 1.150 TONNES GROSS TONNAGE

with 5,000kg take-off weight, refuelling, de-fuelling and fuel cleaning capacities. The helideck is SOLAS-certified for use both day and night. Of course, the vessel also has substantial helicopter fuel storage, making it suitable for areas of the world with less developed superyacht infrastructure.

1.128 N AVA L A R C H I T E C T U R E DAMEN MAXIMUM SPEED 18 KNOTS (POTENTIAL 25 KNOTS) RANGE 4,500 NM @ 16 KNOTS C R E W A C C O M M O D AT I O N 21 DECK CRANE 1 1 . 5 T O N N E S AT 1 0 . 2 5 M E T R E S

While GARÇON is largely devoted to power and technical spaces, she certainly has both superyacht looks and standard. The wheelhouse, like the vessel exterior, has been decorated to the standard of the mothership, an 87-metre superyacht. When the owner or guests arrive by helicopter for example, there’s room to refresh and relax in owner’s lounge. This area in the wheelhouse provides a comfortable place to watch operations as GARÇON powers through the waves. The bridge itself features leather-clad stations and clear 360-degree views to the deck below. In fact, it’s the perfect place to join the captain on the bridge. High-tech equipment controls the four stern drive propellers that accelerate GARÇON to an easy and comfortable 21 knots.

The patented DAMEN SEA AXE bow is central to the performance of the vessel.

Vertical peak acceleration is reduced by up to 70 percent and resistance by up

INSIDE AMELS 39

DAMEN’S PROVEN SEA AXE BOW DESIGN (ABOVE) DELIVERS DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE, WHILE GARÇON HAS NO SHORTAGE OF STORAGE (LEFT) WITH A 360 SQUARE-METRE DECK AND 140 SQUARE METRES BELOW DECK. THE 5T DECK CRANE HANDLES THE LARGEST TENDERS WITH EASE (BELOW LEFT) AND THE FULLY CERTIFIED HELIPAD IS ALWAYS READY. OWNERS AND GUESTS ENJOY SUPERYACHT STANDARDS IN THE BRIDGE LOUNGE AS WELL AS A 360-DEGREE VIEW (BELOW).

to 10 percent when measured against conventional fast hull designs, facilitating comfortable sailing at speed.

Privacy and service The SEA AXE’s seakeeping and comfort is important for everyone on board.

GARÇON can comfortably accommodate up to 21 ancillary staff and crew – perfect for facilitating a relief crew for a large superyacht. The crew spaces, like the rest of the vessel, are prepared to SOLAS standards and offer more comfort than a commercial vessel. The facilities include a gym, hospital, a large day room, galley and mess. The vessel has advanced communication and navigation

equipment so that she can keep a close watch on the mothership and the surrounding area, even if she’s stationed just out of sight.

The Yacht Support vessel is much more than simply a workhorse or a converted commercial vessel; great care has been taken in its appearance and high quality design. As AMELS Managing Director Rob Luijendijk says, “Anyone who saw GARÇON in Monaco against the backdrop of so many luxury yachts would understand what we mean when we say the SEA AXE is not an embarrassment to be hidden out of view – her angular beauty and yacht-quality finish make her look right at home in Monaco – or any other luxury destination.”

40 INSIDE AMELS

TEN MAIN REASONS WHY Your time at sea should be a time of uninterrupted luxury and pleasure. Your yacht should do exactly that, nothing more. Everything else should be left to a support vessel to handle. That’s what an increasing number of forward-thinking owners are realising, and that’s why they want a DAMEN Yacht Support vessel. Pictured here with an 83-metre AMELS 272 mothership, the Yacht Support vessel means owners and their guests can enjoy a true luxury yachting experience – without limits.

1 BIGGER TOYS Would you like to have a 45ft tender? A submarine? A sailing boat? Could you physically fit one on your superyacht?

Even if you could, at what cost? Having a Yacht Support vessel removes the need for compromise. No toy need be left behind!

2 SAFER HELIDECK

3 NO WAITING!

4 PRIVACY & SECURITY

Safety first? Would you prefer landing on a small helipad or a fully certified helideck for day and night operations? Do you mind abandoning your sun lounger when the helicopter arrives? Everybody inside, and don't forget the cushions! The picture shows the safer, simpler answer - a fully certified 5,000kg helideck developed for the offshore industry.

Depart - and arrive - whenever it suits you.

Isn’t that how it should be? Deploying and retrieving watertoys is a time-consuming and tedious process. So why not sail away and leave the Yacht Support to do the hard work, and then watch it cruise past at high speed to prepare your next destination?

The risks of piracy in some parts of the world are well known, and a risk not worth taking with your superyacht. A Yacht Support vessel can be equipped to provide the security you need - both personnel and hardware - to ensure a smooth passage.

Also, why not use a Yacht Support vessel to accommodate ancillary staff, and to give your regular crew some time away from the mother yacht? We all know the formula: happy crew = happy ship. And more privacy for you.

INSIDE AMELS 41

7 INTERIOR FINISH At a minimum, accommodation on your Yacht Support vessel will be furnished to the same standard as a crew interior on an AMELS luxury yacht. But you have the option even to finish to the standards of a superyacht luxury interior. Travel fast, travel in style.

8 AESTHETICS First impressions count, and the bold, muscular looks of a Yacht Support vessel make it a real headturner. Every vessel is faired and painted to yacht standard, and the deck is finished in Bolidt artificial teak.

9 SPEED! You need speed. There is no point having a support ship if it lags behind. The patented design of the SEA AXE hull form gives it the power and stability to maintain speeds of up to 25 knots, even through a rough seaway.

5 PLATFORM

6 UNLIMITED CAPACITY

10 INNOVATION

Yacht Support vessels are developed out of the large DAMEN portfolio, which are deployed around the world into offshore, military, and other challenging environments.

More than 100 SEA AXEs have been built, with another 40 currently in construction.

Our range provides you with unlimited capacity for all kinds of items that cannot be stored on the mothership: bigger tenders, unlimited crew and staff, provisioning, fuel, spare parts, etc, etc‌. Imagine what that extra capacity could bring for you and your crew, the new possibilities it creates...

Dr Lex Keuning wanted to explore a new concept in ship design. His thinking was: "If you can sharpen the bow, increase the sheer and lower the centreline of the bow, this should dramatically reduce the waveexciting forces when a ship is sailing in a seaway." And so, in conjunction with T.U. Delft, MARIN and DAMEN, Dr Keuning pioneered and patented the 'Axe Bow', so called because the forefoot is deeper than the keel, resembling an axe. The SEA AXE is very efficient. It has up to 15 percent less resistance, better seakeeping in large waves, and up to 75 percent less vertical peak accelerations than other fast ships.

42 INSIDE AMELS

A full-custom build will take a minimum of 4 years.

In contrast, a Limited Editions superyacht takes almost half the time – two extra summers of quality time enjoying the yachting experience with friends and family.

WATCH TO FIND OUT HOW AMELS DELIVERS FASTER

The Sooner the Better AMELS CREATES YOUR VISION IN HALF THE TIME WITH HIGHER QUALITY It’s a fast-moving world, so why put off to tomorrow what you can have today? AMELS has put a lot of effort into taking the best from the world of full-custom building without the long wait. AMELS Sales Manager Johan Kaasjager says that the AMELS Limited Editions concept can save thousands of extra hours spent pouring over engineering details and extra years spent waiting for the scaffolding around your yacht to come down.

“Things are different with our Limited Editions,” he says. “We build these yachts using tried-and-tested engineering and construction processes. By repeating this technology, AMELS ensures higher quality, lower technical risk and faster delivery.”

But crucially, Kaasjager says, AMELS allows owners to realise their personal vision with extensive customisation possibilities. So, the Limited Editions designs effectively bridge the gap between full-custom and semi-custom – AMELS makes the best of both worlds possible.

“A Limited Editions yacht is designed in such a way that specific client requests and ideas can be quickly translated into new interior designs, change of construction and deck layout, without affecting the ship’s performance, stability or technical installations.”

Of course, any yard will tell you it can deliver to an agreed date. As Kaasjager points out, the difference is that AMELS has delivered 100 percent of its Limited Editions yachts on time, and some of them well ahead of schedule.

ABOUT JOHAN AMELS SALES MANAGER JOHAN KAASJAGER HAS FORMED A STRONG TEAM WITH MANAGING DIRECTOR ROB LUIJENDIJK FOR THE LAST 9 YEARS. JOHAN’S PASSION FOR YACHTING IS BEHIND HIS BACKGROUND IN NAVAL ARCHITECTURE AND DEDICATION TO THE ART OF YACHT BUILDING.

Limited Editions: Highest quality, delivered faster Limited Editions CUSTOMISING DESIGN

BUILDING PROCESS

TRIAL & DELIVERY

ENJOYMENT ON BOARD YOUR NEW AMELS

total project time around 2.5 years

Full-Custom Building DESIGN

SHIPYARD SELECTION

ENGINEERING

BUILDING PROCESS

TRIAL & DELIVERY total project time at least 4 years

INSIDE AMELS 43

Is everyone comfortable?

SEMI-DISPLACEMENT VS FULL-DISPLACEMENT A yacht with inordinate power and speed might seem seductive at first, but is it worth sacrificing the comfort of everyone on board, the champagne glasses bouncing off the table? Such a yacht will not only require an overdose of diesel-guzzling power generation to reach semi-planing speed, but also an uncomfortable semi-displacement hull.

V-shaped hulls are very susceptible to rolling, pitching, slamming, large accelerations and gravity loads – all factors in sea-sickness that are proven to render people incapable of proper functioning. And that’s not even including the noise and vibrations created by large main engines. It’s a very bumpy ride.

Fastest toys Imagine the power required to lift a 55-metre or larger yacht – several hundred tonnes of metal and machinery – through the sea’s resistance curve, pushing 25 knots and burning thousands of litres of fuel per hour. And even then such a yacht can’t match the kick of a fast tender breaking 60 knots. If speed is your thrill of choice, AMELS can provide you with

Typical section in mid ship

the fastest water toys on the planet, which you can have lowered from your yacht’s tender garage while your guests look on from the comfort of the AMELS mothership.

No compromise on comfort AMELS believes in a comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone on board. That’s why the yard’s naval architects like Pijnen have invested thousands of hours in developing the Limited Editions full displacement hulls using Computational Fluid Dynamics and manoeuvring simulations. They leverage research & development expertise from DAMEN as well as tank testing at the renowned MARIN institute.

“Seakeeping performance is very important in AMELS hull design,” Pijnen explains. “For example, the AMELS 180 has proven its excellent seakeeping behaviour, even in rough conditions. Of course, stabilisers can help a bit, but the major influencing factor is the hull shape. The AMELS experience is a comfortable trip with less environmental impact. You’re sailing at a very fuel and power efficient rate, more quietly, with less noise and vibrations. We won’t build semi-displacement yachts.

The compromise on comfort is too great.”

Displacement hull shape

Semi - Displacement hull shape

Ship Resistance [kN]

“A V-shaped semi-displacement hull is fine if you want to go fast, that’s one thing,” says AMELS Naval Architect Giorgios Pijnen. “But normally that’s less than 1 percent of such a vessel’s sailing time.

The rest of the time, at 12 or 13 knots, you’re sailing like a full displacement vessel, but with an ineffective hull shape.

And that means everyone on board is going to feel the consequences: a wobbly trip. And on top of this, at slow speeds, or at anchor, the adverse motions can feel even worse.”

Ship Speed (kts)

44 INSIDE AMELS

The taste of

From sun-bathed Sicily, through the fabulous beaches of the Caribbean, to the icebound rocks of Alaska – since delivery in 2011, AMELS 171 SPIRIT has travelled the globe in a unique journey. During this marvellous culinary experience, the owners and guests have enjoyed the most exclusive ingredients and the finest gourmet creations. At all the different locations the master chef on board, Andrew Graham, created his own recipes with the best local ingredients.

uit salad r f k e e l Gr Colourfu

GreecGoeds

he Land of t

INSIDE AMELS 45

Mexico Prawn carpaccio with Bergamot ora nge and fennel slaw.

“One of my favou rite flavours from the ocean would have to be the Gambero ni rosso prawns.”

DOWNLOAD HERE A SELECTION FROM THE SPIRIT BOOK, CONTAINING ALL THE RECIPES SHOWN HERE.

46 INSIDE AMELS

Sicily

- The Island of the Sun

Recipe: Ricotta-stuffed courgette flowers with tomato salad, raspberry vinegar, vanilla and mint dressing An interesting combination of sweetly fragrant raspberry vinegar and mint to dress your best tomatoes is a surprisingly superb taste. Andrew Graham has gone one step further to turn a simple side dish into a starter by adding a ricotta-stuffed courgette flower.

Corsicaof Two Faces An Island

and riatic scampi violi with Ad ra h es Fr e: Recip ullet) ragout rouget (red m

ic scampi t ia r d A h it w Fresh ravioli

Majorca

- A turquoise Sky

‘The sky is like turquoise, the sea like lapis lazuli, the mountains like emerald and the air as in Heaven. In day-time, sunshine; everyone goes about in summer clothes and it’s hot. At night, guitars and songs for hours on end. Huge balconies with overhanging vines: Moorish ramparts. Everything including the town has an African look. To put it short, life is marvellous…’, Frédèric Chopin, 1838

INGREDIENTS: • • • • • • • • • • •

2 kg monk fish, 1 piece or 2 smaller pieces 6-8 fine slices prosciutto di Parma sea salt flakes espelette pepper flakes 1 kg waxy red skin potatoes 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely slices 50 g unsalted butter 50 ml extra virgin olive oil 500 ml fish stock parsley

INSIDE AMELS 47

Alaska

Recipe: Cedar plank salmon with kedgeree-style rice A dish prepared on board in the galley grill many times, but it was also delicious when cooked on a shore BBQ in the wilds of Alaska.

INGREDIENTS: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 side of king salmon app. 2 kg 5 gr white peppercorns 10 g coriander seeds, lightly toasted fresh coriander, dill & mint lemons 1 orange fine zest 300 g fine salt 400 g white sugar 2 limes fine zest 5 g juniper berries 3 tbsp vegatable oil 2 brown onion 3 cloves garlic 1 piece ginger 2 tbsp curry powder 1 tbsp fennel seed 1 tsp ground turmeric 400 gr basmati rice greek style thick yoghurt water

With fa scinating Tonka be ans

The Galapagos Recipe: Tonka bean crème brûlée

The tonka bean is a fascinating ingredient that has really come into the spotlight as chefs have searched further into South America for new flavours, and the world of cuisine has become more globalised.

The Caribbean with conut rice pudding Recipe: Young co s, and ve sh kaffir lime lea Thai purple rice, fre and salt. e ngo with chilli, lim shredded green ma

highligh ts of th e

year at AM brings ELS, the rall friends y and col through Holl an leagues togethe d r.

AMELS Classic Car Ra lly One of the

48 INSIDE AMELS

INSIDE AMELS 49

Get behind the wheel

Beautiful cars in Holland

AMELS hosts its Classic Car Rally, a chance for clients, owners’ teams and captains to jump behind the wheel. Whether it’s an invigorating tour around the islands of Zeeland or the Dutch ‘mountains’ near Maastricht, the rally has all the ingredients for a great weekend – a wide range of classic automobiles from the 50s and 60s, smooth and quiet Dutch roads, and just a smidgen of friendly competition. The route takes in all the sights from the busy boulevard in Vlissingen to tree-lined dikes and winding coasts, ending up with an extended toast to quality motoring and a good night’s rest, staying in comfort and style.

SEE THESE CLASSIC AUTOMOBILES IN ACTION HERE

50 INSIDE AMELS

René Berkvens, CEO DAMEN Shipyards

Synergy beyond anyone’s Expectations For more than 20 years AMELS has been part of family owned DAMEN Shipyards, an international group of 32 ship repair and new build yards generating an annual turnover of Euros 1.7 billion. DAMEN’s CEO René Berkvens reveals how AMELS has grown into Holland’s largest superyacht builder, and explains why it will remain focussed in Holland.

In many parts of the world, from the Middle East to the Americas, from China to Australia, DAMEN is synonymous with quality workboats, offshore and military vessels. While Berkvens agrees that the superyacht industry has its own character, he believes the segment fits very well with the rest of the group. The synergy is not just in sharing expertise in research & development and naval architecture, but in the very philosophy that underpins DAMEN’s successful approach to shipbuilding. Plus, he says, DAMEN’s reputation around the world has had a very positive effect on the AMELS brand and vice versa.

“If someone opens the DAMEN corporate brochure and sees, ah you’re building superyachts, that helps in how people perceive DAMEN as a high end, high quality builder in many different niches.”

Holland’s superyacht infrastructure DAMEN acquired AMELS in 1991, and made a clear decision to concentrate its yacht building activities in the Netherlands. Berkvens says the group profits from the strong superyacht infrastructure in the country, particularly in design, engineering, finishing and organisation. “Holland has developed into, let’s be a little bit chauvinistic here, the number one quality superyacht builder.”

Of course, this is not only due to AMELS, he continues, but a whole string of other Dutch yacht builders. “And it’s not just the yards, but very importantly it’s the entire supply industry that comes with it.”

Family owned character With 8,000 employees worldwide, the company has certainly come a long way from the day two brothers established a small Dutch shipyard in 1927.

After buying the company from his father in 1969, Kommer Damen built up DAMEN into a powerful conglomerate. Now Chairman of the Board, he remains very much involved in the business, as do his children, including COO Arnout Damen. However, the family owned character goes much deeper, as Berkvens explains.

“If you look at our how the company is organised, our guiding principles, we feel like a family owned business and we act like a family owned business.

And we promote that internally, the same values, the same ideas and business principles.”

ABOUT RENÉ RENÉ BERKVENS HAS BEEN CEO DAMEN SHIPYARDS SINCE 2006 AND MEMBER OF THE DAMEN BOARD SINCE 2000. A QUALIFIED SHIPBUILDING ENGINEER, HE JOINED DAMEN IN 1983.

This was the foundation behind the acquisition of AMELS and then later the introduction of the Limited Editions concept. “We set the company on a path of growth, but very much in a manageable and controlled way. In think that’s important in any business, but definitely in the yacht business.”

Totally outperforming expectations The Limited Editions concept stems from DAMEN’s commercial shipbuilding business. DAMEN had proven that repeating certain technical solutions

INSIDE AMELS 51

DAMEN SHIPYARDS TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROJECTS

has an enormously positive impact on product quality, performance, recognition and resale value. This DAMEN approach also provides clients with hassle-free projects and short delivery times. “Those are the principles that we have been applying within the DAMEN group for more than 40 years already, and we felt that it was something that would also work in the yachting market. That’s why we developed the Limited Editions.”

Now, 10 years later, the concept has worked extremely well, leading to new, larger designs including the new AMELS 242 and the AMELS 272.

“The Limited Editions concept has totally outperformed any expectation that I think we had. We started with the AMELS 180 model and we have made steps into the bigger Limited Editions. And I guess the two largest vessels are a logical step on that path. That fits with the yachting market in general where you see vessels getting bigger and bigger and we do have to respond to that. And what helped to push the idea even more was that we have very good clients who are looking for repeat business but a bigger boat.”

Leveraging expertise in promising market AMELS invested hundreds of thousands of hours in developing these two new large Limited Editions designs, which was also an opportunity to leverage DAMEN’s research & development expertise. “We spend a lot of time and money on things like vibrations and propulsion and hydrodynamics. And there is definitely a crossover from our commercial business into the yacht business. Noise is a very important issue on yachts, for example and when you look at tugboats, they’re relatively small but have

an enormous amount of power. For that reason we’ve studied it at length and come up with lots of solutions that we can apply in our yachts.”

DAMEN’s purpose-built Yacht Support vessels are almost a perfect example of where yachts and commercial shipbuilding meet each in the middle, Berkvens says. Based on a proven, quality product from DAMEN’s workboat business, DAMEN has invested in new build designs for a very promising market. “I believe we are extremely well-positioned to come up with the product that the market can use and the market wants.

It’s not just the building, you also have to understand what your clients want, why do they need this and why does it have to look the way it looks? That’s where the AMELS input is crucial and working very well.”

All of these developments fit with DAMEN’s strategy for growing its global business. “In all the product market combinations that we are in, we’re striving for the best possible quality vessel, best service, the shortest possible delivery times and no hassle for the client.”

WATCH AN OVERVIEW OF THE GLOBAL DAMEN SHIPYARD GROUP

52 INSIDE AMELS MARCEL WANDERS THE DUTCH DESIGNER AND ART DIRECTOR DESIGNED THIS SKYGARDEN LAMP FOR FLOS. THE LAMP’S RETRO DESIGN IS CAST IN PLASTER AND POLISHED BY HAND. BACK IN 1996 WANDERS ATTRACTED WORLDWIDE ATTENTION FOR HIS ICONIC KNOTTED CHAIR. SKYGARDEN BY MARCEL WANDERS, WWW.MARCELWANDERS.COM

VANMOOF DESIGN BIKES BICYCLES FROM VANMOOF HELP THE AMBITIOUS CITY DWELLER MOVE AROUND TOWN FASTER, MORE CONFIDENTLY AND IN UTMOST STYLE. AMSTERDAM THE CAPITAL CITY OF THE NETHERLANDS, ALSO NAMED VENICE OF THE NORTH, HAS A RICH HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE AND 100 KILOMETRES OF CANALS. MORE THAN 1,200 BRIDGES LINK THE CITY’S 90 ISLANDS.

VIKTOR & ROLF THE WORLD FAMOUS AMSTERDAM-BASED FASHION HOUSE CREATED THIS CUT-OUT, TULLE CAKE-LIKE GOWN. SPECIALISTS IN COMBINING FASHION WITH DESIGN AND THEATRE, VIKTOR & ROLF ARE ALWAYS UP TO SOMETHING SPECTACULAR.

OMA THE INFLUENTIAL DUTCH ARCHITECTURE PRACTICE, FOUNDED BY REM KOOLHAAS, DESIGNED THE CHINA CENTRAL TELEVISION (CCTV) HEADQUARTERS IN BEIJING, ONE OF THEIR MOST SPECTACULAR PROJECTS.

INSIDE AMELS 53

Art & Culture

The Dutch know how to Create © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

VINCENT VAN GOGH THE POST-IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER FINISHED THIS STILL LIFE, VASE WITH TWELVE SUNFLOWERS, IN 1888. VAN GOGH’S WORK IS NOTABLE FOR ITS ROUGH BEAUTY, EMOTIONAL HONESTY AND BOLD USE OF COLOUR.

ARMIN VAN BUUREN THE INNOVATIVE MUSIC PRODUCER AND DJ IS KNOWN FOR PLAYING PROGRESSIVE AND UPLIFTING TRANCE MUSIC. AMONG THE DUTCH TALENT’S ACCOLADES IS THE NUMBER ONE SPOT ON DJ MAGAZINE'S TOP 100 DJS FAN POLL.

Holland is known for its history of art, design and superb craftsmanship. Naming some of the world’s greatest artists off the top of your head, you are likely to come up with many of the Dutch masters including Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh. The country is also famous for its festivals, museums and exhibitions that attract large numbers of tourists to the country every year. Traditionally, the Dutch are passionate about creating objects of the highest quality and style – the same craftsmanship seen in today’s cultural exports such as music, art and architecture. And when it comes to integrating the latest technology, innovation and imagination into high quality luxury objects, nobody does it better.

Summing up, you might just say that the Dutch know how to create…

RIJKMUSEUM THE RECENTLY RENOVATED GALLERY FEATURES A CHRONOLOGICAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE COLLECTION OF 8,000 OBJECTS INCLUDING REMBRANDT’S ‘THE NIGHT WATCH’.

54 INSIDE AMELS

TECHNICAL UPDATE:

What makes an AMELS so special?

Each AMELS yacht represents thousands of hours of quality craftsmanship – from upfront design and engineering to the final touches before delivery.

Creating superyachts since 1982, AMELS has built up vast expertise in engineering, design and construction. This is what lies beneath the surface of each AMELS Limited Editions – dedication and knowledge.

AMELS Head of Engineering Maarten Slegers

The brains behind the boats The 80 brilliant minds in the AMELS engineering department are the guardians of more than 30 years of AMELS experience and knowledge, which they distil into each yacht.

Isn’t 100,000 engineering hours a lot for one superyacht design?

It is, but we believe you have to think about the details. The quality of a yacht is in the details. So we invest a lot in developing a new Limited Editions design. Either you do it upfront in engineering or you do it in production. I think it’s more efficient to do as much as possible upfront.

Has the Limited Editions platform changed over the last 10 years?

Talking about the AMELS 180 for example, the exterior is similar, but inside it’s changed tremendously since the first build. It’s a constant flow of improvements from different sources – owners, brokers, captains, chief engineers, market trends and regulations, or suppliers improving their equipment. We always find out things we can do better and incorporate that feedback from production back into the model. The same is true for our more recent designs.

It’s a proven platform, so why spend around 10,000 hours on each subsequent build?

We do rather a lot of customising and with every change and improvement we have to make sure we’re not introducing things like extra paths of sounds transmissions which can have an impact on noise and vibrations for example. Or tank arrangements that can affect range and stability. We really want to be on top of design and details to guarantee the client the expected level of quality.

INSIDE AMELS 55

Registry & Rules

What you need to know before you start building It’s a complex matter, but smart registration and decisions about regulations can make many things possible and even avoid ruined holidays down the line.

AMELS has a deep understanding of all matters concerning flag states, regulatory bodies and classification societies. In fact, the very first MCA-compliant large yacht was the AMELS custom build TIGRE D’OR in the late 1990s.

“We pioneered the code, working closely with MCA, and cooperating with flag states to get the wheels in motion,” says Head of Design Hans Konings.

At a certain size, a superyacht becomes a ship – with all its implications for the safety of the owner, guests and crew.

“Meeting all kinds of regulations – from fire protection to watertight integrity to qualified crew – it does impacts on the total cost of ownership,” Konings continues. “But your operation will also be better and safer. We believe in this kind of safety that’s behind the boat, we’re not going around rules and regulations.”

AMELS also has the experience and expertise to advise on choosing a flag state and registry. However, as owner of a Limited Editions yacht, you always have a choice between private and commercial registry – AMELS has taken care to build commercial-readiness into each Limited Editions design.

CAN AMELS BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN CUSTOM AND SEMI-CUSTOM? HANS KONINGS HAS THE ANSWER IN THIS VIDEO.

56 INSIDE AMELS

Reducing emissions

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE’RE BANNED FROM SAINT THOMAS? A spontaneous rendezvous in the Virgin Islands sounds simple enough, but if you’re not in an AMELS yacht, your captain might have some bad news for you and your guests. “Sorry, not in this yacht.” For keels laid from 2016 on, stringent emissions regulations come into force for certain IMO-designated Caribbean waters, as well as many other areas around the world, including the North Sea, and Mediterranean restrictions might also be coming soon.

AMELS believes that every yacht it delivers should be able to sail anywhere in the world. Compliance also creates engineering challenges, but AMELS puts the puzzle together to ensure there are no ‘No-Go’ areas for your yacht.

Heat Recovery

NOT A WASTE OF ENERGY Electricity generator sets produce a lot of waste heat, which is normally ejected to the environment. At AMELS we have a developed a waste heat recovery system that changes the way we manage energy usage on board one of our yachts. This new approach reduces generator set starts, saves fuel, ensures the owner and guests always have enough hot water and the interior climate is just right. Overall we are optimising generator set running hours and reducing operator and maintenance costs for our clients. By operating with increased efficiency we reduce the environmental impact and achieve fuel savings of 20 percent and more.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency, requires that vessels comply with technical solutions to reduce the environmental impact of engine emissions in controlled areas.

Additional regulations cover particularly sensitive areas, including: • • • • •

The The The The The

Great Barrier Reef sea around the Florida Keys Galapagos Archipelago Strait of Bonifacio Saba Bank in the Caribbean.

INSIDE AMELS 57

Happy CREW !

An Enjoyable Experience

“As a builder, we understand that the owners’ crew is a crucial factor in the yachting experience, says Head of Design at AMELS Hans Konings. Limited Editions yachts are designed with crew in mind – for service, yachting operations, ease of maintenance, safety, sufficient space and storage but keeping a good guest-to-crew ratio. “If the yacht is not working well for the crew, the owner will have a horrible experience.”

Complying is not enough The AMELS design hasn’t gone unnoticed by crews and captains, including Captain Grahame Shorrocks and the crew of IMAGINE, the first AMELS 212 (pictured).

“One of the great things I’ve found on IMAGINE is that the crew who work the boat, they can do their job without impacting on the guests,” he says. “Having the tank deck down below – where we can walk from forward to the aft of the vessel in all the service and technical areas – just that one thing alone, for the crew is one of the highlights of the boat.”

All AMELS yachts comply with the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention, as translated into the Large Yacht code (LY3) by Cayman Islands registry.

However, Konings points out that just complying with LY3 is not enough. “It would mean that crew still have a very tiny recreation area meant for half the crew on board, and still a small sleeping area. So we go far beyond that.”

Anywhere in the world The captain and the chief engineer have their own private quarters, not doubled up. Even technical areas such as the laundry receive the full attention of the AMELS design team.

“We think the laundry should be a functional space large enough for the crew to do their job. If you try to combine the laundry with something else, okay, you make more room for an owner’s gym or something, but it affects the operational profile of the vessel. Is it a day boat, or is it designed to be operated anywhere in the world?”

So, it’s unsurprising that top crews want to work on AMELS yachts. And, as Konings points out, many owners go even further to ensure a happy crew. “Often crews move with the owner to his new yacht. These are people he’s familiar with and trusts. When he’s enjoying his vessel, they know when to bother him and when not to. An effective and happy crew is crucial to an enjoyable experience on board.”

58 INSIDE AMELS

AMELS’ AFTER SALES CRAFTSMEN HEAD TO THE SOUTH OF FRANCE TO MAKE SURE OWNERS ENJOY A TROUBLE-FREE YACHTING EXPERIENCE.

After Sales service

NICE TO SEE A FAMILIAR FACE? With their customised AMELS mountain bikes, there’s no mistaking who the Dutch craftsmen are when the AMELS After Sales service bus reaches the Mediterranean. A Dutchman without his bicycle is like a fish out of water!

MICHEL COENS BELIEVES AFTER SALES SHOULD BE AS EASY AS POSSIBLE – WATCH HOW AMELS DOES IT

“We send the same After Sales craftsmen to the south of France that worked on the build here in Vlissingen,” says AMELS After Sales Manager Michel Coens. The service bus travels from the Netherlands to France, Spain or Italy, and Coens and his team are also available 24/7 anywhere in the world.

“We tend to be on board at least once every month, not only to look at any problems that might arise, but also to see how the owner is using his yacht, to anticipate any problems in the future.

We like to make the process as easy as possible. It tells our clients, that if something’s not working as it should be, we’ll fix it. And I believe that taking that proactive approach is what has brought us a lot of repeat customers.”

INSIDE AMELS 59

The GT Secret

How much yacht have I got?

Comparing yachts by their length is part of our nautical heritage, stemming from age-old traditions of sailboats and their skippers. It’s a tradition that AMELS carries on in the names of its Limited Editions range, but as Head of Design Hans Konings explains, the method has little relevance to today’s large full displacement superyachts.

+

GT = (0.2 + 0.02LOG10V) V “Length is not a reference for size,” he explains. “For example, the 83-metre AMELS 272 is one and a half times the length of the AMELS 180, but four times the volume. The clients who’ve been building superyachts before know exactly that they have to ask for the gross tonnage [GT]. That’s a big factor in the cost price. The length isn’t.”

GT is derived from the vessel’s volume using a universal tonnage formula adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). GT is not only related to cost price, but also to the all important IMO and Flag State rules that govern superyacht design requirements. So if you want to show off your real size, use GT not metres.

The GT comparison

AMELS 272

AMELS 212 AMELS 180

A M E L S 1 8 0 ( 5 5 . 0 0 M ) 7 0 7 G T

AMELS 212 (65.50 M)

1 5 7 4 G T

AMELS 272 (83.00 M)

2 8 2 7 G T

VITAL STATISTICS LENGTH OVERALL

52 METRES (171 FEET)

GROSS TONNAGE

645 GT

DESIGN EXTERIOR

TIM HEYWOOD

DESIGN INTERIOR

LAURA SESSA

N AVA L A R C H I T E C T U R E RANGE

AMELS 4 , 5 0 0 N A U T I C A L M I L E S AT 1 3 K N O T S

INSIDE AMELS 61

CHARTER REPORT BELLE AIMÉE FAMILY PLEASURE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

Beginning the ultimate journey of lifelong learning The French Polynesian Tuamotu atolls have all the makings of a great adventure. The day begins with an exciting snorkelling session letting the younger guests feel like true explorers. A treasure hunt and picnic lunch on a beautiful pink sand islet is followed by a deeper lagoon dive in crystal clear waters that are also home to bottlenose dolphins, coral reefs and sailfish. Back aboard BELLE AIMÉE’s beach club, the children gush with excitement as they share stories and discoveries with their own dedicated teacher. These are the adventures that shape curious minds and build resourceful characters that will last a lifetime.

62 INSIDE AMELS

BELLE AIMÉE’S EXTERIOR AREAS BECKON AS THE GUESTS ENJOY THE SEA, SUN AND SKY

A parent’s greatest joy in life is seeing their children enjoy new experiences and broaden their minds.

Chartering the AMELS-built BELLE AIMÉE provides the perfect platform for a voyage of discovery.

Equipped for discovery BELLE AIMÉE offers the opportunity to create a bespoke educational programme delivered by the internationally accredited Ross School.

For those serious about underwater exploration, BELLE AIMÉE is comprehensively equipped for all scuba diving possibilities – including nitrox compressor and all diving equipment. Naturally, the crew includes expert dive instructors capable of guiding dives at all levels.

SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURES ABOARD BELLE AIMÉE IN OCTOBER, BELLE AIMÉE’S VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY TAKES IT TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. FIVE ROSS SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL BE ABOARD WORKING WITH DAVID LIITTSCHWAGER, AN AWARD-WINNING NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER WHOSE WORK HAS APPEARED IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, AS WELL AS SCIENTISTS SPECIALISING IN MARINE BIOLOGY. TOGETHER, THE TEAM WILL DOCUMENT AND RESEARCH THE DIVERSE ARRAY OF LIFE FOUND ON THE SOLOMONS’ REEFS. THEY HOPE TO SHED NEW LIGHT ON THE AREA’S MOST UNDERSTUDIED SPECIES, INCLUDING COWRIES AND OCTOPUS. THIS JOURNEY IS JUST ONE OF THE WAYS BELLE AIMÉE IS BEING USED TO SUPPORT THE ROSS SCHOOL’S MISSION OF INTELLECTUAL INQUIRY, GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATING CHILDREN FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

When BELLE AIMÉE sails into Fiji’s waters in the South Pacific, she heads for the outer islands among the more than 330 islands and islets. In this unspoiled enclave, the guests swim with manta rays and dive with sharks in their own private island paradise. Those who prefer to remain on board don’t miss a minute of the underwater action; an ROV underwater vehicle can travel with the divers and transmit live video back on board.

Platform for enrichment The Ross School provides a professionally trained and certified teacher to travel with the charter expedition, delivering location-specific one-on-one instruction, private tutoring and educational enrichment programmes either to specific individuals or to the entire family.

Based on the AMELS 171 platform and delivered in 2010, BELLE AIMÉE is the ideal platform for these voyages of discovery. AMELS engineered and built the yacht to travel the world while providing comfort, reliability and performance at the highest level. Her 13 crew can operate and manoeuvre the vessel with the smooth and reliable seakeeping that AMELS yachts are renowned for.

She also offers plenty of luxury spaces for unwinding in the evening with interiors by Laura Sessa.

However, the next day the energetic guests are keen to be back in the water. The 13-metre BLUE DEVIL hardtop tender provides great waterskiing, kneeboarding and wakeboarding services.

Even the youngest guests are splashing around. The sheer entertainment value of the two Seabobs has all riders beaming with pleasure.

INSIDE AMELS 63

Gourmet experiences A still early morning offers the best fishing.

The Captain keeps her sailing at the perfect speed across the lagoon until the children amaze themselves by hauling in a yellowfin tuna or mahi-mahi. BELLE-AIMÉE’s master chef prepares to transform the day's catch into a fabulous dinner.

From breakfast on the shaded main deck aft to a casual lunch on the sun deck, to formal dinners inside at the antique monk's table or under the stars on the bridge deck, every deck offers unique dining spaces.

Guests aboard BELLE AIMÉE are treated to exceptional dining experiences featuring the finest cuisine carefully crafted by the yacht's master chef. Parents can share their passion for gourmet dishes, exotic flavours and local cuisine with their children while BELLE AIMÉE's culinary team and Silver Service-certified stewardesses ensure that each meal is orchestrated to perfection.

BELLE AIMÉE’s exterior areas beckon as the guests enjoy the sea, sun and sky.

When she weighs anchor in New Zealand,

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT ROSS SCHOOL’S WORLD TRAVEL ACADEMY WWW.ROSS.ORG/TRAVELACADEMY

the parents watch from the sun deck as guides lead the children through a canopy of native tree ferns and up through the beech forest. From the ridge high above Ship’s Cove, the intrepid explorers look down on BELLE AIMÉE. There, the yacht awaits them in the same cove where 300 years before the British explorer Captain Cook arrived in his 32-metre HMS ENDEAVOUR. If he could have travelled through time, how he would have marvelled upon the yacht building excellence in BELLE AIMÉE and the inspiring sight of young adventurers following in his tracks.

CHARTERING BELLE AIMÉE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC & SOUTHEAST ASIA BELLE AIMÉE’S CHARTER PROGRAMME FOCUSES ON EXOTIC DESTINATIONS THAT ENCOMPASS THE UTMOST IN DISCOVERY, EDUCATION AND ADVENTURE. THESE ARE EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE ADVENTUROUS TO EXPERIENCE FANTASTIC DIVING, EXPLORATION AND CULTURE IN THE AMAZING DESTINATIONS INCLUDING FIJI, VANUATU, NEW CALEDONIA, VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, THAILAND AND BURMA.

64 INSIDE AMELS

When the world began coming to Holland for luxury yachts

Maritime Genes In Amsterdam the Dutch National Maritime Museum, Het Scheepvaartmuseum, shows how the sea has shaped Dutch culture for hundreds of years. The museum is one of the cultural highlights of the city and has the second-largest maritime collection in the world – everything from paintings of the Dutch Masters to navigational instruments. Built in 1656 for the Admiralty of Amsterdam during the Golden Age – a time when the city was the largest port and market place in the world – the museum combines its historic heritage with cutting-edge modern architecture. In 2014 the museum hosted the World Superyacht Awards’ glittering ceremony and gala dinner – AMELS was one of the event partners, and AMELS’ parent company DAMEN is a long-term corporate sponsor of the museum.

In 1660 Lieve Pietersz Verschuier, one of the Dutch Masters of the Golden Age, painted this scene of HMY MARY sailing into Rotterdam. Built in Holland, this ‘yacht’ was a sort of vessel unknown to the rest of the world. The Dutch invented the concept of a ship built to the highest standards for comfort and pleasure. In the 17th century, wealthy merchants saw the appeal of these luxurious vessels. They liked to sail out to greet their returning ships laden with cargo. HMY MARY became one of the first yachts built in Holland to be acquired abroad – effectively the begin of Holland’s superyacht export industry. The English word ‘yacht’ itself comes from the Dutch ‘jacht’, as does the Portuguese ‘Iate’, the Russian ‘Яхта’ and many others. From the outset more than 450 years ago, the world’s luxury yachting stemmed from Dutch innovation and craftsmanship – traditions still exported around the globe today.

INSIDE AMELS 65

Party with AMELS: King's day!

The Dutch love to work hard, but anyone who has joined the AMELS team at the carnival-like King’s Day celebration will tell you, the Dutch can play hard, too. On their annual journey north to Amsterdam, AMELS and many of the hard-working crews and owners’ teams hit the biggest street party of the year as the city overflows with orange madness. With live music, concerts and DJs, the city erupts into a full-blown party.

Up to a million people throng to the city from all over the world, joining the locals along the canals, streets, parks and on the water. Below the city’s many bridges, a floating spectacle unfolds as revellers take to their dinghies, yachts, barges, houseboats, towboats, electric boats, even lifeboats.

So why orange? During the festivities, it’s easy to forget that the public holiday actually marks the birthday of King Willem-Alexander of the Dutch Royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau, hence the colour. In fact, somewhere among the orange, the King and Queen Máxima are also celebrating. The ‘orange-pride’ (which is also a football phenomenon) stems from the Royals, but for most Dutch party-goers the colour is less a patriotic emblem than a symbol of the fun and festive atmosphere where everyone is welcome, no matter their nationality.

66 INSIDE AMELS

What the experts say...

Still happy after all these years?

BEN YOUNG, SYM OWNER REP. VOLPINI AMELS CUSTOM BUILT 2004, REFIT 2014

DENIKI has proved to be a fantastic, reliable yacht. Right from her maiden voyage in 2007 (she was the first AMELS Limited Editions yacht delivered) I was impressed by her sea keeping and since then wherever we’ve taken her, we’ve never felt unsafe which is quite remarkable as we have done some fairly extreme cruising right up to Alaska and all the way down to Antarctica.

We’ve covered a lot of miles in some very challenging conditions and she hasn't missed a beat or let us down in any way. I think we’re blessed that she’s been so reliable and that we’ve never missed a guest trip. The owners have used her probably on average 100 days a year and have thoroughly enjoyed all the places that we have been to in true luxury and comfort. We’re really lucky to have such a fun-loving and adventurous boss who's willing to take DENIKI all over the world and explore unusual destinations.

I’ve been with this yacht for more than 8 years now during which time I’ve had some great crew. A great yacht is useless without a great crew and their hard work and positivity have obviously been a key factor in all these successful years of cruising, not to mention the fun times that we have all shared together along the way. A big thank you to all the crew and Captain Richard Callaghan too!

Seamless rebirth In 2013 we took over VOLPINI and started looking at different yards around the world. AMELS was not the cheapest, but in the end the reason we took the boat back was to ensure the continuity of the same standard, carried out throughout the rebuild. What I was conscious of was that if we took it to the United States for example, we might end up patching what was a beautiful boat.

And the idea was that we wanted it to look seamless, so you don’t notice it’s had the refit.

Almost half of our crew have been here for 5 years or more. There are many reasons for this, but certainly part of the equation is having a safe, reliable and comfortable yacht that the crew can feel at home on.

We cruised 6 years without having to do any major refits other than routine maintenance. Whenever we’ve had something to be solved, the AMELS After Sales team has always been very quick to help and react with their young dynamic team, regardless of where we’ve been in the world. DENIKI has been and continues to be a truly sensational yacht that we are all very proud of.

Thank you AMELS! You should be proud, too.

The refit at AMELS was a fantastic experience, I really enjoyed it. Most of the projects I do I’ve got concerns about timescale or quality. But I didn’t have either of those concerns at all with AMELS. The team did a fantastic job, they listened, they worked with us, they found solutions to all the problems we encountered.

You’ve got access to all the original suppliers, the original subcontractors – that was another key factor in the decision to bring the boat back to AMELS. Communication was good, we had weekly meetings. The yard provided very good facilities for the owner’s team and were very accommodating during the project. I was also invited on the AMELS Classic Car Rally and I really enjoyed that.

I would strongly recommend to anyone with a yacht of that quality to return back to the shipyard that built her to ensure absolute consistency and maintain the integrity of the yacht.

LAWRENCE COCKX DENIKI CHIEF CAPTAIN AMELS 171, BUILT 2007

INSIDE AMELS 67

Building without hassle GRAHAME SHORROCKS CAPTAIN IMAGINE AMELS 212, BUILT 2011

MADAME KATE’s owner has been a client of ours for many years.

He and his wife are very experienced in yachting, they enjoy cruising non-stop for 3 months a year. Being sensitive to comfort, design and perfection in details, they really wanted to climb a step to a first class yacht. Having followed different new yacht constructions in different shipyards in Europe, we selected for the owner three first-class possible builders, among which was AMELS. We’re now a bit over half way through the build of MADAME KATE, which is my first project with AMELS.

Stable manoeuvres The owner, the family and guests absolutely love the yacht.

They’ve found that one of the best things for them is the space on board, it’s very roomy. You’ve got plenty of entertaining areas, which is very important. As a build, IMAGINE is very, very good.

The interior luxury areas are of the highest quality I’ve seen from not just Dutch yards, but pretty much all European and American yards.

I’ve been involved in other construction projects in places like France and Italy, but here at AMELS I enjoy every day looking at the facility, the workshops, the workers, the co-makers, and be convinced that quality is everywhere. Unlike in other shipyards, here in Vlissingen there’s no need to fight to get the quality, it’s always delivered, even in the smallest details. In the past I have had bad experiences with shipyards trying to lower the standards just to maintain budget and delivery schedule. Of course, as a surveyor it’s my job to supervise the project, but there are very few remarks in general, and the remarks I make have often been noticed already by the AMELS Project Manager and the quality controllers of the shipyard. Immediate actions are taken so corrections are made before my next visit.

This shipyard makes no compromise. It’s not just a philosophy but a working culture shared by the management and the workers. This was really easy for the owner to feel the first time he visited AMELS, and this is mainly what convinced him to sign his new yacht with AMELS. For me, as owner representative and surveyor, instead of having a hassle with the shipyard to get quality, I spend most of my time focussed on the other aspects of the yacht – all the little details that will make the difference for the owner and his wife and will give them this unique pleasure every day they spend on board MADAME KATE.

During the last 3 years on the boat we’ve covered around 45,000 miles. The boat manoeuvres absolutely perfectly. Doesn’t require any extra power. Even in high wind it’s a strong boat. I like it. You can manoeuvre in very fine areas, in Saint Tropez and Bonifacio, in all these areas it’s very good.

A lot of guests we have on board, family and charter, are very aware of movement – they’re not used to being on vessels. And we’ve found that IMAGINE is a very good, stable platform. Both underway and at zero speed, at anchor.

In 2011 we left AMELS with a very, very small snag list. I think only three items on it, which were pretty much fixed by the time the yacht was delivered to Palma. The back-up from AMELS was always excellent. The After Sales Department was a great help.

We never had a problem that wasn’t fixed in good time. Especially when the pressure is on, with guests wanting to get on the boat, that’s where the shipyard benefits us.

BENOIT FAURE, YACHTING CONCEPT OWNER REPRESENTATIVE MADAME KATE AMELS 199, DELIVERY 2015 HEAR CAPTAIN GRAHAME SHORROCKS DESCRIBE LIFE ON BOARD IMAGINE

68 INSIDE AMELS

We’d like to show you just how remarkable pearl effect paintwork is. However, the limitation of print means you won’t see it in these pages. Only those fortunate enough to see MADAME KATE themselves, perhaps in the brilliant sunlight of the Mediterranean, can appreciate the unique paintwork. The 60-metre superyacht is the first AMELS to be completely finished in a pearl effect paint system.

The application of Brilliance First AMELS superyacht ever with full pearl effect finish Never seen before on a Limited Editions yacht, MADAME KATE’s complete hull and superstructure is in a ‘pearl effect’ paint system. In sunlight, this lustrous coating on the AMELS 199 will look like no other, fully revealing the radical lines and contours of Tim Heywood’s exterior design. The idea came from the owner’s passion for automobiles such as the Bianco Isis of Lamborghini. Owner representative Benoit Faure says the owner had two ideas for the colour of his new AMELS 199. Both options had to fulfil the same criteria – something that would stand out.

“The owner had in mind a yacht which would be very special to him, he also wanted a yacht that would be different from all other yachts in terms of design,” he says. “This factor of recognition was very important for him.”

INSIDE AMELS 69

A finish limited to the elite The owner’s first option was a colour not unlike some famous boats delivered in recent times. Beautiful, yes, certainly recognisable, but a touch on the flashy side. The second option was more ambitious – a pearlescent white. Applying this sophisticated fine effect over very large surface areas is complex and very expensive. The paint experts at AMELS poured their heart and soul into developing a custom-made and top quality pearl paint in this lavish finish.

The paint team then apply a first layer of clear coat over the whole vessel, which is then sanded and resprayed with another layer of clear coat. As these coats are transparent, the base paint underneath is very important, Springvloet Dubbeld continues. “There’s no hiding at all. It has to be completely white. Not one spot of black, no failures, no dust, no runners. Nothing can be visible.”

“It took quite a long time for AMELS to confirm that they could do this colour in the quality desired,” Faure says. “Then we got the confirmation that yes, we could do the pearl colour. That extraordinary aspect of the project was particularly interesting for the owner.”

Spraying the pearl on such a large surface area is a job for real experts, particularly on curvaceous and flowing Tim Heywood lines that require continuous sprays. “If you make a mistake in the pearl, like a runner, or fish eyes or dust inclusion or whatever, you have to go right back to the base system – in this case a snow white top coat – and then start all over again. So any mistake, you’ll have to redo the entire job.”

There’s no hiding at all

Elaborate illumination

“This is a pure pearl – not metallic – effect,” explains AMELS Paint Manager Arie Springvloet Dubbeld. “The pearlescent optical effect works like Isaac Newton’s prism, you have different colours in one colour. Pearlescent is basically the next step after metallic paints.

You get a very elegant and refined effect.”

This unique finish will not only stand out in sunlight, but will also sparkle with elegance at night, thanks to an elaborate lighting system.

According to Faure, the owner wanted the boat to be in the spotlight, like a star at Cannes film festival, thanks to sophisticated lighting – above and below the waterline – with the ability to change colours.

Made from aluminium, the base of any metallic is always grey, Springvloet Dubbeld says. “You can make metallics in red, green, blue – any colour you want, as long as it’s not white. A white metallic is impossible. On the other hand, in pearlescent paint you have very fine mica, which is glass, so you see through it to the layer below.

This makes it much more complex to apply than metallic paints, because you first have to spray a whole system before you can start.

And on top of that you start with the pearl effect.”

“The lighting in general was part of the quest for the boat. And on top of that, the paint finish of the boat became even more important.

When you illuminate your boat at night, if it has a special colour, it’s even more beautiful. So we wanted special underwater lights, but also the biggest modification was to change the superstructure lighting.”

Following the base paintwork, the pearl effect starts with a very thin layer – 10-15 microns – of mica and binder.

The result, Faure says, is going to be superb when MADAME KATE is delivered before the summer of 2015.

70 INSIDE AMELS

Convinced by AMELS quality MADAME KATE will be delivered just over 2 years after the project began for owner representative Benoit Faure from Yachting Concept. His long relationship with this experienced yacht owner began with chartering several different yachts. The owner then decided to build his first yacht, a 43-metre, at an Italian yard. Four years later, in early 2013, the owner was looking for another yacht but of a much higher standard. He asked Faure to propose a first class shipyard that could deliver a yacht in less than 3 years.

After visiting AMELS, the owner was convinced, but he made some quite important changes to the layout and design of the AMELS 199, including outside areas and relocating the galley from the lower deck to the main deck.

“Both the owner and his wife are fine gourmets,” Faure explains. “They wanted to put the art of making fine cuisine back into the centre of the boat. As far as the interior design was concerned, Madame was expecting to get an original and extremely elegant environment, a promise clearly delivered by the design Laura Sessa. The matching was very good, she is very talented and understood at once what the client wanted.”

Faure concludes, “Looking at the long list of modifications requested by the owner, I was really impressed by the speed of reaction from the AMELS Project Manager and the quality of the solutions given to us. All this comforted the owner that he was building his new yacht at the right place.”

INSIDE AMELS 71

SPIRIT of the Pacific North-West One remarkable journey among the AMELS 171's many adventures around the world since delivery in 2011 - captured in this wonderful illustration by the owner’s daughter. Captain Robert O’Connell recalls watching bears pounce on leaping salmon, and humpback whales bubble feeding below dramatic step-sided fjords.

SPIRIT sailed near glaciers, the thundering crack as ice chunks the size of houses tumble spectacularly into the cold sea.

And there was time on a quiet afternoon for fishing in the chilly air – trout, salmon, Dungeness crab and a memorably delicious halibut sashimi with soy sauce warmed up with a shot of vodka.

72 INSIDE AMELS WATCH A SHOWCASE CAPTURING MORE OF ENGELBERG’S FASCINATING INTERIORS.

INSIDE AMELS 73

FRESH IDEAS BY ENZO ENEA

In 2014 ENGELBERG beat out the competition to win its category in the Asia Boating Awards. The jury was impressed by the yacht’s striking colour scheme and in particular the completely original interior by Swiss landscape architect Enzo Enea, the result of his first ever yacht project.

Enzo Enea integrates the sea The success of the refreshing design not only proved the value of creative talent from outside the business, but pushed the AMELS design team to explore new possibilities and make Enea’s vision a reality. In many ways, this makes the award-winning ENGELBERG the ultimate expression of the Limited Editions concept.

A love of the ocean Having worked with ENGELBERG’s owners on their home in Switzerland, Enea and his team were invited to pitch for the yacht’s interior design. “They know our taste and how we treat material, how we choose materials. They liked what we brought in, this idea of integrating in the sea and the coast.”

Enea’s design brings superyachts back to their origin: a love of the ocean, always connected to the outside. His colour scheme is carefully matched to shades of the sea, trees and natural landscapes outside: greens, blues and light greys.

“The whole philosophy was to get the surroundings and the flow from outside to inside,” he says. “The opposite of what architects and designers normally do. We do not look at the interior space in isolation. When you design an outdoor space in a landscaping way you have to read the place, the place brings the style and the design. You cannot decorate, you have to integrate.

This is a big point – I try to work really hard on that. For instance, I would never plant olive trees in Switzerland, even if the people like it.”

With this idea to integrate the yacht with the coast and as much as possible with the sea surrounding it, Enea’s team then worked out the process of how to translate it into materials.

74 INSIDE AMELS

“THIS IS A BUSINESS BOAT AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PLACES WHERE THE OWNER CAN WORK, BUT IT’S ALSO ABOUT ENJOYING LIFE, HAVING FUN.”

Enea says they also weaved a story of function and different uses through the different decks.

The lower deck can be considered a homage to the world below the surface of the sea. Sparkling starfish, luminescent jellyfish captured in glass, and life-sized artist portraits of turtles, stingrays, sharks and dolphins and a glass mosaic depicting a coral reef with some well-known fish – all entangle you in their magic. The main deck brings you to the shore with wide open rooms, fresh airy colours in tones inspired by ocean, beaches and lush greens.

Creativity and professionalism Although the owners took some risk in awarding the project to a first time yacht designer, Enea believes the firm’s creativity and professionalism won them over. “If we say something we do it, and the owners trusted us in that way and it came out that way. It’s design. You have to create something and then bring it into its form and then it has to function. The big challenge for us was to work with yacht materials – carbon, wood, glass.”

Initially, the yacht builders at AMELS were wondering how the landscape architects would approach the challenge, Enea says. “I think at first they were looking at us, like these guys, I don’t know how they want to do that. Because AMELS knows what it means to design a boat. But I think

INSIDE AMELS 75

ENZO ENEA INTEGRATED ENGELBERG’S INTERIORS WITH THE SEA, WEAVING A STORY THROUGH THE DIFFERENT DECKS. FROM THE BEACH CLUB’S FUN HOMAGE TO THE WORLD BELOW THE SURFACE (ABOVE) TO THE FRESH AIRY SHORE OF THE MAIN DECK (LEFT).

after the second meeting, or even after the first meeting, it was quite clear that we could deliver.”

In fact, AMELS quickly discovered that Enea and his team were faster than many other designers and very precise, too. On the other hand, AMELS also provided the Swiss team with practical advice. “Working with AMELS was a good experience. The technical part of the team really helped us.”

New ideas After specifying the design requirements, the designers developed the different spaces and adjusted the layout accordingly to give ENGELBERG its character and its connection to its surroundings. Asked whether AMELS and the Limited Editions provided enough potential for customisation, Enea answers with conviction. “Absolutely. Of course there are limits, but it’s like reading the land, you have to deal with perimeters, regulations, the heights, the way you are positioned. I liked it because, you know, we cannot design a boat, somebody has to do that. We are creative enough to work with what we have, and do something beautiful. For us, it was the perfect way to get in.”

AMELS Head of Design Hans Konings says the yard’s experience on ENGELBERG brought in many new ideas. “If you get a designer who’s not only focussed on shipbuilding, you get new ideas. They ask the question, but why can’t I have this? And then we look into the rules and regulations and think, okay, maybe we can facilitate this. We’ll make it work.”

AMELS also brings decades of experience in designing for yacht operations – the logistics of service on board – as well as feasibility and fit with regulations. Konings continues, “In yacht design you’re confronted with, for example, fire tight doors, insulation, watertight integrity. We have to facilitate all kinds of specialist maritime systems like fire protection and suppression systems, air conditioning. Our job is to enable the designer to achieve his vision.”

“I’m a fan of this boat,” Enea concludes. “It’s a human size, it has this feeling that you can have some adventure and discover things. It’s integrated and still contemporary, with a certain freshness.”

CUSTOMISED ARCHITECTURE AMELS put an incredible amount of customisation into ENGELBERG, including a wide-body sky lounge, and extra folding balconies and sliding doors to open the interior to the sea. The opening balcony in the owners’ cabin is huge, with carbon fibre stanchions, and glass that can be switched between dark privacy glass or vision glass. An extended sundeck provides an additional 32 square metres of deck space – probably the largest sundeck you’ll find on any 55m yacht.

76 INSIDE AMELS

REFIT VOLPINI

Integrity is ageless With a ring on the brand new ship’s bell, VOLPINI left AMELS for the second time, 10 years after the yacht’s original delivery. AMELS completed an intensive winter refit as scheduled in time for the new owner to enjoy the season in the Mediterranean. While the owner had a number of alternations made to the interior and upgraded technical systems, the owner representative Ben Young from SYM says the key mission for AMELS was nothing short of a rebirth while ensuring the integrity of the yacht’s original character.

AS VOLPINI LEFT THE AMELS YARD, THE YACHT PASSED BY THE VLISSINGEN BOULEVARD WHERE VOLPINI’S CREW STAYED DURING THE REFIT PROJECT. CAPTAIN NATHAN MCFADYEN, “THE CREW HAD A GREAT TIME. THE ACCOMMODATION WAS FANTASTIC – A WATERFRONT LOCATION. EVERYONE WAS VERY WELCOMING. SO VLISSINGEN REALLY DOES HAVE A LOT GOING FOR IT.”

WE HAD A GREAT STAY! WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEWS WITH THE VOLPINI CREW

INSIDE AMELS 77

VITAL STATISTICS LENGTH OVERALL 49.30 METRES GROSS TONNAGE 659 GT D E S I G N D O N A L D S TA R K E Y N AVA L A R C H I T E C T U R E A M E L S B U I LT A M E L S 2 0 0 4 REFIT AMELS 2014

78 INSIDE AMELS

Looks of a new build Part of the VOLPINI refit work scope was a complete repaint. Refit Project Manager Frank van Loo says it’s a point of pride at AMELS that a repaint is treated with the same meticulous attention to detail as new build paintwork. “We go all the way back and start with primer.

Doors, hatches, everything comes off.”

AMELS applied that same attention to detail to the interior woodwork.

According to VOLPINI’s Captain, Nathan McFadyen, the yacht had had some woodwork done in France prior to coming to AMELS, but matching the wood proved difficult. At AMELS the original interior co-maker Metrica came back and completed the job in no time.

“Looking at the finish, it’s perfect,” McFadyen says. “You can’t tell it’s been touched. It’s absolutely fantastic.”

Captain McFadyen praised the AMELS project management. “I think we were finished 4 days before the contract date. But we had also added a lot of jobs. As you dig deeper you find more problems.

Being a 10-year-old boat, we had a lot of piping, fresh water valves, add-on jobs and we still finished those before the scheduled timetable as well.”

Matter of seconds During the refit Young flew regularly from Monaco to Vlissingen to meet with the AMELS project team, keeping an overview of the project and making key decisions on a weekly basis. He was full of praise for the project team at AMELS, particularly their focus on sticking to schedule, quality and communication with the owner’s team. The AMELS approach, Van Loo says, is to talk to the captain and the owner representative and take care of what needs to be done. “What you see in some other yards is that the captain ends up having to tell the yard to do this, and the carpenter or electrician to do that. That’s not how we do things here.”

As the original builder, AMELS can easily find a part, check the original drawings or even find the original subcontractors that worked on the yacht. “If a valve is broken, it’s a matter of seconds for us to find it on the computer and order a new one. For the crew, it’d take a day to figure it out. If something like that needs fixing, it makes no sense to throw the problem back to the boat, there’s no progress in that.”

Integrity intact AMELS has already completed nearly 40 refit projects. AMELS has a straightforward approach to refits – delivering what it promises and no surprises. That includes no separate charges for cooling water, Internet, electricity, etc.

“Initially we might seem expensive compared to the competition,” says Van Loo, “but at the end of the day it’s good value. You come to the yard and we treat the boat as we discussed and that’s it.

There is a sort of sense of responsibility for the boat, because it’s an AMELS. Before she left the yard we fitted her with a new ship’s bell, it’s a rebirth. Her original character is intact, but for the new owner she’s as good as new.”

INSIDE AMELS 79

VOLPINI DURING HER REFIT AT AN AMELS COVERED DRY-DOCK. WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO THE NORTH SEA, THE YARD CAN ACCOMMODATE NEW BUILDS AND REFITS FOR EVEN THE LARGEST OF PRIVATE YACHTS UP TO 200 METRES.

Captain Nathan McFadyen at AMELS We had a 10-year class survey while we were here, for Lloyds and for Cayman Island. It all went through so easily because during our refit Lloyds was on site once a week. And we were ticking off things for the 10-year survey as we went along. So it was really, really easy. The AMELS guys and the project managers helped us so much in organising that as well. So it takes a lot of pressure off the captain. By the time we launched, we only had about 5 or 6 items left to actually cover.

WATCH CAPTAIN MCFADYEN DESCRIBING HIS EXPERIENCES AT AMELS IN VLISSINGEN.

80 INSIDE AMELS Newport, USA

Lisbon, POR Auckland, NZL

Itajai, BRA

Before the sailors of the Dutch-flagged Team Brunel began the demanding Volvo Ocean Race around the world, they went sailing with AMELS, setting off from the Vlissingen yard on the North Sea. This is an offshore sailing crew at the top of their game, welcomed by a yacht builder performing at the top of its game, and inspiring thousands of Dutch kids to set their sights on yachting.

BOUWE BEKKING, TEAM BRUNEL SKIPPER IN VOLVO RACE 2014

Striving for the ultimate result

Following Team Brunel DOWNLOAD THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE APP TO FOLLOW THE RACE IN “REAL-TIME”

“We owe this to our heritage and to future sailing generations,” says skipper Bouwe Bekking about his team’s upcoming challenge. Back at the pier beside the AMELS superyachts under construction at the Vlissingen yard, Team Brunel invited school kids on board to get a taste of the race. Signing their name on the bulkheads, the kids’ names will travel the world together with Team Brunel. And AMELS will be following the team’s progress, too.

Top sport = top yacht building Just as the world’s toughest sailing race pushes Team Brunel to the edges of their capabilities, the superyacht business demands the pinnacle of Dutch quality in every luxury yacht that the AMELS team delivers. Bekking sees the parallel with successful professional sailing. “It’s very much like in business.

Of course you need someone to take the lead, but what you really need are some good guys to make the calls, take responsibility. It’s all about the people.

You need to keep that enthusiasm, and the closeness – like a family business.”

“On the boat, even for just a few hours, you can feel the true team spirit,” notes AMELS Managing Director Rob Luijendijk. “The way that people work together. That’s something we try to keep in the shipyard – to stay very close.

Very down to earth. That’s such a big asset. Although we’re growing, we know how important it is to keep that part of our DNA.” Dutch, and connected to the world Team Brunel has a very Dutch approach, including the country’s tradition of reaching out to the rest of the world. To select the crew and shore team, Bekking focussed on finding the very best guys, no matter their nationality. “It’s in our roots to look beyond our borders. We’re a trading nation. You pick the best guys and bring them here.” AMELS does the same, comments Luijendijk: “We have seventeen different nationalities at the yard. It’s very positive thing, an added value.”

The Volvo Ocean Race takes the boats on centuries-old maritime trading routes

Lorient, FRA The Hague, NED Gothenburg SWE

Alicante ESP

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Sanya, CHN

Cape Town, RSA

Follow Team Brunel with AMELS Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 Start: Alicante, Spain, 4 October 2014 Distance: 38,739 nautical miles - 11 ports in 11 countries Finish: After a 24 hour pitstop in The Hague, the Netherlands, the yachts will make the final run to the finish in Gothenburg, Sweden in the summer of 2015

to all the corners of the world, including the United Arab Emirates, China, Brazil, the USA’s East Coast and Portugal.

In all these places, the reputation of the Dutch precedes Team Brunel.

As Bekking notes, the seafaring nation has sailing, and the Volvo Ocean Race, in its blood.

Sailing DNA To inspire the next generation of sailors, Team Brunel is behind the Team Sailing Holland School Project.

Thousands of school kids across the Netherlands are taking part to learn not only about the yacht race, but also about the environment, culture, biology, history, geography and meteorology. And in Vlissingen, Team Brunel’s visit was a chance for 250 kids to take part in Optimist sailing clinics organised in the harbour. As AMELS knows, it’s not just the next generation of top sailors that these activities will inspire, it’s also the next generation of top yacht builders.

TEAM BRUNEL VISITED AMELS IN HOLLLAND, GIVING HUNDREDS OF LOCAL SCHOOL KIDS A TASTE OF SAILING AND INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF YACHT BUILDERS.

82 INSIDE AMELS

"During the last 2 years, AMELS has delivered seven Limited Editions yachts from the 55 to 83-metre range – all on time. Our greatest satisfaction is seeing each owner enjoy life’s best moments on board their AMELS yacht. That’s what the yachting experience is really about.”

ENGELBERG

55.00 metres (180 feet)

EVENT

60.00 metres (197 feet)

AMELS 180

55.00 metres (180 feet)

KAMALAYA

55.00 metres (180 feet)

Recent yachts to emerge from the AMELS yard

DELIVERIES So what’s behind the Limited Editions concept? In 2007, after 25 years of yacht building, AMELS asked a fundamental question: how can we build a better superyacht, one that meets the needs of a busy owner in the early 21st century?

And so we arrived at a new concept, one that takes the best from full custom and semi-custom and combines them into something new. We call this concept Limited Editions – yachts of the very highest quality with a unique character created to the owner’s vision in less time.

Today, the revolutionary Limited Editions approach has captured the imagination of the superyacht world, creating a new era in modern luxury yacht building. The Limited Editions fleet already totals 20 yachts around the world, with more on the way, including the largest Limited Editions yachts ever built. The future certainly looks good, but our challenge is to deliver what we promise for each new project.

And we never stop asking the question, can we do things even better?

Limited Editions 55 to 83-metre range Current global fleet (2007 to 2014): Under construction as of summer 2014:

20 9

Yacht Support range AMELS works together with DAMEN Shipyards on the advanced Yacht Support range, including recent deliveries of the SEA AXE 6711. These purpose-built vessels create a whole new standard for the superyacht experience.

FOLLOW AMELS YACHTS AND DAMEN YACHT SUPPORT VESSELS WORLDWIDE ON GOOGLE MAPS VIA AIS TRACKING.

INSIDE AMELS 83

ASTRA

55.00 metres (180 feet)

"A big compliment to everybody involved" SERENITY J

55.00 metres (180 feet)

We thank our clients and their teams for entrusting their vision of yachting with us.

We wish them, their families and guests many memorable moments on board their AMELS yachts. There are a lot of dedicated and passionate people that make that happen, from the craftsmen working on board, to the designers and engineering teams, Z

65.70 metres (216 feet)

not to mention the owners’ teams, captains and crews. That’s the soul of superyachtbuilding at AMELS, something we’re all very proud of.

6711

built by DAMEN 67.15 metres (220 feet)

Managing Director

Technical Director

AMELS KONINGSWEG 2 4381 NA VLISSINGEN PO BOX 84 4380 AB VLISSINGEN THE NETHERLANDS T +31 118 485002 E info@amels-holland.com www.amels-holland.com

DISCLAIMER All information, specifications, descriptions, and images in this brochure are considered preliminary, non-binding and subject to change by AMELS. No images herein may be reproduced in any form without written permission of AMELS.