Shipyard

Take to the water

Dutch shipbuilder Feadship has a long history of creating beautiful yachts – and this year is no different, writes Mariana Soru

As yacht enthusiasts will tell you, it is knowledge, craftmanship and cutting-edge design that combine to make truly special vessels. Those who know Feadship, the Dutch shipbuilder, will know it has each in abundance, the result of a long history of creating beautiful boats for well-heeled customers. The company can trace its roots back to the De Vries and Van Lent families, who opened shipyards in 1906 and 1849, respectively – two iconic shipbuilding names whose descendants continue to build Feadship vessels. In fact, in these times of uncertainty, the company’s history of innovation in the face of adversity is likely to prove useful.

The First Export Association of Dutch Shipbuilders – which gave the group its name – met for the first time in Amsterdam in 1949 in a bid to target the American market after the Second World War had decimated

European economies and destroyed demand for yachts. Introduced to the US public at the 1951 New York Boat Show, Feadship has never looked back – with Hilda V, Capri and Souris II, its final wooden yacht in 1955, among its early sales on that side of the Atlantic. The company soon became well known to America’s rich and famous, including Malcolm Forbes, who launched the first of three HighlanderFeadships in 1957. The original three partners – Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw, Royal Van Lent Shipyard and De Voogt Naval Architects – continue to design and build yachts under the Feadship banner.

In the 1960s, the golden age of yacht-making, Feadship embraced then new technologies – such as retractable stabiliser fins and air conditioning – with the likes of Henry Ford II (Santa Maria) and Arthur Wirtz (Blackhawk) among those ordering custom-built yachts. Feadship notes that each bespoke vessel it has built is a clear expression of individualism, but they were “all built for sophisticated owners who knew that they wanted the very best that money could buy”. Feadship has remarked on a trend for “pure custom creations” since the turn of the century and a surge in demand for large superyachts, as the Middle East began to rival its traditional US market. Over the years, as technology has developed, its customers have become more intrepid in their travels – taking their vessels to far corners of the globe and circumnavigations of the world, to the Amazon and beyond.

The rich and famous still turn to Feadship to create their visions of luxury on the high seas. Recent builds include the 99.95-metre Moonrise, With a 15.50-metre beam, it boasts a spacious interior, room for sixteen people in eight staterooms and high-end crew accommodation for up to 32 crew. Joining the 2020 fleet is Arrow, an inaugural new-build superyacht commissioned by the owners. The 75-metre motoryacht is also the first Feadship to be drawn by Jonny Horsfield and his team at the H2 Yacht Design studio in London.