SAMAYA (69m) // Feadship

Feadship describes the yacht as “The ultimate diving buddy” because the owner has a focus on diving adventures. SAMAYA features a tidy diving room for the equipment, a heating system that the yacht can be heated up 30° and a pool of hot water that divers can recover fast from their trips in the depths.

Currently not in pictures: The interior design by RWD (Redman Whitely Dixon).

“After joining us at the 2014 Monaco show, the client came straight to the Netherlands with Joshua Lee from Lee Marine to see our facilities on the Sunday after the event and discuss a high-speed motor yacht with a large open sun deck,” remembers Feadship director Bas Nederpelt. “They then spent Monday and Tuesday with the in-house design and naval architect team at Feadship De Voogt translating the client’s fascinating ideas into the initial design. After several design iterations, a Letter of Intent was signed on the Tuesday evening.

Feadship De Voogt designer Jan Schaffers explains:

“The owner shared stories about diving adventures as we studied shapes together to discover what it is that makes these underwater creatures so fascinating. Our conclusions were included in the design. A good example is the gentle yet powerful muscular shape of the side bulwarks, which echo the pronounced slender muscles seen on a bull shark.”

The yacht is equipped with two custom-designed tenders in the sizes of 8.8m and 7.2m with the same color as the mothership. The boats are stored forward on the main deck.

“This is the clearest possible example of how Feadship can embark on a project guided solely by the inspiration of a client and our unrivaled experience. Confident of the stellar reputation of the Feadship yards, owners can rest assured that everything will go smoothly from that point on. We also have the flexibility to continue engaging with their ideas as a design develops: Samaya, for instance, grew by some five meters over the early months. This is the only way to ensure a truly bespoke motor yacht.”

The yacht was designed to be autarky to sail in regions with no or limited infrastructure. During the keel laying ceremony, the owner promised that the yacht serves also as a platform for scientists and media to produce educational material of rare species.