Refit of the 55m Feadship MY Broadwater: a modern twist on a classic design
by MCM 18 Dec 2020 04:19 PST
As owner's representative on the recent refit of the classic Feadship Broadwater (ex-Rasselas) at Royal Huisman Amsterdam, Peter Wilson of MCM reflects on the challenges and lessons learnt.
What was the owner's mission when he decided to refit the former 52-metre Rasselas?
The owner is a passionate devotee of classic Feadship design and felt Rasselas was one of the most beautiful yachts the shipyard had built. He wanted to give the yacht a new lease of life and bring her up to modern standards, though wanted it done in a way that very carefully retained the original design DNA.
The 4-metre stern extension, for example, was added to provide a beach club and swim platform that everyone expects on a superyacht today, but was not really considered in 1994. The new hardtop was built in carbon/grp composites to avoid adding too much weight up top and to avoid the need for supporting pillars that would have changed her profile and functionality.
Together with the new Flag Blue hull colour, when you look at the yacht now her pedigree is still very clear: you know immediately she's a beautiful Feadship and this is evident in the 'before' and 'after' photographs. I should add that this is largely thanks to the very talented designer, Adam Vorhees, responsible for both the exterior and interior redesign.
Was any of the original interior retained?
Let's say that no area was left untouched and even the sauna, which was on the main deck adjacent to the owner's suite, has been converted into an A/V rack room.
The master stateroom was completely gutted and is entirely new, but in other areas the raised panelling and joinery have been retained and painted to give the interior a much more contemporary feel than the original elegant but rather dark mahogany Englishman's club look. The new design is airy and refined and draws on brushed European oak, black walnut and fumed Eucalyptus, along with bronzed details and tactile leather, cashmere, silk and wool textiles. The crew quarters were also revamped to bring them up to modern standards.
The transformation is truly amazing and almost Scandinavian in feel. If I were to plonk you in the main salon and ask you what yacht you were on, you would be hard-pressed to think of Rasselas!
What was the most complex part of the refit for you as the owner's representative?
The main challenges were equally divided between the interior renovation and, because the owner fully intends chartering the yacht, bringing her up to Lloyds Commercial Class. The latter required an enormous amount of work because we had to install a Hi-Fog system throughout the vessel, new A0 and A60 fireproof bulkheads and boundaries around the machinery spaces and galley, a new smoke detection system and install an emergency generator (didn't have one before), to name just a few of the upgrades required.
What lessons did you take away from the project?
Broadwater was certainly MCM's biggest refit project and it quickly became all-consuming - each morning, greeted with an overflowing inbox with decisions waiting to be made. I knew from the start it was going to be challenging to get it done in the original timeframe, but delays due to the Covid crisis meant we had to push back the original schedule.
In terms of lessons I took away, the project reconfirmed for me that planning upfront is always beneficial. It's well known in the refit business that the more time you have to prepare, the better you can define the costs and timing. We learnt a lot about the viability of turning a yacht from private to commercial: you can read the rule books as much as you want, but until you start discussions with the surveyors and get to grips with a real task and its nuances, it's all so much theory.
We were fortunate to be working for an experienced owner. He had already refitted various yachts, including his previous Feadship, also called Broadwater, and understood the process. When I sometimes had to call him with less than stellar news, he would take it in stride and I think it's fair to say he's overjoyed with the end result. He spent Thanksgiving on board in the US Virgin Island and was brimming with enthusiasm - so I would say his mission has been accomplished!
Broadwater Designer's Statement - Adam Vorhees
The starting point for Broadwater was simply to respect the pedigree of a classic Feadship while introducing modern technology and a more nuanced approach to comfortable, refined living onboard. Collaborating with the Owner through five previous projects afforded me an instinctive clarity and intimate understanding for the desired life onboard: aesthetic restraint in form and space, harmony and wellbeing through materials and lighting, all surrounded by an underlying timeless identity.
The extensive refit of Broadwater ranges from vast exterior modifications and technical upgrades to bring her in line with classification to rebuilding the interior into a sanctuary of comfort and hospitality. Traditional nautical form and beauty is reinforced by the Flag Blue hull, accentuating the sheer line and elongating the profile. Yet not just a visual trick, as Broadwater has grown physically though a transformative 4 meter stern extension to contain complete beach club facilities, effortless access to the water, and easy tender operations.
Stepping onboard, the heritage of the original architecture is respected; now desaturated and toned down to serve as a hushed, graceful backdrop against bespoke furnishings and notable artworks. Indeed, the collection of artwork serves as a primary motivator for the design narrative. The Calder in the main salon inspires everything from the dining table architecture to the wine display cabinet while the bespoke hardware onboard reference Jean Arp's relief sculptures. Whether a secretly secluded Dali or carefully curated antiquities from around the world, all the art suggests an ever flowing language, speaking together to animate the spaces.
Broadwater does not succumb to any particular style but is rather a dialogue between the casually elegant with the cleverly unexpected. Influences range in everything from classical French and Italian Art Deco to Indochine and mid-century Scandinavian. Inherently, I couldn't help but inject some Californian modernism as well.
Above all, every experience onboard is informed through pure expressions of natural materials. From brushed rift European oak, open grain black walnut, and fumed Eucalyptus to richly patinated bronze and highly textural stones of Serpeggiante and Portoro. Deliciously tactile cashmeres, silks, wools, leathers, and linens in closely curated palettes all impart an ethos of quiet serenity and discerning finish. An obsession for craft and the Unique is apparent; a result of many rewarding collaborations with the finest artisans, artists, and renowned manufacturers to execute lovely bespoke furnishings and details.
In highlighting just a few of the areas onboard, the continuity of this materiality is clear in the owner suite while the hierarchy is made apparent through the exclusive palette of deep, sultry colors, woven ceiling panels, and an exquisite artwork over the bed. The owner suite boasts an all new layout with double ensuites, connected by a glass shower to maintain maximum sight-lines and natural lighting in both areas. Abundant closet space with many special integrations for storage abound.
The sundeck features new mast and canopy architecture as well as a completely revised layout with large spa pool, bar area and day head. This program creates many discrete opportunities from enjoying an intimate meal to hosting a massive party, reflecting a current sensibility for how yachts are enjoyed by all guests with special consideration for heavy charter use and necessary circulation patterns for crew functionalities. These notions are further explored in even smaller details. In the Skylounge for example, an entire Derakshani painting slides open to reveal hidden storage and is intentionally designed to be used when guests are present; a type of theatric event with the crew to promote an informal and personal interaction.
These tensions between the elevated and the understated, in both physical and experiential form, develops a depth of patina and sense of place in the world. Broadwater is a synthesis of connections between past, present, and future; where even the subtle detail of inscribed bronze floor inserts with coordinates of the Owner's favorite spots across the globe is one more thread in a tapestry that speaks to the journeys thus far and yet to be taken.