Feadship has launched the 69m Samaya for a client who was introduced to the Dutch shipyard three years ago by Lee Marine. The brief called for a yacht capable of remaining autonomous for long periods while exploring uncharted areas.
(Photos: Lee Marine – Samaya)
The custom Feadship was completed less than three years after the signing of the first agreement, which was reached after only three days of meetings.
After Lee Marine introduced the client to Feadship at the 2014 Monaco Yacht Show, the Thailand-based yacht services company was retained to oversee the build of the Feadship #696 superyacht from conception to delivery, and manage her.
Joshua Lee, Founder and Managing Director of Lee Marine, said: “We have been very pleased to be involved in the entire process working with both the client and the talented Feadship team. The yacht is quite distinctive with many long-range features that may surprise some corners of the market.”
Bas Nederpelt, Director of Feadship, recalled: “After joining us at the 2014 Monaco Show, the client came straight to the Netherlands.”
“This is the clearest possible example of how Feadship can embark on a project guided solely by the inspiration of a client and our unrivalled experience. Confident of the stellar reputation of the Feadship yards, owners can be rest assured that everything will go smoothly from that point on.”
(Samaya)
The owner of Samaya was hugely involved throughout the project, taking part in regular monthly meetings that lasted several days.
This process ultimately led to a superyacht that is based on the client’s personality and the needs of the family with marine conservation in mind.
Samaya’s primary coating is a subtle lunar white, which reveals hints of warm pink hue during sunset. This maritime scheme is offset by a teal-coloured waterline and continues with a backlit manta ray symbol on fashion plates.
Feadship De Voogt designer Jan Schaffers explained. “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.”
(Samaya)
Designed in partnership with RWD, the interior houses conceivable facilities (including a nitrox-enriched air system) and is characterised by bespoke placement of everything from seats to equipment shelves.
Samaya’s 8.8m and 7.2m tenders are housed in a garage in the main deck and launched via large doors. The main deck aft also features a bespoke flat-bottomed plunge pool which will be filled with hot water to speed up post-dive recovery from the coldness of the depths.
In a similar vein, all luxury areas on the yacht can be heated up to 30 °C rather than the normal 25 °C mark.
The guest suites have been designed for and by the owner’s children, with colour schemes and furnishing of their own. Another bespoke area is the ethnic lounge on the bridge deck for entertainment.