Inside Feadship: The Art of Obsessive Creativity

First on the list of revered Dutch yacht builders, Feadship has always known how to make an impression on the front pages so spirits were high. After recently delivering Como, we were given a break down of what new projects are in construction - alongside the hint of other highly confidential projects to get us started.

New Projects
Hull number 686 is an 83 metre under construction followed by hull #687 which measures 60.35m designed by Sinot Yacht Design; #689 which is a 46.40m project; #690 is 44.20m with a Bannenberg and Rowell interior; #808 is the ground-breaking 101 metre designed by Tim Heywood with a Francois Zuretti / Peter Marino interior; #809 is a 66.89m from Eidsgaard design; #810 is a 57.45 metre and the impressive 92 metre is an in-house De Voogt creation. This is just what we were allowed to know.

The Yard
With this in mind, we were then taken on a guided tour around the yard, learning all about the incredibly detailed design and engineering process before stepping on board two new builds, the #690 44 metre and the #1005 92.10 metre motor yacht with Four Season spa facilities and a very special aft set up.

However, even while amidst the bustle of construction in a labyrinth of a 92 metre in build, I was particularly impressed by seeing the Feadship apprentice scheme at work.

With 24 apprentices all working and learning an age old craft in the yard, I couldn't help but be impressed by the infrastructure in place, the care that goes into the craftsmen in pursuit of custom perfection and the investment in the future of an art.

Apprentices from 16-46 years old take two years to develop their craft and have everything in place to understand Feadship's "obsessive behaviour of creative perfection."

We were also told that a dedicated refit project of 'Something Cool' would arrive at the yard in the next few weeks in order to act as the main project for these apprentices for the next two years.

The dedication to custom perfection at Feadship spans far further than what has been said here, but 2015 will be a very big year for the Dutch yacht builder and I look forward to highlighting their pursuit of creative perfection even further on the run up to their biggest launch yet.