It takes strong conviction and vision to commission a 230-foot (70-meter) megayacht. Now imagine commissioning her as your first-ever yacht. And, commissioning her with abundant concave shapes that pose significant (and thankfully welcome) challenges for the yard. That’s what the owners of Joy have done with Feadship.
Just launched this weekend, Joy bears styling by Bannenberg & Rowell, a first of sorts. The design studio is behind about a dozen interiors of Feadship megayachts. However, it hasn’t styled a build there in its current incarnation. It did several times under the ownership of the late Jon Bannenberg, when the studio was simply called Bannenberg. The last time was in 2002. Dickie Bannenberg, co-director of the design studio, says, “It has been a great pleasure to work with an owner who was keen to bring something new to the superyacht world in the same way as my father did from the early ‘80s onward with Feadship and others.”
Among the new thinking: Joy has far wider side decks than is typical aboard a megayacht of her dimensions. In combination with the overall 37’7” (11.5-meter) beam, those surely emphasize the voluminous feel aboard Joy. Yet another new idea the owners requested of Bannenberg & Rowell was what Dickie Bannenberg terms “surface texturing.” Sections of the superstructure coamings along passageways are carved away. In those same areas, the overheads are angled upward. The reasoning behind these was to permit more light to flood inside. However, the carving of the superstructure meant fairing and painting by Feadship’s in-house team needed to be extra meticulous, too.
Once Joy is delivered, the owners will put three significant-size indoor-outdoor spaces to use. They’re on the main deck, owners’ deck, and bridge deck. They’re each climate-controlled, so there’s no concern over leaving open the sliding glass doors connecting the outside to the inside. Studio Inigo, the interior-design firm the owners selected, wanted to keep a natural flow and connection between the two. That’s why you’ll find the same finishes and materials used in each space.
While a cohesive feel was important, Joy still has expressions of individuality throughout. Studio Inigo employed more than 250 woods, stones, and other materials, plus finishing treatments for them.
Two more special expressions of individuality: the beach club and central wood stairway. Joy has two entrances to the beach club. When she’s at anchor, the transom door, which swings up, will be convenient. The main aft deck has the other entrance—actually, two, in the form of bomber doors. They’ll be concealed with cushions when not in use, serving as lounging spaces. They can, though, still serve as settee backrests when open. As for the central stairway, it’s cantilevered, further winding around the glass elevator. As if the stairway itself weren’t already essentially artwork, sculpture-like art with mirrors frames the stairway.
Also of note: Joy has two VIPs and three guest staterooms, a games deck, and a disco (doubling as the beach club). Nineteen crew are housed aboard, too.
Joy is anticipated to see a top end around 16 knots under 16V4000 MTUs. Best range should be at 12 knots, 4,500 nautical miles.
RICO
WHO are the owners please
Diane M. Byrne
They have requested confidentiality.