
If this doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, probably nothing will. This is the teak deckhouse that will be fitted on Athos, a 62-meter (203-foot) schooner that HJB, a.k.a. Holland Jachtbouw, expects to launch in September. She’s an incredibly complex, highly engineered superyacht; among other things, she’s said to be the first sailing yacht to be fitted with a Dynamic Positioning system. All of those engineering details are a story unto themselves, which I’ll feature here on Megayacht News in the coming weeks. But for now, I wanted to showcase the expert craftsmanship of HJB’s in-house carpentry shop.
The deckhouse was being prepared for varnishing when I got an up-close look at it. In fact, some parts had already received their first coats, and a carpenter was gently sanding other areas. I poked my head underneath and inside the deckhouse to see how it had been assembled, and what I saw was truly impressive. The areas where pieces intersect are dovetail joints, so snugly fitted and aligned that they look as if they naturally evolved that way. This is the type of work that we journalists usually rave about when it comes to the Italian yards – so now add their neighbors to the north to the list.
If you know a bit about the regulatory agencies governing megayachts, then you may recognize the significance of Athos’ deckhouse material. Teak is, after all, a flammable material, something the organization but HJB worked with MCA to ensure it would be approved. (It’s also worth noting that the yard is additionally building the yacht to comply with Veritas classification regulations, unusual.)

Athos features other well-crafted woodwork, too, such as this deck detail. While the interior woodwork was still being put in place, from what I did see, the attention to detail was just as good.
In an era where the latest fashions seem to be out of date before they even get a chance to catch on, it’s a pleasure to see time-honored tradition still have a solid hold on the minds and hearts of both a yard and an owner.
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