Three years after her launch at ADMShipyards in Abu Dhabi, Yas was spotted heading out on sea trials. This video, shot last month, gives yacht-watchers worldwide hope that Yas may finally be delivered after more than seven years in development.
If you’re not familiar with the full back story, Yas is an intriguing project. In 1998, the United Arab Emirates Navy acquired a 426-foot (130-meter) Royal Dutch Navy frigate. The UAE Navy later decided to use a new corvette instead. However, since the frigate was still a sound vessel, the navy sold her, to a private individual in late 2007. He intended to build a fast megayacht.
That same year, the conversion began at ADMShipyards (then-known as Abu Dhabi Mar). Yas bore the project name Swift141. The numerals referred to her LOA in meters, which equates 462’6”. As for “Swift,” it referred to the frigate hull. ADMShipyards finally revealed in 2011, when Yas launched, that she’d reach a maximum 26 knots and cruise at 20 knots.
Pierrejean Design Studio imparted a good deal of curving yacht styling yet preserved the svelte frigate hull lines for Yas. More than anything, though, the tremendous amount of glass planned for the superstructure got the most attention—as it continues to do. Related to this, the superstructure of Yas is the largest-ever yacht structure comprised of composite. It was subcontracted to VectorWorks Marine, Compmillennia, and J. Frank Crane, all American companies. (ADMShipyards didn’t have craftsmen skilled in the material at the time.)
This video provides plenty of footage of the superstructure and profile. There are even a handful of glimpses at the aft-deck pool, upper-deck helipad, and a custom tender stowed to starboard alongside the superstructure. What you won’t see, unfortunately, is the interior. The only inside space aboard Yas shown is the wheelhouse. Regardless, ADMShipyards did reveal early on that Yas will accommodate a party of 60.
George Von'Widmann
Very interesting project and good looking t boot .