A 40-footer (12.3-meter) catamaran is a yacht unto herself in most circles. Aboard Nebula, she’s a tender. More accurately, she’s a custom “shadow kitten” tender, matching her mothership not just in hull design but also in style.
Nebula is a superyacht catamaran from Astilleros Armón in Spain, whose delivery occurred earlier this year. She’s actually a 223-foot (68-meter) support yacht, accompanying the 328-foot (99.95-meter) Feadship Moonrise, with quite a few surprises. For example, a helideck—fully certified—dominates the design, adjoining a significant-size heli hangar. Additionally, while the owner wanted Nebula to carry tenders and overflow guests, of primary importance was ensuring crew had comfortable, welcoming cabins and relaxation areas.
Compass Tenders, which previously delivered the Lürssen Avantage’s 10m Limousine tender, constructed the 40-foot, so-called shadow kitten. The phrase is a play on words, a reference the company and designer Kirsten Schwalgien of Schwalgien Design use. It’s a nod to Nebula’s shadow-yacht purpose and the tender’s own catamaran hull design. Schwalgien styled her to match her mothership, too, which she also designed.
Like Nebula, the tender packs a few surprises. She’s not just for shuttling guests to and from shore. Rather, she’s a watersports platform, too, plus a shadow vessel in her own right. Her catamaran hull and reported top speed of 40 knots mean she can take the owner and guests on adventures and day cruises. Those are made even easier because this shadow kitten has her own galley and head.
Up to 18 passengers can sit amid the open-plan arrangement, which boasts a 14-foot (4.4-meter) beam. Since draft is just shy of two feet (60 centimeters), the tender can make beach landings. A hydraulic door forward lets guests step off onto the sand, plus the crew offload gear for enjoying the day.
Expect to see not only further similar-size tenders from Compass Tenders, but also ones with catamaran hulls. In fact, Richard Faulkner, its founder and CEO, says it has one under construction, which will be its third.
Compass Tenders compasstenders.com
Schwalgien Design schwalgien.com
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