Feadship Moon Sand 44.2 metre Superyacht
Built for hands-on owners, Feadship Moon Sand showcases pure custom yachtbuilding in every respect. Working closely with the exterior designers from Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects and the interior designers from Bannenberg & Rowell Design, these experienced clients had great fun creating a 44.20-metre superyacht that features a remarkable number of innovations for her size. Moon Sand also reflects their love of sharing time onboard with friends and family, all of whom will enjoy a bright and spacious haven of relaxation.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the build of Moon Sand was the way in which the project evolved in terms of size, layout, features and interior décor. A prime example is the contraflow swimming pool on the aft deck, one of the first major additions during the design phase after the owners decided they would like to be able to exercise on the aft deck.
“Even after lengthening the design, this request called for a great deal of ingenuity to fit such a pool on a 44-metre yacht,” comments Feadship director Bas Nederpelt, who worked closely with the owners from the moment the contract was signed. “In a Feadship first, we engineered a clever floor system whereby a section of the deck lowers to create the pool depth required. It only takes 20 minutes for the pool to fill up, after which the contraflow system can be switched on and the pool used to its full effect.
“But there is more: as Moon Sand’s owners often cruise with their extended family, a mechanism was also constructed to lower the main deck floor halfway and create a shallow pool for the kids. Of course this also works as a Jacuzzi. Raise the floor back to its position on the main deck – a totally flush finish with stainless steel – and the full gamut of al fresco lounging and dining options becomes instantly available. This is in many ways a highly ingenious use of space.”
Raising the bar
It was a major technical feat to fit a pool with a dump tank and have both individually certified by Lloyd’s. When the pool is full it contains some 9,000 litres of water: with the tank directly below, the yacht’s centre of gravity barely moves. Add in a filtration system and the safety and weight distribution components and it is clear why this custom solution had to leverage heavily on Feadship innovation and craftsmanship.
“This is just one of many ways that the owners continuously explored all possibilities to personalise their Feadship over the three years,” adds Nederpelt. “From the giant lounge windows to every piece of furniture and fabric, everything was optimised as they challenged the entire project team to make the best 44-metre yacht built to date. The result is a fabulous world cruiser, a real ship with a beautiful high-end finish.”
Exterior design work
All the main elements of Moon Sand synthesise design with owner desires, marrying practicality with a passion for perfection that was shared by all involved. Another team member who spent countless hours with the owners is chief designer Tanno Weeda from Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects:
“The owners were keen to embrace future trends and requested large slabs of glass in the superstructure decks, as low, high and wide as possible. These windows are part of a detailed design brief for ‘light, space and freedom of choice in terms of recreation’. As well as looking fabulous from the outside, this arrangement offers superlative views in the main lounge, dining area, study/lobby and forward owners’ stateroom. These vistas are magnified further by having a large section of clear glass inset into the bulwark amidships. What’s more, all the mullions were removed from the main deck luxury areas, and the only reason they were retained in the bridge deck lounge was because of the owners’ specific request for windows that can be opened.”
Another good example of how form meets function – and vice versa – in the design of Moon Sand is the way the signature wing stations on either side add character to the overall exterior profile. “In design terms they form a ‘step’ in the bulwarks, before running smoothly forward to blend into the lines of the yacht,” continues Weeda. “In addition to being fully functional for controlling Moon Sand, these wing stations add to her volume both literally and visually.”
Moon Sand exudes a sense of space in other ways too, says Weeda, citing the large aft deck areas with full length/beam doors. “On the bridge deck we moved the stairs as far as possible to starboard in order to maximise space. The cool-looking glass windscreens also provide protection from the wind and generate privacy, an important factor in the owners’ wish to make Moon Sand a family boat.”
A testimony to the design excellence that Feadship offers clients in-house, the exterior profile is relatively modern with classic touches. This fusion of the contemporary and the traditional can be seen in the modern superstructure element that rises above the classic Feadship bow, and the way this element connects with the whole design via the strong and continuous profile line. The elevated hull line ensures that everything comes together without impacting the giant windows in the large bridge deck lounge.
“Moon Sand has a unified design, with the sun deck firmly integrated into the whole package. This requires a lot of expertise to achieve on a boat of this size,” concludes Weeda. “The ultimate result is a seriously sleek look & feel, one which the owners can be very proud of.”
Crisp and contemporary
The trinity of ‘light, space and freedom of choice’ is also clearly manifested in the interior design, devised on the boards of Bannenberg & Rowell Design. “For Moon Sand we created a crisp and contemporary design, with many different types of wood and various bright and colourful influences brought in by the owners,” says Dickie Bannenberg. “We had lots of meetings all over the world with the owners: in our studio in London, in their home and on occasions in New York for furnishing expeditions.
“It is an enormous pleasure to travel with and to work for clients who are so clued-in to elegance. When you look at all the various museum-quality pieces on board, such as the dining table, the cabinets in the main lounge or the pieces on the bridge deck, you can see how driven they were and their keen awareness of what constitutes the very best. Highly focused on details, the owners managed everything down to the heights of the hooks for robes and towels in the bathrooms. This reflects both their considerable past experience in boats and self-assured taste.”
The owners also chose the fourteen different types of marble together with Bannenberg & Rowell and Feadship, including overruling the original selection of marbles for their two stateroom bathrooms and giving an extra injection of colour there. “But when you are working with such nice clients who are so sensitive to quality, you don’t mind being overruled,” adds Bannenberg.
