Feadship 696 Slips Into the Water

　　Sunny skies greeted hull 696 today outside of Feadship’s facility in Aalsmeer. Although this is not her official launch, it is the first the public is seeing of the nearly complete project. However, it will be a bit longer before the public will learn the name of this mostly confidential megayacht. The build and design teams, as well as the owner’s representatives, are staying mostly mum on Feadship 696, at least for a bit.

　　The few facts that Feadship has released include her LOA, 226 feet (69 meters), and her beam, 37 feet (11.4 meters). Feadship 696 features naval architecture as well as styling by the yard’s own de Voogt Naval Architects. For the interior, the owner is collaborating with RWD. Accommodations-wise, four guest staterooms, a VIP, and of course the master suite take care of the owner’s party, while eight cabins take care of the crew. Other than those details, nothing is available for publicity in terms of the look and feel of the interior.

　　For now, the only other information the shipyard is disclosing about Feadship 696 relates to her anticipated performance. Bearing a fully loaded draft of 11 feet (3.4 meters), she should see best range of 5,000 nautical miles. The top speed of just over 16 knots comes from twin Caterpillar engines. Among the activities the owner’s party will pursue in their travels: diving.

　　Feadship 696 has been on the radar of yacht watchers worldwide for a good period of time. A little over a year ago, for example, Dutch yacht spotters captured initial images of her. They photographed the partially completed aluminum superstructure and steel hull en route from Feadship’s hull subcontractor. It’s interesting to note that, located in Papendrecht, the subcontractor’s facility hosted quite a party that day. The owner’s representatives from Lee Marine shared photos of the festivities and of Feadship 696 making her big move.