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NALIN

TERNATIONALAMELS 171AMELS 171

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We humans are capable of loftyconceptions designed to elevate and enrich the

good life. With the tools and technologies

available to us, we can convert flights of

imagination into flawless, full-blown objects of

superyacht proportions. Therein lies the

wonder of yachtbuilding. One illustration of

that wonder began in summer 2005 when Tim

Heywood signed off on drawings and details

for the 52 metre Limited Editions Amels 171. At

the time, he was confident that one boat

would be sold every year for six years.

Fortunately for Amels, Heywood is better at

flights of sculptural imagination than at

predicting the future. The yard introduced the

yacht on paper at the Monaco Show in

September 2005, and sold several within 14

months. On 30 May 2007, on the basis of that

record, Heywood ceremoniously welded up

two metal bits at the shipyard’s keel laying of

the second Limited Editions model, the 65.5

metre Amels 212, the latest of his designs.

Heywood is one of those obsessive

designers who thinks constantly. He says: ‘I

often sit quietly reading the Sunday paper, or

when others are reading it, and ask, “Should

this curve be convex or concave?” – to see

what works best. But no matter the options, I

Delivered to a delighted owner a mere 14 months after contracts were signed, the first Limited Editions Amels 171 met all the criteria laid down. The expertise of Amels and

the highly experienced project team have set the standards very high

words: Jack Somerphotography: underway, Fly;

interiors, Peter Heuvelmans

Deniki

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really have to find something unique, different,

better than what’s out there already.’ In

seeking something better to meet Amels’ brief

– which Heywood says ‘came out of my grey

hair and experience’ – he dreamed the yacht

designer’s impossible dream: to draw a hull of

exterior sleekness with vast space below. It’s

analogous to a VW Beetle disgorging 20

clowns on to the sawdust of a circus ring:

there’s a trick to it.

The trick here is called talent, and the proof

is to be found in the first Limited Editions

Amels 171, Deniki. In early spring 2007, while

in Amels’ covered 145 metre graving area, the

project team, Lloyd’s and MCA completed

dock trials. In late April and early May Deniki

was taken for final trials in the North Sea,

outside Vlissingen, during which she met her

15.5 knot design speed and generated

somewhat lower sound and vibration levels

than her contract specified.

Besides her technical successes, Deniki also

met her owners’ quest for highly personalised

splendour. Her dark blue hull, eggshell

superstructure, manta-winged mast arch, web

of stainless steel railings, compound-curved

deck supports, wine-dark mahogany cap rails

and teak-capped bollards form a remarkable,

harmonised exterior whole. But then there is

Deniki’s audacious interior. When Amels’

marketing team conceived the Limited Editions

series, it assigned the gifted Rome-based

architect Laura Sessa Romboli to fashion the

171. Though she asks for no credit, out of

respect for Studio Alberto Pinto, Amels knew

her as the hands-on artist responsible for the

acclaimed interior of their 52 metre Lady in

Blue (2005). For the 171, with no specific

client in mind, Sessa Romboli’s refreshing

thought process produced an elegant mix of

light-toned, dark-trimmed wood and a host of

other natural materials, ideal as a setting for

gracious living and sedate pleasure. By an

accident of timing, however, Deniki’s owner

assigned his house architect, Peter

Heuvelmans, to style her below. This was

certainly no criticism of Sessa Romboli’s work,

as the other Amels 171 clients have chosen her

interior, for which she later rendered second

and third styles – one slightly darker and more

classic, the other lighter and even more

Mediterranean – to enhance future prospects.

Heuvelmans takes particular pride in a

‘knowledge of styles, furniture making and

materials in creating new, even revolutionary

designs’. The owner gave him wide latitude, so

The beautifully co-ordinated exterior offers a choice

of places to enjoy alfresco dining, while the all-

important spa pool, which can be used day or night,

is the tempting focal point of the sun deck

The yacht is exceptional, the quality of build can be seen in every detail ofthe steel and aluminium work, technical installations and interior joinery

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long as the result was, in the architect’s words,

‘different and extravagant’. With little

experience of yacht design, he studied many

recent superyachts and concluded that, while

beautifully done, they were often ‘too safe and

too similar’. Deniki is neither safe nor similar.

With this yacht Heuvelmans joins international

proponents of ‘Neo-Furniture’ (which Claire

Downey, in a book of that name, says ‘adds…

a bit of the spiritual, something that pleases

and gives one much the same pleasure as

buying art’.) Two names most often associated

with this movement are Philippe Starck and

Ettore Sottsass. Heuvelmans, however, is in a

class by himself – which he clearly

demonstrates with his penchant for fearless

extravagance and no little whimsy.

Like Sessa Romboli, he chose an astonishing

variety of woods for furniture, floors and

panelling, including cherry, beech, walnut,

oak and ebony. He also designed the

furniture, mostly handmade in Italy, to give

each space and deck a unique character.

Starting from atop, the sundeck has a vivid

tropical-Brazil motif. A large pull-out table

under Heywood’s sinuous antenna arch is

ideal for alfresco family enjoyment, while a

bar, chaises and whirlpool bath provide pre-

and post-dining options. Below, the

wheelhouse is cocooned in American cherry,

and is unabashedly devised to resemble a

custom Rolls Royce or Bentley, with five

touch-screen monitors and integrated-bridge

electronics set in a console of myrtle burl

framed in hand-stitched leather. The bridge-

deck saloon is meant to be ‘avant garde and

informal’. Its sportive temperament is enclosed

by grey-painted American cherry columns that

bracket orange papyrus-covered panels within

ebony-and-white chequered frames. This is an

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Lavishly furnished and upholstered, but bearing no

allegiance to any particular style, the upper saloon is

an informal room where guests can enjoy both a

drink and a wonderful sea view at the bar

The main saloon forever redefines ‘eclectic’. It is classicalwith highlights of deco and oriental detailing... The

designer covers one centrally conspicuous armchair withfaux leopard skin, just to be dissonant and provocative

assertive milieu for plush, boldly coloured

furniture pieces that refer to no period in

particular, and a pair of the yacht’s timeless

angel-haired ‘can-can’ lamps. The space begs

to be sumptuously enjoyed, not least the bar,

whose sea views provide a refreshing

alternative to the intimate fantasy within.

The main saloon forever redefines ‘eclectic’.

It is classical with highlights of deco and

oriental detailing. Heavy drapery (backed by

working Venetian blinds), American cherry and

myrtle panelling, French oak parquet floors

with mahogany Greek meandros inlays set the

mood. Gold-trimmed hand calligraphy fills the

overhead dome, adding an Arabesque motif.

Sofas, consoles and dining seats suggest the

Orient, while the neo-classic dining table top

has art nouveau pretensions. The designer

covers one centrally conspicuous armchair

with faux leopard skin, just to be dissonant

and provocative.

Heuvelmans defines the even more

idiosyncratic owners’ suite as ‘ethnic chic with

classic overtones’. The bed is (gasp!) modern.

But a chaise longue, hand-painted writing

desk, ebony chairs, spherical table supports,

desk lamp, throw rugs, and trompe l’oeil

overhead all carry variations of a zebra-stripe

theme – some of them courtesy of the animals

themselves. Though there is a bit of Louis XVI

furniture modelling sprinkled here and there,

ebony-framed mutenye-wood floors and

muted (genuine) crocodile skins lend more

than a hint of darkest Africa. The suite is

engulfed in Empire-style trompe l’oeil drapery,

suggesting the somewhat forbidding interior of

a Napoleonic field tent. Heuvelmans deems

the dark power of this space ‘mystical’; a more

objective visitor might find it ‘mischievous’.

The bathroom, a relief in more ways than one,

is lighter in tone but no less complex by virtue

of filigreed marble and granite. When the

owner inspected the completed suite, his

reaction was simply: ‘Super… a ten out of ten!’

For the rest, guests are accommodated in four

cabins on the lower deck within Sessa

Romboli’s clean, contemporary style, but with

Heuvelmans’ fanciful furniture lending the

desired animation. Each cabin has a wall-

mounted touch-screen Lantic universal control

for air-conditioning, lighting, audio and TV,

plus a handheld remote, so guests can bend

light, air and sound at will. All console and

cabinet drawers have auto-close features.

Despite its semi-custom foundation, the

Limited Editions Amels 171 can be freely

customised, as is plain. At base it is meant for

pleasure, with details dedicated to that

purpose. The stern platform at normal trim is

very low to the water to ease swimmers’ re-

entry and simplify use of the tenders. The two

lazarette-stowed personal watercraft are

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Heuvelmans defines the owners’ suite as‘ethnic chic with classic overtones’… a

chaise longue, writing desk, ebony chairs, desklamp, throw rugs and trompe l’oeil overheadall carry variations of a zebra-striped theme

According to interior designer Peter Heuvelmans, the

dark tones of the owners’ suite are intended to

convey an air of mysticism. The marble and granite

bathroom (below) presents a more uplifting mood

LOA52.3mLWL46.9mBeam (moulded)9mDraught3.35mDisplacement (full load)687 tonsEngines2x MTU 2000 M70 1050kW at2100 rpmPropellersWärtsiläSpeed (max/cruise)15.5/13 knotsFuel capacity97.89 tonnes

Range at xxxxx4,500nmBow thrusterJastram BU 20F, 110 ekWStabilisers VT-Naiad, 820 including S@AGenerators (main/emergency)2 x Northern Lights M1066H,160 kW/1 x Northern LightsM1066T, 80 kWWatermakers2 x Idromar IDM 7Freshwater capacity17.44 tonnesGrey/black water (capacity)35.23 tonnesSewage systemHamannFire-control systemUltra Fog

Security systemsAlewijnseMonitoring systemAlewijnseAir-conditioningHeinen & HopmanCommunication/navigationelectronics AlewijnseEntertainment systemsLanticOwner and guests10Crew14Tenders1 x Nautica RIB 18 WB, 1 x Nautica RIB 19 stern driveTender-launching system Van Driel

PasserelleVan der VeldenPaintAwlgripConstructionSteel hull, aluminiumsuperstructureClassificationLloyd’s @100A1 SSC Yacht MonoG6 LMC, UMS, MCA compliantOwner’s project managerWaterman Exclusive YachtServices (Yacht Management)Naval architectAmelsExterior stylingTim HeywoodInterior designerPeter Heuvelmans Architecten

Broker Neil Cheston,Camper & Nicholson Int., 57 rue GrimaldiMC 98000MonacoTel:+377 97 97 77 00E-mail: info@mon.cnyachts.comCharter broker N/ACharter ratesN/ABuilder/year Amels/2007PO Box 84, 4380 AB Vlissingen, The NetherlandsTel:+31 118 485 002E-mail: www.amels-holland.comPrice guideNot available

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deployed by an Atlas carbon fibre crane, while

the large tenders are stowed on the bridge

deck aft with their own crane. Amels chose

MTU diesels for their better power-to-weight

ratio and tolerance of high back pressures. The

engines run cooler and require less air, thus

needing smaller ducting, which further aids the

yard’s strict noise-and-vibration reduction

programme. The two Northern Lights gensets,

with common-rail fuel supply, have the new

Hug exhaust system which, through catalysts,

filters and after-burning, reduces soot particles

by 99 per cent and removes polluting carbon

and nitrogen compounds.

Owner’s representative Ron Kleverlaan and

project manager Jim Boot feel Amels did a

superb job in putting this first 171 together,

under the guidance of yard project manager

Roeland Berrevoets. ‘I must say that the yard

and the sub-contractors all worked around the

clock to make it happen,’ says Kleverlaan. He

also credits the yacht’s engineer, Andrew

Beaton, for helping improve some of the

systems installations for servicing, further proof

that the earlier the crew comes ‘aboard’ during

a build the better a yacht turns out. After

visiting the completed Deniki, in fact, Tim

Heywood wrote: ‘The yacht is exceptional, the

quality of build can clearly be seen in every

detail of the steel and aluminium work,

technical installations and the interior joinery.’

Though she heads up an open-ended series,

Heywood adds that ‘she bears all the hallmarks

of an Amels “one-off” superyacht! I believe she

will be the new benchmark that other yards,

and other designers, will now try to equal.

They will find it hard!’

Deniki’s fortunate captain, Lawrence Cockx,

is enjoying that benchmark. After the usual

fine tuning, Deniki left Holland on 9 May,

under the yard captain, for the offshore signing

of protocols to turn her over to her owner – a

little more than 14 months after going to

contract. Amels thus achieved its basic Limited

Editions objective: to deliver a highly

personalised semi-custom yacht in much less

time than one designed from scratch. When

Captain Cockx took over, happy to be at sea,

he expressed great delight in docking her in

tricky conditions in the Helgoland roadstead.

He reported on the return to Holland: ‘Deniki

behaved very well, despite 30 knots on the

bow. I was impressed with the comfortable

roll and the very low noise levels in all areas.’

On 12 May, on a rainy pre-dawn morning,

Deniki left Holland for the Mediterranean with

lights aglow for all the (sleeping) world to see.

During the passage down the English Channel

and around France and the Iberian Peninsula

she encountered the inevitable nasty weather.

Captain Cockx was happy to report to

Berrevoets: ‘The good ship Deniki is handling

our Med-bound passage very well!’ He

described a ‘rodeo ride of a night in Force 7

with 4 metre swells… but Deniki remained

comfortable. The engine room is holding up

well and the MTUs are purring happily.’ He

also reported a brief computer glitch that was

quickly repaired. ‘All in all things are going

well and I have to say that Deniki is the best

sea boat I have ever known. You should be

proud of what you have achieved! Thanks

again for all your efforts.’

After a stopover in Barcelona and a visit to

La Ciotat for some last-minute yard work and

installation of her distinctive nameplates,

Deniki arrived spot on time for the Monaco

Grand Prix, which had been a clear stipulation

by the owner from the outset. When he went

on board for his first full inspection, and to

install his family’s possessions, he said

succinctly: ‘I am happy with every detail. Great

job! All decks, no complaints. Fantastic! A big

thank you. I love it!’

With the second Limited Editions Amels 171

undergoing North Sea trials, Tim Heywood,

Laura Sessa Romboli and Peter Heuvelmans

can be proud to have added a fine yacht to

their long lists of accomplishments. o

The flamboyance of the upper decks gives way to a

more contemporary style, but still with eclectic

furnishings, in the four guest cabins on the lower

deck. Each cabin has a Lantic touch-screen control

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