"Somnium": Interior of the 55-metre yacht inspired by the Galapagos Islands

Some owners enjoy the project phase. They devise shapes, layouts or develop colour and material specifications for the interior. Once the construction stage has been reached, they hand over to an expert who keeps a close eye on the shipyard and subcontractors at regular intervals. You do that. However, there are also clients who don't just turn up in the shipyard hall to lay the keel, but really blossom when it comes to the shipbuilding part. This is what happened with these 55 metres from Feadship. "He enquired with us, had a look around and came back," says Bas Nederpelt, describing the search for the right shipyard. The Commercial Director of Feadship continues: "He enjoyed being able to realise whatever he and his wife had in mind." In fact, their requirements were as creative as they were specific. Although they wanted a displacer, they wanted it to be made entirely of aluminium. The motives were similar to those for "Enterprise": a shallow draught and the fact that more usable space is available above the waterline than with steel. The total volume is 750 gross tonnes, but Feadship remains silent about the displacement.

"Somnium" owner was passionate about the creation of his yacht

According to the Dutch shipyard, the "Somnium" owner, who previously owned semi-custom boats from Italy, was passionate about the creation of his first solitaire, which he realised with the experienced owner's representative Ron Kleverlaan. His personal commitment included visits to the Feadship site in Aalsmeer every fortnight and drinking beer with the construction team on Fridays. This is how Feadship described it in the press release for the launch and how Bas Nederpelt BOOTE EXCLUSIV confirms it during the yacht tour in Monaco, where the owner is also present. He greets us and adds with a laugh: "Only write good things about my yacht, okay?"

The fact that up to three generations live on the 55.20-metre-long and 9.80-metre-wide structure is evident from the 9,000-litre pool that has just been installed on the aft deck. It has a counter-current system for water workouts and a pool floor that raises when the grandchildren are on board and want to take a dip. It's only a few metres, but the cockpit and saloon are worlds apart. As soon as the convex sliding door is closed, there is absolute silence. It's like pressing the noise-cancelling button on your ANC headphones. And everyone involuntarily lowers the volume, similar to entering a large concert hall. "There's something calming about the interior," is how Francesca Muzio aptly puts it. The founder and director of FM Architettura adds: "The Galapagos Islands served as inspiration. The coffee table with its curved surface is reminiscent of bird bodies and the carpet resembles a lagoon."

When creativity becomes an adventure

Earthy colours predominate, with turquoise decorative elements or the waterfall pattern on the partition wall to the pantry adding a touch of light. The dining table is edged in leather and contains a bronze plate with small holes modelled on the skin of iguanas. "Creativity is always an adventure," laughs Muzia and leads us into the owner's cabin, which welcomes us with an office on the starboard side that can be partitioned off for concentrated work. Ferrari models are on the shelves, leftovers from breakfast on the desk. "This yacht is alive and is not like a museum," says the architect, delighted that "Somnium" is in active use. "Above all, the owner is very proud. That is the greatest recognition for us." On the starboard side, the sofa opens out onto a folding balcony, followed by dressing rooms in front of the two bathrooms at the bow. The master suite is somewhat truncated by two seven-metre-long tenders, which are stored in the enclosed forecastle in front of it.

The interior gives the impression that this is not the first collaboration between the owners and the studio based south of Ancona. But it was the shipyard that brought them together. "We made a few sketches that we liked straight away. Then everything came together piece by piece, it was a natural process," says Francesca Muzio as she leads the group to the front upper deck. This offers seating and lounging opportunities over a length of eleven metres and a width of nine metres. In the centre are the "paraggine", folding deckchairs typical of the beach at Portofino. The Italian, who grew up in the sought-after region, freely admits that she was unsure of the practicality of the long foredeck. The feedback she received in Monaco: "We love it!" They even dine here when the bimini is up.

Inserted lines increase the dynamics

The second sun deck is surrounded by a railing in the bulwark. Its diagonal rise at the bow lends the lines a dynamism that does not necessarily match the 14.5 knots top speed, but is coherent and logical overall. The "Somnium" owner collects those fast, mostly red cars of Italian design, whose shapes De Voogt designer Ruud Bakker also appreciates immensely. "They had a lot of fun working out the lines," says Nederpelt. The design services of the shipyard's own design office are available to all Feadship customers who do not have an external designer on board. This has applied to half of the deliveries since the beginning of 2020. The advantages: short paths, quick decisions and no commitment to a specific style, as is often the case with independent studios.

The pointed ends of the superstructure are similar to sports car diffusers and can be easily recognised from the traditional sun deck. Here, the aft bar and the whirlpool area can be separated from each other and from the wind by glass doors. From the very top, the route leads down to the engine room, which is positioned between four double cabins and the crew accommodation for up to 14 people. The first engineer awaits in pedantically clean surroundings, with the 900-kilowatt MTUs having already clocked up 1,350 operating hours and the 200-kilowatt generators from Zenero 3,100. The fact that the propulsion engines each thirst for 250 litres per hour at a speed of twelve knots is attributed by the first to the efficiency of the aluminium hull and the maturity of MTU's 2000 series. With 71,000 litres of diesel in the tank, "Somnium" can cover 4500 nautical miles at ten knots. It is an efficient, proven concept and yet one of the last of its kind. Feadship chief salesman Nederpelt reports that the eight projects being worked on are all diesel-electric powered.

Travelling to the Galapagos Islands with the "Somnium"?

One owner, who is fond of the engine compartment, is also enthusiastic about the bridge. His special feature there was an XXL display. Nederpelt: "It's like a giant iPad and is used by the owner's family to obtain information or set the course." With a draught of just 2.46 metres, the stern is able to get very close to the coast, including the Galapagos Islands. At the transom, a large central opening replaces two narrow bulkhead doors, the right of which leads into a technical room and the left into the fitness room. The latter provides a view of the pool through a window and receives fresh air via a hull hatch that is a good two metres wide. In keeping with the yacht's name, "Somnium" is the fulfilment of a dream that has already been lived for 18 months in the first two seasons.

Technical data

• Length over everything: 55,20 m
• Length (hull shape): 48,80 m
• Width: 9,80 m
• Depth: 2,46 m
• Gross tonnage: 750 Gross Tons
• Material:Aluminium
• Motors: 2 x MTU 10V 2000 M72
• Engine power: 2 x 900 kW
• Speed (max.): 14.5 kn
• Speed (travelling): 10 kn
• Range @ 10 kn: 4500 nm
• Generators: 2 x Zenero 200 kW
• Fuel:71 000 l
• Water: 15 200 l
• Guests: 10
• Crew:14
• Construction:De Voogt Naval Architects
• Exterior design: Studio De Voogt, owner
• Interior design: FM Architettura, owner
• Class: Bureau Veritas, Charter
• Shipyard: Feadship, 2021

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