Utopia Returns to Feadship
Feadship welcomed home the 71m Feadship Utopia for her second refit at the yard. Launched in 2004, Utopia’s first refit was a successful project in 2007 to personalise the yacht to her then new owner’s requirements. “The main reason to come to Feadship for a refit is to retain the essence of how the boat was built and ensure she remains of the highest pedigree possible in the world today,” says Utopia’scaptain, Kevin Paul Collins.
Work Ahead
The yard will repaint Utopia’s hull and superstructure, adding a new coat of underwater antifouling. They will also install a new A-Sea shore power convertor, a new HMSA sewage treatment plant to meet the latest IMO requirements and recondition her teak decks. Feadship will perform minor maintenance jobs on the exterior, interior and machinery systems to make sure Utopiacomes out ‘better than new’.
Ico Vergouwe, Refit Manager at Feadship: “We are both delighted and proud to have Utopiaback for the second time since her launch. This shows how both the owner and crew feel confident that Feadship offers the best service at a reasonable price, making sure that Utopiakeeps her high value. It is also pleasing to note that our open approach makes it attractive enough for an owner to bring a yacht back to the Netherlands even when this means adapting his schedule to fit in a tight refit slot.”
Captain’s Insight
Captain Collins, at the helm of Utopia since May 2011, agrees: “Although we have covered some 46,000 miles over the past two years, Utopia has been exceptional. She has also been very well maintained and we could easily have waited another year for this refit. However, when he heard that a dock was available in March the owner changed his cruising plans and sent us off on our third Atlantic crossing in seven months. It is definitely worth the effort as the owners get a better product… And it is a great experience for me as skipper to take a signature Feadship like this back to the yard. It gives us all a real sense of pride.”
