British refit shipyard Pendennis has recently completed its largest refit project to date (and the largest in Britain) when the 85.6 metre superyacht Aquila set sail from Falmouth for the Mediterranean. The project involved Burgess as yacht managers, Redman Whiteley Dixon and Susan Young Interiors as design teams, and Metrica for installing the new yacht’s new interior.
Work was largely focused on updating Aquila’s interior spaces. 750 square metres of social, guest and technical areas were stripped to a near in-build state in order to successfully recreate the interior according to her owners’ tastes. A new cinema has been added to the main deck area, owner’s suite reconfigured and new materials and finishing surfaces throughout the interior. “We selected a mix of dark wood finishes, pale leather panels with nickel trim and many new special surface materials all interplaying together to offer subtle style variations throughout the interior,” explains RWD Director Tony Dixon.
A key new feature is the installation of a custom-made chandelier that stretches 11.2 metres over the four interior guest decks, consisting of over 850 individual hand-blown glass pieces. The team at Susan Young Interiors were focussed on seeing this piece of art become a reality.
Joint Managing Director of Pendennis, Mike Carr, comments on the dynamics of the project: “In order to effectively manage a project of this scale Pendennis assigned four project managers, each with responsibility for specific aspects of the programme. They facilitated effective communication between all partners, which consisted of a combined international team of over 1,000 people at the peak of the project.”
Changes to the exterior involved moving the sundeck Jacuzzi to the forward part of the deck, creating an additional 60 square metre private deck area for the owner’s suite and technology upgrades on the mast with new radar, AV and IT equipment. The superstructure was also completely repainted.
“It is a tribute to all those involved in the project that the Owners can now reap the benefits of this collective effort, taking back their beloved Aquila and enjoy cruising again in the months and years ahead,” commented Burgess’ Fleet Technical manager, Adrian Tinkler. “Burgess is looking forward to representing Aquila as part of their Operational and Charter Management fleets, fully restyled, refreshed and ready to serve her Owners and charter guests in the next chapter of her story.”
