New Zealand

Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders

As a regular reader of SuperYachtTimes.com, you will by now be very familiar with the superyacht known as <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/4450" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Sailing Yacht A142.81m (468'6&quot;)">Sailing Yacht A</a> as we have closely followed this bizarre sail-assisted motor yacht during her various construction phases and travels in the Mediterranean. But just as custom and deserving of a closer look as the mothership herself is <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/4450" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Sailing Yacht A142.81m (468'6&quot;)">Sailing Yacht A’s</a> fleet of custom tenders, each as radical and eccentric as the next. Here, together with local Monegasque photographer, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/passion_supercars/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Raphaël Belly</a>, we take a closer look at the four tenders that will be whisking this 142.8-metre superyacht’s guests ashore.<img src="/uploads/store/photo/38017/image/large-b56c43fa33f4b359633a86a003ed5663.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38017">For the execution of the build of these four highly custom craft, Lloyd Stevenson Yachts from New Zealand were selected to realise the vision of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/4450" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Sailing Yacht A142.81m (468'6&quot;)">Sailing Yacht A’s</a> owner together with the ship’s designer, Philippe Starck. Naval architect Brett Bakewell-White of Bakewell-White Yacht Design in New Zealand joined the project for his naval architecture expertise.<img src="/uploads/store/photo/38019/image/large-47e9a38d939d70322c49b10b002e7c04.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38019">The brief called for four functional craft to serve several critical operations associated with the yacht’s use. The design of each follows the same other-worldly approach by her French designer as captured in the styling of the mothership.<img src="/uploads/store/photo/38018/image/large-89577821450dc05503f5cf2927892ec5.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38018">First up,&nbsp;SYA 1. Built as a high-speed craft, this 10.7-metre tender was inspired by speedboats from the 1930s and is made of carbon-fibre and other advanced composite materials. Fitted with two Yanmar diesel engines, SYA 1 can reach a top speed of 53 knots in smooth conditions. Considering that this tender was built exclusively for the use of the owner and his wife as a private escape boat or secret trips around the island, it is no surprise that there are few photos of her in action so far. &nbsp;<img src="/uploads/store/photo/38016/image/large-72a9fa677b7180eaedf3188841026545.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38016">SYA 2 is a 10.7-metre enclosed limousine tender and operates as one of the two main guest tenders for <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/4450" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Sailing Yacht A142.81m (468'6&quot;)">Sailing Yacht A</a>. Built from GRP, SYA 2 can house eight guests in a climate-controlled environment while two crew members operate her from the outside. Her ultra clean exterior design is only broken by a foldable transom door that acts as a swim platform with an attachable ladder.<img src="/uploads/store/photo/38022/image/large-07b135ebfa8c3ba41c044f41bf2073ed.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38022"><img src="/uploads/store/photo/38023/image/large-8375e2e95c86401faecb17ece508d232.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38023">The third craft in the tender fleet, SYA 3, is an open version SYA 2 with a one-of-a-kind 360-degree capsule from where guests can peer out to the surroundings. A central station secures the hardtop and seals it with the glass but can be raised for a fresh air experience inside. Just as SYA 2, this one is fitted with a gyro stabiliser to keep things steady on the inside.<img src="/uploads/store/photo/38012/image/large-e66d0a71d264c0ebbd9b4f57fafde7da.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38012"><img src="/uploads/store/photo/38013/image/large-11fa689aab74d2ecab24dfe99c5da517.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38013"><img src="/uploads/store/photo/38021/image/large-e89a9661a8ac4ae2a8afea0f762b31a8.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38021"><img src="/uploads/store/photo/38015/image/large-41b447f630891d347f868971c8ec7bfb.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38015">The final boat in the custom tender line up of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/4450" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Sailing Yacht A142.81m (468'6&quot;)">Sailing Yacht A</a> is the workhorse of the family, SYA 4. This 11.7-metre, 9.5-tonne, full-aluminium multihull tender is the pick-up truck of the fleet and designed by the yacht’s crew to simplify daily tasks such as trash removal, provision runs and crew transfers. A hydraulically-operated landing door in the bow and two jet drive motors allows her to access shallow beach landings with ease. Deck tie-down units across the teak deck allow her to safely carry a number of oddly-shaped cargo pieces. SYA 4 also doubles as a guest tender when needed.<img src="/uploads/store/photo/38020/image/large-98cef2784dbc7e4308cc78bad93e0dd5.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38020"><img src="/uploads/store/photo/38014/image/large-97d2af693fa8d2b4f230768a4f4f170a.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38014"><img src="/uploads/store/photo/38011/image/large-800c5ba45de39ea9aed68d0b1b4f3ffb.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/38011">