“My dream is to travel once around the world – whether it’s onboard this yacht or my next, I don’t know. But I’m going to do it,” the owner of Emerald told SuperYacht Times, beaming. With good reason, too. 
Photo: TWW YachtsWe were sat in the offices at Balk Shipyard wistfully chatting cruising grounds, star-studded events and his beautifully refitted 50.4-metre Feadship superyacht, which was gently bobbing in the waters lapping the shipyard. “She’s timeless, a real classic,” he said, gazing out the window. “The green was my wife’s idea,” referring to Emerald’s suave, freshly-painted Orion green hull, courtesy of Jotun. “It was my wife who chose everything in fact, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsBut it’s hard to believe that the 50.4-metre Feadship floating in the dock was the same one he bought nearly two years ago. “I love character, class and strong sturdy builds, so when I started looking for a new yacht I knew I was really looking for a Feadship.” With this in mind, David Westwood of TWW Yachts, first steered him to the 44.2-metre superyacht Valeria, which is laid up at Balk Shipyard – as fate would have it. 
Photo: TWW Yachts“We came here to Urk to see the classic 1975 Feadship you can see over there,” he said, pointing in the direction of the front gate at Balk Shipyard, towards Valeria. “She’s lovely, really. But the crew quarters are just a little too small for what we were looking for.
“The crew has to be well looked after on my boats, they need to feel comfortable. It’s important to us that spacious, well-lit and relaxing areas need to be found in both guest and crew areas. Not only are guests travelling with us, so also are the crew. I want them to feel at home.” With Valeria a no-go, David was back scouring the market for a Feadship that met expectations. 
Feadship built 74 superyachts 40-metres or larger before the turn of the millennium, and out of those 74, only 12 are currently on the market. When these yachts are under ownership, they often stay that way. It was in fact Daan Balk, CEO and owner of Balk Shipyard, who informed the owner about a potential candidate: the 1990-delivered 48.83-metre MQ2, which was lying in Croatia at the time. Balk personally joined TWW and the owners to inspect the yacht.
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsMQ2’s timeless exterior lines, penned by De Voogt, and her voluminous interior won him over. The yacht was hauled out and surveyed in Trogir, Daan Balk was a guest throughout the study and provided the owner with sound reassurances. The deal was signed in May 2021, with the owner represented by James Hall and David Westwood of TWW Yachts, and the seller John Cohen of Merle Wood & Associates.
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsBut it’s hard to believe that the 50.4-metre Feadship floating in the dock was the same one he bought nearly two years ago. At the time of sale, she was shorter, had less deck space and an old-fashioned stern with small, swing doors that led into the saloon. She was also fitted with twin two tonne cranes, port and starboard. 
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts“My tender weighs three tonnes, so those cranes had to go,” her owner explained. “I wanted to restyle the stern section, so I thought why not extend and install a larger crane on the upper aft deck. Daan Balk had left a strong impression on me. I really appreciated his efforts during my visit to Valeria and thought ‘why not take MQ2 there for the refit’.”
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts “There was a lot of interest in this refit from many shipyards,” Daan Balk explained. “We ended up in a neck-and-neck race against Amico & Co The final two contenders. In the end though, we were granted the order and we signed the project right after the 2021 Monaco Yacht Show.”
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsIt turned out to be an extensive 16-month refit in total, with her original interiors by Robert Knack Internationalstripped bare and everything down to general arrangement entirely redesigned. Her stern wasn’t only restyled, it was also extended by more than a metre and she now features an impressive aft cockpit, complete with a hydraulic swim platform.
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
“The platform is fantastic; it can be lowered below the waterline. Just think, any charter guest can get in and out of the water with it, regardless of age. It also goes the other way, and my son who’s 17 was asking how high it can go, as he wants to use the platform as a diving board – it’s possible,” he laughed.
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsEmerald’s naval architecture was re-engineered by Mulder Design, and the team eked out as much as possible with this redesign. “We wanted the maximum we could, and Mulder Design drew up the plans and made it possible.”
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsGlass sliding doors have been installed between the skylounge and upper aft deck, replacing the swingset that really was not to the family’s taste. “Look at this space,” he said, swinging his arm around the upper lounge. “Can you imagine being sat here watching Formula One? It doesn’t get much better than that.”Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
The excitement was palpable and contagious. “This wasn’t here before either,” he said pointing to the stairway that connects the upper and main deck. “And the entire sun deck is new too,” he smiled. Taking pride of place forward of the sundeck is a very large Jacuzzi.
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsThe owner’s wife took charge of the project, working very closely with the UK-based Design Unlimited to map out and curate the perfect vessel. “Design Unlimited was incredible to work with. The team is perfect and they knew exactly what we wanted, how we wanted it. They sat down with my wife and in a day they had the whole project mapped out. An amazing experience,” he said.
“We wanted a yacht that was built around family use; plenty of space, lots of character and areas where we can relax to enjoy each other’s company,” her owner explained. Quite uncommon, especially for a yacht of this size, forward of the main deck is not one but two VIP suites. “When we have friends and family onboard, having a second VIP suite next to the master suite gives us more flexibility and the freedom to have our family all together, each with private space yet all on the same deck.”
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsEmerald offers accommodation for as many as 12 guests: four can sleep on the main deck in the two VIP suites, and the remaining eight will find accommodation on the lower deck. Each stateroom is finished with rich dark timbers that are sophisticated and lend the spaces a calming ambiance. There is a strict harmony across the staterooms, with only the ensuites differing in style.
“Look at this detail,” the owner proudly said, running his hand over the veined marble bathroom wall. “This one my son picked out.” The portside lower deck double stateroom features vibrant stonework, unlike anything else on the yacht. “We each picked different natural stones for the bathrooms, so each suite has a distinctive character,” he explained. 
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsAs we walked through Emerald the owner was most animated detailing the crew areas. “This wasn’t here before,” the owner said, pointing to a window in the galley. “My wife redesigned the galley and fitted this window. It cost me a fortune, mind. But, look, we’ve positioned it so the galley is well lit and the chef and kitchen staff can enjoy the views.” Each of the crew cabins we stepped into was more generous in size than any I’ve seen before aboard a 50-metre superyacht – or larger, for that matter. Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW YachtsRead: 50m Feadship superyacht Legacy V rechristened Emerald following major refit at Balk Shipyard
This family-oriented design and generous crew quarters have an added benefit: she’s ideal for the charter market. “I haven’t chartered any of my yachts before now, but TWW Yachts has instilled great confidence in me.” Emerald will make her world debut at the MYBA Charter Show in Barcelona on 24 April 2023. 
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts“I’m so pleased with her; Balk Shipyard, Design Unlimited, Mulder Design and my representative Jim Boot of WMC Superyachts have all done an amazing job. If I was to start the project again tomorrow, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Emerald will be cruising the Mediterranean this summer season and will either be in the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean during the winter. She’s available for charter bookings through TWW Yachts.
Photo: Julien Hubert / TWW Yachts