SUPERYACHT #513
January 2005
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
articles, images and yachting news
Summary
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Article by
Angelo Colombo
Photos by
Hans Westerink
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ATHENA: MYTH REDISCOVERED
Athena, daughter of Zeus, goddess of war renamed Minerva by the
Romans? No, the Athena we're going to talk about, though destined
to remain in seafaring history, has nothing or almost nothing to
do with the mythological image we're acustomed to. The 'almost' is
obligatory because a certain parallelism with the Royal Huisman
yard's "Athena" does arise spontaneously. Why? Because "Athena" is
the largest private three-masted schooner ever built to date;
because she represents a marriage between many yachtsmen's
imaginative dreams and their rational ideas about modern sailing.
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TECHNICAL DATA
LOA: 90 metres
Length on waterline: 60.52 metres
Beam: 12.20 metres
Draft: 5.50 metres
Maximum height of deck structures: 60 metres
Design speed: 18.9 knots
Displacement: 1.068.000 kilos
Ballast: 221.500 kilos
Engines: 2 x 2.000 HP Caterpillar 3516B
Propulsion: two 1.60 metre diameter automatic variable pitch
screws with four blades, hooked up to ZF 7540 NR CEW gearmotors.
For further information contact Royal Huisman Shipyard BV,
Flevoweg I, P.O. Box 23; 8325 ZG Vollenhove, Holland; tel. +31 527
243131; fax +31 527 243800; website www.royalhuisman.com; e-mail
yachts@royalhuisman.com .
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A ship that ploughs the seas, driven by the action of the wind on
the sails she has aloft. But of the antique she has only the
fascination, because everything aboard "Athena" is of the most
modern and avant-garde you could find at sea. For the Dutch yard
Royal Huisman it is certainly no novelty to build a vessel that
embodies this pleasing contrast which inevitably generates emotion
in observers. But above all in those who have the fortune to sail
her, to feel her standing up to the force of the wind,
transforming it into movement, and feel her opening up the sea,
eager to discover its boundaries. This is what we are dealing
with, not any old vessel but one designed and created for someone
who wants to sail the most remote courses, an owner who, having
already possessed a sailboat from the same Dutch yard, entrusted
the latter with the creation of a dream called "Athena", launched
and therefore made reality in 2004.
Also with this splendid specimen Royal Huisman created everything
on its own premises, from the hull to the smallest detail
installed. Gestation lasted four years and involved a work team
rich in ideas with talents such as those of Peter Beeldsnijder for
the exterior and interior layouts and the Gerard Dijkstra &
Partners studio for the naval architecture. With a hull of no
less than 90 metres Beeldsnijder could create spacious
environments capable of offering hospitality in maximum comfort
also for long periods. These environments were created with
mahogany which emphasises the classic nature of this vessel
designed on three decks. We shall begin with the lower deck which
houses the owner's suite and the guest and crew accommodation and,
in the mainmast area, the technical room that houses the two
engines - Caterpillar 3516B of 2.000 HP each - the three main
generators plus one reserve, plant for handling the numerous
electromechanical and electro-hydraulic aids, control panels and
safety systems. Forward of this area are the crew's quarters with
a spacious dining and relaxation area, cabins and bathrooms, with
plenty of space and highly liveable, finished with the same care
found everywhere aboard "Athena". Aft of the mainmast area are the
owner's suite and the guests' cabins, the former occupying the
entire stern zone with a double bedroom, living area with L-shaped
sofa and coffee table, an office corner with desk and two
armchairs, two separate bathrooms, a shower cabinet, dressing
table and bath in a separate space and a dressing room. The whole
receives natural lighting from six portholes in the bulwarks for
the night and relaxations areas plus another two in the room
housing the bath. There are four guest cabins, three with double
bed and one with twin beds, all with private WC and furnished with
sofas for moments of relaxation. The main deck, partially covered
by a superstructure created in perfect harmony with the overall
aesthetics of the yacht, as one would well expect, offers generous
spaces for enjoying life under way in absolute comfort, both in
the open air and indoors. The aftermost zone has a spacious area
dedicated to the handling the vessel while farther forward there
are two corner sofas with table and armchairs. Proceeding forward
we come to an open air living area, covered over by the extension
of the upper deck and equipped with two relaxation corners with
sofas and tables, a central round table and two companionways for
external access to the upper deck. In the great deckhouse the
indoor saloon stretches the entire width of the superstructure aft
of the mainmast area. Here we find the dining room and, farther
forward, a service area worthy of a hotel. On the same bridge the
forward end of the deckhouse is occupied by an office and a hold
for underwater gear, including a refilling point. The final deck
includes a lounge with sofas, armchairs and cinema aft, while the
forward area is occupied by the skipper's cabin with double bed,
private bathroom and direct communication with the bridge. It is
worth pausing on the command bridge not so much for its size,
which we might presume on a 90 metre vessel, as for the effective
synthesis of the concept of ancient and modern which cohabit
harmoniously and are expressed by this area. The antique flavour
is certainly there in the view enjoyed from the windows of the
superstructure, which also have the typical forms of the sailing
ships of yesteryear and are vertical. But also in the wheel
itself, situated externally at the forward extremity of the upper
bridge and with bridge wings from which almost the whole sail plan
can be observed. The modern is set in a classic context that
highlights it, with latest generation apparatus for remote
handling of hoisted sail area and various systems linked with
steering the vessel, communications and plotting and maintaining
the course. Outside on the upper deck there are two lifeboats,
aesthetically and technically in line with the form and content of
"Athena", meaning that the hulls are in classic form and colours
but their characteristics conform with the international
directives that permit "Athena" to be classified in accordance
with the following regulations: MCA, Lloyd's *100A1, SSC, Yacht
(P), Mono, G6, LMC, UMS and SOLAS. Hull and superstructures are
entirely in aluminium, in conformity with the rules imposed by the
protocols of the above classifications, as are all three masts.
The mainmast and mizzen are equipped with internal rollers for the
sails at their extremities. The booms are all in carbon fibre with
an internal system of gathering in sail. The whole is controlled
and handled by electromechanical systems, meaning that the
imposing sail plan requires a relatively limited number of crew.
Though the rig maintains classic type forms, in reality it was
studied in depth to obtain performances in line with something
that is not noticed about this vessel at a first, superficial
glance: her modernity. We must consider that the vertical
development of "Athena" at the design phase was not to exceed the
62 metres maximum height imposed by the Panama Canal bridge. Had
we much more space than a magazine like ours can grant, we would
surely have the impression of having left something out. But all
in all, with a work of art words are always too many and at the
same time never enough.
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