Repeat customers are a joy to any business, but when an owner comes back for another 50-meter-plus yacht, a builder has to be thrilled. The new 52-meter motoryacht Tigre d’Or is the second yacht of the same name built by Amels Shipyard. Though only slightly longer than the first Tigre d’Or, the current delivery is considerably more luxurious and well equipped.
Tigre d’Or boasts a beautiful light interior of oak paneling with burl reliefs. The custom-woven cream carpet complements the joinery, while lacquered furniture provides an offset. Marble fitted in the master and VIP stateroom baths adds a touch more contrast. There are four guest staterooms belowdecks, all abaft the engineroom. Two twin berth cabins are adjacent to the lazarette/garage, each with en suite heads and showers. Forward of these, next to the engineroom, are two double berth staterooms. The divider bulkhead between them can be opened to create one large VIP stateroom with his-and-hers heads, each with a full-size tub.
The owner’s stateroom is forward on the main deck and occupies the full beam. There’s a double berth to port, with a large private sitting area and office to starboard. The master head has a tub and shower in a single room, leaving plenty of space for an ample dressing room lined with hanging lockers.
Flexibility is not limited to the belowdecks staterooms. On the main deck abaft the master stateroom is another twin berth cabin accessible from either the guest or crew side of the yacht. Outfitted to the same standard as the other guest accommodations, it is a good fifth cabin or children’s room.
There are six twin crew cabins forward, all with en suite heads. Also forward are a large mess area, laundry and service rooms, and walk-in refrigerator and freezer storage lockers. The captain’s double berth cabin is on the bridge deck, just abaft the wheelhouse.
In addition to the spacious dining area and saloon you would expect on the main deck, there is a large enclosed lounge area on the bridge deck. Both the saloon and lounge feature cutaway bulwarks and low-sill windows that bring in lots of light and allow a maximized view of the sea. Both levels also have open afterdecks, and the top deck, or sundeck, is also largely devoted to guests with a whirlpool spa and sunpads. To create extra space for in-port entertaining and coastal cruising, the two Ribtec tenders can be lifted from their cradles on the bridge and sundecks with forward and aft cranes, for storage on the bow.
Less obvious but still designed to pamper guests are the numerous under-counter Miele refrigerators, Foster ice makers and gas-fired barbecues in outside lounge areas. Inside, everything from a SeaTel satellite TV system to a computer-based “audio on demand” sound system make life comfortable.
Comfort is expected, but Tigre d’Or is one of the first yachts built to full compliance with the MCA Code as well as Lloyds class, meaning she has a host of safety features not usually found on lesser vessels. Not only is there extra equipment, such as a freshwater/saltwater fire sprinkler system, but the yacht’s arrangement is designed to promote survivability. Six watertight bulkheads and three watertight doors ensure remaining afloat should any one compartment flood. The watertight doors are power sliding doors, a feature often used on passenger ships but seldom found on yachts. Should the main power be lost, the doors can be operated by a dedicated emergency backup 24v power supply. There is also a 40kW emergency diesel generator on the main deck to supply power to the rest of the yacht should an engineroom casualty knock out the main sets. Other safety equipment includes CO2 firefighting systems in the engineroom and galley, two 16-person liferafts, two 11kW fire/bilge pumps and a towing rope.
The machinery list is just as impressive and reads like a Who’s Who of outfitting. Steen windlasses are fitted to handle the Pool anchors, and Steen capstans take care of docking. Vosper stabilizers keep her steady at sea, and Tenfjord steering keeps her on track. An Alfa Laval centrifuge cleans the fuel, and two Idromar RO watermakers produce a total of 3,700 gallons of potable water per day.
A pair of Cummins KTA 38 M2 diesels provides main propulsion, producing 1,200 hp each at 1800 rpm. The propellers are Lips fixed-pitch five-blade wheels, driven through Reintjes 4.45:1 reduction gears. At her full speed of 15 knots, Tigre d’Or has a range of 3,970 nautical miles. Pulling the engines back to a normal cruise of 1450 rpm yields a speed of 13.6 knots and a range of 5,560 nm, while the long-range cruise of 1300 rpm still gives 12 knots and boosts range to a very capable 7,760 nm.
Building to the MCA Code, which is now required for commercial charter yachts flying the Red Ensign, has been a challenge for many yacht builders. Amels’ apparent success in meeting the requirements with style stems in part from the yard’s history, both distant and recent. Founded in 1918 by the Amels family, the Makkum, Holland, yard built some 350 commercial and military vessels before entering the large yacht business in the early 1980s. In 1987, the company ceased commercial vessel building and was sold. It was resold in 1991 to the Damen Shipyards Group. The Damen Group is an established Dutch shipbuilding consortium with a broad range of shipyards. It recently completed, among many other vessels, the magnificent clipper ship Stad Amsterdam. Although Amels operates as an independent unit, it obviously benefits from the financial, engineering and facilities capabilities afforded by the larger family of Damen yards.
Contact: Amels Holland B.V., (011) 31 515 232525; fax (011) 31 515 232719; info@amels-holland.com; www.amels-holland.com.
