DEVONPORT OneSixty – Breaking New Ground in Superyacht Design

PRLog (Press Release) - Jan 19, 2010 -
a concept that pushed all technical and aesthetic boundaries and the revolutionary 165m DEVONPORT OneSixty was born.

Berkeley March first came to attention of the world’s superyacht design industry when aged just 28 he took a finalist position at the prestigious Boats International Young Superyacht Designer of the Year awards. Having studied art and graphics at school, he always been interested in form and function; his first career ambition was to be a sculptor. Encouraged to pursue a more ‘academic’ path by his parents, it soon became apparent that a degree in architecture was not the right choice. It was whilst taking some time out between universities, it suddenly came to him how a passion for form and function and love of sailing could be incorporated into a career: designing world class superyachts.  Just four years later Berkeley had completed his degree in Yacht and Power Craft Design at the UK’s leading maritime studies at Solent university of Southampton. And just one year later he found himself the talking point of the superyacht design industry. In 2007 Berkeley and his university friend and business partner Stefan Vennekens formed Emocean with the aim of designing and building the world’s most technically advanced and aesthetically innovative superyachts.

Stefan dreamt of doing the yacht and powercraft course from a very young age, and came across an advert of the course in a edition of professional boat builder, and kept the clipping ever since, Stefan’s experience in running his parents shipyard in Belgium and his excellent technical background coupled with both designers love for design and naval architecture made for a logical partnership and Emocean was formed. Down to earth and pragmatic, Berkeley’s ambition is clear, “My aim is for Emocean to win the Boat International Superyacht Design Award, but not just for a conceptual design this time, but for an actual yacht once it has been designed, built and delivered”.

It was this focus and ambition that led the Managing Director of DEVONPORT Yachts Stephen Hills to offer Emocean the opportunity to create a new design concept for the shipbuilders’ portfolio. “On meeting the guys at the Monaco Yacht Show it was immediately obvious to me that they are not just extremely talented designers, but  also have the technical knowledge, ambition and focus to deliver a truly ground breaking world class superyacht”. DEVONPORT Yachts Ltd has long been established as the UK’s leading builder of bespoke superyachts over 70m, having delivered six of the World’s top 100 superyachts including M/Y Sarafsa and M/Y Talitha G.  DEVONPORT stands for engineering and technical excellence and actively encourages relations with some of the world’s most exciting and innovative superyacht designers.  Berkeley comments “We met Stephen and it was immediately apparent that we all had the same objectives – to build the world’s best bespoke superyachts. Considering the pedigree of the shipyard itself, the decision to work with DEVONPORT was easy. Their clear focus is to build bespoke superyachts to meet the designer and clients exact specification. Stephen gave me carte blanche to design the DEVONPORT OneSixty, trusting that not only would the styling be original and innovative, but that once the owner’s specifications had been incorporated, technically the concept could be built.”

As a general rule, if you have to ask how much building and owning a vessel this size will cost, you can’t afford it! The DEVONPORT OneSixty is the largest yacht in the DEVONPORT portfolio and it will certainly need a client with deep pockets and a taste for truly contemporary yacht design. Key features of this enormous vessel include a 360 degree observation deck, 17 VIP rooms and an entire deck dedicated to the owner. Gadgets and toys include a drive-in vehicle garage so owners and guests have their own transport when in port, a helipad and hangar allowing guests to arrive in comfort and style and two 20m day boats giving access to ports and beaches otherwise inaccessible to the superyacht. An underwater observation deck allows guests to view their aquatic environment from the comfort of the yacht and for the more adventurous there is a mini-sub for exploring the depths and dedicated diving centre. For some owners guest entertainment is paramount and for after hours there is a nightclub onboard with a private area and indoor pool. With a cruising speed of 20Kts and maximum speed of 28kts, DEVONPORT OneSixty will accommodate up to 32 guests who will have their every need taken care of by 64 crew. Berkeley comments, “We take pride in the fact that considering the sheer size of DEVONPORT OneSixty we have created a vessel which is above all elegant. Although a preliminary design package is available on request, this vessel is of a completely bespoke design and equipment, styling, configuration, class etc will be completely tailored to the desires and tastes of the client in order to take full advantage of the valuable time spend on board”.

From initial concepts through to the day the yacht leaves the dockside on her maiden voyage can be anything up to ten years!  So how does the process of designing a world class superyacht begin? Berkeley explains, “It starts very simply by sketching out lines in a note book. Once I  start to feel which lines will work and the next phase is to translate these ideas into a 2d drawing program for more tweaks, then finally into a 3D package for finishing off. This is the initial concept and from here the hard work really begins incorporating all of the necessary technical aspects and refining the design. Stefan comments, “Emocean’s designs are technically achievable so we will consider the functionality required, for example how big the engine room has to be in order to accommodate the machinery, which will achieve the cruising and maximum speed the owner requires, or how many guests the client wishes to entertain; where the exits and fire escapes are and creating enough space for the crew required to run the yacht, by doing so we manage to stay true to the design as it was intended. We are also keen to incorporate as much relevant new technology as possible into our designs so that they are both technically and aesthetically innovative.” Berkeley adds, “Form and function have equal priority, but ultimately we want to create something that is both elegant, original and works fantastically well.

So the next phase for the DEVONPORT OneSixy is to find a client who is inspired by the concept and that will work with Emocean and DEVONPORT to refine it to their exact specifications. It’s a long, long process where client, designer and shipyard work closely together to create what starts as a few sketched lines on a note pad to the reality of a completely bespoke, 165m world class superyacht. Berkeley concludes, “A happy client and an elegantly designed, technically capable superyacht. That’s what it’s all about.”

For contact details please visit our website        www.emocean.be