Two triumphs of Feadship craft and skill, TANGO and MADAME GU symbolise the astonishing technological development of the superyacht industry. Chris Cecil-Wright brokered both deals and supervised the meticulous construction of these much-admired masterpieces.
DUTCH BEAUTIES
After commanding a million man-hours of production, Madame GU is acclaimed as the largest yacht ever built in the Netherlands and 10 metres longer than any boat previously built by Feadship. At 99m long and 13m wide she cruises at an impressive 25 knots – the most complex technological achievement that the shipyard has ever undertaken. In parallel, the elegant, 77m Tango has grown accustomed to accolades since her launch from the Royal Van Lent facility in 2011; she won both the ShowBoat Design Award and Motor Yacht of the Year at the prestigious World Superyacht Awards in 2012. As one might expect, Madame
GU is a serious contender for the latter award this year.
UNIQUE APPEAL
From the moment Chris brokered both deals with the Feadship shipyards, the pursuit of owner personalisation began – an exacting, beyond bespoke approach, that clients have come to expect from Cecil Wright. The aesthetic of Madame GU’s décor is so particular to the owner’s varied taste that it’s indefinable as a single style. Her designer Andrew Winch considers ‘St Petersburg’ and ‘French Empire’ as epithets for her grandeur; ornate details that extend to a decorative teak motif on the hatch doors to the helicopter hangar. The winning formula
for Tango incorporated a design scheme by Eidsgaard –
the distinctive two-tone, architectural appearance secured
a unanimous verdict from the ShowBoat Design Award judges, who concurred that ‘Tango has taken the styling of superyachts a step forward’.
THE FINER DETAILS
Tango’s deck areas were designed with specific purposes in mind: The dedicated spa deck, for example, features a gym, massage salon and contra-flow pool, while the owner’s deck ensures absolute privacy. Her engineering prowess is illustrated in the retractable zero-speed Rolls Royce stabilisers that prevent queasiness, even while at anchor. For well-being and relaxation onboard Madame Gu, Winch’s studio conceived of a multitude of cocooning, sink-in saloons as well as a cinema, spa, gym, pool, sauna and hair salon. Another exceptional quality is the state-of-the-art nightclub; a profusion of lasers, strobes and a kaleidoscopic dance floor that set the scene for a party with rolling mist, a DJ booth and an array of seating pods.
A collective of creative and technological thinkers have carefully considered every inch of each yacht – a dialogue made possible by the close personal connection between Chris Cecil-Wright, Henk De Vries and Dick Van Lent. It’s a relationship that has enabled the broking and construction of three of the largest and most significant Feadships of the last three years. With their considerable impact and inexhaustible list of attributes, Madame GU and Tango are particularly fine examples of Dutch shipbuilding mastery.
