The team at Amels and Damen Yachting has confirmed the sale of the 55m Yacht Support Gene Chaser. The name of the yacht was unveiled during a private ceremony held at the Dutch builder’s shipyard in Vlissingen. Complete with stunning custom fleet colours and a research laboratory, this Yacht Support will be used alongside the Amels 180 Gene Machine.
Gene Chaser, from Damen Yachting’s YS 5009 Yacht Support range, was originally launched in late 2020 as Blue Ocean. Over the last two months, she has undergone a period of intense transformation to meet the owner’s exacting requirements for setting up the interior as a working research laboratory and hub for ongoing scientific projects.
The main salon has been converted into a working wet and dry laboratory, and other interior areas have been designed for conferences and educational purposes.
Guest suites allow for eight visiting researchers and experts, while the crew areas can now accommodate a crew of seven and four full-time scientists. The substantial 225-square-meter exterior deck, with a high-performance knuckle-boom 13-t capacity crane, provides ample space for Gene Machine’s Fjord 42 and a Hatløy Maritime Oxpro AL8 landing craft, as well as additional mission-specific equipment.
Matthew Gow, captain of the owner’s 55m yacht Gene Machine, represented this repeat client during the sale. “We’ve achieved an incredible amount of work in a short period of time, and the collaboration with the team at Damen Yachting has been excellent. Watching the transformation take place has been very special and I cannot wait to see Gene Chaser alongside Gene Machine.”
Owner Dr. Jonathan Rothberg sums up the motivation behind Gene Chaser. “Coronavirus reminded us of the fragility of our world. Whether it’s a global pandemic or global climate change, each of us must rise to the challenges we face, as we are best prepared. For my family, this means Gene Chaser and her onboard Gene Lab – a next generation lab to address mankind’s greatest challenges. Gene Chaser will be the tip of the spear as we deploy never before available technology to characterise, understand, and expand our knowledge of biodiversity, and identify nature’s solutions – within her genes – to the world’s greatest existential threats.”
Dr Rothberg confirms this is also the origin of the name Gene Chaser. “We are going to go after genes to combat global warming and clean up the oceans and the air. That’s why it’s the Gene Chaser. In our planet’s very genes lie the answers to our biggest challenges and the key to our salvation.”
Damen Yachting, a division within the Damen Shipyards Group, was created in 2019. The division combines the pedigree and heritage of Amels yachts with a growing portfolio of SeaXplorer yachts and Yacht Support vessels.
Credits: Amels
The 85m explorer yacht Victorious has been launched at the AK Yachts facility in Turkey. This explorer, whose building process had been postponed for 14 years, can accommodate up to twenty guests in ten cabins and has a 200-square-meter beach club, gym, hammam and massage room. Powered by two Caterpillar (3512B) 1,495hp diesel engines, Victorious is capable of a top speed of 15 knots and cruises comfortably at 13 knots. Her interior was designed by the famous H2 Yacht Design (UK), andJonny Horsfield, the company’s founder noted “From starting a project to delivering some drawings and information to the shipyard could take 12 months on a normal build… we had to redesign the whole boat in three or four months.” AK Yachts was founded in 2017 in Turkey. Their main focus is building exceptional quality yachts with uncompromised value. Credits: H2 Yacht Design
April 9, 2021
Ocean Eco 90 Explorer is solar-assisted electric long-range cruiser with the added feature of extra space on the upper deck. At 27.5m, this yacht has an impressive 14m beam; the lower deck houses four cabins for guests and three for the crew.Her estimated cruising speed is 8–10 knots and top speed is 16–18 knots. See new images of the interior below.OE 90 main saloonOE 90 main saloon OE 90 master cabin OE 90 master cabinOE 90 master cabin at nightAlva Yachts was founded in Germany in early 2020 by Mathias May and Holger Henn. It was built on the former PICA yachts, which has launched more than 40 boats. Credits: Alva Yachts
April 9, 2021
The 300m scientific exploration vessel Earth300 has been presented by Iddes Yachts' founder Ivan Salas Jefferson and is equipped with 22 state-of-the-art laboratories and a “science sphere” on the aft deck. This giga yacht can accommodate more than 400 people, including 160 scientists, 20 experts-in-residence, 20 students, 40 VIP guests and 165 crewmembers.Of course, this futuristic yacht was designed for emissions-free sailing and will be powered by nuclear tech known as molten salt reactors (MSRs).The project is supported by an impressive number of partners, including IBM, RINA, Triton Submarines and EYOS Expeditions.Iván Salas Jefferson, the Iddes Yachts founder and naval architect, has worked for leading Dutch naval architecture studios such as De Voogt (Feadship) and the Oceanco bespoke superyacht builder. Iddes Yachts was founded in 2012 and offers experience project management services supported by the design and naval architecture studio.Credits: Iddes Yachts
April 9, 2021
The 52m Amels 180 Limited Editions Grace is going back to the shipyard in the Netherlands where she was originally built for a refit. Grace was delivered in 2009. Eleven years on and Grace is now returning to Vlissingen for a four-month refit which will see a number of works take place, including a technical upgrade, a complete hull respray and interior modification.“It’s wonderful to see Grace back at the yard,” says Damen Yachting Sales Manager Michel Coens, who knows the yacht well from her time at the yard during the original build. “Being able to welcome yachts and their crew from the fleet back to our yard is always a great honour. There is a real sense of pride in welcoming back one of our own and also having the opportunity to once again shape a yacht to the owner’s wishes.”Damen Yachting, a division within the Damen Shipyards Group, was created in 2019. The division combines the pedigree and heritage of Amels yachts with a growing portfolio of SeaXplorer yachts and Yacht Support vessels.Credits: Damen Yachting
April 8, 2021
The latest Pearl 62 has been delivered to its new owner in the UK. This unit, hull number 4, is the first with Kelly Hoppen’s Luxury interior design style. The Pearl 62 is available with either Luxury or Modern interior styles, both composed by world-class interior designer Kelly Hoppen MBE. The Pearl 62 is a family yacht. She has four guest cabins. The full beam owners’ cabin is accessed via a private stairway and features a large, centrally placed bed, a desk, a reading corner and his and hers closets. Two twin cabins can both convert to doubles. The VIP cabin is fore and has a large, centrally placed bed, a dressing table, his and hers storage and an en-suite with a walk-in shower.The saloon has large glazed areas that sweep upwards so that the interiors are bathed in natural light.The full-length flybridge is accessed via a staircase on the starboard side of the aft cockpit. This large and versatile space has a helm station with joystick controls and Garmin touch screens with controls for everything from the yacht’s anchor to its Fusion entertainment system. Next to the helms there is comfortable seating that can convert to become sun pads. A hardtop with an opening central section is optional, but a wet bar with a cool box, sink and BBQ grill is standard. Volvo IPS propulsion gives the Pearl 62 optimal performance and efficiency characteristics, while joystick controls with dynamic positioning system and an integrated Garmin touch-screen display make helming and accessing all of the yacht’s systems easy and intuitive.UK-based Pearl Yachts was founded in 1998 with the aim of designing a range of luxury motor yachts offering voluminous interiors, combined with opulence and design excellence. Pearl’s fleet consists of the all-new Pearl 62, the Pearl 80, and the Pearl 95.Credits: Pearl Yachts
April 8, 2021