Delivered in 2012 by Abeking & Rasmussen, the 60-meter Excellence V, one of the most voluminous yachts in her size, became her American's owner fifth superyacht. His fleet's next flagship, an 80-meter Abeking & Rasmussen is however still under construction.
Excellence V
Herb Chambers' first yacht became a 30ft Trojan fishing boat in 1970, he then upgraded to a 53ft Hatteras before starting his journey into the superyacht space with a 38.7-meter Feadship, Excellence. Launched in 1986, three years after Chambers sold his blooming copier sales business, A Copy, for $80 million, the yacht could reach 13.5 knots.
Later known as Golden Rule and last refitted in 2006, the yacht was sold by her new owners in 2011 at an asking price of $4.9 million. She was then renamed once again to Miss Iloilo in 2013.
Excellence I
Chambers next yachting project became an even larger Feadship, the 47.5-meter Excellence II launched in 1999. With an interior by Sam Sorgiovanni, the yacht had a beam of 8.9m and could reach a speed of 14.5 knots.
Later reportedly sold by Chambers to American businessman, Dennis M. Jones who renamed her to D'Natalin II, the yacht was then sold once again and renamed to Princess K. Now cruising under the name Princess Too, she was sold to her current owner in the summer of 2016 at an asking price of €15 million.
Princess Too
Launched this time by Abeking & Rasmussen in 2001, Excellence III became a 57-meter superyacht with an exterior by Donald Starkey designed with charter in mind. Praised for her comfortable seven cabin layout by guests, the yacht went on to have an inspiring charter record led by Chambers' long-time captain, Ray Shore.
Listed for sale in 2010 Excellence III was later sold in March 2012 asking $45,950,000. The popular charter yacht was then renamed to Dream following her sale and lengthened to 60-meters during her 2014 refit.
Dream
Chambers' subsequent project became a 78-meter Abeking & Rasmussen which was planned to take on the name Excellence IV. A few months into the build, Chambers received an offer to buy the yacht from a friend, which he decided to turn down.
Halfway through the build he however realised that such a project would prevent him from mooring in harbour such as Gustavia in St.Barts and Capri. When a Russian oligarch made another offer to buy the project at a profit for Chambers, the American businessman accepted. "I did well on that one." Chambers told Forbes. The yacht went on to become Eminence.
Eminence
Following the sale, Chambers decided to take on another project at Abeking & Rasmussen building Excellence V, a 60-meter yacht with the interior volume and comfort of a 75-meter superyacht. Launched in 2011, she is now available for charter from €595,000 per week.
Excellence V
"There was a transition where it became a business for me" Chambers told Forbes on his superyacht projects, "I get more enjoyment out of building the boats than I do using them". Chambers's Excellence IV, a 28-meter Pershing launched in 2014, might be the only exception to this rule as he keeps it for his personal use. The yacht was however listed for sale and is now asking $8,400,000.
Excellence IV
Chambers, now owner of the Herb Chambers Companies, the largest automotive dealership group in New England, USA with over $2.5 billion in revenue in 2014, might however be on his most ambitious yachting project yet. Indeed, the American billionaire has commissioned an 80-meter project currently under construction at Abeking & Rasmussen, which he says will be a cross between M/Y A and a more traditional yacht.
The brand new superyacht Olivia O has been recently seen on the French Riviera. Planning and engineering work began on the boat in November 2016 and earlier in 2020 the superyacht was finally delivered to her experienced owner.One of the largest explorer yachts in the world was designed and built by Ulstein Verft, which is known for commercial vessels, ferries, and workboats. Well-known superyacht designer Espen Oeino was chosen by the owner to develop the exterior lines and the general arrangement of Olivia O. The 88.5 m motor yacht is not typical in style, she features a trademarked reverse-bow design called the X-Bow.She is owned by Eyal Ofer, a Monaco based billionaire, active in shipping and real estate. He is not the last man in shipping indeed since in 2014 Eyal was ranked number 7 in Lloyd’s List 100 People in Shipping. With the net worth, which is estimated at US$ 9.4 billion, he definitely can afford this US$ 200 million luxury superyacht. Eyal is Chairman of Ofer Global, Zodiac Group, and Global Holdings. His father Sammy Offer was Israel’s richest man.Some of her impressive highlights are a large swimming pool on the main deck aft and a helicopter deck with a D-value of 16. Olivia O offers accommodation up to 20 guests in 8 cabins, including Pullman bunks while crew accommodation is for 30 people.
July 10, 2020
The 99.95 m superyacht Moonrise, the largest superyacht by waterline length built in the Netherlands to date, has been recently delivered after successful sea trials in the North Sea. Built by the Feadship yard in Makkum, she also has an impressive volume thanks to a 15.50-metre beam.The shipyard described the yacht's key features as “sleek, sensual lines” with a “modern masculine profile”. Some of the highlights of Moonrise are it's a large beach club, a gym, and the huge living space areas.Her stylish details, such as long hull windows, a glorious grey hull, and striking vertical bow add to the elegance of the design by Studio De Voogt. The interior of the boat was created by Remi Tessieir Design.Moonrise has a 15.5-meter beam and is equipped with a pair of MTU engines for a maximum speed of 19.5 knots and a cruising speed of 16 knots.Moonrise equipped with a pair of MTU engines for a top speed of 19.5 knots at top speed and she is designed to cruise comfortably at 16 knots. The dimensions of the yacht are impressive and can accommodate up to 16 guests in 8 staterooms. There are also exceptionally high-end crew accommodations for up to 32 crew members.
July 10, 2020
Lürssen's superyacht Opus, which was previously named Redwood, hit the sea for the first time. The 142m vessel featuring six decks was launched yesterday July 9th. The technical concept was launched in January 2019.The management of project Opus is done by Moran Yacht & Ship, overseeing the construction process. This project sets a new record as the largest project for the company to sell.Moran Yacht & Ship commented:She is feature-rich with high-end amenities to delight and cater to every imaginable whimThe motor yacht can accommodate 36 guests in 20 cabins. Opus was designed by Italian design studio Nuvolari & Lenard. After the sea trials are completed, Opus will be delivered to her owner later this year.
July 10, 2020
Madame Gu is a 99.00 m luxury motor yacht. She was built by Feadship in 2013. This week this majestic superyacht has been seen in Saint Tropez. With a beam of 16.50m and a draft of 4.60m, she has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. This adds up to a gross tonnage of 2900 tones.Madame Gu is powered by MTU 20V 4000 M73 engines of 4,828hp each, capable of reaching a maximum speed of 24 knots and cruise at 22 knots.She can accommodate 12 guests in 6 cabins including a master stateroom and five guest cabins. Both, an interior and exterior design by Andrew Winch make up one of Holland’s largest yachts ever built. The superyacht a fully enclosed helicopter hangar with a Eurocopter Dauphin AS 365N3, which costs around US$ 9 million. Also, there are two 11-metre tenders and scuba gear as well as a beach club, gym, and jacuzzi on deck.
July 9, 2020
Lürssen shipyard delivered 180 metre superyacht Azzam in 2013. With such an impressive length, she is the largest privately owned superyacht in the world and held its title unchallenged for nearly seven years. With a beam of 20.8 m and a draft of 4.3 m, she has a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. This adds up to a gross tonnage of 13136 tons. Azzam is powered by engines of 23,500 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 30 knots.The all-white motor yacht can accommodate guests in cabins with an interior design by Christophe Leoni and an exterior design by Italian studio Nauta Design.Mario Pedol, co-founder of Nauta Design commented:Azzam features balanced, modern architecture composed of straight lines and proportional volumes, which are some of the main design principles of Nauta Design When we were called to participate in pitching for the exterior styling of this yacht we knew it would be the most demanding work of our career, defined by the strictest and most challenging requests in terms of dimensions, performances, and technology. What made us confident to be able to deal with such a challenge was the interpretation of the client’s brief. The best technology was required in order to obtain the highest performance possible.There is not much information about her interior design, but it’s not a secret that the interior layout includes an open-plan main saloon measuring 29 metres by 18 metres.Pedol said about it:We’ve had a lot of compliments for Azzam. They all talk about elegance and balance, that she doesn’t look as big as she is, and I think this is a good achievement.
July 9, 2020