WWW.BOATINTERNATIONAL.COM NOVEMBER 2017he Westport 164 Gigi and
her new Damen Yacht
Support vessel Axis (see
page 118), caused quite a stir
in New England this
summer. Residents from
Massachusetts to Maine
were confused by the sight
of the two 164ft-plus vessels tied up
together but particularly curious of the
one that features a sharp axe bow and a
long deck loaded with gadgets, including
an Icon amphibious aircraft. When the
Icon made a water landing, a concerned
local even called 911 to report what they
thought was a plane crash.
“People kept asking, what is this? You
would think we just landed a Space
Shuttle,” says Thom Conboy, president of
Ocean Independence’s Americas office.
While support (or shadow) boats have
been garnering more attention lately –
mostly thanks to Damen’s Yacht Support
range – they are still a rarity. There are
only about 20 worldwide, either serving asuperyacht or awaiting an owner. But if
you consider that seven of these were
launched in the past two years, it’s clear
that momentum is building.
For Damen, parent shipbuilder of
luxury yacht builder Amels, the impetus
came from well-known yacht owner
Roman Abramovich. His fleet manager
saw the need to supplement his
superyacht fleet – which includes one of
the world’s largest yachts, Eclipse – and
ordered two 164ft offshore supply vessels
adapted for their needs.
“We thought it was a good idea and
introduced the concept at the 2009
Monaco Yacht Show when the vessels
were in build,” says Victor Caminada,
marketing manager for Amels and the
Damen Yacht Support range.
“At the show, a gentleman walked up
to me, looked at the scale model, and said
‘I love the idea, but my toys won’t fit,’”
Caminada says. “I thought ‘wow, it’s
already a 50 meter boat with a deck of
30 by nine meters.’ By the time wePHOTOGRAPH: JEFF BROWN