PHOTOGRAPH: JEFF BROWN
NOVEMBER 2017The YXT 24, below,
built by Dutch yard
Lynx Yachts, can hit
16 knots, has a range
of 1,250nm and has
a 3.6 ton crane.Piriou’s YSV 53,
bottom, is capable
of 21 knots and its
huge aft deck can
accommodate a
3.3 ton helicopter“A single yacht this size has many disadvantages when it comes to docking,” he
continues. “You just can’t get into the smaller ports. We have a lot of redundancy in all
crew departments; it’s like having a staffing agency cruising with us. And while all large
vessels have spare parts, with our fully functional workshop on the support vessel, we
are now repairing and fabricating those parts. Not much can stop us now.”
The math makes sense, too. When you consider that a 160ft mothership and 160ft
support vessel will together have half the crew complement of a 320ft superyacht, you’re
looking at considerably lower operating costs. And on the big yacht you still wouldn’t
get the deck space that a dedicated support vessel can offer.
“We have a submarine, seaplane, flats boat, WaveRunners,
some sailboats, a custom dive and submarine tender, and a
fishing tender, all on the deck!” saysAxis’s owner. “Move
things around a bit and we’re landing a helicopter. Just the
other day we tied together while at anchor, rolled the
smoker and grilling equipment out on deck and had a
fabulous barbecue. It’s like a small city with all the amenities
in the remotest of locations. You can’t do all these things on
a conventional yacht.”
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show visitors can see
Axisat the Hilton Marina; Damen is bringing its latest
spec boat, 180ftNew Frontiers, to the SYBAss dock near
the Hall of Fame Marina.117