10-YEAR SURVEY REFIT
Recently, Damen Yachting had the great pleasure of welcoming back the Amels 171 LIND (ex BEL ABRI, BELLE AIMEE, APRIL) to our Vlissingen City yard for her 10 year survey and a refit. Captain Jonathan Kielty kindly shares his experiences of the refit, his time at the shipyard and what Captains can expect from bringing a boat back home.
Refit Scope
With her return marking a decade since her launch, the 10-year Lloyds survey was the primary goal for the return to Vlissingen. Once the boat was at the yard, a period of discovery meant new projects were added to the scope as the refit went along, one of which was the replacement of the galley and major refit work to the tanks.
INTRODUCING LIND
A NEW LEASE OF LIFE
Captain Jonathan Kielty
Jonathan joined LIND 5 1/2 years ago. A journey which has seen the 52-metre Amels Limited Editions through 3 different owners and 3 name changes. Jonathan is an experienced Captain who has spent 22 years in the yachting industry following a major career change from the world of academia – he was a Professor of Biology and Climate Change Ecology – to the marine sector as a professional scuba instructor and Captain of a popular live-aboard dive boat.
Coming Home
For Jonathan, the refit of LIND marks his first time at Damen Yachting, and in fact the first time the vessel has been back since she was originally delivered in 2010.
“When we first started discussing the 10-year refit project there was one underlying feature that we all agreed upon and that was that we wanted to do it here at Damen Yachting. The reasons for that were that we wanted to bring the boat back to the people who had built it, to make it like a new Amels boat again. That has been achieved and it has been our great pleasure to have been here.”
“We wanted to bring the boat back to the people who had built it, to make it like a new Amels boat again.”
“The additional work that we decided to do at the time was a full paint job from top to bottom. Some minor works on the interior, no less important than anything else but generally it was mostly mechanical refit work that we had in mind when we came here. The scope did increase as we went along.”
REFIT PROCESS
Great Expectations
Having completed his first Amels refit, Jonathan shares his views on what other Captains can come to expect in bringing a boat to Vlissingen.
“The biggest take away from the success of the shipyard project has been the dedication of individual people working as a team, working diligently to make sure the entire project came together as planned. That’s a credit to Damen Yachting, to the individuals that work here, and also a credit to the crew on board because that sense of inclusion and teamwork has really been the biggest contributing factor to the success of this refit.”
Key to Success
When it comes to a successful refit, teamwork is key and in LIND’s case, as Jonathan explains, the inclusion of absolutely everyone involved in the project from the crew to the shipyard to suppliers to the owner’s team, working as one team.
“It’s an experience they’ll never forget. It’s not just bringing the boat back, getting the work done and leaving. You leave here with a sense of pride and inclusion.”
“The sense of teamwork, the sense of diligent professionalism is inherent in everything that they do.”
“When we leave here, we’ll head to Gibraltar and then to the South of France. After that it’s unknown but anyone who knows me knows I am most comfortable when we are out in the middle of the ocean and welcoming guests on board again.”
Charter Ready
Over the last decade LIND has travelled far and wide, enjoying both successful charter and private use and now, with a new a lease of life, is heading back out to sea ready for the charter market once more.
Fair Winds and Following Seas
For Jonathan, the refit of LIND marks his first time at Damen Yachting, and in fact the first time the vessel has been back since she was originally delivered in 2010.
“In short? Successful, enjoyable and inclusive. I think that sums it all up and are things you can’t often say about yard or refit projects but this certainly is the case.”
“For many of our refit projects, owners and captains use the time at the yard to re-evaluate the pre-planned scope of works and maximise the productivity of the operational downtime. Even if the refit scope grows whilst a boat is at the yard, we have the experience, capacity and organisation to do our best to accommodate it.”
Sales Manager Michel Coens
