WINTER 2011I sea&iI73refitWhen she was launched in 1989, the 41.1m (134'1)Feadship Odyssey went under the name of WhiteRabbit. Twenty one years later she hopped backto the Feadship De Vries yard for a major refit and has emergeda very happy bunny indeed. Renamed Odyssey, extended inlength and draft and utterly refreshed throughout her interior,she is now a striking charter yacht in the CNI fleet,accommodating 11 guests in five staterooms. sea&italks to hercaptain, Parker Stockdale, regarding the ins and outs of her refit.Odyssey looks exceptional following her re-launch, but whatwas it about the original yacht that attracted her currentowners and inspired them to refit her?Odyssey has a rich lineage. Her pedigree, classic lines anddiverse cruising background and capabilities were all things thatappealed to her current owners. When she was originallylaunched in 1989 her maiden voyage was from Aalsmeer in theNetherlands to Singapore. Since then she has completed almostfour circumnavigations and survived a large typhoon. Her hulland structure have been clearly proven, so when we acquired herwe wanted to make improvements that would maintain orincrease her value. De Vries collaborated with Redman WhiteleyDixon to completely renovate the interior. The owners loved thebeautiful teak finishes so we retained certain areas and features,such as the teak and holly bridge deck floors. The vision was tobreathe life back into a classic yacht that had given her previousowners years of dedicated service. She now operates at safetyand luxurystandards that greatly exceed yachts of her sizeand style. The refit was substantial. What was involved?Refits are notorious for snowballing so we knew the morematerial we removed the more we would find to fix. Initiallywe wanted to extend all three levels, increase the volume ofthe sky lounge, and replace all the teak. This evolved into acomplete renovation of the interior, full paint job, completesafety system and audio-video upgrade, and a massive refitof the vessel's 10m (32') RIB tender. We decided to split theproject into two phases, the first of which was completed atRybovich in West Palm Beach. The second, and more?

74Isea&iIWINTER 2011involved phase, was completedat Feadship's De Vries Makkumrefit facility in the Netherlands. Redman Whiteley Dixon han-dled all structural interior improvements. In total the refitlasted 15 months.How much were the owners involved? Did they have very clearideas or were they open to suggestions, and how did all thisimpact on your role?The owners were very involved. Odyssey is their first yacht andthey are very proud of her. They were instrumentalin designconcepts and the interior work but they gave me the freedomto organise all of her systems, safety gear, technology, tendersand toys. As the owners' representative and captain on thisproject, it was a very hands-on experience for me. I executedevery detail of work and coordinated the refit on their behalf. What were the most challenging and rewarding aspects? Keeping tabs on the planning was the most difficult part, andensuring the many parties involved were organised, in line andon schedule was a challenge. But of course the ups outweighedthis. The most rewarding part was helping to develop the owners'tastes and implementing many of my own design ideas in theproject. It has been incredible to take a classicship and giveher modern amenities and technology so she can continueto cruise the world's oceans. Aside from cost, what do you see as being the benefit ofrefitting a yacht rather than buying new? The chief benefit for us was that this yacht offered the style, sizeand layout that the owners were looking for. A refit is alwaysquicker than a new build but it does present other challengesthat, in some people's opinions, may outweigh the benefits. I'mpleased that for a smaller yacht this platform is fully proven. Shehas safely done her duty for the last 20 years and that'ssomething no new build can contend with.Ultimately, how did the refit meet/differ from the original brief,and what provoked the changes? There came a point in April when we decided to execute muchmore work than originally anticipated. We were planning to