Pendennis Shipyard wins best refit award at World Superyacht Awards

Pendennis Shipyard has been awarded ‘Best Refit’ at the World Superyacht Awards for the refit of 85.6m Aquila. The Awards were held in Florence on 14 May.

This extensive programme of works included almost 800m² of external and internal space transformed over 12 months. Completed by Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth in summer 2016, the refit was overseen by the refit management team from Burgess who also manages the vessel operationally and for charter and had sold the yacht to the Owners in the first place. Due to the complexity of work and tight timescale a team of four project managers were in place at Pendennis, each responsible for a different aspect of the project (engineering, interior and exterior). Structural changes included removing the dip-pool from the aft sun deck, replacing it with a disco bar and professional DJ booth, and further installing a larger glass-sided jacuzzi pool on the front sun deck. Other key works included a full reconfiguration of the Owners deck and the addition of a cinema on the main deck.

Interior designers RWD and Susan Young were responsible for the transforming the interior space from the more traditional dark wood interiors to a contemporary dramatic finish. This was achieved by using an ingenious mix of glass and marble, with predominantly grey and petrol blue tones complemented by almost black eucalyptus wood veneers, framed by stainless steel and completed with exotic finishes such as tobacco leaf panels. Dramatic features are used to enhance the feel, including a 11m handmade Czech glass chandelier which cascades through four deck levels in the central stairwell. “We are really delighted to have worked with Pendennis Shipyard again on such a prestigious yacht as AQUILA.  It is a great honour to receive this award alongside Pendennis as their largest project to date, especially considering our long-standing history of working together.  A magnificent yacht has been created through innovative design and a truly collaborative approach.” said Tony Dixon, Director of RWD.

Mike Carr, Joint Managing Director at Pendennis, explained the team’s pride in being recognised in the World Superyacht Awards: “We would first off like to thank the Owners for entrusting the Pendennis team with such a wonderful project, we relish such complex projects as it enables us to apply our broad experience from over 29-years of refit programmes. Aquila being pronounced as ‘Best Refit’ is reflective of the diverse and knowledgeable skill-base that we have within the company’s 380+ workforce. We are very proud of this award, and to be aligned with the very best superyacht projects from around the globe.”

A spokesperson for the Owners concluded “We are extremely honoured to receive this award and are very happy that the team’s hard work has been recognized in such a spectacular way,”.