The former fishing vessel HD-23 ‘Vertrouwen’ of Rederij Gebr. Bakker from Den Helder has been converted into a superyacht at Maaskant Shipyards in Stellendam: the Scintilla Maris. The 46 meter long cutter was one of the largest cutters in the Dutch fleet at the time, but was taken out of service in 2005 due to high operating costs. The ship has been in Stellendam for 18 years and has been worked on intermittently.
Our colleagues from Rijnmond visited the yacht and its owner, who wishes to remain anonymous. The owner of the yacht is originally Dutch and has been a successful businessman abroad for years. He grew up with the deployment of flexible workers in forty countries around the world and with the production of rum. Since childhood he has been crazy about sailing boats and trawlers.
Damen Maaskant in Stellendam implemented the plans, in collaboration with other parties. “In fact, anything was possible,” the businessman exults. “It really went like ‘can’t be done, doesn’t exist’. There is an aura of ‘yes’ hanging over this yard.”
‘People are going to see you as a showman’
It is the reason that the businessman spontaneously gives an interview to Rijnmond, albeit under a made-up name. His candor is exceptional. Because millionaires who have a ship built or renovated somewhere generally avoid publicity. He explains why. “It causes a lot of whining. People start to see you as a showman and ask if you can’t spend your money better. Or you are approached at every turn by people who want to sell you something. But I would like to do this interview. See it as my ode to Damen.”
He wants to go to the North Pole on the Scintilla Maris. “I don’t need a gin palace, floating in Monaco,” he says to Rijnmond. This cutter, he says, can reach places where many yachts have to drop out. So he can take it to the North Pole. Just to name one thing. Heavy storms, meter-high waves? No point either. “Because it’s so stable.”
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Off-road vehicle at sea
“Look,” he continues, “in the car world you have Maseratis and Jeeps. A Maserati is fast, but if you have to cross a sandy plain with it, you have a problem. Then it’s better to have a Jeep. This ship is a kind of all-terrain vehicle at sea.”
The metamorphosis was fifteen years in the making. Not continuously, but steadily. The owner decided from A to Z how it should be done. Initially he wanted to turn it into a houseboat. Only later did the idea arise that the cutter could also become a luxury yacht.
Today there is a large glass table on the deck. With wood around it. Lots of African hardwood. There is a sundeck and an outdoor bar. And in the hold where the fishing nets were previously stored, the master bedroom is now located. With rain shower. The HD23 has become a luxury yacht. But a very tough one. See the images below.
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The Scintilla Maris is a former beam trawler, which was used to pull nets over the seabed to catch flatfish. The cutter is 46 meters long, 9 meters wide, has a draft of almost 5 meters and weighs 1 million kilos. The ship can reach a top speed of over 22 kilometers per hour.
The businessman plans to leave the port of Stellendam in six months. The Scintilla Maris will then set sail for the Pacific Ocean via Norway and Iceland. First he will enjoy his ship himself. After that he also wants to rent out the cutter.