Taking an 80-meter LOA megayacht worth $200 million (about €184 million) out of the shipyard where it was built and into open waters is no easy task. And it becomes even more challenging when one must thread through channels that look tiny next to its imposing size.
That was the scenario for Lawrence Stroll’s yacht, the proprietor of Aston Martin F1 and the boss of Fernando Alonso, who embarked on a truly remarkable voyage in the Netherlands—from Aalsmeer to the sea, with Rotterdam along the route. The spectacular process was captured on video and uploaded to the Dutch Yachting YouTube channel.
A millimeter-perfect maneuver, in video: how Stroll’s yacht was taken to sea
The skill with which the captain steered the megayacht through the narrow Dutch channels is almost hypnotic, but so too is the road journey itself. Over roughly 70 kilometers in total, the Faith of Lawrence Stroll advanced with the help of tugs at the bow and stern, navigating with surgical precision to prevent any damage to its hull of 80 meters LOA and nearly 14 meters beam.
During the voyage, the vessel left the Feadship shipyard and first traveled through the picturesque town of Alphen, where its colossal frame eclipsed houses, churches, and even windmills. Moreover, the traffic had to be halted several times to allow its passage, as occurred at a drawbridge, in a meticulously calculated maneuver to ensure the boat did not brush against the infrastructure.
Another tense moment came when the yacht faced a tight bend in the canal and a 90-degree turn immediately followed by another bridge. As the footage shows, the Faith features five decks, a swimming pool, several bars, and a helipad on the bow in case the ice runs out.
This new vessel replaces the one initially named Faith and later renamed Sophia; Lawrence Stroll ensures a luxury craft worthy of the world’s most exclusive ports.
This spectacular transfer is not an isolated case. Other magnates, such as Jeff Bezos, have also staged similar scenes by taking their superyachts to open seas. Yet moving a craft of nearly 80 meters and $200 million through tiny canals, with zero room for error, stands as a test of precision and nerves of steel that few would dare to face.
While being an air traffic controller is often cited as one of the most stressful jobs in the world, directing a operation of this kind, with every maneuver calculated to the millimeter and millions at stake, could well claim that title.
Images | Dutch Yachting YouTube channel
