When summer ended in New England, Serena’s crew prepared her to sail for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and arranged to hitch a ride aboard the Schippersgracht of Amsterdam.
The boat-toting vessel arrived in Portsmouth, R.I., on November 5th, lifted Serena high out of the water and secured her on deck. The ship was expected to make stops in Philadelphia and Freeport, Grand Bahama, before arriving just outside of Crown Bay, St. Thomas, in mid-November.
Feadship, the Dutch builder known worldwide for its magnificent superyachts, first constructed the steel hull of Serena in 1964 to the design of legendary Italian boatbuilder Carlo Riva. In a nod to that era, when a relatively few private yachts of Serena’s scale were built, a recent edition of Pilot, the boatbuilder’s magazine, featured our yacht.
Serena was commissioned dockside on July 5 at the New York Yacht Club Harbor Court clubhouse in Newport. The celebrants included several representatives from Feadship who traveled from The Netherlands to participate in the commissioning ceremony. H.J. de Vries shared his memories of the boat being launched at the legendary De Vries boatyard back in 1964. Other representatives of Feadship announced that Serena will serve as the first official flagship for the Feadship Heritage Fleet in the United States. Reverend Mary Johnstone gave a benediction followed by a formal declaration of commissioning by New York Yacht Club Commodore Phil Lotz.
Mr FW Stukenbröker was the first owner and namer her
Serena.
Rembert Berg never planned to be a boat owner until he was on a vaction in St. Tropez swimming off a friend’s boat and spotted Serena.
Check out Riva De Vries Caravelle Serena in Invictus Magazine.
Check out the refit brochure from the 2011 refit at Feadship.
Check out the original brochure for the the Ultimate Mini Megayacht.
Pam Rorke Levy grew up in a family of designers, architects, and artists, and much of her professional life has been focused in the arts. Her partner on land and sea, Matt Brooks, has been sailing since he was a child and has many accomplished sailing and aeronautical achievements. Together, they appreciate classic yachts and preserving their rich history.
The exterior was renovated according to the original design, keeping as much of the hardware intact to maintain the finish of the era in which she was built.
