Rabbit gets winner’s hat at 2010 World Superyacht Awards > Latest News > About Us
24 May 2010
The Orams Marine Village family knew the winner of the best refit category in the 2010 World Superyacht Awards announced in London on May 22 – but she wasn’t instantly recognisable.
The former White Rabbit, which spent a lot of time at Gulf Harbour when she was owned by a Singaporean, has morphed into Pegasus. Her refit has added three metres to give her a lower “beach club” deck among other changes and a complete internal refurbishment.
Pegasus beat out Orams Marine Services refit of Shenandoah of Sark and four other refit finalists at the event.
Two other Kiwi finalists – Liara in the 30-44m best sailing yacht category for Southern Ocean in Tauranga and Salperton in the 45m+ best sailing yacht for Fitzory – didn’t get the winner’s gun either.
Craig Park, Managing Director of Orams Marine Services, attended the black tie evening at London’s Guildhall on Saturday night.
Shenandoah of Sark is a Classic 54m (180ft) three-masted, gaff-rigged schooner built in 1902. With a beam of 8m (27ft) draught of 5m (16ft) she displaces 300 tonnes. Her construction is steel hull with timber superstructure.
The schooner underwent the major refit last year following a limited maintenance schedule carried out by Orams Marine Services during 2008. On any day more than 50 people worked on the project, which involved in excess of 60,000 man hours.
The comprehensive refit included the bowsprit and three spars plus topmasts being removed for full service and maintenance as well as hull, topside and engine work. All engine controls were replaced with a new system and new generators were also installed.
Craig Park says successfully integrating 2009 technology with a 1902 vessel was not a challenge to be underestimated. The guest area, nav station, officers’ cabins and lazarette had to be dismantled, modified and returned to an original state to allow for the new, larger exhaust pipes running along 26 metres on both sides of the vessel.
Michele Berry, General Manager of Orams Marine Village, says the independently owned Orams Marine Services has been part of the South Pacific marine scene for more than 70 years and brought the first superyacht into the Auckland village in 1987.
“They certainly do a good share of the superyacht refits in the South Pacific and it is fantastic that the superb quality of work of the team was rewarded with this nomination for the World Superyacht Awards,” Michele Berry says.