Herb Postma and Dick Genth were all smiles. Their new yacht had averaged 22 knots on her maiden voyage to Miami, arriving in time to steal the spotlight at the International Yacht and Brokerage Show along Collins Avenue in February. It was a validation of their decision less than a year earlier to team with investor Richard Egan and take over the troubled Trident Yachts facility in Tampa, Florida.
The trio completed some existing yachts and started construction on several new ones. Genth is in residence at the yard, in charge of day-to-day construction management, while Postma runs the brokerage and marketing operation from the Ft. Lauderdale office of Westship World Yachts. The Westship 140, a tri-deck configuration with a cockpit, is their latest and largest delivery.
She was so well received that two more 140-footers are under construction. There is also a 103-foot convertible scheduled to make her debut at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show this fall.
Postma chose “Committed to Excellence” as the corporate motto, partially to assure his customers but mostly to inspire his work force. Judging by the Westship 140, the motto is working. Her interior outfit and exterior finish are superb. At night, as she sat under the boat show’s uncompromising blaze of powerful floodlights, her hull and superstructure revealed no cosmetic flaws. The smooth curves of Awlgrip-finished fiberglass brought a collective “Wow” from passers-by. During an afternoon reception with dozens of guests aboard, she remained comfortable and fairly quiet despite the chorus of chattering from every corner. The same insulation that made this possible will keep her comfortably muted under way.
The main construction is composite fiberglass, built of knitted biaxial E-glass fabrics with vinylester and polyester resins. Hull, decks and structural bulkheads are all cored with PVC foam and vacuum-bagged for good bonds. Deck hardware is 316L stainless steel with 11/2-inch diameter railings. Doors, hatches and portlights are stainless or aluminum framed. Windlasses and warping capstans are by Maxwell, and the stabilizers are by Naiad. Propeller shafts are 5-inch diameter Aquamet 22HS, the highest grade available.
Fire safety aboard the 140 is given greater consideration than on some yachts. The engineroom’s fixed extinguishing system incorporates engine and ventilation fan shutdowns and automatic damper closures for the ventilation ducts. There is a hydrant system with two fire stations in the accommodation spaces, and there are optical smoke detectors throughout the yacht’s interior.
Postma’s years of listening to buyers is evident in the yacht’s arrangements. Yacht Design Associates, under the direction of Ed Priore and Tiffany Postma, completed the interior design with the goal of creating a comfortably elegant décor. With touches of Old World detailing and the inclusion of all the expected modern conveniences, the description is apt. Guests will feel comfortable taking off their shoes and propping up their feet after enjoying a sumptuous meal in the spacious dining room. There’s also plenty of space for such relaxation on the two open afterdecks, and around the whirlpool spa on the top deck. Buyers who want something different need only ask. Westship will deliver each yacht with what it calls “turnkey custom” décor.
One thing that doesn’t work on yachts this size is too-small crew’s quarters. The 140, however, should help keep crew turnover to a minimum. There are two crew’s cabins with upper and lower berths, and a first mate’s cabin with a double island berth. All three cabins have private heads. The bridge deck carries the captain’s stateroom, with a double berth and private head. The crew mess is large and comfortable, and there is a laundry and utility room big enough to handle all the dirty linen a complement of 18 can generate.
Amidships, four staterooms host eight guests. The two forward staterooms have queen berths, and the heads are outfitted with spacious showers. The two after staterooms have twin berths and deep soaking tubs.
Abaft the engineroom are a ship’s pantry and engineer’s control room, flanking a watertight engineroom door. Adjacent is a large exercise room with an adjoining head and shower.
The full-beam owner’s stateroom is forward on the main deck and has a king-size berth. His-and-her baths are to port and starboard of a spacious shower and a large whirlpool tub. There are a desk and vanity, and two sitting areas for reading or television viewing.
Abaft the galley, with its serving pantry and second crew mess area, is a large dining and saloon space. The dining area is open to the saloon, but divided by a low cabinet and columns. The saloon includes a bar with seating for four and two sofas in an L-arrangement at the after starboard corner. An entry foyer forward of the dining area has a day head and stairways up to the bridge deck and down to the guest quarters.
The pilothouse is up one deck, with a chart and communications station to port and a companion seat and table for four to starboard. Wide side decks and a Portuguese bridge will make docking easy and provide a direct route to the foredeck for anchoring. There is a sky lounge/media room with bar and day head. An RBI tender and two PWC are stowed abaft an outside dining area and bar/grill.
The top deck is reserved for guest relaxation. There is a circular whirlpool spa centered aft under the radar arch. A bar with seating for four is to port, and there is space for loose furniture to starboard. Twin semicircular settees with tables provide seating for eight or more at the forward end of the deck.
Contact: Westship World Yachts, (954) 463-0700; fax (954) 764-2675; www.westshipyachts.com
