With a personal invite to come down and spend some time on board the Feadship Heritage Fleet (FHF) yachts that would be in port for the Historic Grand Prix de Monaco, I made my way down to sunny Monaco to see how the Fleet has grown since its inception last year and what is drawing more and more owners to join the club.

I’m greeted by chairman of the Feadship Heritage Fleet, Victor Muller and welcomed on board the 30m classic, Something Cool, in all of her 1970s glory. Following brief tours of 23m Serena, one of only seven Caravelles launched, and recently refit by De Vries, Makkum, it was on to 28m Najade, 35m Beija Flor and 32m Heavenly Daze. All unique in their own rights, with classic Feadship lines and styling, this niche group of Feadship lovers has quickly grown since its start last year. With only two classic owners part of the group in April 2013, FHF has now grown to 18, with a potential 180 eligible yachts (80 of which are 30m+), and seems the group is growing in leaps and bounds.

After enjoying some lovely champagne and canapés on board, it’s time for my own personal taste of the Historic Grand Prix: a test drive in a Spyker with Victor Muller, CEO at Spyker and owner of The Highlander. Zipping through the streets of Monaco, it’s explained why more owners are coming forward to join the FHF.  "A lot of these owners aren’t simply buying the yacht for the yacht’s sake, but to become a part of an elite club," explains Muller. "Like car enthusiasts, you do it to join a whole different world you wouldn’t have access to otherwise”.



A whirlwind tour of Monaco was brought to an end as I was invited back on board Something Cool the next morning for her final sail from Monaco to Antibes. After more than 40 years at sea, she is being taken to the Feadship Makkum yard to complete an anticipated two-year full refit and overhaul. There is plenty more planned for the group, starting with the first annual meeting at the Feadship shipyard at Aalsmeer on 28 June.

Watch this space for more FHF stories in upcoming issues of The Superyacht Owner.