On March 19, 2025, the 79.95-meter superyacht 'Faith' began its passage through the Netherlands, putting navigational precision to the test. Built by Dutch shipyard Feadship as Project 714 and associated with Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, the vessel left the Aalsmeer shipyard bound for Rotterdam and its first sea trials before delivery. Feadship builds custom superyachts at facilities in the Netherlands, and the inland location made the route to open water a major part of the delivery operation.
The operation was anything but routine. At 79.95 meters long and 13.60 meters across the beam, 'Faith' had to handle waterways designed for far smaller craft. Tugboats at the bow and stern guided the yacht through tight stretches, while bridge openings and carefully coordinated maneuvers cleared a path through the canal network. The transit demanded close control of the vessel’s position as it passed bridges and banks, with homes lining the route.
Threading the Needle
As 'Faith' passed through towns including Alphen aan den Rijn, residents watched the hull move between homes and beneath raised bridges. Dutch media reported that traffic was halted at multiple crossings to allow bridges to lift. The YouTube channel Dutch Yachting documented the passage, showing the vessel negotiating bends and narrow stretches with tug assistance. Bridge operations and ship handling came together in a tightly timed transit across the waterways.
Engineering and Risk
The challenge was to move a vessel valued at an estimated $200 million through the canals without a scrape. Sharp turns required 'Faith' to pivot and realign for the next bridge, with little room to maneuver. A miscalculation could have caused costly damage to the yacht or nearby infrastructure, making the work of bridge crews and tug operators, alongside the yacht team, basic to the operation.
Feadship equipped 'Faith' with a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system under its Advanced Electrical Lead program, along with counter-rotating propellers designed to reduce drag and improve onboard comfort. The propulsion system supports the yacht’s operation at sea, but canal passage still depended on precise low-speed handling and coordination with the assisting tugs.
The vessel’s dimensions are close to those of another Feadship build, but the yachts are distinct projects. Project 716, 'Love,' is reported at 79.75 meters long and 13.5 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of 2,450. Its reported diesel-electric system uses four Caterpillar C32 engines and two pods with a combined output of 4,384 kilowatts. Those specifications describe 'Love,' not Project 714 'Faith.'
Ownership and Legacy
Specialist media have linked the new 'Faith' to Lawrence Stroll, the Canadian businessman and basic figure at Aston Martin. Reuters identifies Stroll as the owner of Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team and the company’s executive chairman. The new vessel replaces a previous Feadship yacht of the same name, later renamed 'Sophia.' YachtBuyer notes that Project 714 was designed with a slimmer profile to handle the Dutch canal system, an impressive consideration for a large craft built inland.
The slow, visually striking procession showed the scale of modern yacht construction and the precision required to deliver a vessel of this size to open water. Years of design and engineering met the practical demands of canal bends and tug-assisted navigation, while bridge openings shaped the timing. The passage became a prominent event on the Dutch waterways.
Superyacht projects of this scale draw on the Netherlands’ established shipbuilding industry and its network of inland waterways. The successful delivery passage of 'Faith' showed how construction location and vessel dimensions shaped route planning during the final stage of a custom yacht’s journey from shipyard to sea.
