26 Mduse — 198’10”
Mduse’s gone Twitter! In August, Twitterers buzzed about having spotted Paul Allen’s yacht in Juneau, Alaska. Shutterbugs snapped photos of her, too, and yachtspotters were particularly taken with the gray protective cover on her helicopter—apparently a change from the white one it used to don.
Y: 1996; B: Feadship/Royal De Vries Scheepsbouw, Holland; N: De Voogt Naval Architects; H: steel; E: 2/1,700-hp Caterpillars
27 Blue Moon — 198’0″
Richard Duchossois owns this yacht with his wife, Judi, and there’s one area where her presence is really felt. Coined the “Judi Patio,” the bridge deck features a series of glass panels that slide together, turning the exterior space into a climate-controlled interior zone with unobstructed views.
Y: 2005; B: Feadship/Royal Royal Van Lent, Holland; N: De Voogt Naval Architects/Donald Starkey; H: steel; E: 2/1,650-hp Caterpillars
28 Pegasus — 196’9″
Reports say that in 2004, only 98 of the 5,500 entrants for a Michelin star were actually granted one. Which just goes to show how impressive it is that Pegasus’ chef, Charlie Clark, has won the coveted culinary prize.
Y: 2004; B: Oceanco, Holland; N: builder; H: steel; E: 2/1,650-hp Caterpillars
29 Oasis — 194’9″
At presstime, this yacht’s owners had put Oasis on the market for an asking price of approximately $85 million. Her future owners will get accommodations for 12 guests, a gym that morphs into a full-fledged disco, and more. Plus, she just underwent a major repaint this past year, which means she’s looking extra spiffy.
Y: 2006; B: Lrssen, Germany; N: Glade Johnson Designs/builder; H: steel; E: 2/1,957-hp Caterpillars
30 Intuition II — 193’7″
This expedition yacht was once Spica, a Dutch pilot ship that was converted in 1999 for her New York-based owner. With a maximum top end of just over 13 knots, she’s not exactly a speed demon, but Intuition does get around: She was spotted in Virgin Gorda this winter and is known to cruise the Caribbean and United States.
Y: 1974/1999; B: Amels, Holland/Vosper Thornycroft (UK), England; N: builder; H: steel; E: 1/1,330-hp Smit Slikkerveer electric motor and 3/650-hp Deutz-MWMs
31 Calixe — 193’0″
Calixe’s owner Wendy McCaw isn’t just the owner of one of California’s oldest newspapers, she’s also got a keen interest in animal welfare. She helped return Keiko, the whale featured in Free Willy, to the wild.
McCaw and her fianc also own two donkeys. No word on whether they were onboard during the yacht’s recent trips to Lake Ontario and Newport, Rhode Island.
Y: 1986; B: Feadship/Royal De Vries Scheepsbouw, Holland; N: H.W. De Voogt Naval Architects; H: steel; E: 2/1,605-hp Deutz-MWMs
Calixe
32 Linda Lou — 191’10”
At first, Linda’s owner Doug Von Allman wanted a 164-foot semidisplacement yacht, until he spotted Lrssen’s 192-foot Capri and decided he wanted Linda to be her sistership. Luckily the builder complied with Von Allman’s request, transferring all of the engineering fees he’d already paid to the new build.
Y: 2006; B: Lrssen, Germany; N: Espen ino Naval Architects; H: steel; E: 2/1,950-hp Caterpillars
33 Unbridled — 191’0″
Charter guests aboard this just-launched yacht will enjoy a veritable arsenal of toys that includes two Novurania tenders, two Kawasaki WaveRunners, and two 15-foot kayaks.
Thirsty? Unbridled carries 6,000 gallons of fresh water.
Y: 2009; B: Trinity Yachts, USA; N: builder; H: steel; E: 2/2,000-hp Caterpillars
Unbridled
34 Seawolf — 190’8″
Oftentimes when a boat changes hands, her new owners opt to keep her name. Not so with this vessel, which in her 52 years on the water has been known as Clyde, Smit Salvor, Mastas Salvor, Seawolfe, Seawolfe C, and Dolce Far Niente.
Y: 1957/2002; B: Smit Kinderdijk, Holland; N:: Dhr Huisman; H: steel; E: 2/1,500-hp Smit-MANs
35 Helios — 189’3″
Helios’ interior was just redone by HF Interior and Knight & Carver. The overhaul—which included work in the main saloon, master stateroom, six guest cabins, sundeck, and more—was so successful, it was nominated for the best refit of 2009 by one marine publication.
Y: 2001; B: Oceanco, Holland; N: The “A” Group-Monte Carlo SAM; H: steel; E: 2/1,650-hp Caterpillars
36 Excellence III — 187’10”
The third in a string of Excellences that also includes the 258-foot Excellence IV (which owner Herb Chambers sold within weeks of taking delivery of her last year), and the forthcoming Excellence V, this is just one of Chambers’ many toys. He’s also got a Gulfstream G450, a helicopter, and a McLaren F1, which is reportedly one of the fastest cars in the world.
Y: 2001; B: Abeking & Rasmussen, Germany; N: builder; H: steel; E: 2/2,000-hp Caterpillars
37 Ultima III — 187’9″
At presstime, Ultima was on the market for an estimated $65 million. Thanks to a few recent open houses, visitors got a rare chance to step onboard this heretofore un-seen vessel, which has only had one owner, Ron Perelman, and has never been chartered.
Y:
1998;
B:
Abeking & Rasmussen, Germany;
N:
builder;
H:
steel;
E:
2/1,877-hp Caterpillars
38 Bad Girl — 186’0″
She sold in April, but Bad Girl’s still American-owned. No word on whether her new owner will keep her Xbox and Playstation intact.
Y: 1992; B: Brooke Yachts, England; N: Luigi Sturchio/Don Shead; H: aluminum; E: 2/3,480-hp MTUs
39 Sirona III — 185’4″
Once named Sycara II, this is the second yacht on this list owned by Carnival Cruise Lines mogul, Micky Arison. Though she’s no longer available for charter, Arison uses her regularly himself. She’s recently been spotted in Gibraltar and Monaco.
Y: 2003; B: Oceanfast, Australia; N: Jon Bannenberg/Phil Curran; H: steel; E: 2/1,600-hp Caterpillars
40 Lady J — 185’0″
Don’t be fooled by the fact that she’s bee on the water for more than 30 years—this Lady can still perform with the best of them. She has a reported cruise speed of 12 knots and a range of about 9,000 nautical miles.
Y: 1976/1989; B: Quality Shipyard, USA; N: builder; H: steel; E: 2/1,760-hp Wartsila Nohab Polars
41 Pangaea — 184’0″
The owner of this expedition boat worked closely with his trusted captain to get her charter-ready. Some of the most high-impact changes? Replacing her open railings with bulwarks, adding accommodations for up to seven more crew, and topping Pangaea’s steel decks with teak.
Y: 1999; B: Halter Marine, USA; N: Trinity Yachts; H: steel; E: 2/1,000-hp Caterpillars
42 Allegro — 183’7″
At presstime, Allegro was still an American-owned vessel, though she was on the market with a reported asking price of just over $39 million. According to the broker overseeing her sale, this five-stateroom megayacht, with a cruise speed of 14.5 knots, is really and truly turnkey, right down to her stemwear.
Y: 2005; B: Benetti, Italy; N: Stefano Natucci; H: steel; E: 2/1,850-hp Caterpillars
43 Huntress — 180’5″
She has an interior finished in warm creams, taupes, and tans, which accounts for why the authors of Huntress’ Web site,
, boast that this charter yacht—which also features a lot of limed and burr oak—has a decidedly “warm ambiance.”
Y: 1997; B: Feadship/Royal De Vries Scheepsbouw, Holland; N: De Voogt Naval Architects; H: steel; E: 2/1,280-hp Caterpillars
44 Altitude — 180’4″
It’s typical for megayachts to have watertoys, but this one carries a few that go beyond the ordinary. On that list are a kayak with a removable drive unit that allows it to be used as a paddleboat, a five-person banana float, and a 15-foot water trampoline.
Y: 2003; B: Benetti, Italy; N: Stefano Natucci; H: steel; E: 2/1,850-hp Caterpillars
45 Platinum — 179’4″
Little is known about this boat—no small feat given that she’s been around for 47 years. From what we’ve been able to gather, she’s still owned by the same man who had her when she first appeared on this list, some 20 years ago.
Y: 1962; B: Lrssen, Germany; N: builder; H: steel; E: 2/2,130-hp MTUs
46 Starfire — 178’0″
In recent months, reports have begun to surface that Starfire’s owner is in the market for a larger boat. Whether or not that’s the case, he’s still got this yacht, which is often spotted in the Med being followed by one of her tenders, a 40-foot Hinckley named Starlet.
Y: 1997; B: Benetti, Italy; N: Stefano Natucci; H: steel; E: 2/1,573-hp Deutz-MWMs
47 Fortunate Sun — 177’0″
A favorite of yacht spotters, this gray- hulled, Tim Heywood-designed beauty is regularly seen in the Med, most recently in Nice’s Port Lympia.
Y: 2003; B: Oceanfast, Australia; N: builder/Tim Heywood Designs; H: steel; E: 2/2,330-hp MTUs
48 Katharine — 177’0″
At presstime, this boat was on the market. Her reported asking price? $29 million.
Open houses aren’t just for homes: Katharine’s brokers recently held one onboard to show her off, an event that generated serious interest, thanks, no doubt, to her recently rebuilt main engines and fresh paint job.
Y: 2001; B: Trinity Yachts, USA; N: builder; H: aluminum; E: 2/2,000-hp MTU-DDCs
Katharine
49 Kisses — 175’0″
Kisses’ interior has been described as minimalist art deco, which is particularly apparent in the metal geometric patterns on many of her doors. Her owners are reported to be major modern art fans, so interior designer George Larson gave her a clean, jazz club-esque look, which serves as a perfect backdrop to their floating collection.
Y: 2000; B: Feadship/Royal De Vries Scheepsbouw, Holland; N: De Voogt Naval Architects; H: steel; E: 2/1,360-hp Caterpillars
50 Noble House — 173’9″
When her owners are ready to entertain, Noble House’s formal dining room fits the bill. It’s got a 12-seat table flanked by beautiful hand-crafted cabinetry.
Y: 2003; B: Sensation Yachts, New Zealand; N: Overing Yacht Designs; H: steel; E: 2/2,200-hp Caterpillars
This article originally appeared in the November 2009 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
