The 281ft (85.6m) Motor Yacht CAKEWALK, the largest yacht to be constructed in America in three- quarters of a century – and the largest U.S. yacht ever built in terms of her volume – is well along the road to her projected 2010 launch at the Derecktor Connecticut shipyard. Her steel hull and aluminium superstructure are complete; her electrical and mechanical systems are in place, as is her exceptionally heavy-duty noise reduction package. Under the close supervision of the CAKEWALK project team, Derecktor’s shipwrights currently are installing the finely crafted custom interior mill work, cabinetry, stonework and other unique wall and floor coverings within her main-deck guest suites and private owner’s apartment. Derecktor was selected for the motoryacht CAKEWALK project due to the shipyard’s more than 60 years of experience in both recreational and commercial shipbuilding.

“For an owner that earned his money in America, this project is as much an assertion of his belief in his country as it is a call for others to build here,” said CAKEWALK’s Captain Bill Zinser. “The owner believes in American ingenuity and its ability to overcome whatever challenges we face. His faith in America and the yard’s determination to live up to that belief are proving that it can be done.”

Tim Heywood, principle yacht designer for the CAKEWALK superyacht  project, says, “I am really pleased with the work Derecktor have produced – it is as good as any other yacht builder in the world.”

Derecktor's Cakewalk - Image curtesy of Derecktor

It takes an international team deep in talent to create a superyacht on the scale of CAKEWALK. The owners, an experienced yachting couple who have owned four smaller Cakewalk motor yachts, are deeply involved in the project. The brain trust they selected to collaborate with them on CAKEWALK includes the award-winning British yacht designer Tim Heywood of Tim Heywood Designs, who drew the yacht’s exterior styling and general arrangement; their longtime interior designer Liz Dalton of Dalton Designs, Inc., in Palm Beach, FL, and Dutch design firm Azure Naval Architects, which provided the naval architecture for the vessel’s 17-knot full displacement hull. Captain Bill Zinser, who skippered the couple’s three previous, highly successful charter yachts, is the owner’s representative for the new build, working closely with Derecktor’s build team.

CAKEWALK motor yacht  is truly a modern classic, evoking the timeless elegance of motor yachts from American yachting’s golden era while moving the needle forward in contemporary yacht design and engineering. In keeping with her dual mission as a private vessel and an exclusive luxury charter yacht, hospitality and comfort are emphasized on every deck. Among CAKEWALK’s many outstanding characteristics are her ultra-spacious public areas, which make good use of her 46.92ft (14.30m) beam and enormous volume. Upon their arrival onboard, guests will find a warm welcome in the large salon on the main deck. Styled as an elegant library, complete with fireplace and grand piano, it will feature millwork in American cherry wood complemented by accents in different exotic woods.

The main salon also encompasses a separate formal dining salon, forward, with a spectacular chandelier designed by Dalton Designs and a circular custom-built table that can seat the yacht’s full complement of guests. Unlike most motor yachts, CAKEWALK’s six guest staterooms are located on the main deck, where their oversized windows will offer expansive views that would be impossible from a more traditional lower deck guest area. Designed to be equivalent in size and amenities, so every guest feels equally pampered, these staterooms each incorporate an en suite bath with spa tub. While CAKEWALK’s six decks all are served by an elevator for complete guest accessibility, one of the project’s crowning achievements is the central spiral staircase. Featuring intricate wrought ironwork against a backdrop of soaring cherry wood panels, this grand staircase creates a different ambiance at every landing. The stairway foyer on the owners’ deck, for example, features Versailles-patterned woodwork that sets the tone for the rest of this spacious private deck. The large master stateroom, trimmed in limed oak, features a king-sized berth facing a semicircle of large windows, a separate sitting room, his-and- hers baths and twin walk-in closets. The whole suite can be offered to very special charter guests.

Guest Stateroom in Progress - Cakewalk Superyacht

Dual gyms – a fitness center and a yoga/aerobics studio – along with a large recreation salon also are located on the owners’ deck. On the aft deck, a large oval table provides an inviting al fresco dining alternative. But that is by no means the end of the options for entertainment aboard the superyacht CAKEWALK. There are two more levels of enjoyment – the bridge deck with its comfortable recreation/media salon and huge aft-deck exterior balcony, and the lofty sun deck. The latter aerie is split between a sunning area with spa and an outdoor bar/observation lounge that will give guests one of the best vantage points from any yacht on the water today. While the extensive array of settings, both intimate and grand, aboard CAKEWALK super yacht will provide endless diversions and relaxation for all who cruise in her, it’s important to point out that their comfort will be Master Stateroom truly guaranteed by what they cannot see. The well-thought-out service areas that lie behind the scenes on every deck, and the efficient electrical and mechanical systems Derecktor Shipyards has engineered and installed on every level – especially the state-of-the-art entertainment, ship’s monitoring, security and noise-suppression systems – provide a solid, commercial-grade, Lloyd’s- certified foundation to this monumental project.

Beneath her breathtaking icing, CAKEWALK is a substantial work of art….

Cakewalk’s Tenders

The Boathouse

Some owners treat their yacht’s tenders as strictly utilitarian; not so CAKEWALK’s owner, who loves his custom-built small boats and understands the important role they can play in a guest’s enjoyment of the superyacht itself.

Grand Staircase - Cakewalk Superyacht

“When you are picking up guests ashore to bring them out to the big boat, the tender gives them a small slice of the quality, luxury and excitement they will experience aboard CAKEWALK,” says her Captain, Bill Zinser.

Designer Tim Heywood and Derecktor gave the tender bay that houses CAKEWALK’s trio of tenders special emphasis. This massive compartment, which he nicknamed “The Boathouse,” measures 47ft (14.3m) by 40 feet (12.2m), has 10-foot (3m) headroom and is finished in clean, white Awlgrip paint. The tenders sit in custom-fit cradles with the yacht’s four Yamaha WaveRunners in between them; two SeaBob underwater scooters are mounted on the bulkhead.

The tender bay’s twin 40-foot side-opening electric/ hydraulic doors, designed by Freeman Marine and fabricated by Derecktor, posed an engineering challenge for the shipyard to meet Lloyd’s and SOLAS regulations. The finished compartment has exceptionally strong internal framing and reinforced bulwarks. Two overhead sliding crane beams smoothly launch and retrieve the small boats from the tender bay. Guests will comfortably enter and exit the tenders from the teak-decked water- sports platform at CAKEWALK’s transom.

The Tenders

The three custom tenders that the owner commissioned for the superyacht CAKEWALK offer the full range of small boat experiences to her guests.

Main Salon - Cakewalk Superyacht

“Whether cruising a beautiful harbor with a pitcher of Margaritas, flying off to the best fishing or diving location, or going ashore in gowns and tuxes, we have it covered,” said Captain Bill Zinser.

A fan of the wooden Rivas that once carried movie stars along the Riviera, CAKEWALK’s owner was fortunate enough to secure one of only 10 Limited Edition AquaRiva ‘Centos’ built by the Italian yard. With its gleaming wooden decks, wraparound windshield and generous sunpad, this open runabout is designed to evoke La Dolce Vita.

Riva Limited Edition AquaRiva 100 ‘Cento’ (Hull No. 9 of 10)
LOA: 32.8’ (10.07m) Engines: 2 x Yanmar LYA/STP 370hp/272kw @ 3300rpm Max speed: 42 knots Cruising speed: 36 knots Range: 150nm @ 36 knots; 130nm @ 42 knots

Speed and sport are the watchwords for the innovative center console custom-built for CAKEWALK’s owner with diesel inboards by U.S. high performance manufacturer Intrepid. Equipped with a folding dive door, pop-up ski and wakeboard tow eye and full outriggers, this 50-knot vessel will provide guests with hours of water-sports fun.

Intrepid Custom 350 Open
LOA: 34.5’ (10.61m) Engines: 2 x Volvo D6 370hp turbocharged diesel inboards Max speed: 55 knots Cruising speed: 30 knots Range: 180nm @ 35 knots

It is hard to choose a crown jewel amongst these three precious vessels, but the limo tender designed by Tim Heywood especially for CAKEWALK is the belle of the ball.

“The owner wanted it to be like a Bentley Continental,” Heywood said.

Hand built by Vikal in Australia, this air-conditioned limo will ferry guests to and from the yacht in elegant comfort.

Vikal Custom Limousine
LOA: 36.7’ (11.3m) Engines: 2 x Volvo D6 370hp turbocharged diesels Max speed: 50 knots Cruising speed: 25 knots Range: 100nm @ 25 knots

Sit back and enjoy the ride….

We will keep you updated about Cakewalk’s upcoming launch in 2010, in the meantime if you require additional information about any yacht available for charter contact our experience and friendly team at CharterWorld.