Here’s something that doesn’t occur often: a yacht delivered early.
That’s what happened last month, when Delta Marine handed over Katya to her owners, who promptly enjoyed a cruise along the U.S. West Coast before heading to the Panama Canal.
I got an early look at the 151-footer in May, and she was shaping up nicely. The red bootstripe and curvy profile were eye-catching. The owners, from the Midwestern region of the USA, hired Jean-Claude Canestrelli of Canestrelli Design to work with the Delta Design Group, the yard’s in-house team. The woods reflected dark, rich colors – specifically, an African mahogany known as Khaya, crotch mahogany, and Cinamora burl. Stone inlays formed the tops of the buffets to each side in the dining area, and the Delta craftsmen were laying more stonework on the sole in the foyer along the starboard side, where a central staircase also resides. I therefore couldn’t venture forward to the master suite, occupying the full beam, or the four guest staterooms below decks. But in speaking with the project manager, I learned that the en suite heads each featured an abundance of stone, something the owners definitely wanted Katya to reflect.
Because the owners plan to enjoy long cruises and offer Katya for charter later this year, there are also generous storage areas for provisions and four commercial-grade refrigerator/freezer combos in the galley. A crew staircase leads to the upper deck so that snacks and meals can be served at the alfresco dining area for 10, and a central bar takes care of everyone on the sundeck. (Hopefully guests will spend more time relaxing there than using the workout equipment that can be pulled out and set up on the teak-lined deck.) Another crew-only staircase allows the eight-person crew to reach their accommodations below decks, and the captain’s stateroom is just aft of the wheelhouse.
It’s also worth noting that Katya is the fifth megayacht to feature Delta’s full-displacement design, which permits more tankage than similar-size yachts. In fact, she can tote 20,000 gallons of fuel. That, in combination with twin Caterpillar 3508 diesels, yield a range exceeding 5,000 nautical miles while cruising at 12 knots.
I plan to take a closer look at Katya during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where she’ll make her formal debut.
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