PHOTOS OF AT LAST: © copyright Jim Raycroft 2010 All Rights Reserved
Denise Rich may have made this yacht famous, but the current owner is ensuring the 145-foot Heesen now known as At Last stands out on her own right.
Named L’Aquasition when she was delivered in 1990, and subsequently Artful Dodger, the megayacht enjoyed success on the charter circuit. When Rich, a songwriter equally comfortable in political and celebrity circles, purchased her in 2005, plenty more people became aware. Rechristened Lady Joy, the boat (below) hosted fundraisers and huge parties attended by bold-faced names in the Caribbean and Med. The yacht also chartered, but the times when Rich was aboard made the most news.
Rich moved on to a larger yacht, from Christensen, in 2007, so Lady Joy became available. An American owner looking for a proven platform for charter and family cruises purchased her. His original plan to just repower the yacht over a few months’ time turned into a dramatic rebuild to change nearly everything, from the profile to the power converter. How dramatic? Try a bit longer than a two-year refit at Derecktor Shipyards’ Florida facility.
If you’ve ever been aboard the sleek-styled Heesens, particularly older ones, then you know wheelhouse headroom suffers due to the raked forward lines (see Lady Joy’s pilothouse here). Short-stature captains were fine, but average-size adults not so much. The solution to the problem aboard this launch was the fitting of a teak grate just visible at the base of the helm chair, removable to reveal a recessed space in which the captain could stand while at the wheel. The new owner and Derecktor opted for a more complex but far more satisfactory solution. After gutting the yacht, Derecktor cut off the aluminum superstructure, rewelding it with a higher roof. The wheelhouse also now has vertical, not slanted, windows, which wrap further around each side, plus a raised observation settee (below). Compare the current profile at top with the original profile (second photo in story). All of this provides the captain with a far more comfortable working environment, and a more comfortable spot for guests and the owners to enjoy the view.
© copyright Jim Raycroft 2010 All Rights Reserved
More significant changes occurred inside, too. Gone are the white-lacquered surfaces (see Lady Joy’s master below), originally created by Paola Smith, replaced with anigre, maple, and walnut woodwork. Claudette Bonville worked with the owner and Derecktor on the new interior. Bonville additionally collaborated on major space-planning changes. The way some rooms were originally arranged just didn’t work for the current owner’s needs or expectations of modern charter guests.
Some people may be surprised that the octagonal-shaped saloon still lacks the traditional sliding doors to the aft deck, but the owner liked how it lended the space a living-room-like feel. Instead, he focused on the fact that the spiral stairs visible forward of here occupied far more real estate than necessary. The staircase originally used the main deck as a landing, separating the steps leading from the upper deck and down to the lower deck. Now there’s one united staircase. To disguise the steel beams supporting it, the refit and redesign teams encased them as columns adorned with the faux bois technique (literally “fake wood”). They also removed the skylights above the stairs, filling in the space with aluminum decking.
© copyright Jim Raycroft 2010 All Rights Reserved
The renovation of the staircase (above) additionally made more room for the formal dining area further forward. Oddly enough, the dining area used to have a direct entry into the master stateroom. Seemingly, it wasn’t a problem for Rich, who often spent time with family onboard, but it’s not a comforting thought or arrangement for most cruisers these days. Derecktor constructed a new entry hall along the starboard side, lined with warm wood. The same wood lines the entire full-beam master suite – a big change from the Ultrasuede and white lacquer previously in place. Gone, too, are the separated his and her baths, replaced with one large marble- and granite-adorned area (below).
© copyright Jim Raycroft 2010 All Rights Reserved
Guest staterooms were rethought, too. Lady Joy featured three guest staterooms plus a fitness room on the lower deck. A VIP stateroom with a king-size berth occupies the former fitness area, a smart move for charter. There’s also now a Pullman added to the twin stateroom (with a jetted tub), bringing sleeping capacity to 11. When it’s deployed, it’s unfortunately pretty tight headroom-wise for the lower bunk, so small kids should be the occupants in that situation.
The owner didn’t forget about the crew. Kim, one of the stewardesses, took me on my tour and commented, “We have lots of storage; we’re very comfortable in here.” She and her fellow crewmembers get three staterooms, all en suite. “It’s nice to have the portholes, too,” she adds.
Other nice – and helpful – features aboard At Last include a day head in the skylounge (missing aboard Lady Joy), a SubZero refrigerator in the guest stateroom lobby, and a bar in the skylounge that doubles as a family dining spot when pizza and baseball-watching are on order.
Heesen built the yacht to hit 27 knots, but with fuel prices far higher these days, At Last’s more moderate 18- to 20-knot top end doesn’t cut anyone’s vacation short. The owner certainly isn’t complaining. After taking delivery last summer, he and his family explored the Bahamas, putting the 5’7” draft to good use. At Last still features KaMeWa waterjets, refurbished, plus new pair of MTU 12V 4000 diesel engines.
At Last is presently in South Florida waters, but she’s also available for sale through International Yacht Collection (IYC) for $14.9 million.
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