Owner of the Yacht Zembra: “The Goal Is to Take Us on All These Adventures”

Some people buy yachts to fulfill a dream of visiting places they’ve never been. Others, like the owner of the yacht Zembra, can’t wait to rediscover his favorite destinations, through his family’s eyes. “I have 12 grandkids who need to see all the places that we’ve seen, including the South Pacific and Brazil and the Med and all of that,” says Steven Thomas. “The goal is to take us on all these adventures.”

Commissioned for globetrotting, and named for an island off Tunisia, Zembra is a 152-footer (46-meter) from Delta Marine. Her lines leave no mistake about her purpose. From her bow pulpit to her swim platform and her mast to the waterline, she’s chiseled, with an air of determination. Her metallic bronze paint—specifically, Arizona bronze, an Aston Martin color—highlights her powerful profile while also lending sophistication.

Thomas and his wife have cruised aboard multiple private vessels, ranging from a small sailing dinghy to superyachts. Additionally, they’ve embarked on ambitious trips, starting from their early years together and as their children were growing. In fact, “We took our 10-year-old, six-year-old, and four-year-old across the oceans and sailed for a year,” Thomas fondly remembers. “We’ve done a lot of trips since that.”

Those trips, though, didn’t include the exploration-oriented toys that the yacht Zembra will have. For instance, a 21-foot (6.32-meter) Williams DieselJet 625 tender, for carrying 11 passengers, will stow on deck with a crane. “We’ve converted it into a wakesurf boat,” Thomas says. “’Cause you’ve got to have a wakesurf boat, right?” Directly next to the wakesurfer, meanwhile, will be an Icon A5 amphibious plane. Thomas, his wife, and their captain are all helicopter pilots, too, handy for when they’ll opt for one to land aboard.

Finally, a personal sub and a sub tender will join Zembra. The sub is a three-passenger U-Boat Worx model capable of diving to nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters). Thomas has already been in it at those depths, during its sea trials in Norway. The sub will stow just off the swim platform, launched by a gantry crane. “The only thing you’ll be able to see of the crane is the hook that hangs down, because Delta’s nicely hiding it in the rooftop of the bridge deck,” Thomas notes. As for the sub tender, it’s a 50-foot (15.24-meter), waterjet-powered catamaran capable of 20 knots with the sub aboard. Without the sub, Thomas says, the cat can hit 40 knots. “It’ll be quite the adventure vessel in and of itself, and we’ll tow it for long distances,” he adds. “But the sub tender has a 400-nautical-mile range on its own as well.”

As for the upcoming trips, Thomas rattles off destinations as popular and as off-the-beaten-path as they get. Costa Rica. Panama. Alaska. The South Pacific. “After that, probably back to the Med and then do the Med-Caribbean run, and maybe a little Brazil as well,” he says.

As much as the family eagerly anticipates these global travels, they’re not the only ones who’ll cruise aboard. In fact, Thomas says, “We’re going to share it,” via charter. The yacht Zembra will be available in Costa Rica and Panama initially, complete with a FunAir slide and her other toys. Alaska will follow.

Above all the places the yacht will go and what guests can experience, however, one wish is paramount. “We hope you get a chance to enjoy her,” Thomas emphasizes.

Delta Marine deltamarine.com