The 125-foot yacht Time, the largest aluminum yacht ever built when it was launched in 1987, was scuttled off Fort Pierce, Florida, last Saturday in an effort to turn it into an artificial reef.
Time received a lot of attention when it was built at Palmer-Johnson in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. PJ was one of the premier American builders at the time. And the exterior design was by Tom Fexas, a well-known designer then. The interior was by JC Espinosa Design, a relative newcomer at the time.
The yacht has three staterooms for six guests, plus quarters for five crew. With an aluminum hull and aluminum superstructure, it had teak decks and two 4,800-hp Detroit Diesel V12 engines. Time registered a top speed of 31 knots, and a range of 3,500 nm at 14 knots. It also had a relatively low draft of 5’ 7” so it could cruise to the Bahamas.
Time had a refit in 1992, but spent the last 17 years, abandoned, at the Willis Custom Yachts yard in Martin County. JC Espinosa wrote on Facebook that “It was a shame that no one stepped up to refit this beautiful yacht. It was a breakthrough design and a star at whatever port she visited.”
It was bought by the MCAC Reef Fund last summer and taken to Causeway Cove Marina in Fort Pierce to be prepared for the artificial reef program. Marine Cleanup Initiative removed the engines, oils, fluids, chemicals and wiring, in compliance with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The yacht was scuttled in about 150 feet of water at the Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club artificial reef about 15 miles southeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet. The new reef is expected to become a habitat for coral and a variety of fish, including wahoo, cobia, bonito, tuna, and sailfish. Read more:
