Delta Marine’s magnum opus, the 216-foot Invictus, sets sail to conquer the world.

By Jerry Stansfield | Photos by Superyacht Media and Jim McHugh

It seems likely that years from now, when art historians and analysts of artistic invention offer their pronouncements on the eternal parade of design trends up until their time in the future present, they’ll be less likely to dwell on the transitory caprice of glitzy swoops and embellishments, and more likely to acknowledge the longer-lived achievements that owe their relative permanence to more substantive attributes. These, in turn, may well be universally grounded in earlier (read: proven) influences, physical imperatives and the human scale, and most likely will themselves prove to serve as worthy precedents to trends that follow.

And whenever these same historians and analysts look to the evolution of nautical design, they inevitably must recognize Invictus, Delta Marine’s newest entry in its portfolio of custom motoryachts. A large vessel by any measure, the 216-foot by 43-foot Invictus offers a full-displacement hull form with a substantial 12-foot 8-inch draft to maximize interior volume. The resulting arrangement accommodates, in addition to the owner couple, 12 guests in six double staterooms and a crew of 22.

Notwithstanding her overall conservative look, Invictus presents an appropriately imposing demeanor, the result of an emphasis on scale and proportion commensurate with her superyacht-caliber dimensions and the enhancement of countless functional details born of meticulous selection and arrangement of visual elements. Central to the yacht’s design brief is the comfortable accommodation of a variety of guest complements, from large social groups to more intimate gatherings, and of itineraries ranging from a half-day dinner cruise or dockside reception to transoceanic passages spanning weeks or even months. Accordingly, the design team has taken full advantage of length, breadth and depth to accommodate activities from active watersports and al fresco relaxation to indoor entertaining and socializing.

First and foremost, Invictus is a serious, globe-girdling vessel whose ice-class steel hull and 7,000-nautical-mile range leave virtually no destination beyond her reach. But her style is every bit as impressive as her substance. As a developer and owner of high-end commercial and retail properties, the yacht’s owner has made a career of creating attractive, inviting and comfortable environments for his discerning public, and Invictus represents a natural extension of those same attributes as they apply to his private life. In order to create an appropriate seagoing equivalent for his new yacht, he naturally enlisted the talents of Diane Johnson, a southern California-based interior designer and author of multiple residential and business-related projects for this selfsame client.

“The owner,” says Johnson, “is a very visual person with a fine eye for detail. His priorities for Invictus are all about family and friends, about creating environments that nurture the senses without overwhelming them.”

With beauty and human comfort as cornerstones of her design brief, Johnson set about fashioning a disciplined overall theme grounded in classical styles, but offering a distinct personality in each living space, and just for fun, here and there, an engaging surprise or two.

With the aim of delivering a comfortable residential feel throughout the yacht, the owner specified few built-in furnishings, instead favoring a selection of sofas, chairs and tables, secured in place in people-friendly arrangements. Other elements of visual continuity include a curving central staircase whose metal, wood and leather finishes carry through each interior level, and a muted, yet rich palette of fabrics, stone and joinery. Within that context, each living space offers a distinct personality, notably in the variety of cabinetry (much of it from Delta’s own carpentry shop) and stone design (executed by Seattle’s Jeff Homchick) inspired by Johnson’s research in Tuscany, and her discovery of a rare marble species used in 12th- to 15th-century Florence. Among the more intriguing surprises are the judicious placement of Lalique crystal pieces in wall sconces, powder room fixtures and a handsome chandelier suspended over the 22-place table in the main dining room aft on the owner’s deck. And even the most casual observer could be forgiven for half expecting, upon entering the dramatically Art Deco-themed bridge deck skylounge bar, to run smack into a tuxedo-clad Frank Sinatra or any of his Rat Pack cronies. It’s an almost inescapable image, and that same observer would have to wonder if, just maybe, it was planned that way, all part of the fun.

Actively engaged in the project, Invictus’ owner made frequent trips to Delta Marine’s Seattle yard during the build, bringing a perspective that meshed agreeably with that of the builder’s design team.

“His own personal sense of aesthetic,” says the project’s senior designer, Christian Oliver, “made him sensitive to all aspects of the design, exterior and interior. In particular, he was very aware of the yacht’s size in relation to the human scale.”

Nowhere is that relationship more evident than in the main-deck common areas, where exceptionally tall curved-glass sliding doors offer passage between the aft exterior lounge area and a salon whose 8-foot 4-inch overhead height and nearly floor-to-ceiling view windows on either side—a feature repeated throughout the yacht’s living areas—further enhance the sense of space within.

The private owner’s suite commands the forward portion of its own deck one flight above the main level and includes an entry corridor that leads forward from the main stairway past a starboard-side office and between his-and-hers baths, opening onto a bedroom and sitting area encircled by a curved expanse of glass offering a 180-degree view ahead and to either side. Just forward is a broad private lanai partially sheltered by the coachroof overhang. Guest accommodations include six en suite staterooms arrayed along a grand hallway leading forward on the main deck. A vestibule at the lower terminus of the central stairway opens to two additional double suites, each with a pull-down Pullman berth, designed to serve as either staff quarters or supplemental guest space.

Overall exterior breadth and height are immediately apparent to a visitor boarding at the stern, by way of an expansive beach/cabana area, reaching aft beyond the nominal swim grid from a teak-surfaced party platform located below the aft main deck. The extension is formed by deploying an enormous transom door that swings down to augment the lounge area and, when departing a mooring or berth, hinges upward to merge with the gently contoured curve of the transom, while at the same time offering an extra measure of security against unauthorized access. This deck, to the surprise of no one, has earned immediate favor among owner and guests alike as a venue for sunning, socializing or access to tenders and water toys. From this level, a single enclosed stairway on the port side leads to a covered exterior lounge area on the main deck one flight above, where an arrangement of fixed and occasional seating is oriented toward the view astern.

The division of interior spaces offers a balance of guest and service areas to allow efficient, unobtrusive service and vessel operations, essential to a salutary onboard experience for passengers and crew alike. The main, owner and bridge decks all feature a centrally located pantry allowing convenient refreshment service in all living spaces. Separate crew access to and from all levels keeps traffic in common areas to a minimum. Similarly, a stairway from the lower-deck crew area leads up to a service door forward on the main deck to facilitate stateroom make-up. Located on the lower deck, the galley features a full complement of commercial-grade appliances and fixtures worthy of a master chef. Well aft on this level, adjacent to the cabana beach area, is a tender stowage space equipped with hullside doors and dual gantries for deploying a 28-foot (8.5-meter) Comitti sport runabout, a 27-foot (8.2-meter) Novurania, personal watercraft and other requisite watercraft. For après-sport relaxation, Invictus also offers, on the main deck, a 14-seat cinema showing first-run films in addition to old favorites, and adjacent to the skylounge bar a well-equipped gym promises an invigorating workout for those so inclined.

Since her late-summer 2013 launch, Invictus has played host to a nearly nonstop series of cruises and dockside events, from Desolation Sound in the fabled Canadian Inland Passage and port calls along the North and Central American Pacific coasts, to a growing litany of Gulf and Caribbean destinations. Given this yacht’s range and global capabilities, no one should rule out a schedule of voyages to more distant venues as well. In any case, her arrangement, fit-out and finish is a sure bet to make anyone’s time aboard worthwhile.

For more information: 206 763 2383; deltamarine.com

Specifications

• LOA: 216ft. (66m)
• LWL: 191ft. (58.2m)
• Beam: 43ft. (13.1m)
• Draft (half load): 12ft. 8in. (3.9m)
• Construction: steel/composite
• Hull type: full displacement
• Displacement (half load): 1,426 long tons
• Gross tonnage: 1,943 ITC
• Engines: 2 X Caterpillar 3516B HD DITA, 2,575 bhp @ 1600 rpm
• Speed (max/cruise): 17.5 knots/16.1 knots
• Fuel: 51,300 gal. (194,191L)
• Range @ 12 knots: 7,000 nm
• Generators: 3 X Northern Lights @ 280 kW
• Stabilizers: 2-fin Quantum hydraulic w/ zero-speed
• Bow thruster: Schottel SST, 250 kW
• Water: 14,000 gal. (53,000L)
• Gray water: 3,200 gal. (12,113L)
• Black water: 3,000 gal. (11,356L)
• Watermakers: 2 X Sea Recovery, 5,200 gpd
• Tenders: 27-ft. Novurania; 28-ft. Comitti
• Classification: Lloyd’s Register +100 A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 +LMC UMS Ice Class 1D MCA/Large Yacht Code (LY2)
• Exterior styling: Delta Design Group
• Interior design: Diane Johnson Design
• Owner & guests: 14; owner’s stateroom plus 6 guest staterooms
• Crew: 22; captain’s stateroom plus 10 crew staterooms
• Builder/Year: Delta Marine/2013

GALLERY