Why blend in when you can afford to stand out? Despite its name, Secret is a very famous superyacht, but what makes it so noteworthy is the fact that it’s a fully-custom vessel designed for an owner with very peculiar tastes.
Few superyacht owners will commission a boat with striking styling, because few superyacht owners choose to, or can afford to not offer it for charter. Secret is the exception: not only is it a very popular charter platform despite the high weekly rate, but it’s styled in a way in which it’s clear that it’s a passion project. “Eye-popping” is an appropriate descriptor.
Until last summer, when it changed ownership for the first time in its existence, Secret was the property of Nancy Walton Laurie, one of the two Walmart heiresses. With a fortune estimated at $8.2 billion, the American businesswoman and philanthropist is believed to have owned three yachts by herself or with her husband, former basketball player Bill Laurie. Secret was one of them and, until this year when it was listed for sale, it was more or less a… secret.
Built by German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen and delivered in 2013, Secret has a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, with teak decks and a relatively unassuming, albeit elegant exterior by Sam Sorgiovanni. The interiors are done by Jim Harris, and it’s where Secret truly stands out: each room is thematic, with the most outrageous and decadent color and material combinations, retro monochrome ensuite bathrooms, and the most lavish amenities.
Photo: Burgess Yachts
Whereas many superyachts choose to play it safe in terms of interior finishes, mostly out of consideration for how a more personalized space would reflect on the vessel’s charter appeal, Secret goes all out. There are seven guest cabins in total, including the master suite and the VIP, which are like the crown jewel of this trippy, eccentric vessel.
The Master is named Chanel and is decked in instantly recognizable Chanel black and gold. It comes with his and her ensuite bathrooms, customized for the owners: hers with a full-size bathtub and his with higher countertops – an apparently insignificant whim but a terrible annoyance for anyone above average height. There’s also an oversize walk-in wardrobe and a private office, so the entire master is a self-contained unit that guarantees privacy in one’s personal, quite glamorous bubble.
The VIP suite is equally impressive and perhaps even more eye-popping. Named Valentina, it features personalization by the couple’s adult daughter, who used it as her personal room, with a white spiked headboard to the bed and plenty of red Valentina touches throughout. The ensuite bathroom actually comprises two dayheads and is done in black and white stripes, looking straight out of a retro magazine – or a Kubrik horror, if patterns are not your thing.
Eye-popping colors and surprising materials remain the norm elsewhere onboard. The main salon is a gorgeous mixture of black and reds with gold or silver accents, guest rooms on the lower deck are in shades of purple or mustard yellow with black or monochrome ensuites, while communal spaces go for a more chill vibe. Still colorful, but with fewer colors thrown around. A good example in this sense is the cinema, which features red leather Porsche armchairs with matching leather panels on the ceiling and all black walls.
Photo: Burgess Yachts
Secret doesn’t have a pool, but it does have a large jacuzzi on the aft deck. Also here is a monochrome loveseat, formal outdoor dining, and a bar with its own mixologist. There’s another, larger and more gorgeous bar inside, because Secret was designed as the boat where the party never ends. Neither does relaxation. Amenities also include a fully-equipped gym and a separate wellness area that comes with its own beautician and a masseuse who specializes in hot Swedish massage.
The beach club has direct access to water, and the tender garage is packed with all manner of toys. The beach club has changing rooms and rain showers, for the utmost convenience of guests. A couple of tenders, flyboards, trampolines, kneeboards, and all sorts of towables are always at the ready for watersports lovers, as is a custom inflatable assault course. The crew of 25 includes a female watersports instructor.
Built as an 80 meter (262.5 foot), Secret was extended to 82.3 meters (270 feet) to accommodate all of the owner’s desires. With an interior volume of 2,240 GT spread across five decks, it can sleep as many as 12 guests, with a separate room just for the kids. Powered by twin Caterpillar engines of 1,500 hp each, Secret cruises at 14 knots (16 mph / 26 kph) and tops out at 16.5 knots (19 mph / 30.5 kph), and has a global range in cruising mode.
Abeking & Rasmussen never disclosed the final price of the build, but when it was first listed for sale, it was asking $98 million. It sold months later for an undisclosed amount, but the last asking was much lower, at about $80 million. Not that the financial aspect should alter our appreciation of it: with Secret, Abeking & Rasmussen delivered a superyacht that defied the norm, and which still stands out because of it to this day.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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