Kind human souls go to heaven. Good boys and good girls and all types of beloved pets go to that big farm in the sky. But where do record-breaking, history-making superyachts go?
Don't answer that question, it's rhetorical. Unlike people and pets, superyachts are inanimate objects with no personality and "soul," except maybe for their owners. But if you ever wondered what happens to a superyacht that is anything but standard once it reaches its end of life, here's a possibility: it is reborn again as an artificial reef.
This is the story of motor yacht Time, a 1987 build by U.S.-based shipyard Palmer Johnson. Palmer Johnson doesn't make big boats like Oceanco or Lurssen, two of the biggest names on the market of luxury, custom vessels. Palmer Johnson makes memorable boats that are also very fast. This is the same shipyard behind the iconic and occasionally-derided Khalilah, which was once dubbed by a fake news story that gained incredible traction the "$1.4 billion superyacht made of solid gold."
Khalilah is not made of gold (duh!), but it's still a brilliant example of the kind of projects that come from this shipyard. Palmer Johnson does sports yachts that excel in terms of performance, for which reason they have an instantly recognizable sharp and aggressive silhouette. But they don't compromise on comfort or luxury, either – or fall short of industry breakthroughs, as was the case with Time.
Photo: Malcom Wood Yachting Archive for SuperyachtTimes
Time was delivered in 1987 to an American owner. With a length of 125 feet (38 meters) and an interior volume of 284 GT, it offered accommodation for six guests and separate quarters for five crew, including the captain.
The spacious interior looks plain and painfully old-fashioned regarded through 2023-tinted glasses, but it was luxurious at the time: comfortable leather sofas, a large formal dining room with ample seating, a jacuzzi aft on the beach club, and plenty of outdoor areas. The vessel's low draft made it ideal for sailing into shallow water and cruising along shorelines, so we assume it was very popular with eager tourists.
The naval architecture was by Tom Fexas, who also did the exterior design. Meanwhile, the interiors were penned by Diane Atwood and Juan-Carlos Espinosa. It was refitted for one last time in 1992, after which all traces of it go cold.
Photo: YachtCharterFleet
Time is the only Atwood 126 model ever built by Palmer Johnson, and this made it more special, together with the title of world's largest aluminum superyacht. The other thing that helped was its performance: with a planing hull and powerful twin diesel Detroit Diesel (16V149TI) 4,800 hp engines, Time could easily hit top speeds of 31 knots (35.6 mph/57.4 kph) and cruised leisurely at 24 knots (27.6 mph/44.4 kph). At a steadier pace of 14 knots (16 mph/26 kph), it had a range of 3,500 nautical miles (4,028 miles/6,482 km).
Time is now resting at the bottom of the ocean. It had been abandoned on land, where it spent the final 17 years of its life – before it was reborn as an artificial reef, that is.
Earlier this month, Time, now renamed AA Hendry Reef, was scuttled to its final resting place and sunk near the Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club in Fort Pierce, Florida. Last August, the Martin County Anglers Club from Martin County donated whatever was left of Time to the St Lucie County artificial reef program.
Photo: Marine Cleanup Initiative
The McCulley Marine Services undertook the extensive stripping of the vessel in preparation for it being sent to swim with the fishes at the bottom of the ocean. Everything onboard was removed, leaving only the aluminum shell in accordance with environmental protection standards.
Non-profit Marine Cleanup Initiative (MCI) conducted the entire operation, which was deemed a success once Time, aka AA Hendry, reached the bottom of the ocean. There is hope that, within a year, the structure of the once-famous superyacht will have become a new marine ecosystem.
The MCI hopes Time will attract spores of oculina varicosa, a white fan-like type of coral in danger of dying off from bleaching. This is happening with coral reefs from all over the world, not just in this part of the U.S.: stronger UV rays from the sun are reaching deeper into the water, causing what is known as bleaching. Putting boats on the bottom of the ocean can help reduce temperatures by offering shade, thus creating a new safe environment for corals to thrive.
Photo: Marine Cleanup Initiative
Time is only one of the many vessels used as artificial coral reefs along the coastline, in what the MCI describes as a massive proactive measure to keep the reefs from dying off – and the marine life they sustain along with them.
"If theories prove correct, in 50 years she'll be graced with Oculina varicosa outside of the Oculina Banks," the MCI said in a statement. That's how you go from being a record-breaker in your lifetime to becoming a record-breaker of an entirely different kind when you pass away.
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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