If you have to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, it’s better to be on a dazzling yacht. Gigayachts are great, and superyachts are fine too, but there’s something about a motoryacht that feels less like a hotel and more like a true vessel. That’s Dr. No Yacht for you. It has no frills, no fancy interiors — though they are admittedly elegant — and no spa. But the vessel, first launched in 1995 as the Japanese Fisheries training ship Wakachiba has a rich history and is packed with experience.
The explorer yacht also underwent a major refit by the owner, Tom Perkins, who acquired the vessel in 2011. That’s how Blue Hunter became known as Dr. No, likely a reference to the character Dr. Julius No from the James Bond series. Let’s delve into the details of this unpretentious yet pretty yacht.
From Wakachiba to Dr. No, the ship retained its authenticity-
HYS Yachts in the Philippines may have converted the vessel into a functional luxury yacht (in a record time of less than six months), but the soul of this competent ocean cruiser remained untouched. Dr. No sleeps eight guests in five guest cabins. The new main saloon is a welcoming space offering uninterrupted views through large windows. The mezzanine was converted into a full-beam master suite with a king-size bed. It was accompanied by a casual dining area, an owner’s study, and a library.
The nearly 30-page refit also added a laundry room, a ship’s office, a beauty salon, and a video production room in addition to good accommodation for six crew. Dr. No yacht boasts a fully-equipped diving room and storage all around the yacht for longer voyages. The 120-footer features a submersible, toys, and tenders for scientific expeditions. The boat, with a fuel capacity of 45,000 L, has a cruising speed of 10 knots and a top speed of 12 knots.
Who owns Dr. No?
The late Thomas Perkins was the co-founder of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. His firm was an early investor in Google Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Sun Microsystems Inc. The Harvard Business School graduate benefitted significantly from the Silicon Valley boom that ushered in the Internet Age. The businessman turned author with a romance novel, no less, titled “Sex and the Single Zillionaire” in 2006. A yacht enthusiast, he owned the 289-foot “Maltese Falcon,” the world’s largest clipper yacht, in addition to Dr. No Yacht. Perkins desired to follow humpback whales as they dive into the ocean bed on a scientific expedition to Tonga.
He was a man who enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle. “I’m not a billionaire, I’m a multimillionaire,” Perkins said in a January 2014 interview with Bloomberg Television’s Emily Chang. “I’ve created some billionaires, but unfortunately, I am not one.”
The American businessman was worth an estimated $8 billion in 2012. He breathed his last in 2016.
