duchossois yacht

Feadship Superyacht Owner Reflects on 198’ (60.35m) M/Y BLUE MOON

Posted October 1, 2018 in Charter by Janine St.Denis

I have owned the 198-foot (60.35m) luxury motor yacht BLUE MOON since we took delivery from Feadship in 2005. She is my third Feadship; each one has taught me more about how to use your yachts for pleasure and entertainment. When I purchased my first Feadship, it was four years old and in perfect shape; she was 158 feet (48.15m). Like so many owners, there were, of course, a few things we wanted to change. After delivery, our minds were made up.

We knew that someday we would build a yacht based on what we learned from the first one we owned. Having always wanted to retire and spend most of our time on the water seeing the world, we began designing our next yacht with all of the elements we felt were missing on the first. We then took delivery on a 165-foot (50.29m) Feadship, which we thought we’d keep for the rest of our lives — this was wishful thinking. Five years later, we took delivery of a 198-foot Feadship.

We chose a 198-foot (60.35m) Feadship because it had all of the things we wanted for the comfort of the crew and our guests and family. We will never regret it. We have a wonderful crew and a yacht that takes us anywhere that we, and our guests, would like to go. The people of Feadship treated us so well, and the quality of their work was so exceptional, we didn’t want to start relationships with the other great boatyards.

We have two tenders and one crew boat; these include a 28-foot (8.5m) Riva Aquarama Special and a new 28-foot (8.5m) Gar Wood Streamliner, plus the “toys” for all ages. We use the BLUE MOON about 80 to 100 days per year on average. When we are aboard, it’s like living in a different world. We can sleep in the morning without an alarm or stay out all night with guests if we like. We mostly do our entertaining on the boat because there are so many ways to entertain. We have traveled from Alaska to the Mediterranean. It would be difficult to say what we like best because every place has been tremendous. We don’t really have a favorite. We genuinely have liked every place we’ve traveled to. We’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy the kind of trips that you can’t do with a car or a plane; there is no limit to what you can do with a yacht. Plus, you meet such wonderful people of all different nationalities when traveling by yacht.

There is a common language for those who arrive at a new port via yacht. Arrival in port presents a wonderful opportunity to speak about your yacht and for others to tell you about theirs. When you have a yacht, it makes no difference as to age, nationality or native tongue; the world all becomes one and that truly is one of the most unique and exciting elements of being a yacht owner.

BLUE MOON is available on the charter market; she is listed with Northrop & Johnson.

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Richard L. "Dick" Duchossois

It’s not often one compares a military operation to running a thoroughbred racetrack. In the case of Richard Duchossois, a Chicagoan born in 1921, the discipline and leadership skills he learned at military academy prep school and in the U.S. Army — where during World War II he landed at Utah Beach, saw action at the Battle of the Bulge, and led a tank division — is what made him the miracle worker at Arlington Park.

Oct. 7, 1921, Chicago, Illinois

Jan. 28, 2022, barrington hills, illinois.

While his accomplishments in business were voluminous, and his contributions to horse racing significant, the heart of Duchossois’ legacy in thoroughbred racing stems from a devastating fire on July 31, 1985, that destroyed the Arlington Turf Club just weeks before the scheduled running of the vaunted Arlington Million. And while he had already staked millions of his wealth into Arlington ownership, Duchossois was finally pressed into full service on behalf of the racetrack that owes its international prominence to him.

“The damage was profound," Duchossois said, and jeopardized plans for the upcoming Arlington Million, the park’s signature race and the thoroughbred industry’s first $1 million event when it started in 1981. The Million attracted famed horses such as John Henry as well as thoroughbreds from as far away as England. With the race just 25 days away, national TV broadcasters and sponsors threatened to pull the plug, said Duchossois, who insisted that the race would go on,’’ wrote Shia Kapos in  Crain’s Chicago Business .

No people or horses were hurt in the 1985 calamity, and in the fire Duchossois saw how a Phoenix could rise from the ashes at Arlington. His post-military career had been about building businesses into juggernauts, including Thrall Car Manufacturing, a company that became the second-largest builder of rail freight cars under Duchossois management.

From there, he bought out the Thrall family and founded the multi-billion-dollar Duchossois Group, an organization with varying holdings from the technology and service sectors. But horse racing is another field in which Duchossois’ vision and management acumen served him and the industry well. He can command just about anything, including a racetrack that was up in flames.

“By then it was blazing and everybody was running around saying, ‘Oh, we can’t let the grand old lady burn,’ Duchossois told  The BloodHorse . “My feeling was, I hope it goes all the way to the ground. Because at that point in time, when I saw it, there was absolutely no way you could rebuild the track like that without having it been a rebuilt, burned-out structure. It just couldn’t be done. We would be continuing an old, worn-out mode of doing business, instead of building new in the modern-day style.”

The man who commanded a tank division and won Bronze Stars, Purple Hearts, and other military honors in World War II took control. Duchossois who had staked $18 million when he bought the track in 1983 — spent $1 million to clear the destroyed clubhouse, laid pavement, and erected tents and bleachers so the race could go off. And it did, with 35,651 fans in attendance and acclaim for a stellar race, propelling Duchossois to rebuild Arlington in a style that would cater to a wider audience, especially women. The 700,000-square-foot clubhouse and grandstand opened in June 1989.

It was a solid, steady-eye ride for Duchossois, whose first foray into horse racing came in the 1960s, when he and his first wife, Beverly, bought a show horse for their son, then established a farm, before Beverly passed away in 1980. The couple by then had four children.

By the late 1970s, with his breeding and racing operation underway, Duchossois helped form the Illinois Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association. His rise to the top of Illinois horse breeding ranks coincided with a legislative push for more pro-racing laws from the state’s General Assembly. And it was during a fateful trip to the Kentucky Derby where he was enlisted to join a syndicate to buy Arlington, of which he wound up owning 85 percent.

“First of all, this all started when my son took an interest in hunters and jumpers, so I had no real desire to get involved in horse racing. Well, after my first wife passed away, I took a trip down to the Kentucky Derby, and by the fifth race, I was talked into being part of a syndicate to buy Arlington Park. I said, 'OK, I’ll do 10 percent,' and went back to Illinois and didn’t think about it until the day of the closing,’’ Duchossois said. “Turns out no one else had the money, so I had to go down to the closing with a check. We had the famous $1 million race, and the track got a lot of good international attention because of the purse. If we had not bought the track that would have killed racing in Illinois and that’s not what we wanted.’’

In 1998, Duchossois closed Arlington to grapple with a way to kickstart a new era in the track’s business. In 2000, he invested $200 million more in a fan-friendly new facility at Arlington and became a prominent owner of Churchill Downs stock, bringing Arlington Park under the fabled Kentucky track’s auspices. At the age of 97, Duchossois retired in the spring of 2019 from the board of directors of parent company Churchill Downs, Inc.

Duchossois was deeply respected as a businessman, executive, philanthropist, and a transformational figure in thoroughbred racing. It may have started out as mere curiosity, since Duchossois said he had no real love or deep interest in horses prior to his maiden trip to the Kentucky Derby in 1983. It was there he was talked into taking a minor stake in Arlington, only to have to fork over the entire $18 million because he was the only one with the cash.

The sport has both benefitted from and recognized the contributions of Duchossois. In 1985, Arlington became the first track to win the Special Eclipse Award because of the “Miracle Million. Duchossois was individually honored with a Special Eclipse Award in 1989 and the Eclipse Award of Merit in 2003. Arlington played host to the Breeders’ Cup in 2002, and the Arlington International Festival of Racing developed into one of the top draws of elite foreign horses to America each year.

A member of The Jockey Club, Duchossois served many organizations in the sport, including the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations. He was awarded The Jockey Club’s Gold Medal in 1986, a Special Sovereign Award from The Jockey Club of Canada in 1988, and the Lord Derby Award in Great Britain, also in 1988.

Duchossois celebated his 100th birthday in 2021. He died on Jan. 28, 2002. 

Achievements

Eclipse Award of Merit — 2003 Lord Derby Award — 1988 Special Sovereign Award — 1988

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Blue Moon 198’

Design & high tecnology.

I f practice makes perfect, proof of this lies in the latest creation from Feadship - the 198-ft Blue Moon, which has surpassed all the expectations of its two predecessors. This makes the design and creation of this glamorous yacht a magnificent reality.

The Blue Moon’s design is the continuation and the combination of the same elements used in its first version, showing particular touches in the design, turning the yacht into a home that reflects the philosophy of life of owner Richard Duchossois.

Moving on to the details, situated in the cover of the bridge, one of the delights of the Blue Moon is that it has a completely restored 29’ Riva Aquarama Special launch and on the other side the 25’  Chris Craft.

 On the upper deck, there is a large oval-shaped swimming pool-jacuzzi, which will be one of the most-loved features on the sundeck. Surrounded by brightly-striped lounge furniture, including chairs and sun beds, the swimming pool bubbles next to a raised sunbathing platform protected by a surrounding windshield.

The library aura in the lounge on the bridge platform, with luxury leather chairs and attractive wood decoration allows the natural transition to a quieter environment. The library is located at the stern, completely separate from social activities to offer absolute privacy, and has a refrigerator, icemaker and a bar.

The command bridge is located on the bridge platform, decorated by a chestnut and cherry wood deck extension that makes it the heart of the yacht’s control system.  With its spacious display of instrumentation, the bridge platform offers the full package of equipment to assist the captain in decision-making.

The spiral staircase and the tubular glass elevator provide access to the yacht’s four decks and add an artistic touch upwards. The banister of the staircase, decorated with intertwined forged iron bars that also surround the elevator, contrast with the cockpit and walls decorated in the mahogany-flame style.

The luxurious dining table is soberly decorated and surrounded by ten comfortable chairs.  The dining room itself has a large mirror to really set off memorable and glamorous dinners.

The yacht has a sumptuous master suite, which has a sliding door to the private gymnasium and study.  The master suite has a central king-size bed, with comfortable sofas and chairs around the walls. 

The guests’ area has a lobby with amenities such as an icemaker and refrigerator and accesses to five suites, all arranged around the stairway and the elevator. Slightly less elaborate, but no less comfortable than the master suite, the guests’ cabins have queen-size beds and have a shared gymnasium.

For the crew, the Blue Moon offers 8 double cabins to comfortably accommodate a full crew of up to 16. Blue Moon is a unique yacht that conjugates state-of-the-art mega-yacht design and construction.          

Specifications                  

60.35m / 198' 0"

11.10m / 36' 5"

3.35m / 11' 0"

Fuel capacity

141,300 L / 37,331 gal

Fresh Water Capacity

30,600 L / 8,084 gal

2x Caterpillar 3516B-DITA

2x 1492kW @ 1600 rpm

Maximum speed (70% laden)

16.2 nudos / knots

Text: Rafael Luna Grajeda ± Photo: Feadship.

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Closely involved with the design, 83 year-old Richard Duchossois believes more progress has been made in yacht design today because of the many technical and electronic advances for more precise navigation, plus also in design and building techniques. Precision engineering has evolved in the past 10 years, he says, and design today, including hull and mold shape, is computer-assisted. He has been particularly impressed by the professionalism and courtesy at Feadship. With the team of Royal van Lent Shipyard, DeVoogt Naval Architects, and interior by Donald Starkey, his ideas and leadership allow Blue Moon to have more functions available, and so ultimately to explore more remote cruising areas. To allow this, one aspect of Blue Moon had to be different... this new yacht’s hull is now steel, with an aluminum superstructure. The combination results in more interior volume for various needs and allows more adventurous, cold water cruising options.

Founded in 1949 upon the encouragement of the Dutch government, FeadShip was formed by Naval Architect Henri de Voogt, Royal van Lent shipyard, and deVries Sheepsbouw, as the First Export Association of Dutch Shipbuilders, based in The Netherlands. The aim was to introduce America’s rich economy to Dutch shipbuilding expertise. Here, a half-century later, their program continues to thrive. Blue Moon’s sleek, yet substantial profile is pure Feadship and in such as that, she reflects Feadship's many decades of naval engineering and expertise. Among some of Blue Moon's noteworthy features are ZeroSpeed stabilizers and bilge keels for stability at anchor. This is augmented by a Veth omni-directional thruster that retracts into the engine room. This aft thruster can be used for docking or yaw control at anchor. Another is the pair of Caterpillar C-9 electronic generators—the first installation on a yacht.

Zooming in on Blue Moon's details, two skylights in the roof of the observation lounge encourage natural light. The forward, half-crescent panel illuminates the forward observation lounge, while the round skylight just aft permits rays to enter the elevator shaft. Located on the bridge deck, one of Blue Moon's tenders is a fully restored 29' Riva Aquarama Special. On the opposing side, a 25' Chris Craft. Both are accessed via a slide-rail, Gantry-style crane. Hinged partitions along the roof overhang and railings permit deployment.

Forward of the bridge, a Portugese settee is protected by a massive deck housing that hides an inflatable RIB and crane. Walking aft on the bridge decks, there are staircases on port and starboard that grant access to the decks below. Six staggered, oval portholes provide views for the main deck master stateroom and owner's office.

At the top of the ship and sure to be a popular hit on the sun deck, a large oval Jacuzzi pool reposes front and center. Surrounded by gaily-striped lounge furniture – chairs and fold-downs – mounted by a teak staircase, the pool bubbles next to a raised sunning area and is protected by a surrounding windscreen and stainless rails. Inlaid strip decking is teak as well.

180 degree visibility is featured in Blue Moon’s observation lounge on the Sun Deck. An atrium of sorts, it is guarded by huge curving windows and a sliding door. Guests can choose overhead direct light or close the cieling panel for ambient light. The Duchossois's wanted a room that would allow them to enjoy the feeling of being outdoors, one with nature, even when the climate was not favorable.

On the vast, teak-floored sun deck, a pedestal dining table meets a half dozen chairs to offer a dining experience in the open air. This section of the aft deck is shaded by a half-crescent overhang that incorporates a sun & moon portal to illuminate the dining experience. Aft, an array of cushioned seats, crafted from various shades of wood can be positioned for the best vantage point. If you study this image closely, you'll see another Feadship trying Wedge its way into the review.

Another highly unusual and provocative feature on Blue Moon’s Bridge Deck is its attractive “Judi Patio” – named of course after its distaff owner – which can be fully opened or enclosed with sliding glass doors. A marvelous setup for a special party or formal dining experience, with endless variations in or out of the weather.

The bookish aura of the Bridge Deck salon, with luxurious leather chairs and inviting wood décor, lends a natural transition to a quieter mode. Just aft is the library, entirely sequestered for privacy from the social activities, though it features a refrigerator, icemaker and bar provisions. A coffee/gaming table completes the setting.

Just aft on the Bridge Deck, another quiet nook features sumptuously padded easy chairs and a coffee table. Large windows all around, plus light colored wall paneling, lend to a chatty and communicative atmosphere.

Just opposite on the bridge deck, a nicely done conversation nook breaks with the décor theme of warm woods, to provide a corner not unlike a cozy, separate living room, open to any activities... like discussing the various models that are displayed prominently throughout Blue Moon.

Here on the bridge deck, reached by elevator or staircase, through the lobby, a glorious spread of satin finished chestnut, teak, and warm cherrywood in the wheelhouse encloses the heart of the yacht’s control system. Featuring rounded corners, softened fiddles, and a spacious display of instrumentation, the bridge deck presents the total information package for the captain’s courses and decisions. Wide screens extend across the visual expanse with an extensive navigational/electronics array, including S and X-band radars, sat-nav connectors, audio/video racks and audio/video on demand, plus water mist controls for the fire fighting system, and the complete alarm system. Elevated, theatre seating backs-up the bridge for the comfort of onlookers. To keep the captain (or mate) on his feet and fully aware of the surroundings, a leaning post is supplied for the helm, as well as dual desk-size chart stations flanking port & starboard

The winding staircase and tubular glass elevator shaft, coiled through all four levels, add an artistic touch from top to bottom. Much like the skylight found above the dining table on the aft deck, the elevator is illuminated with natural light from above as well. When day turns to night, hundreds of star-like bulbs cast a radiant glow inside the elevator.

The staircase, with intertwining waves of wrought iron, winds around the elevator shaft in four seperate, 90 degree curved sections. The carpet, too, picks up the waves in the railing, all in contrast to mahogony-flame walls lining the perimeter.

Appointed with ultimate taste in cream colored fabrics and patterned carpeting, Blue Moon’s salon attains a decidedly home-like, welcoming aura of silk-and-satin elegance. Each couch and piece of furniture looks to be exactly placed and balanced, lighter materials against heavier/darker wood furniture and tables. Wall moldings and frames are crafted of high-gloss cherrywood.

At the salon’s aft main entrance Blue Moon deploys a hand-crafted model of the famed French square-rigger warship Belle Poule. This item was on display at the Amsterdam Maritime Museum until purchased and presented to Blue Moon’s owners as a present from the Feadship group.

Superbly arranged and luxuriously fashioned, the main dining room flaunts a full length mirror overhead, echoing the glamour of every memorable dining experience. Rich cherrywood paneling and exotic pommelle veneers are featured, as well as a dozen commodiously positioned dining chairs, plus the finest in tableware and crystal.

Blue Moon's well appointed office exhibits models of the yacht’s three various incarnations. Around the central desk are comfortable arm chairs and a classic-style globe on swivels, as well as book cases and office storage. Note the desk is only supported to one side, leaving ample leg clearance around the perimeter.

Not to be left behind are the business necessities. In the owner’s complex life – pleasure is always mixed with business. Today’s conveniences are readily cared for on Blue Moon, such as internet access without an unsightly computer taking up desktop real estate. With a flip-top lid concealing a monitor and keyboard, the owner's screen saver reminds him of everyone else's view.

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Richard L. Duchossois' Yacht "Blue Moon"

Richard L. Duchossois is an American businessman and racehorse owner. He was the founder and Chairman of The Duchossois Group, Inc., a family-owned company headquartered in Elmhurst, Illinois that is known for its ownership stakes in Arlington Park and Churchill Downs race tracks, as well as for railcar and defense manufacturing. Duchossois owns Blue Moon, a 198' Feadship yacht.

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Boating: Testing the Waters

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By any standard, the 198-foot Blue Moon , the fourth Feadship owned by Chicago industrialist Richard Duchossois, is an extravagant vessel. The $90 million yacht–the largest to appear at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show this past October–includes a glass-enclosed elevator, a library, and two gymnasiums, among other amenities. But this boat is special for another reason.

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At a cocktail party aboard Blue Moon one evening during the Fort Lauderdale show, Duchossois hosted Feadship principals and members of an organization that has equipped the superyacht with a sophisticated ocean-monitoring device. “After I took delivery of the boat in June 2005,” Duchossois said, “we cruised the North Sea, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Florida, and the East Coast. And all that time this machine was checking the water.”

The device pumps water past its sensors, measuring a host of factors, including salinity, dissolved oxygen, and acid levels. It also monitors surface temperature, wind speed and direction, air temperature, and barometric pressure. Every three hours, the information is sent via satellite to a computer server maintained by the International SeaKeepers Society, a nonprofit group in Fort Lauderdale. SeaKeepers, in turn, sends the data to various scientific and governmental organizations that are watching the world’s weather, monitoring the oceans, and tracking global climate change.

“I’ve been scuba diving since 1966,” said SeaKeepers CEO John Englander, one of the guests aboard Blue Moon , “and like other divers I’ve personally seen how the ocean is ailing: the degradation of coral reefs, the destruction of fish habitats. But oceanographic research ships are rare and expensive, and we desperately need reliable, precise, economical ways to collect data. SeaKeepers is the only organization that has turned to yacht owners to do this.”

SeaKeepers, which was founded in 1998, so far has recruited about 80 founding members, each of whom has contributed a minimum of $50,000 to the group. Associate membership requires a donation of at least $25,000, while membership in the Admiral’s Club requires at least $250,000. Six major boatbuilders–Feadship, Christensen Shipyards, Delta Marine, Lürssen Yachts, Oceanco, and Trinity Yachts–recently agreed both to contribute to the society and to encourage their yacht owners to join. As part of this agreement, SeaKeepers organizes awareness-raising events aboard yachts, such as the Blue Moon cocktail party.

According to SeaKeepers chairman Don Tomlin, the number of installations is growing rapidly. Thus far, the society has equipped about 30 privately owned yachts with the monitoring device, called the SeaKeeper 1000. Some 20 additional monitors have been placed on other vessels and at lighthouses and other static locations. These participants likely share the sentiments of Blue Moon’s owner: “I feel that if I’m going to be using the waterways of the world,” said Duchossois, “I have a responsibility to protect them. SeaKeepers deserves support.”

International SeaKeepers Society

954.766.7100

www.seakeepers.org

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