Some of the 14-member international crew onboard the Linda Lou take a break from washing down decks and preparing the vessel for arriving passengers. Pictured are (back row, from left) Mark Delaney of New Zealand and Paul West of England; (front) Steve Dart of Canada, Nick Gazard of South Africa, and Tyler King of America. The three-year-old super yacht Linda Lou pierced through Lake Huron waves, dominating the harbor landscape, even towering over the freight warehouses as she completed her first trip to Mackinac Island by mooring at the Arnold dock Thursday evening, August 6. As docking lines were tossed, visitors and Island residents gravitated to the pier, speculating on the vessel’s length and ownership.

The 197-foot, $86 million luxury yacht is registered in George Town, Cayman Islands, and is available to charter for more than $500,000 per week. The owners, said Chief Officer Steve Dart, wish to remain anonymous.

The 197-foot long super yacht Linda Lou transforms the landscape of the Island’s harbor as she outsizes all other vessels and most nearby buildings Thursday, August 6. The vessel spent several days in port during her first trip to the Great Lakes before heading to Chicago Tuesday, August 11. This is the vessel’s first trip to the Great Lakes, said Mr. Dart. The ship and crew of 14 sailed up the East Coast along the St. Lawrence River and through Lake Ontario, the Welland Canal, and Lake Erie before entering Lake Huron.

“We’re having a great time,” he said. “It is a full-time job and we are constantly on the go. We don’t really have a homeport, so to speak, wherever we are at, that’s home.”

The ship is captained by Michael Schueler, the only crew member who had been to Mackinac Island before.

From Mackinac Island, the vessel will sail to Chicago.

The German-built Lurssen yacht with its steel hull and aluminum superstructure has sailed in oceans all over the world. It’s sailed to Europe several times and even through the Panama Cannel, although it has not been to the South Pacific yet, said Mr. Dart, or Alaska, one place the crew would love to visit.

Deckhand Tyler King of Cocoa Beach, Florida, said he is enjoying the experience of working and living on the yacht.

“It has shown me a part of the country I’ve never seen before,” he said.

During their stay here, said Mr. Dart, the crew hoped to rent bicycles and tour the Island.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do to get the boat ready,” said Mr. Dart, “but I’m sure we’ll find some time.”

Thursday evening, he said the crew was able to walk around the downtown area.

“I really liked it,” said Mr. Dart. “I liked the quietness, no cars, and just the quaintness of using the horse and buggy for doing business and stuff; it’s pretty refreshing. Nice to see.”

The luxury yacht draws about 11.5 feet, which limits where she can dock, as some ports are not designed to handle a vessel her size. For shallow ports, especially around the lakes, the boat is anchored offshore and smaller boats stored on the ship are used to transport passengers and crew to land.

The 1,182-ton boat has a top speed of 15 knots and can sleep 10 guests in addition to the crew of 14.

With the latest in technology on board, including always-available Internet service, the crew continually monitors weather conditions and makes travel decisions based on protecting the items in the vessel.

“It is a balancing act,” said Mr. Dart. “It is a very seaworthy vessel, but it is also like a jewelry box. We want to make sure we don’t go out in too rough of weather. Even though the boat can handle it, not necessarily all the nice stuff inside would fare so well. That can be a challenge at times.”

Foreign languages and different cultures bring other challenges to the crew, such as when ordering supplies for the vessel, he said, although it is a part of the charm of the job. The crew sometimes relies on agents at various ports to assist them.

“Normally, we are in the Mediterranean in the summer, so we might have 15 different languages to deal with over the summer,” he explained.

On board the vessel, the captain oversees all operations and is assisted by Mr. Dart and the chief engineer. Other managers handle specific areas of the boat.

The chief challenge of living and working on the vessel, he said, is giving up a normal life.

“Home kind of becomes the boat,” he said, “but it’s good, it’s fun, and it’s worth giving that up for the time being.”

Linda Lou sailed away from Mackinac Island Tuesday, August 11.