TRAVERSE CITY -- That's a big boat -- a really big boat -- moored at Traverse City's public marina.
"That's a big son-of-a-gun. It's pretty nice, but that's pretty obvious," said Jay Morley, of Cadillac, as he stood near the 131-foot pleasure vessel that's spent the past several days at Clinch Park Marina. "That's a pretty elite group."
Morley is among many passersby who couldn't help but gawk at the yacht this week.
The big cruiser is called CV-9 and is on its first Great Lakes voyage, said Capt. Ethan Lee, of Virginia.
"The Great Lakes are beautiful, absolutely beautiful," Lee said. "There's no better way to see the world than on your boat. You are at home with an ever-changing scenery."
CV-9 boasts some impressive statistics. It was launched in 1995 and has two Caterpillar 3508 engines, each with 705 horsepower. It also carries 9,500 gallons of fuel in six tanks, along with 2,500 gallons of potable water.
Inside, the walls are made of exotic woods, and lush furniture fills the lounges. Floors and bathrooms are covered in marble. It comes with five spacious state rooms and an eight-person crew.
Just don't ask about the owner.
"It's yachting etiquette. No yacht crew worth their salt would ever answer any direct personal questions about the owner," Lee said.
CV-9 is registered in Bikini Atoll, in the South Pacific's Marshall Islands, where laws allow non-resident corporations to avoid paying taxes for yacht ownership, according to the tiny island's maritime Web site.
And the yacht has been all around the globe: Alaska, British Columbia, Hawaii, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Central America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
CV-9 weighs 322 tons and has a top speed of 14 knots, but cruises at 10 knots, burning about 40 gallons of fuel per hour.
"She's a slippery boat for her size. Very efficient hull design," Lee said.
Mate James Southgate, of Canberra, Australia, busied himself Wednesday morning scrubbing one of the three decks and making the yacht ready for the owners, who are expected to return sometime next week.
"You get to travel the world, have a great time and you're always busy," Southgate said.
The yacht is available for charter trips through Fraser Yachts Worldwide and costs $75,000 for one week, according to the company's Web site.
The crew expects to leave Traverse City next week, travel back out the St. Lawrence Seaway, make their way along the East Coast and stop in Florida for some general maintenance work, Lee said.
"We just follow the endless summer," he said.
CV-9 yacht
Length: 131 feet, or 39.93 meters
Draft: 8.5 feet
Weight: 322 tons
Builder: Delta Marine
Launched: 1995
Top speed: 14 knots
Cruise speed: 10 knots
Crew: 8
Cabins: 5
Summer: New England, $75,000 per week
Winter: Florida or Bahamas, $75,000 per week
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