Superyacht docks in Esky
A megayacht rumored to be owned by Detroit-area billionaire Jay Alix is seen in Escanaba Monday. Here, the Cason J. Calloway freighter docked at North Shore Marine Terminal is seen in the foreground; near the yacht, an FS Lubricants truck is parked. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Satori, built by Delta Marine, is a 208-foot custom vessel.
People exit the megayacht seen in Escanaba on Monday afternoon.
Crew members in white t-shirts work on the top deck of Satori as the boat is docked in Escanaba on Monday afternoon.
A megayacht rumored to be owned by Detroit-area billionaire Jay Alix is seen in Escanaba Monday. Here, the Cason J. Calloway freighter docked at North Shore Marine Terminal is seen in the foreground; near the yacht, an FS Lubricants truck is parked. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)
Satori, built by Delta Marine, is a 208-foot custom vessel.
People exit the megayacht seen in Escanaba on Monday afternoon.
Crew members in white t-shirts work on the top deck of Satori as the boat is docked in Escanaba on Monday afternoon.
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ESCANABA — A superyacht allegedly owned by a downstate billionaire was spotted in Escanaba on Monday.
Satori, which is a Buddhist term meaning enlightenment, is the name of a 208-foot luxury yacht reportedly owned by Jay Alix, an Oakland County, Michigan-based businessman and philanthropist.
Alix founded AlixPartners, a consulting and advisory firm that specializes in business turnarounds for companies in need of transformation. The firm began in 1981 and has advised such businesses as KMart, General Motors, DeLorean Motor Company, Kodak, JC Penney and Enron. AlixPartners has been recognized as one of the “best places to work” by Human Rights Campaign and honored for being a leading restructuring consultant by international outlets.
In 2018, Alix donated $200 million dollars to Mayo Clinic School of Medicine to “expand scholarship opportunities and further innovation in the school's curriculum,” according to a release from Mayo. It was the single largest endowment that Mayo Clinic — sometimes said to be the best hospital in the world and highly respecxted for its range of specialties — had ever received. The school is now known as Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine across all three campuses in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida.
But about the yacht.
Delta Marine built Satori at its shipyard in Seattle, Washington before presenting it to its owner in 2018. It’s 207 feet and 11 inches long, features exterior and interior by Delta Design Group, has a helipad, and remains somewhat of an enigma.
As the yacht is not for charter, it’s unknown to the public what it looks like inside, though specifications are reported.
Satori is powered by twin diesel 1,876 hp engines and reaches a maximum speed of 17 knots, reports Yacht Charter Fleet. It’s designed to comfortably sleep 12 in six suites and carry seven crew members.
The vessel is rated Lloyd’s Register Ice Class 1D, meaning that it is designed to operate in light ice conditions.
Boat International lists Satori as the 14th-largest yacht built in the United States.
Earlier this season, Satori was reportedly seen in Montreal, Detroit and Chicago. It was docked at the latter’s Navy Pier for a few days recently. Even there, in a metropolitan waterfront city, the superyacht raised attention.
On Monday morning, people noticed the large, shiny white craft flying a Cayman Islands flag in Escanaba, of all places. It was visible behind the old freighter Cason J. Calloway, which hasn’t moved since it tied up at North Shore Marine Terminal in 2023.
The reason for the yacht’s stop in Escanaba has not been disclosed, but on Monday afternoon, a truck with a trailer branded FS Lubricants was observed beside the boat.