Cheoy Lee launched Marco Polo, a 147-foot yacht that was well ahead

of the environmental curve, her overall design as green as her hull

color (as seen in YACHTING, December 2007). Her high bow seemed

ready to take on the worst the sea had to offer, and that’s precisely what

she’s been doing. Her owner has spent the past few years exploring the

world with her, and during a recent chat with him, he had nothing but

positive reviews of his Ron Holland-designed yacht.

It was most appropriate that our conversation took place aboard

Mazu, the latest incarnation of what is now the Marco Polo Series

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hull that is in sharp contrast to the hunter green of Marco Polo’s, this

yacht in some ways represents the other side of the same yacht, the

port and starboard of Holland’s design, if you will.

It’s an old trick of yacht design. Arrangement plans are

never symmetrical. They often have a galley on one side

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the window arrangement, might work for one side but not the

other. Designers don’t sweat it, because they know that no one

will ever see both sides of the yacht at the same time. They just

make sure both sides are attractive on their own and then get

WV�_Q\P�TQNM��?Q\P�Mazu and Marco Polo, we have a rare chance

to do the impossible — simultaneously view both sides of the

same yacht. Mazu is a near-sistership to Marco Polo, similar

or even identical in some ways, different in others, and thus

provides an interesting study in what can be done in a custom

yacht when starting with a proven platform.

They are both beautiful cruising yachts that show the world a

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maximum longevity. The single Caterpillar 3512B engine turns

at only 1,600 rpm, keeping stress on the mechanical parts to a

minimum. A big block of cast iron has only so many horsepower-

hours in it. You can take lots of horsepower out of it for a few

hours, or less horsepower for very many years.

The single engine provides other advantages. Maintenance is

halved, you have lots of open space in the engine room, and

you don’t carry the additional weight and expense of an extra

shaft, strut and propeller. In addition, the physics of propulsion

are such that a single large, slow-turning propeller is more

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is that a larger prop can often mean additional draft, with the

corresponding restriction on shallow cruising grounds.

In recent years we have seen few single-screw yachts other than

small trawlers, but something we have seen is based on the same

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[XWZ\�Å[PQVO�JWI\[��PI^M�[PQN\ML�\W�PQOPMZ�OMIZ�ZI\QW[�� [_QVOQVO�

larger custom props at lower rpm. Prop tunnels are often molded

into hull bottoms to mitigate the problem of additional draft.

?PMV�1�\ITSML�\W�0WTTIVL�IJWIZL�Marco Polo�Å^M�aMIZ[�IOW��\PQ[� CO

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Two tenders are protected by foredeck hatches (below). Vertical

windshields offer an unbroken panorama (top right). Designer Sylvia

Bolton selected white oak to lighten staterooms belowdecks (right).

Five years ago

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conversation, and he opined, with a hint of regret, that while such

a system was clearly the best, he wasn’t sure if the yachting world

was ready for it. Sure, almost every commercial, oceangoing ship

uses such an arrangement, but he feared that market forces would

mean the next yacht in the series would lose her environmental edge

to the demand for twin engines. In the interim, however, two things

have happened. First, the concept has been proved over thousands

of miles of cruising. Second, the world of yachting is more willing

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make economic sense as well. Thus, happily, Mazu follows in the

proven footsteps of her sister.

One objection we often hear to a single propulsion engine

is the possibility of being stranded at sea by a mechanical

failure. Given the reliability of modern diesels, especially

when turning at a reduced rpm, this fear is more psychological

than real, but it’s a fear nonetheless. To overcome that, Mazu

has a special bow thruster. The Schottel unit, driven by a

dedicated 315-horsepower Caterpillar C7 engine in a separate

engine room at the bow, pumps water downward rather than

As you can see, “dinner and a show” was never so good (top). All stainless-steel equipage makes the galley aboard the 151-foot Mazu a

chef’s dream (above left). Using a single diesel power plant means lots of working space in the well-lighted engine room (above right).

FEBRUARY 2013 / YACHTING 59www.yachtingmagazine.com

YTG0213_CHEOY.indd 59 12/20/12 5:53 PM

transversely. It then uses a set of rotating vanes at the hull-

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starboard in normal use as a thruster but can also be pointed

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A second objection often lodged against single-screw vessels is

reduced maneuvering capability, particularly in close quarters or

_PMV�LWKSQVO��?PQTM� \PI\� Q[� \Z]M�WV�UIVa� []KP�^M[[MT[��Mazu has

not only the powerful Schottel unit at the bow, capable of producing

thrust in any direction at will, but also a 100- horsepower Naiad axial

thruster built into the keel at the stern. If you can’t maneuver with that

combination, you shouldn’t be at the helm!

After talking to Marco Polo’s owner, I joined Martin Lo for a

detailed tour of Mazu. Cheoy Lee is owned by the Lo family, and

different brothers manage different parts of the company. Martin

is the builder, the man who oversees the construction of all Cheoy

Lee vessels, so he was ready with answers to all my questions. Mazu

is four feet longer than Marco Polo, adding a bit of space below and

LOA: 151’0”

BEAM: 29’7”

DRAFT: 8’2”

FUEL: 17,170 gal.

WATER: 3,930 gal.

HOLDING: 680 gal. black,

680 gal. gray

CONSTRUCTION: steel

hull and fiberglass

superstructure

DISPL.: 462 long tons

NAVAL ARCHITECT: Ron

Holland Design

INTERIOR DESIGN: Sylvia

Bolton Design

ENGINE: 1 x 1,911 hp

Caterpillar 3512B, @

1,600 rpm

PROPELLER: 4-blade

variable pitch

GENERATORS: 3 x 90 kW

Northern Lights; 1 x 20 kW

Panda, emergency

SPEED: 15 knots max

RANGE: 6,600 nautical

miles @ 12 knots

STABILIZERS: Naiad

820 zero speed

BOW THRUSTER:

Schottel pumpjet, 315 hp

Caterpillar C7

STERN THRUSTER:

Naiad model 24, 100 hp

PRICE: available upon

request

Mazu at sea is the ultimate in red, white and

blue (right). The media room is a secluded

retreat forward of the galley (bottom). CO

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increasing her waterline length for reduced resistance, slightly higher

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rides atop the steel hull, is a bit longer, particularly on the upper

deck, where the owner’s suite lies abaft the pilothouse. The ship’s

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their own space, and the open deck aft has a bit more cover.

One change Marco Polo’s owner made in his yacht was to modify

her somewhat neutral decor to better suit his family’s preferences.

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to bring a bit of boldness to Mazu’s interior. Sylvia, also aboard

during my visit, itemized the various exotic materials — stone,

fabrics and woods, including Macassar ebony — that make as

dramatic a statement on the interior as the red hull makes on the

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interior, Martin proudly pointed out that all of the work, including

sourcing stone in large blocks or slabs directly from the quarries,

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with Cheoy Lee almost 40 years ago, when joinery quality was

sound but average, so it was nice to see that the yard’s work is now

clearly on a par with the best that Europe has to offer.

Mazu, like Marco Polo before her, is a well-designed, well-built yacht

capable of cruising the world, nearly without limit. Her owners and

guests will appreciate her comfort and beauty, her crew will appreciate

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equipment, and Mother Earth will appreciate the many aspects of

her design that bear a sensitivity to the environment. She is, I believe,

a benchmark for what all expedition yachts should be.

Cheoy Lee, 954-527-0999; cheoyleena.com CO

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The upper deck owners’ suite includes a spacious berth, a wall of

lockers, and a lounge area and open afterdeck for alfresco dining.LITTLE TOOTSometimes mistakes happen, even at YACHTING. I fi rst sat

down with Ron Holland eight years ago to discuss his up-

coming series of Marco Polo yachts. The result was a design

review in the May 2005 issue. The review itself was fi ne, but

somehow, in adjusting the artwork to fi t on the published

page, the profi le drawing was reduced considerably more

in the longitudinal dimension than in the vertical. The result

was a yacht that tended more to the tall and stubby than to

the long and sleek. Within a few days, I received an e-mail

from Ron, an absolute classic missive in which his good hu-

mor showed through. He is, it seems, as creative with his lan-

guage as he is with his designs.

Holland’s fun at my expense wasn’t quite done, however.

A few months later, while having lunch at the Yacht Club de

Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show, Ron stopped by

my table and asked if I could spare a moment. “Sure,” I said

unsuspectingly, and he led me to a nearby table, where the

man at the head of the table rose as Ron and I approached.

Ron’s introduction of me, delivered with a large smile: “I just

wanted you to meet the man who shrank your yacht.”

The odd thing, Ron later admitted with a bit of puzzle-

ment, was that, of the inquiries generated by that design

review, a signifi cant number actually preferred, to use Ron’s

words, “the Little Toot version,” the one we had run by mis-

take. During my recent visit aboard Mazu, I learned that

shorter versions of the series, at 105 and 125 feet, are under

development. I’ll be calling Ron soon to discuss royalties.

— D.D.

FOR AN EVEN MORE DETAILED LOOK AT THIS MEGAYACHT, VISIT YACHTINGMAGAZINE.COM.

MORE MAZU

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