Ivory tree coral is one of the world’s more noteworthy corals. This delicately branching species, with the scientific name Oculina varicosa, forms a deepwater reef extending from Fort Pierce to Daytona, Florida. Remarkably, the 90-mile reef is the only one of its kind on the planet. Because of that, and because historically it was so dense, the reef earned the nickname Oculina Banks. Years of destructive fishing practices led to significant damage, though, so the waters and reef are federally protected. The reef is still trying to recover, as are species like massive grouper that once thrived amid the habitat.
Oculina varicosa has a new place to flourish, however—as do turtles and a host of other sea creatures. It’s an artificial reef established this summer in about 160 feet of water near Fort Pierce. Stretching 126 feet long and 27 feet wide, the reef—soon officially named the A.A. Hendry Reef—has lots of nooks and crannies for organisms to attach and use as a new home. If you’re a technical diver, you can visit it too. But be prepared for an unusual sight.
The A.A. Hendry Reef is actually a stripped-down superyacht—and an iconic American-built superyacht at that. While commercial ships, tugboats and barges have gotten new leases on life as artificial reefs around the country, never before has a superyacht served such a purpose. How Time came to this moment is a story with so many ups and downs, it reads like a Hollywood script.
Time was originally commissioned at the now-defunct Palmer Johnson shipyard in Wisconsin as a custom boat. The world’s largest aluminum yacht at launch in 1987, she was notable for even more reasons. First, she was radically different in design. During that era, Palmer Johnson’s clients mostly built traditional-looking boats. By contrast, Time was sleek and low-slung, with an arched, wide-open expanse from her transom to her main deck. Second, you’d be hard-pressed to find any similar-looking yacht, period. The work of the naval architect Tom Fexas, its styling complemented equally head-turning performance, upwards of 30 knots.
Time, with an interior by J.C. Espinosa and the architect Diane Atwood, served as a winter escape for her owner for several years. She passed through the hands of more owners in the ensuing decades, periods in which her history isn’t entirely clear. Regardless, in the early to mid-2000s, she belonged to a Mexican owner, who kept her in his home country’s waters. He listed her for sale in 2007, but U.S. marshals arrested her with the assistance of the Mexican authorities, according to Arthur Barbeito, a naval architect and the president of AMB Design Consulting Group, whose client eventually donated Time for the reef project. In fact, that owner bought the yacht from the U.S. Marshals Service, with the intention of having Barbeito contribute to a modest refit. “It was a great boat,” Barbeito says. “Tom was an excellent designer.”
After the owner transported Time to Miami for the work, the punch list grew—not entirely by choice. Barbeito says they discovered mold in her insulation, which necessitated stripping everything back to bare metal. Then, the owner decided to add a pool on her elongated swim platform, plus a gym belowdecks. “It was basically a do-over at that point,” Barbeito recalls.
After work began on those additions, the owner paused the project for several years. He reconnected with Barbeito in 2021 to request that Time head to a Stuart-based shipyard to continue the rebuild. But, they realized they’d essentially have to start from square one again, since stored furnishings and wood paneling weren’t kept climate-controlled. Despite his strong emotional attachment to Time, the owner decided it wasn’t practical to continue.
By this point, other owners and their advisers might have abandoned Time. Thankfully, Barbeito knew vessels could be donated as artificial reefs, so he recommended this course of action. With the owner’s blessing, and since the yacht was still in Miami, Barbeito inquired with the county, but says he never received a response after an initial conversation. After a few more inquiries with the assistance of the owner’s attorneys the owner connected with the Marine Cleanup Initiative, a Fort Pierce nonprofit that promotes initiatives leading to more sustainable waters in Florida. Artificial reefs are among these initiatives. In fact, MCI managed five reef creations in 2021 alone.
Originally, Time was intended for the Martin County artificial-reef program. However, when MCI learned that the county hadn’t renewed its reef permit, it turned to the St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program. Headed by Jim Oppenborn, who’s also the county’s coastal resources coordinator, the program team had previously collaborated with MCI. “The yacht was handed to us on a silver—or aluminum, so to speak—platter,” Oppenborn says.
Not that turning Time into an artificial reef at this point was simple. MCI needed to raise funds to supplement donations from the owner and the Martin County Anglers Club to get her prepped. Willis Custom Yachts in Stuart removed her engines and outdrives before Time was towed to Causeway Cove Marina in Fort Pierce in September 2022. There, crews stripped her down to her half-inch-thick aluminum plating over many months. Then, according to Oppenborn, even though stability analyses revealed the yacht would be steady once sunk, the reef-deployment team poured 6 tons of concrete into her “for good measure.”
Finally, on July 15 of this year, tugs towed Time out and off the coast of Fort Pierce, under the watchful eyes of the U.S. Coast Guard and to the delight of boaters eager to witness history. As she began slipping beneath the surface stern first, cheers filled the air. Then, as a final send-off while her bow disappeared from sight, horns blared and boaters broke out into applause.
Although the owner wasn’t on hand, Barbeito says he’s seen video of her reef deployment. “The fish population is depleted,” he says. “We need it.”
At press time, just one more step was pending: formal approval from St. Lucie County commissioners for Time to bear the name the A.A. Hendry Reef. The name honors the patriarch of the Hendry family, who helped establish the counties of Hendry, St. Lucie and Martin. Not that this prevented any new residents from moving into the yacht, so to speak. Based on past experience, MCI and Oppenborn’s office knew that some of the sea’s tiniest organisms would attach and begin growing within 24 hours.
Additionally, they’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of Oculina varicosa. If the Tug Lesley Lee Reef from 2008 is any indication, chances are high the arrival will be soon. Exactly one year post-sinking, that ship had the coral present. It was still growing two years later and began branching within a few more years.
A superyacht still is an unusual artificial reef. But as long as Oculina varicosa and its fellow inhabitants have any say, it’s home sweet home.
This article was originally published in the October 2023 issue.
