Owning your own shipyard is a bit like having Santa’s workshop at the bottom of the garden kitted out with every tool imaginable. It gives you the power to become the designer, project manager and broker of your own yacht project. It’s fair to say that Cobra Yacht owner Eren Baki has not let that opportunity pass him by.
This carefully spoken Turk is about to enjoy his first full season with a new toy: the 40-metre Illusion II. Built in 1991, she is one of the largest yachts constructed by Lloyds Ships of Australia and was a titan of her time. Baki has transformed her from a weary giant into fresh-faced charter prospect - in the space of just 10 months.
“We shipped her from Miami at the end of April 2022 and received the boat in Marmaris in July,” he says. “We dry docked her, then the interior design, the structural part - everything was done at the same time. In early June last year, we launched her, and at the beginning of July we started chartering her.
