“Be prepared to remove your shoes…wear your good socks….”

Those were the words of Elizabeth McLaughlin, community relations manager for a Lake Charles casino after she set up the American Press tour of the yacht often spotted in the casino’s marina.

Some folks are in the habit of removing work boots or yard shoes before entering the home, especially when floors are freshly mopped. Asian homeowners often practice removing shoes at the home’s entrance and may ask guests to do the same, no matter where the home is located.

Removing shoes to board a yacht — because shoe soles or heels may leave marks or track sand or dirt onto the epitome of ship shape — is standard procedure for yacht boarding.

Yacht owner is Tilman Fertitta. Fertitta is the chairman, president and CEO of Landry’s Restaurants, an entertainment and gaming firm.

Fertitta doesn’t live on his $40 million dollar yacht. Galveston is home. But the Boardwalk, named after Fertitta’s Kemah Boardwalk amusement complex, is home-away-from-home when he visits Lake Charles or one of his other four casino properties.

Boardwalk Captain Tristan Judson has been with Fertitta for fourteen years and conducted the tour, translating nautical lingo when necessary and purposely avoiding use of the term “below decks” because of the reality TV show by that name.

“It sheds a poor light on the industry,” he said. “I don’t know captains or crews who would allow any of the stuff you see on that show.”

The Fertitta yacht is a Wesport 164. The number refers to its length of 163 feet and 10 inches. Westport is a luxury semi-custom yacht building company. Yachts, unlike houses, aren’t generally described in square footage. Beam is used instead of width. The Boardwalk’s beam is 31 feet.

There’s no living room. That space is referred to as the salon. And people in the nautical know don’t say first floor, second floor, etc. The 164 is a trideck through which the captain and male and female crew members move aft and fore in a way that seems especially light on their shoeless feet.

The spacious, six-stateroom, six and a half bath yacht layout features a master suite on the main deck, four guest staterooms below amidships – one for each of Fertitta’s four children, and a VIP guest suite on the bridge deck. The exceptional VIP suite is uniquely situated with its own luxurious bath suite, entertainment system, and private balcony.

A helipad, jacuzzi, four scooters, a large swim platform, a dive locker, fishing rods, SeaBobs, large screen high-definition TVs, a full movie library, and underwater lights are just a few of the watercraft’s luxury amenities.

The Boardwalk is Fertitta’s third yacht. All have been Westports.

“Tillman plays a big role in the design of each yacht,” Judson said. “He enjoys the build as much as using the boat.”

How big a role? Judson said he checks out details such as seat height and the softness of the upholstery. Some of the furnishings are custom made. The build took 18 months.

“He wanted some of the same things he had in the 130, things built to his specifications,” Judson said.

When the boat was nearing completion, Fertitta did a walk-through and casually dropped his elbows onto a counter,” Judson said.

Fertitta told the builders the counter was a half-inch too high in comparison to the height of the counter of his last yacht. They told him it wasn’t. The measuring tape was proffered. The counter was measured. It was exactly a half-inch too high.

The food storage area, separate from what Judson describes as the Westport’s country-style kitchen, contains a couple of rows of gleaming, smudge-free acrylic drawers from floor to ceiling. Baccarat crystal stemware is stored in glass-fronted cabinets designed with special acrylic stemware holders.

Westport 164 trideck owners can choose between an elevator or stairway. Fertitta chose the stairway, which serves as a light conduit from the bridge deck. Handrails are curving stainless steel. There are no fingerprints on the handrails or anywhere else on the boat. No stray crumb in the kitchen. No watermark in the beam-to-beam master bath. The crew sees to that, tackling specific cleaning chores on a daily basis.

Twin MTU 16V4000 diesels drive the Westport 164 to mid-20 knot top speed.

Fertitta, in addition to being involved in the design of the Boardwalk, enjoys being at the helm, Judson said.

“He drove the boat through the Panama Canal at night at 20 knots,” Judson recalled. “That was extremely nerve wracking.”

Tilman Fertitta named his luxury yacht Boardwalk

after his Kemah Boardwalk amusement complex. (Special to the American Press)