McKay’s involvement originated following a chance meeting at a United States marine forum, where discussions began with Derecktor Shipyards regarding McKay’s suitability for the project. This interest was driven by McKay’s recent work on two large 55-metre defence vessels, which demonstrated the company’s capability in delivering highly complex electrical systems within demanding marine environments. As a result of these discussions, Derecktor engaged McKay to support the electrical engineering requirements of what would become one of the most ambitious yacht builds undertaken in the country.
McKay commenced work on Cakewalk in 2008, contributing specialist electrical engineering expertise throughout the design, installation and commissioning phases. The scale of the vessel required sophisticated and highly reliable electrical systems to support propulsion-related services, safety and redundancy systems, navigation and communications, as well as the extensive hotel and entertainment services expected of a superyacht of this calibre. Precision, integration and reliability were critical throughout the build.
McKay deployed a team of experienced electrical engineers, including Andreas Zaugg, Scott Gavin, Dennis Crane and Bart Post. Their combined expertise supported the delivery of complex electrical systems within the constrained and highly detailed environment of a luxury vessel of unprecedented size. Their work formed part of a wider, multidisciplinary engineering effort coordinated by Derecktor Shipyards.
The Cakewalk project was significant not only for its technical demands, but also for its strategic importance to McKay. It marked the company’s first project in the United States and played a key role in establishing McKay’s presence in the North American market. The project directly supported the formation of McKay’s USA division in Connecticut in 2008, enabling the company to operate closer to key marine and industrial clients.
The successful delivery of M.Y. Cakewalk demonstrated McKay’s ability to apply its electrical engineering capability on world-class marine projects in a new international market. It reinforced the company’s reputation for delivering complex, high-value engineering solutions and stands as a defining milestone in McKay’s international project portfolio.
