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JK Rowling and the incredible disappearing £7million: Writer puts her luxury yacht on sale for £15million - eight months after buying it from Johnny Depp for £22million
- Yacht Amphitrite is reportedly up for just over £15million
- Rowling purchased the 165ft boat in January 2016 for family holidays
- Vessel comes with five cabins and numerous watersport capabilities
- Previous owner Johnny Depp decorated it with plush Art Deco interior
By REHEMA FIGUEIREDO SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER FOR THE DAILY MAIL
Published: 07:26 EST, 13 September 2016 | Updated: 12:48 EST, 28 March 2024
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We have all made an impulse buy and then changed our mind. But JK Rowling appears to have suffered buyer’s remorse on a grand scale.
For the Harry Potter author is set to make a £7million loss by selling the motor yacht she bought only last year.
Miss Rowling has put the 156ft Amphitrite – formerly owned by Johnny Depp – up for sale at just over £15million. She reportedly paid £22million for the luxury vessel, having fallen in love with it after chartering it for a holiday with her husband Neil Murray and their two children.
The author of the iconic Harry Potter series only purchased the 165ft vessel in January, but has now put the yacht back on the market for €17,800,000
It comes complete with waterski, wakeboard, windsurf, kayak and snorkelling capabilities and its entertainment system boasts a home cinema, satellite TV and video games
The Amphitrite, named after the sea-goddess wife of Poseidon, was built in Turkey in 2001 and was refitted in bohemian Art Deco style by Depp in 2009 at a reported cost of £5million.
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The Pirates Of The Caribbean star owned the yacht when he was married to French singer Vanessa Paradis. Depp named the yacht the Vajoliroja – a pun on the Jolly Roger using the first two letters of Vanessa, Johnny and the names of their children, Lily Rose and Jack.
Its name was changed early last year when Depp sold the yacht after marrying Amber Heard. The 1930s-style superyacht can sleep ten guests.
There is certainly enough space for everyone with the impressive yacht containing five cabins, room for a crew of nine, a spacious master saloon and plenty of entertainment for all tastes
Rowling, who is reportedly worth £580million, was wooed by the lavish yet charming liner, which was on sale for £22million, after holidaying onboard with husband Neil Murray and their two children David, 12, and Mackenzie, ten
As well as the master bedroom on the main deck, there are four other bedrooms and spacious dining, entertaining and relaxation rooms. It was available for charter this summer at more than £100,000 a week.
The for sale advert, placed on yacht brokers’ website Curtis Stokes & Associates, includes photos of the Amphitrite’s lavishly decorated interior, including patterned wallpaper and crushed velvet seating. There is also a dining area on deck.
A picture of the salon shows two separate seating areas with teak and glass double doors, sofas, end tables, coffee tables, lounge chairs and bar.
Oozing style and class, website Metayachts says of the vessel: 'Inspired by the gentlemen’s yachts of the 1930s she invokes the romance and glamour of a by-gone era'
The website added: 'It’s all there: The long overhangs, the clipper bow, the funnel, the counter stern, and – as once noted – enough teak and mahogany to fill a Rothschild library'
The yacht - which has three decks - was built in 2001 and is kitted out with works of art
Included in the purchase price are artworks, two rigid inflatable tender boats and equipment for guests to enjoy waterskiing, windsurfing and kayaking.
No reason was given for the prompt sale and a representative for Miss Rowling said: ‘We will not be commenting on this as it is a private matter.’
However, a source close to the author said she had owned it for some time and ‘has made use of the yacht’. Losing £7million from buying and selling the Amphitrite will barely put a dent in Miss Rowling’s fortune.
She dropped off Forbes’ list of world billionaires four years ago, but this is understood to be a result of paying huge amounts in UK taxes and giving a large portion of her fortune to charity.
However she is still estimated to be worth hundreds of millions and last month was named the world’s third-richest author. Her first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy released in 2012, is still selling well and Miss Rowling continues to add to her earnings through Pottermore, the website she uses to sell Harry Potter e-books, as she held on to the rights rather than sign them over to her publisher.
From a technical standpoint, it can cruise at 12 knots, powered by twin Caterpillar engines of 480hp each
Rowling is not the only celebrity to own the liner, however, with the yacht previously belonging to actor Johnny Depp during his relationship with Vanessa Paradis
In Depp's day the vessel was named Vajoliroja - a pun on the Jolly Roger pirate flag when said aloud - after his ex-partner Vanessa Paradis and their children Lily-Rose (pictured aboard the boat in 2011) and Jack
However, after his split with Paradis, its name was changed to Amphitrite, a sea goddess and Poseidon's wife in Greek mythology, in February 2015, as a gift to his new wife Amber Heard
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'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling's yacht docks in Charleston harbor
by Bryce Jacquot
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The yacht owned by "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling is docked in Charleston's harbor Wednesday.
Rowling's yacht, called the Samsara, came to the Holy City from the port of Savannah, Georgia, according to global ship tracking website MarineTracker .
The Samsara left Savannah Saturday, June 8 around 1:00 p.m., and arrived in Charleston Sunday, June, 9 around 8:50 a.m., MarineTracker's voyage information shows.
Superyachtfan.com, which is a database about yachts, their owners, and private jets, lists the Samsara at a value of $150 million, with an annual running cost of $10-$15 million.
READ MORE: "'Harry Potter' house in Massachusetts has magical Halloween vibes"
The yacht was crafted in 2015, built by Oceanco, and designed by Espen Oeino, according to Superyacht fan .
It has 20 cabins in total and can get up to 20 knots in speed.
Rowling's "Harry Potter" series have sold over 500 million copies worldwide, according to Scholastic Media Room .
The series was later adapted into eight films, which grossed over $7.7 billion worldwide at the box office, according to IMDB .