largest russian sailing yacht

Largest Sailing Yachts in the World (with Price & Owners)

In this list of the largest sailing yachts in the world, you'll discover the top 20 remarkable ones, from the groundbreaking Sailing Yacht A at 469 feet to Jeff Bezos' massive Y721 (aka Koru) that spans 416 feet. The owners of these magnificent yachts are often influential figures in various industries, such as technology, finance, and real estate.

Sailing Yacht "A", the largest sailing yacht in the world, is owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, who also owns Mikhail S. Vorontsov and Hetairos. Other large sailing yachts are:

• Black Pearl
• Maltese Falcon
• Sea Eagle II

The yachting industry is bound to keep evolving and pushing the limits of what's possible. Who knows, maybe by 2024, the new Somnio "yacht-liner" might redefine our concept of luxury sailing altogether. For now, let's get to know more about these 20 sailing yachts, their prices, and their owners.

• Sailing Yacht "A", built in 2015, is worth $600 million. It can accommodate 20 guests and 54 crew members.
• The largest sailing yacht was designed by Philippe Starck and built by the German shipyard Nobiskrug.
• Andrey Melnichenko is a prominent figure in the worlds of business, yachting, and philanthropy.
• Top-notch industry players such as Oceanco, Lürssen, Royal Huisman, and Vitters Shipyard are known for their attention to detail and form-function balance, which could potentially increase the yacht's price.

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20 largest sailing yachts, the largest sailing yacht in the world, world's largest yacht is owned by....

Sailing Yacht A — 142.81M (468.6 Ft.)

You may have heard of Sailing Yacht A, a luxurious superyacht measuring 143 meters in length. Owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, this yacht is famous for its blend of modern design and cutting-edge technology. Its price is estimated to be around $500 million.

Sailing Yacht "A" is unique for its futuristic design, which includes a towering masts that are among the tallest in the world, a curved hull, and a striking all-black exterior. The yacht also features a state-of-the-art hybrid propulsion system that allows it to sail silently and efficiently under wind power, as well as a range of luxurious amenities such as a swimming pool, a helipad, and a spa.

Koru — 127M (416 Ft.)

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns the breathtaking Oceanco's record-breaking 127-meter sailing yacht, Koru. This sailing giant was built in the Netherlands in 2023.

Koru is unique for its custom design, which was created by the renowned naval architect Ron Holland and features a sleek and modern exterior with clean lines and a metallic silver finish. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a hybrid propulsion system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing.

Sea Cloud — 109.5M (359 Ft.)

At 109.52 meters, the elegant Sea Cloud is a breathtaking four-masted sailing ship built in 1931. It operates primarily as a luxurious charter yacht, providing guests with a unique, unforgettable experience.

Sea Cloud is unique for its historic charm and elegance, having been built in 1931 as a private yacht for a wealthy American couple. The yacht has since been restored and converted into a luxury cruise ship, but still retains many of its original features, including a wooden deck, brass fittings, and period furnishings. Sea Cloud also offers a unique sailing experience, with guests able to help hoist the sails and steer the ship.

Black Pearl — 106.7M (350 Ft.)

The eco-friendly Black Pearl, measuring 106.7 meters in length, boasts state-of-the-art DynaRig technology and holds the title of the world's largest sailing yacht, at least, when it comes to sail area.

Black Pearl is unique for its advanced technology and cutting-edge design, including a revolutionary DynaRig sail system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing, as well as a hybrid propulsion system that can switch seamlessly between diesel and electric power. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa.

Eos — 93M (305 Ft.)

The stunning 92.92-meter sailing yacht Eos has a classic design and high-performance capabilities. Owned by American fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg and American businessman Barry Diller, it is one of the largest private sailing yachts in the world.

Eos is unique for its size and spacious interior, which includes a range of luxurious amenities such as a full-size bar, a cinema, and a spa. The yacht also features a hybrid propulsion system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing, as well as a classic and elegant design with traditional features such as wooden decks and brass fittings.

Athena — 90M (295 Ft.)

Athena, an impressive 90-meter superyacht, includes five en-suite cabins, a gym, and a library. Built by Royal Huisman, this classic schooner combines luxury with deep sea exploration capabilities.

Athena is unique for its classic design and traditional sailing techniques, having been modeled after the famous J-class yachts of the 1930s. The yacht features a wooden hull, a towering mast, and a range of vintage features such as brass fittings and period furnishings. Athena also offers a range of luxurious amenities, including a swimming pool, a gym, and a library.

Maltese Falcon — 88M (289 Ft.)

You'll be amazed by the innovative Maltese Falcon, a 88-meter sailing yacht. It features a revolutionary DynaRig system and is owned by Greek socialite Elena Ambrosiadou.

Maltese Falcon is unique for its innovative DynaRig sail system, which allows for efficient and flexible sailing without the need for traditional sails and rigging. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a unique interior design that combines modern and traditional elements.

Aquijo — 85.9M (282 Ft.)

The 85-meter superyacht Aquijo is the perfect example of elegance and high-performance on the water. With an impressive interior, it offers the ultimate sailing experience.

Aquijo is unique for its large size and spacious interior, which includes a main salon with a double-height ceiling, a full-size bar, and a dining area that can seat up to 20 guests. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a unique hybrid propulsion system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing.

Sea Eagle II — 81M (266 Ft.)

The 81-meter Sea Eagle II, built by Royal Huisman, features a plumb bow, an exceptional sailing performance, and spacious interiors.

Sea Eagle II is unique for its classic design and traditional sailing techniques, having been modeled after the historic tall ships of the 19th century. The yacht features a wooden hull, a towering mast, and a range of vintage features such as brass fittings and period furnishings. Sea Eagle II also offers a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a spacious and comfortable interior with a classic and elegant design.

M5 — 78.4M (257.2 Ft.)

Owned by American businessman Rodney Lewis, the 75-meter M5 is a luxurious yacht built by Southern Ocean Marine with impressive sailing capabilities.

M5 is unique for its advanced sail system, which includes a set of high-tech carbon-fiber sails that can be adjusted automatically to optimize performance and efficiency. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a sleek and modern interior design with clean lines and contemporary furnishings.

Enigma — 74.5M (244 Ft.)

Enigma, formerly known as Phocea, is a 75-meter sailing yacht known for her sleek profile and extraordinary speed capabilities.

Enigma is unique for its sleek and modern design, which includes a striking silver exterior and a minimalist interior with clean lines and contemporary furnishings. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a hybrid propulsion system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing.

Badis I — 70M (230 Ft.)

Badis 1, a 70.8-meter sailing yacht, boasts a stunning aluminum hull, a powerful rig, and a luxurious interior accommodating up to 12 guests.

Badis I is unique for its classic design and traditional sailing techniques, having been modeled after the famous J-class yachts of the 1930s. The yacht features a wooden hull, a towering mast, and a range of vintage features such as brass fittings and period furnishings. Badis I also offers a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a spacious and comfortable interior with a classic and elegant design.

Vertigo — 67.2M (220 Ft.)

Famed for its contemporary design, Vertigo is a 67-meter sailing yacht built by Alloy Yachts. With impressive features and an award-winning interior, it's a dream come true for sailing enthusiasts.

Vertigo is unique for its striking and modern design, which includes a sleek and minimalist exterior and a spacious and comfortable interior with clean lines and contemporary furnishings. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a hybrid propulsion system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing.

Hetairos — 66.7M (219 Ft.)

Hetairos, owned by a Russian billionaire, is a 66.7-meter high-performance sailing yacht. With an advanced composite hull, it promises excellent speed and luxurious amenities.

Hetairos is unique for its advanced composite construction, which makes it one of the fastest and most efficient sailing yachts in the world. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a striking black and silver exterior design.

Adix — 65.5M (215 Ft.)

The 65.5-meter three-masted schooner Adix is a beautiful sailing yacht known for its timeless design and quality craftsmanship.

Adix is unique for its classic design and traditional sailing techniques, having been modeled after the historic tall ships of the 19th century. The yacht features a wooden hull, a towering mast, and a range of vintage features such as brass fittings and period furnishings. Adix also offers a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a spacious and comfortable interior with a classic and elegant design.

Mikhail S. Vorontsov — 63.4M (208 Ft.)

The Mikhail S. Vorontsov is a 64.5-meter sailing yacht with a completely wooden hull, offering a classic and captivating charm.

Mikhail S. Vorontsov is unique for its opulent and extravagant design, which includes a range of luxurious features such as a grand staircase, a full-size ballroom, and a range of ornate decorations and furnishings. The yacht also features a range of modern amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a hybrid propulsion system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing.

Perseus^3 — 60M (197 Ft.)

The high-performance sailing yacht Perseus^3, measuring 60 meters in length, includes a carbon-fiber mast, a powerful regatta rig, and cutting-edge features for the ultimate sailing experience.

Perseus^3 is unique for its advanced sail system, which includes a set of high-tech carbon-fiber sails that can be adjusted automatically to optimize performance and efficiency. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a sleek and modern interior design.

Ngoni — 58M (190 Ft.)

Ngoni, a stunning 58-meter sailing yacht built by Royal Huisman, is known for its innovative design and advanced sailing technology.

Ngoni is unique for its unconventional design, which includes a striking black and gold exterior and a minimalist interior with clean lines and contemporary furnishings. The yacht also features a range of luxurious amenities, including a beach club, a cinema, and a spa, as well as a hybrid propulsion system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing.

Twizzle — 57.5M (188 Ft.)

Last but not least, the 57.5-meter sailing yacht Twizzle offers exceptional sailing performance paired with timeless elegance, making for a luxurious experience on the water.

Twizzle is unique for its spacious and comfortable interior, which includes a range of luxurious amenities such as a full-size bar, a cinema, and a spa. The yacht also features a hybrid propulsion system that allows for efficient and flexible sailing, as well as a sleek and modern design with clean lines and contemporary furnishings.

Fleurtje — 57.4M (188 Ft.)

Fleurtje is a classic sailing yacht that was built in 1961 by the Dutch shipyard De Vries Lentsch. The yacht underwent a major refit in 1993, which included the installation of a new engine, a new mast, and a range of modern amenities.

Fleurtje features a classic design with a wooden hull and a traditional rig, which gives it a timeless and elegant appearance. The yacht also features a spacious and comfortable interior with a range of luxurious amenities, including a full-size bar, a cinema, and a spa. It is also known for its impressive sailing performance, with a top speed of 12 knots under sail and a range of advanced technologies that allow for efficient and flexible sailing.

Is Sailing Yacht "A", which is 143 meters long, 24.88 meters wide, has a draft of 8 meters, and weighs 1428 tons. It can accommodate 20 guests, and has 54 crew members.

The crew sizes, and operating costs of these yachts can vary widely depending on a number of factors, including the size and complexity of the yacht, the level of luxury and amenities onboard, and the location and frequency of use.

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko. Melnichenko is known for his extravagant lifestyle and his love of luxury yachts. He is the owner of the largest and iconic Sailing Yacht "A", which is considered one of the most expensive and technologically advanced yachts ever built. He is also the owner of the motor yacht "A", which was built by the same shipyard as Sailing Yacht "A" and features a similarly striking design.

Melnichenko was born on March 8, 1972, in Gomel, Belarus. In addition to his business and yachting interests, Melnichenko is also a philanthropist who supports a range of charitable causes through his Andrey & Aleksandra Melnichenko Foundation. The foundation focuses on supporting education, science, and culture, and has provided funding for a range of projects in Russia and around the world.

Melnichenko is one of the wealthiest people in Russia, with a net worth of over $18 billion, according to Forbes. He made his fortune in the energy and chemical industries, having founded the fertilizer producer EuroChem and the coal producer SUEK. He is also a major shareholder in the power company Siberian Generating Company and the pipe producer TMK.

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SAILING YACHT A – World’s Biggest Sailing Yacht – $600 Million

SAILING YACHT A measures 143 meters making her the world’s biggest sailing yacht.

SAILING YACHT A is far more than a luxury vessel. She is a masterpiece of design and innovation combining sleek metal surfaces with futuristic naval architecture that took over two years to complete.

Launched in 2017, both the interior and exterior of this mega sailing yacht were designed by Phillippe Starck, who calls SAILING YACHT A one of his most high-profile projects.

The superyacht has taken on voyages all around the world and was most recently spotted sailing off the coasts of Gibraltar and Cyprus.

SAILING YACHT A interior

Both the interior and exterior of SAILING YACHT A were designed by Philippe Starck , a French architect known for his wide range of design projects.

He famously worked on the impressive MOTOR YACHT A, and the two iconic vessels share a lot of similarities in their layout and specifications.

Both yachts look incredibly futuristic and are sure to attract attention wherever they go.

While no exact details are known about the interior of SAILING YACHT A, it is rumored that she has an underwater observation pod with 30 cm (1 ft) thick glass located in the keel of the vessel.

This is one of the few parts where design mockups are publicly available, and the style of the interior can be examined.

The observation pod appears to have cream upholstery that stretches across the floor and ceiling of the cabin.

Two large symmetrical glass windows allow guests to view the breathtaking underwater world without even having to leave the yacht.

A third window is located at the bottom of the pod, which lets it feel like a true 360-degree experience and is almost comparable to a submarine.

A small floating side table provides guests with a space to place drinks or snacks in the pod and enjoy a one-of-a-kind dining experience in this unusual location.

Since the pod is located at the keel of the yacht, the large propellers are most likely visible from the windows suggesting it is most commonly used at anchor.

The superyacht has ten cabins that can accommodate 20 guests as well as a further 54 crew member.

Paparazzi photos and the work of yacht spotters provide a rare glimpse into the interior of SAILING YACHT A.

No official footage of cabins or salons has been released, although Starck’s past work suggests that the yacht would be furnished with opulent elements that perfectly combine luxury with style.

Silver and metal decorations play a large role and tie the interior design of the yacht together. 

However, SAILING YACHT A was launched much later than her motorized companion suggesting her interior might be more modern with minimalistic elements rather than lavish furnishings.

Occasional photographs shot through open doors, and portholes show expensive art pieces decorating the interior of the yacht and rather absurd design choices like a set of chairs shaped like large human heads.

The yacht appears to feature a large, open salon with an elevated seating area and symmetrical arches on either side.

While details aren’t known to the public, it is rumored that SAILING YACHT A features a luxurious spa area, a sizable gym as well as an owner’s suite with several rooms that is only accessible via fingerprint.

The massive private area is said to feature a 60-inch television that disappears into the floor as well as a rotating bed. 

Considering she is the largest sailing yacht in the world, it is surprising that SAILING YACHT A can only host 20 guests.

This suggests that there are spacious entertainment areas located on board, including several saloons and ample below-deck space for crew members.

Due to her large size and a small number of cabins, it is assumed that SAILING YACHT A can welcome a large number of day guests onboard for special events and celebrations.

Biggest sailing yacht controversy

It has been the topic of debate that SAILING YACHT A is not the largest yacht in the world but instead the ‘largest sail-assisted motor yacht.

Depending on the definition used, that would make BLACK PEARL the biggest sailing yacht in the world.

The most expensive sailing yacht

SAILING YACHT A is the most expensive sailing yacht in the world and cost an estimated price of US $600 million – a relatively “affordable” price considering her large size and tonnage.

A calculated US $48,000 per ton is considered low in the yachting industry, where European yachts are usually priced at US $60,000 per ton and over.

This average price would bring the value of SAILING YACHT A up to nearly US $800 million. However, due to the fact that the official sales price has not been released to the public, these numbers are mere estimates and cannot be validated officially.

Since the yacht is a custom project and one of a kind, it can be assumed that the total value of SAILING YACHT A lies far higher than her initial price.

In addition to any cost for the crew, supplies, and docking fees, she has annual running costs of US $50-75 million.

SAILING YACHT A is currently not available for sale or charter.

Specifications

SAILING YACHT A is incredibly large for a sailing yacht, and even compared to the longest motor yachts in the world, she would rank in the top ten.

Paired with her unusual futuristic design, this mega sailing yacht has a length of 143 meters (469 ft), a beam of 25 meters (82 ft), and a draft of 8 meters (26 ft) making her a more than an impressive vessel.

SAILING YACHT A was built by Nobiskrug , a German superyacht builder at their Kiel shipyard, and launched in 2017 after more than two years of construction.

To date, SAILING YACHT A is the largest yacht ever built by Nobiskrug and remains their flagship.

It is considered the most complicated project to ever be completed in the sailing industry and gained international media attention on its launch date. It has a total volume of 12.558 tons and is powered by hybrid diesel-electric engines. 

SAILING YACHT A is considered the longest sailing yacht in the world and is more than 36 meters (118 ft) longer than BLACK PEARL, which ranks in second place on the list.

Coincidentally her project name was WHITE PEARL which is a reference to her brilliant white exterior, although it couldn’t have referred to BLACK PEARL since she was only launched in 2018, a year after Melnichenko’s masterpiece.  

Her three-carbon masts stand at an impressive 100 meters (328 ft), making them some of the largest in the world and taller than Big Ben in London.

However, her large size is sometimes also limiting as she struggles to fit underneath most bridges and is therefore constrained to certain routes.

She once passed under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco with only 20 feet to spare between her masts and the bottom of the famous bridge.

She is rumored to have an electric gimbal crow’s nest, which allows for remote operation and advanced wind measurements. Her sails are all white, and her masts have nearly sickle-like shapes, which add to her striking futuristic appearance.

It is noteworthy that she is commonly photographed with her sails down, which suggests she might be using her support engines more frequently than true wind power.

With a sail area of more than 3.700m^2 (40.000 square ft), she can reach top speeds of up to 21 knots which is supported by her twin 4895 Horsepower MTU engines .

Her average cruise speed lies at 16 knots, and her total range is estimated to lie at 5320 nautical miles. She features a state-of-the-art sail system that is able to raise and lower the sails and anchors at the touch of a button. 

SAILING YACHT A has a steel hull and composite steel superstructure, which is unusual in the superyacht industry as most shipyards choose aluminum to reduce weight and keep the vessel light.

She currently sails under the flag of Bermuda, which is common for prominent sailing yachts.

During construction, SAILING YACHT A was called project WHITE PEARL, a fitting name for this sizable vessel.

Like her interior, the exterior of SAILING YACHT A was designed by Philippe Starck, although the Dutch studio Dykstra Naval Architects played a role in the naval architecture of the vessel.

They specialize in sailing yachts of all sizes and have been involved in many prominent projects in the industry over the years.

She features eight teak decks with a large swimming pool located in the center and several elevators spread across the yacht.

She is even said to carry a submarine. The main pool is lowered into the deck allowing for additional privacy for the owners.

Her hull has 24 shell doors, which are used to access equipment and provide additional deck space if needed. She is accompanied by four tenders also designed by Philippe Starck and built by Lloyd Stevenson in New Zealand.

Their sleek and elegant design matches that of the main vessel, and they are used for transporting guests and taking them on excursions.

One of the tenders of SAILING YACHT A is a carbon fiber speedboat especially reserved for the owner who can operate the vessel autonomously whenever required without the aid of crew members.

This allows Melnichenko, who is a fan of driving high-speed cars to be independent when staying aboard his luxury yacht. The tender is small but powerful, reaching speeds of up to 53 knots.

The larger tenders can seat up to eight passengers and feature panoramic windows ideal for sightseeing and exploring but are much slower at only 30 knots. 

The aft features a large garage used for storing jet skis, tenders, and other equipment.

High-profile artists such as Snoop Dogg are rumored to have performed here, although detailed evidence of such concerts remains unknown.

Whenever the aft isn’t used for performances or parties, it can be transformed into a swimming platform designed in the yacht’s iconic futuristic style. 

However, despite her cutting-edge design features, SAILING YACHT A surprisingly also includes classic nautical elements. She has a wooden steering wheel that is reminiscent of a pirate ship, although it is not operational.

The captain of the vessel can instead use modern technologies to operate the massive yacht via a small joystick and touchscreen.

There are symmetric extendable balconies that protrude from the bridge of the yacht and allow the crew to have a better view to be able to gauge the dimensions of the immense vessel.

Of course, SAILING YACHT A has a modern underwater lighting system that illuminates the vessel perfectly at night.

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Italy seizes Russian billionaire Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A

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16 superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs

Western sanctions over moscow's invasion of ukraine led to many luxury vessels being detained in europe.

Two superyachts linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich were spotted on the Turkish coast on Tuesday, 'Eclipse' and 'My Solaris'. Mr Abramovich is among several wealthy Russians added to an EU blacklist as governments act to seize their yachts and other luxury assets. AP

Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine

Several luxury yachts owned by wealthy Russians have been detained across Europe this month.

It comes after the West imposed sanctions on oligarchs over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine .

Some have taken evasive action – two such superyachts linked to billionaire Roman Abramovich were spotted approaching the Turkish coast on Tuesday. A group of Ukrainians tried to stop one of the yachts from docking in Turkey.

Chelsea FC owner Mr Abramovich is one of several oligarchs who were added to an EU blacklist last week as governments acted to seize yachts and other luxury assets owned by the billionaires.

Western sanctions resulted in many large vessels relocating from Europe in the past few weeks. Several have headed to places such as the Maldives, which have no extradition treaty with the US.

Where is the Abramovich-owned yacht heading?

Mr Abramovich's yacht Eclipse was seen heading towards Marmaris on Tuesday, according to data compiled by monitoring site Marine Traffic, which was seen by Reuters.

The previous day, his superyacht Solaris was moored in Bodrum, about 80 kilometres from Marmaris, data showed, after skirting waters of EU countries.

There was no suggestion Mr Abramovich was on board either of the yachts.

Ukrainians attempt to stop Abramovich's yacht docking in Turkey

Which yachts have been detained?

On Monday, a superyacht linked to another Russian billionaire was detained by authorities after docking in Gibraltar.

The Axioma , believed to belong to Dmitrievich Pumpyansky, moored at Gibraltar on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, Reuters TV footage showed.

Mr Pumpyansky, who is under UK and EU sanctions, owns Russia's largest steel pipe maker TMK. Data shows the 72-metre vessel is owned by a British Virgin Islands holding company called Pyrene investments, Reuters reported. An article published as part of the Panama Papers leaks names Mr Pumpyansky as a beneficiary of the holding.

On March 12, the world's biggest sailing yacht, called Sailing Yacht A and owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko , was seized by Italian police.

Several other luxury yachts have also been detained across Europe, including in Gibraltar, Mallorca in Spain's Balearic Islands and the French coast.

Here are 16 superyachts linked to wealthy Russians

1. Eclipse , a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich , was this week spotted heading in the direction of Marmaris in Turkey.

2. Solaris , belonging to Mr Abramovich , moored in Bodrum at the start of the week.

3. The Axioma superyacht, belonging to Russian oligarch Dmitrievich Pumpyansky , who is on the EU's list of sanctioned Russians, was detained by authorities after docking in Gibraltar on Monday.

4. The Crescent , which was seized by the Spanish government in Tarragona, Spain, on March 17. The ship's owner is not publicly known, although it is believed to belong to Russian Igor Sechin, head of Rosneft Oil in Moscow.

5. Ragnar , owned by former KGB officer and Russian oligarch Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, who is not on the EU sanctions list.

6. Tango , owned by Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, who was sanctioned by the US on March 11.

7. Lady Anastasia , owned by Russian arms manufacturer Alexander Mijeev, is retained at Port Adriano, Mallorca, as a result of sanctions against Russia and Belarus issued by the European Union.

8. Valerie was seized by the Spanish government in Barcelona, Spain, on March 15. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that the ship is linked to Rostec State Corporation’s chief executive Sergey Chemezov.

9. The $578 million Sailing Yacht A owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko was seized by Italian police in the port of Trieste on March 12.

10. The 156-metre Dilbar superyacht is owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

11. La Datcha belongs to Russian billionaire businessman Oleg Tinkov.

12. Lady M , owned by Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov, was seized by Italian police on March 5.

13. Amore Vero was seized in the Mediterranean resort of La Ciotat on March 3 by French authorities. The yacht is linked to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally who runs the Russian oil giant Rosneft.

14. Quantum Blue , owned by a company linked to Russian billionaire Sergei Galitsky, the head of Russian oil giant Rosneft, was seized in southern France on March 3.

15. Superyacht Luna is owned by Russian billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov.

16. Triple Seven is owned by Russian billionaire Alexander Abramov, according to media reports. The yacht was last up for sale in 2020 for €38 million ($41.85 million).

World's Largest Sailing Yacht Meets Its Baby Brother In Monaco

Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko owns both of the Philippe Starck-designed megayachts, which sailed together for the first time.

Size matters.

At 468 feet long, the Philippe Starck-designed sailboat dwarfs the smaller yacht, which Melnichenko also built and reportedly put up for sale last year .

The Russian, who has an estimated net worth of $12.9 billion and founded companies including a fertilizer producer, a coal producer, a power generator, and a pipe exporter, spent a reported $400 million on the sailing vessel.

Its masts reach 300 feet into the sky (the main one is so large it has a small room inside it) and the yacht can reach a maximum speed of 24 miles per hour. A crew of 54 attends to the 20 guests it can hold.

Melnichenko allegedly chose the name "A" to make sure that his vessels were listed first in shipping registers.

Sam Dangremond is a Contributing Digital Editor at Town & Country, where he covers men's style, cocktails, travel, and the social scene.

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Biden is vowing to seize Russian oligarchs’ yachts. Here’s where they are right now

The ships span the length of a football field or longer, come outfitted with helipads and swimming pools, and have shown up at ports around the world – towering over nearby fishing vessels and motorboats like giants.  

Yachts owned by Russian oligarchs – who have bought some of the largest and most extravagant “superyachts” on the planet – are gleaming symbols of how Russia’s elite have profited under the government of President Vladimir Putin.

Now, as Russian forces ramp up their deadly military campaign in Ukraine, the yachts are emerging as key targets of the US and European allies, who are vowing to seize property owned by Putin’s enablers.

Disputes are already erupting: French officials seized a yacht Wednesday night that they said was linked to Igor Sechin, a sanctioned Russian oil executive and close Putin associate, as it was preparing to flee a port. But the company that manages the ship denied Sechin was the owner. And the White House said German officials had seized another oligarch’s yacht in Hamburg, while local authorities denied any ships had been confiscated.

The French seizure shows that confiscating oligarchs’ yachts will require a concerted global effort – and it’s likely to mean protracted legal battles around the world, experts said.

A CNN review of maritime location data from the website MarineTraffic found that more than a dozen yachts that have been reported to be owned by Russian oligarchs are spread out across the world, from the crystal waters of Antigua to ports in Barcelona and Hamburg to atolls in the Maldives and Seychelles.  

In several cases, the billionaires’ yachts have been on the move in the days since the Russian offensive began.

Meanwhile, officials around the world are also enforcing sanctions on a far less flashy but still important group of vessels: oil tankers and container ships the US Treasury Department says are owned by the subsidiary of a bank with close ties to Russia’s defense industry. French authorities intercepted one of the cargo ships last weekend, and a Malaysian port refused to let another dock.

Related video Former Russian oligarch says more sanctions should be imposed on Putin's inner circle

Sanctions and asset seizures “make it more difficult for the Kremlin to persuade capable people of getting involved in its activities and thereby weaken the grip of the Kremlin over elites,” said William Courtney, a former US ambassador and current executive director of the RAND Business Leaders Forum, whose members include Russian and Western leaders.

President Joe Biden put the Russian elite on notice in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. 

“To the Russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime: No more,” Biden declared . “We are joining with European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets. We’re coming for your ill-begotten gains.”

The US Department of Justice launched a new task force – dubbed KleptoCapture – to help put Biden’s words into action. The effort includes prosecutors, federal agents and experts in money laundering, tax enforcement and national security investigations from the FBI, the IRS, the US Marshals Service, and the US Postal Inspection Service, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Wednesday.

“We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue this unjust war,” Garland said.

Russian-tied yachts docked around the world

Yacht ownership is extremely difficult to confirm, with the ships often registered to management companies or shell corporations in an apparent effort to disguise ownership, experts say. 

But more than a dozen of the billionaires included in a list of Russian “oligarchs” the Treasury Department released in 2018 have been tied to yachts in media reports in recent years, according to a CNN review. 

Most of the oligarchs who reportedly own yachts are not yet facing US sanctions. However, some have been sanctioned by the European Union or the United Kingdom, and could be added to US sanctions lists as well. 

Amber Vitale, a former official with the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces sanctions, said that US sanctions generally only prevent Americans and American companies from interacting with sanctioned individuals. That means the oligarchs’ yachts could be safe from seizure if they stay in international waters or in countries that haven’t issued their own sanctions. 

“However, it would get very difficult to operate for long if many allied nations impose similar prohibitions,” Vitale said in an email. “Vessels need ports, fuel, operators/captains, repairs and supplies. Without access to these things they could be stuck floating at sea waiting for rescue or resolution.”

The seizures have already begun, with French officials taking the Amore Vero , the yacht they said is owned by Sechin, according to a statement from France’s Ministry of Economy and Finance. The yacht arrived at the French port of La Ciotat on January 3 for repairs, but was “making arrangements to sail urgently, without having completed the planned work” when it was seized on Wednesday, the ministry said. Sechin, the CEO of the Russian oil company Rosneft, was sanctioned by the EU earlier this week, and Rosneft itself was sanctioned by the US in 2014 .

But a yacht management company associated with the ship denied Sechin owned it. “I can absolutely say that Igor Sechin is not the owner,” a spokesperson for Imperial Yachts, which manages the Amore Vero, told CNN. “The rightful owner is appealing the decision to seize the vessel.”

Legal experts told CNN that oligarchs were likely to transfer assets such as yachts to friends or family who aren’t sanctioned to try to prevent them from being seized. Catherine Belton, the author of a book on Putin, said she expected oligarchs were “feverishly engineering deals where ownership changes could be triggered.”

“It’s going to be a game of cat and mouse,” she said.

The French ministry said that the Amore Vero, which has an onboard gym and beauty salon and won an award for yacht design, is owned by a company whose “main shareholder” is Sechin. Sechin served as Russia’s deputy prime minister in Putin’s cabinet before becoming CEO of Rosneft, one of the country’s largest companies, in 2012.

The seizure may also scare other Russian oligarchs into getting their ships out of EU ports. The Dilbar, one of the largest yachts in the world, which is reportedly owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, arrived in Hamburg, Germany in late October, according to MarineTraffic data. There was confusion about the ship’s status on Thursday: Usmanov was sanctioned by the EU earlier this week, and Forbes reported that German authorities had seized the 156-meter ship, which can carry up to 96 crew members and 24 guests. The US Treasury Department also sanctioned Usmanov on Thursday, specifically calling out the Dilbar as evidence of his “luxurious lifestyle.”

But a spokesperson for the Hamburg economic authority told CNN Thursday that “no yacht has been seized by authorities or customs at the port in Hamburg at this moment in time.” German customs officials did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment, and the shipbuilding company that reportedly had been refitting the yacht declined to comment.

The Luna, a yacht reportedly owned by Farkhad Akhmedov, an Azerbaijani billionaire who previously led a Russian natural gas company, was also in Hamburg as of the latest MarineTraffic data from earlier this week. Akhmedov, who has not been sanctioned, kept the nine-deck, 115-meter Luna after an acrimonious divorce that was the largest divorce case heard in Britain’s legal history.  The yacht features missile detection technology and bulletproof windows.

Several yachts reportedly owned by Russian oligarchs have been docked at a port in Barcelona , including the Solaris, which has been tied to Roman Abramovich, the billionaire who announced Wednesday that he would sell the Chelsea Football Club and donate proceeds to a foundation for people impacted by the invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich hasn’t been sanctioned.

The Galactica Super Nova, reportedly owned by Russian oil company executive Vagit Alekperov, left Barcelona on Saturday and crossed the Mediterranean to Tivat, Montenegro, before sailing south into the Adriatic Sea. While Alekperov hasn’t been sanctioned, he is president of Lukoil, which has been hit by US sanctions in the past.

Other Russian-linked yachts are in the Caribbean, including Eclipse, another yacht owned by Abramovich, which is among the world’s largest and includes a swimming pool that can be transformed into a dance floor, and the Anna, reportedly owned by oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, who once purchased a Florida mansion from former President Donald Trump. Rybolovlev hasn’t been sanctioned.

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Courtney, the former ambassador, said that he expected Russian oligarchs took most of their assets out of the US after two billionaires were sanctioned in 2018, and predicted that they would try to move their yachts out of Western European countries to avoid them being seized.

“We are likely to see more of a redistribution geographically of some of those assets,” Courtney said, to countries “that are seen as less likely to sanction,” possibly in the Middle East.  

Several yachts connected to Russian oligarchs have arrived in recent weeks in the Maldives, an Indian Ocean archipelago nation. They include the Clio, reportedly owned by oligarch Oleg Deripaska, which left Sri Lanka in early February and has been sailing between various Maldives atolls since then, according to MarineTraffic. Deripaska was sanctioned by the US in 2018.

None of the oligarchs mentioned in this story responded to requests for comment from CNN sent to their spokespeople, businesses or lawyers. 

Perhaps the clearest example of a yacht with supposed ties to the Russian elite fleeing the West is a Russian-flagged ship named Graceful. Speculative news articles in the German media have reported that the ship belongs to Putin himself, although there’s no concrete evidence that that’s the case. 

Graceful departed Hamburg in early February – roughly two weeks before the invasion of Ukraine – and sped to Kaliningrad, Russia, the MarineTraffic data shows. No location data has been recorded since it arrived in the Russian city on February 9. 

Hackers last week successfully altered maritime traffic data to make it appear that the yacht’s destination was “hell” and it had run aground on Snake Island in Ukraine – where Ukrainian soldiers’ profane response to a Russian warship went viral on social media. 

Sanctions will likely spark legal battles over the yachts, and require government officials to prove ownership, experts said. 

“A sanctioned person may say to the government that the asset you have frozen is not one of my assets,” arguing that it is registered in a family member’s name or a shell corporation that has not specifically been sanctioned, said Raj Bhala, a professor at the University of Kansas Law School and a sanctions expert. “The oligarch could argue before the government that you don’t really have the legal authority to seize my asset.”

But there are new dangers for the oligarchs’ yachts beyond legal proceedings: A Ukrainian ship engineer was arrested in the Spanish island of Mallorca for trying to sink a yacht owned by a Russian military export company executive, local news outlets reported.

“I don’t regret anything I’ve done and I would do it again,” the engineer declared in court on Sunday, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin . “They were attacking innocents.”

Sanctioned shipping vessels seized, blocked from ports 

Even as Biden and other officials have focused their public comments on oligarchs’ yachts, the US is also going after other shipping vessels with ties to Russia . 

Last week, the Biden administration announced sanctions against five oil, cargo and container ships that the Treasury Department says are owned by a subsidiary of Promsvyazbank, a Russian bank that has given billions of dollars to support Russian defense companies. The sanctions block any Americans from doing business with Promsvyazbank.

French authorities seized one of the cargo ships, the Baltic Leader, on Saturday as it was headed from France to Saint Petersburg, Russia, “as part of an operation carried out in cooperation with US authorities,” according to France’s finance ministry . The ship is now anchored at a port in northern France, MarineTraffic data shows.

A port operator in Malaysia declined the request of one of the other vessels, an oil tanker named Linda, to dock there on March 5 “in order not to violate any sanctions,” Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport told CNN. The decision was first reported by Reuters . 

Promsvyazbank did not respond to CNN’s request for comment, but has publicly denied that its subsidiary owned the Linda, and said it no longer owns the Baltic Leader. Two of the other US-sanctioned ships are now in the process of having their leases withdrawn from Promsvyazbank’s subsidiary, according to a statement from Russian company FESCO Transportation Group.

Some of the ships have been accused in recent years of violating past US sanctions by transporting Iranian oil. A Turkish petroleum company had agreed to service another one of the ships – an oil tanker named Pegas – at one of its terminals earlier this year, but after receiving a report that the ship may have been carrying Iranian cargo, the transaction was canceled, according to a spokesperson for the company, Opet. 

CNN’s Majlie de Puy Kamp and Nadine Schmidt contributed to this report.

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Take a closer look at Russian oligarch's $700 million superyacht that is one of the largest in the world

• Roman Abramovich had seemingly scrambled to avoid sanctions from the UK by moving his superyachts.
• One of those is The Eclipse, which cost $700 million to build and was once the biggest in the world.
• That yacht was once in New York City and we took some photos.

Like other Russian oligarchs, Roman Abramovich had seemingly scrambled to avoid sanctions and that included quickly moving his superyachts to more friendly waters.

Many of the 55-year-old billionaire's assets — such as the Chelsea Football Club and several homes — have been sold or frozen since Russia launched an unprovoked war on Ukraine, Bloomberg reported . 

While Abramovich couldn't move the Premier League football club Chelsea FC and sold the $3 billion club , his yachts are another matter. 

Abramovich's 553-foot-long flagship is The Eclipse, estimated to have cost $700 million when built. After sanctions were initially dropped by the UK against Abramovich, his second "smaller" $600 million superyacht, Solaris, left Barcelona, Spain, and moved to friendlier waters in Turkey.

Solaris was joined in Turkey by The Eclipse, which arrived from the Caribbean .

While the superyacht Eclipse was photographed in Turkish waters in early August , it was once docked at Manhattan's Pier 90, and Robert Johnson was able to get some pictures. Take a tour of the superyacht below. 

Robert Johnson contributed to this post.

Just south of this public parking lot on the roof of the Pier 90 terminal in New York City sat Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's flagship yacht, the "Eclipse."

536-feet long and styled after military vessels.

The 2010 Eclipse cost $700 million and was the world's largest yacht when built.

The vessel has amenities to rival any ship on the sea — like its own mini submersible, perhaps similar to this— able to dive down 150-feet.

The Eclipse has two helipads.

Bulletproof glass and armor plates wrap the length of Roman's master suite and the bridge.

And a German-built missile defense system.

The ship's also supposed to have a laser defense against paparazzi trying to photograph the yacht's guests, but saw no evidence of the device when we were there.

The Eclipse has three launch boats.

That looked to be stocked with medical supplies and a variety of handheld radios.

From the cruise ship parking lot it felt like we were almost on the Eclipse itself.

But with little chance we'd be invited aboard through the ship's door here ...

... We hoped to find one of the 70 crew members required to sail the Eclipse and see if they'd tell us what ship life was like.

But we found no one interested in talking.

But we certainly didn't feel like paparazzi, or that we'd be lasered, when we were in the parking lot tourists use when they arrive to board their cruise.

From up here, the ship was simply stunning and the amount of work required to keep her that way apparent.

The Yacht Report says owning a superyacht costs about 20% of the ship's initial value every year.

But experts believe that Roman probably pays $75 million a year to run the private cruise ship with 24-guest suites.

Looking at the layout of the ship gets us talking about the two swimming pools inside, the disco, cinema, hair salon, and restaurant.

The billionaire's guests would use this door to enter any fore part of the deck.

Perhaps noting where the life rings were as they made their way about the ship.

At 13,000 gross tons, the Eclipse was, at the time, the largest vessel to use a special stabilization system to keep it calm in rough waters while anchored or moving slowly through the sea.

Roman faced a $150,000 tab for parking the Eclipse in New York City while possibly visiting his daughter and her new baby — about $2,000 a day.

A large yacht like the Eclipse can hold over 100,000 gallons of fuel.

Depending on the current price of fuel, a five-hour cruise each way could cost about $30,000.

None of those numbers are likely to concern Roman Abramovich, however, who has an estimated net worth of nearly $8 billion.

Source: Forbes

Here is some drone footage of the superyacht.

You can see interior photos of the luxury yacht at Boat International

Step on board the 162.5m Eclipse - the second largest superyacht in the world

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The World’s Most Expensive Yachts—Including Some That Cost Billions

By Brett Berk

Though superyachts are already among the most costly consumer items available, the prices of the most expensive yachts in the world are still astounding. In recent decades, those with money to burn have settled on these floating palaces as an ideal locus for demonstrating their prosperity, and, as such, the global luxury yacht industry is undergoing a golden age. The world’s überwealthy think of their motor yachts as toys, and they’re constantly trying to outdo each other in scale, design, amenities, materials, and sheer profligacy.

Knowing this, what features does it take to own one of the most expensive yachts in existence? And how much do these opulent vessels actually cost? To that end, AD has compiled a list of the five priciest superyachts currently out on the water. As with many things connected to the very wealthy, details are shrouded in secrecy—often intentionally—to shield the assets from taxation or seizure, or to protect privacy.

Below, dive into the five reportedly most expensive yachts in the world.

5. Dubai ($400 million)

This 531-foot yacht is reportedly owned by United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai. Though it was originally planned for another Middle Eastern potentate, Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei, he suddenly voided the contract in 2001. With exteriors designed by Andrew Winch and interiors by Platinum Yachts, this German-built Blohm + Voss vessel features several Jacuzzis, a pool inlaid with handmade mosaic tiles that is reportedly large enough to hold 115 people, a circular staircase, a discotheque with an appropriately sized dance floor, squash courts, a movie theater, a dining room for 90 guests (the other 25 presumably have to eat in the pool?), a helipad, and a submarine.

4. Topaz ($527 million)

Resembling a stealth bomber, this 483-foot ship is reportedly owned by Russian fertilizer and coal oligarch Andrey Melnichenko. With exteriors by Tim Heywood Design Ltd. and interior designs by Terence Disdale Design, this German-built Lürssen Yacht features a 2,500-square-foot primary bedroom, six guest suites (with moveable walls so they can be transformed into four grand staterooms), glassware and tableware fashioned from French crystal, a helicopter hangar, a 30-foot speedboat tender, and three swimming pools, including one with a glass-bottom dangling menacingly above a disco.

3. Azzam ($600 million)

This 590-foot ship is currently thought to be the largest private yacht in the world and one of the fastest, with a top speed of 35 miles per hour. To achieve this immense scale and speed, it required a pair of gas turbines and two stratospherically potent diesel engines, rendering it very difficult to build. It is reportedly owned by a member of the royal family of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. With exteriors by Nauta Yacht and interiors by French decorator Cristophe Leoni, this yacht was also built by Lürssen in Germany. The vessel is set apart by its early 19th-century Empire-style veneered furniture, as well as its state-of-the-art security systems, including a fully bulletproof primary suite and a high-tech missile deterrence capabilities.

2. Eclipse ($1.5 billion)

In addition to being the second-costliest, this 533-footer is thought to be the world’s second-largest private yacht. Owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich , the ship was claimed to be located in Turkey and may be impounded as part of the United Kingdom’s sanctions against Russia. Designed by Terry Disdale and built by Blohm + Voss, it features two-dozen guest cabins, two swimming pools, two helipads, and multiple hot tubs. For privacy and security reasons, it hosts a missile detection system, bulletproof windows in the primary bedroom and on the bridge, an anti-paparazzi shield, and, when all of that fails, a mini-submarine that can take a few VIPs 164 feet under the ocean’s surface.

1. History Supreme ($4.8 billion)

History Supreme has never actually been seen in a major port, and rumors suggest that the yacht may not be real and instead just a publicity stunt. Reportedly owned by Malaysia’s richest man, Robert Kuok, and designed by Stuart Hughes in the UK, the yacht is only a paltry 100 feet long. Its worth is said to be derived from its lavish finishes, including a statue constructed from genuine Tyrannosaurus rex bones, a liquor bottle embedded with an 18.5-carat diamond, and a primary bedroom with one wall made from meteorite and another from a 24-karat gold Aquavista Panoramic Wall Aquarium. If you see it somewhere, let us know.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is Jeff Bezos’s yacht?

This is why people like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos work to keep their yachts out of the public eye. Though we are not including Jeff Bezos’s yacht, Koru (Maori for “coil”), in this list because it is a sailing yacht and thus excluded from the realm of these motor yachts, it created controversy in the Netherlands when its presence became known. Jeff Bezos’s abided the $500 million price tag of Oceanco, the Dutch custom yacht builder, to create the 417-foot megayacht. But when the company, at Bezos’s behest, requested that a local bridge be dismantled to make way for its gigantic mast on its journey from the shipyard, public sentiment turned against the cento-billionaire, and Oceano shelved its request. Maybe a port like Monaco would be more accommodating?

Also not on this list is the world’s largest private yacht, reportedly owned by Alisher Usmanov. Though size and cost typically scale in the world of superyachts, this is not always the case (see #1 in this list.) Also, Somnio, the 728-feet dream-monikered yacht liner that tops our list of the world’s largest private yachts , isn’t quite done being constructed. And it is not, like most of the largest superyachts, privately owned by one individual or family—it’s a kind of floating condo, with 39 eight-figure homes available to potential owners solely by invitation.

By Rachel Davies

By Katie Schultz

By Michelle Duncan

Monaco: Russian Billionaire Shows off His Largest Sailing Yacht in World

A Russian billionaire showed off his spectacular superyacht during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Andrey Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A drifted along the coast of Monaco on Sunday as Daniel Ricciardo won the crown jewel race on the Formula One schedule.

The tycoon’s £360million grey yacht – the largest sailing yacht in the world – is a 468ft-long vessel that boasts eight floors, a pool and a helipad.

It is powered by a 'hybrid diesel-electric package with controllable pitch propellers' and is designed to accommodate 20 guests as well as a crew of 54.

The yacht is said to have been named Sailing Yacht A as Melnichenko likes his vessels to be first in shipping registers.

Sailing Yacht A was built in Kiel, Germany, by Nobiskrug for Melnichenko, who controls the Russian fertiliser producer Eurochem.

The 46-year-old industrialist is worth $13.8billion, according to Forbes, putting him in the top 100 richest people in the world.

Melnichenko also owns the £240million Motor Yacht A, a custom Boeing 737 private jet as well as properties around the world, including a penthouse in New York City and a villa in the French Riviera.

He lives a jet-setting lifestyle with his wife Aleksandra, former model and pop star from Serbia.

The pair married in an opulent wedding in the south of France in 2005, which featured performances by Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera.

This article has been adapted from its original source.

Via SyndiGate.info

� Associated Newspapers Ltd.

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Meet ‘Shenandoah of Sark,’ a Classic 180-Foot Sailing Yacht Built in 1902

The beauty has since undergone two major refits to restore the classic style of its interior., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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The 180-foot Shenandoah of Sark is one of the world’s best preserved classic topsail schooners. Built by New York shipyard Townsend and Downey in 1902, it has survived two world wars, circumnavigated the world three times, and is still revered 122 years after its delivery.

The sailing yacht’s design was heavily inspired by Meteor III , which was under construction at the same shipyard for Kaiser Wilhelm II. Shenandoah began life as a three-masted topsail schooner, though the topsails were removed during subsequent refits and rebuilds.

In 1972, Ballpoint pen magnate, Baron Marcel Bich, rescued the yacht from the French authorities, who had left it to rot for a decade following an unpaid tax scandal. Bich oversaw the boat’s first major restoration, returned her name to Shenandoah , and made her available for charter for the first time.

Modifications over the decades have included the installation of engines—at first gas engines under the ownership of Sir John Esplen at the end of World War One, and later two diesel Lugger engines of 500 hp each, which give the yacht a top speed of 12 knots.

Traveling under sail remains what Shenandoah does best. It was built as a global cruising yacht, though its ability to excel in stiff winds and whitecaps has led to success on the competitive regatta circuit. “When we’ve got flat seas and strong wind, this boat really lifts her skirts,” Captain Russell Potter, who first joined Shenandoah as a deckhand straight out of school in 2002, tells Robb Report .

When Covid hit in 2019, the current owners spent three months aboard with their dogs in Croatia and Greece. After a 24-year tenure, they are looking for the next custodian to take on the reigns of this majestic old lady.

Here are 9 things you didn’t know about one of the world’s most beloved classic sailing yachts.

The Back Story

Built in 1902 at Townsend and Downey shipyard in New York, Shenandoah was conceived as a fast, long-distance sailing yacht for the American investment banker Gibson Fahnestock, who planned to tour Europe in his retirement. Since then, the boat has passed through many owners (including Sir John Esplen), sailed under many names (including Lasca II ), and had numerous celebrity encounters, including a Mediterranean sail with Caroline Kennedy, daughter of JFK. It finally came to be called Shenandoah of Sark when one of its owners went to rename it, Shenandoah was taken. The “of Sark” part refers to an island in the U.K.’s Channel Islands.

What’s in a Name?

Shenandoah (a phrase derivied from Native American languages meaning ‘beautiful daughter of the stars’) is named after the Native American tribe that lived in the Shenandoah Valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Virginia. The name is represented by the carved wooden bust of a Native American woman located under the yacht’s bowsprit

Theodore Ferris

Shenandoah is the only yacht to be designed by American naval architect and engineer Theodore Ferris. He is best known for his “Ferris Designs”—the 3,500-deadweight-ton wooden steamships that were built and used by the United States’s Emergency Fleet Corporation during the First World War. Despite his success with Shenandoah , he went on to specialize in merchant vessels, both freight and passenger.

Authentic Interior

The yacht has undergone two significant refits over the years. The first two-year restoration was carried out at New Zealand shipyard McMullen & Wing in 1996. The second, in 2009, included a new interior penned by Terence Disdale, though it remained sympathetic to the original design by Italian designer and architect, Gae Aulenti. The yacht sleeps eight guests in four cabins. This includes the master, which has an office, sleeping quarters for a child, and a bookcase with a secret passageway to the navigation station and the captain’s quarters.

The current owner—a professional musician—adores all things classical, including music, and has fitted a Steinway baby grand piano in the main salon. Many evenings of live concerts are enjoyed on board, though it’s not the only musical connection. Rod Stewart strutted on Shenandoah ’s teak decks in the music video for his 1983 hit “What Am I Gonna Do (I’m So In Love With You”.

Haute Cuisine

The yacht may be vintage, but the food is thoroughly modern. Chef Shay van der Kraan scooped the Heart and Sole award at the MYBA Chef’s Competition in 2022 (sponsored by Robb Report ). Despite having a self-leveling three-piece dining table, the formal dining area is rarely used. Instead, the owners eat in the shade of the cockpit. The cockpit base and brass fittings are original, but the former enclosed glass hardtop was replaced in 2009 with a canvas roof and wind-down windows.

Regatta Glory

The Voile de Saint-Tropez in 2022 was the first time Captain Potter had the chance to “dig out Shenandoah ’s spinnaker and put together a professional race team.” The effort was worth it, as the yacht claimed the 2022 Rolex Trophy, its first ever regatta win. Shenandoah has raced in Turkey, Israel, Greece and Croatia, as well as taking part in the 2001 America’s Cup Jubilee Regatta. Bich also used the yacht as a mothership to his 1974 and 1977 America’s Cup challenges. In race mode, the crew increases from 12 to 22, and the sails are hoisted in a quick 20 minutes.

Labor of Love

Maintaining the yacht’s exterior wood is a labor of love, with one coat of varnish taking two months to complete. “As soon as we finish, we start the next coat, and that’s how it continues,” says Potter. The carved fish heads on the cap rails were added during the 1996 refit, but it was Bich who changed the masts back to wood from aluminum. He also re-rigged the yacht to the original 1902 dimensions, when it had yards (horizontal spars) on the foremast. The wooden helm is another original feature.

The Atlantide Expedition

Shenandoah has sailed around the world several times, but it was also one of the first yachts used for scientific research. After World War One, then-owner Viggo Jarl donated the yacht to Copenhagen University for a 10-month oceanographic expedition along the African west coast. It became known as the Atlantide expedition. The Zoologist Francis C. Fraser, who later became director of the British Museum (Natural History), joined the expedition. It pushed forward scientific understanding of the oceanography and marine life along that coast.

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WASHINGTON – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ripped Chinese leaders Monday for publicly claiming to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, but quietly backing Moscow and sending it military supplies .

“China is fueling the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II,” Stoltenberg said during an event at the Wilson Center in DC. “At the same time, it wants to maintain good relations with the West.

“Well, Beijing cannot have it both ways.”

Since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, China has publicly stated its desire for peace and maintained a publicly neutral position.

As recently as June 3, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning claimed Beijing “values its strategic partnership with Ukraine.”

“Since the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, China has maintained communication and cooperation with Ukraine,” she said. “China is still Ukraine’s largest trading partner. Our Embassy in Ukraine continues to function normally.”

However, China is also Russia’s largest trading power – a position that has been solidified after dozens of countries around the world sanctioned exports and imports to and from Russia.

While China claims it has not sent Russia any weapons for use in Ukraine, US officials say Beijing has rendered the distinction meaningless by supplying Moscow critical technological components for war.

“Publicly, [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] has tried to create the impression that he’s taking a back seat in this conflict to avoid sanctions and keep trade flowing,” Stoltenberg said Monday.

Beijing has also sent material that is used in the production of weapons, including “missiles, tanks [and] aircraft,” according to the NATO chief.

“Beijing is sharing high-end technologies, like semiconductors or dual-use items. Last year, Russia imported 90% of its microelectronics from China,” he said. “China is also working to provide Russia with improved supplied capability and imagery.

“All of this enables much death and destruction on Ukraine, bolsters Russia’s defense industrial base and evades the impact of sanctions and export controls.”

The US has taken notice, sanctioning seven China-based companies last week for shipping millions of dollars worth of material to Russia, including items which could be used in weapons systems.

“This idea that we can distinguish between the threats we see in Europe posed by Russia and the threats and the challenges of Xi in the Asia-Pacific posed by China – that we can separate those is wrong,” Stoltenberg said. “Our security is global, not regional, and that’s very clearly demonstrated in Ukraine.”

China has said it respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity – an argument Beijing uses to justify its illegal claims on large swaths of land in the South China Sea, including Taiwan.

However, China has neither pushed Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin to return Crimea to Ukraine nor implored his proxies to restore the eastern Donbas region to Kyiv.

China has also made other pro-Moscow moves, including pushing a controversial peace plan last year that would have seen Ukraine submit to Russian demands with little gained in return.

The US decried the mooted truce, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby saying that while a peace plan “may sound good … any proposals from [China] … would be one-sided and reflect only the Russian perspective.”

This past weekend, China snubbed a peace summit held in Lucerne, Switzerland that was attended by representatives of more than 100 nations and international organizations.

Beijing declined an invitation after learning that Moscow would not be represented.

“China has repeatedly stressed that the international peace conference needs to meet the three important elements – namely, recognition from both Russia and Ukraine , equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans,” Mao said. “As far as China is concerned, the meeting does not yet seem to meet these three elements and that is exactly why China would not be able to take part in the meeting.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told summit attendees Saturday that he hoped Russia – and by extension, China – would attend the next iteration of the event.

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Mallorca, the destination chosen by Mark Zuckerberg to debut his $300 million megayacht

The facebook founder gifted himself the vessel, which has a tennis court and helicopter, for his 40th birthday. the businessman is now sailing through the waters of the balearic island with his family to celebrate his father’s 70th.

The group of megayachts that have been sailing the waters of Spain’s Balearic Islands since the arrival of good weather has welcomed a new member. While last year it was Amazon founder Jeff Bezos who debuted his $500-million toy called Koru, this year, it was tech entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg who is sailing the Mediterranean with his latest acquisition: a megayacht called Launchpad. The 118-meter-long vessel, made by Feadship from the Netherlands, is valued at $300 million. The luxury yacht was completed last March and was delivered to Zuckerberg on May 14, the same day that the Meta founder and owner turned 40 .

The ship flies the flag of the Marshall Islands, in the region of Micronesia, and, according to its technical specifications, it is 118 meters (387 feet) long, 17 meters (55 feet) wide and has a capacity for 24 guests, to which up to 48 crew members can be added. It can reach a speed of 20 knots with a range of 3,000 nautical miles, and the cost of its annual maintenance costs is more than $30 million.

The luxury yacht was designed by experts from Monaco-based Espen Øino International, which has a long track record in designing large vessels. Little is known about its interiors, beyond the fact that they were designed by Zuretti Interior Design, a French company dedicated to yacht interior design. The Launchpad has three decks, in white and navy blue, the bow has a tennis court, while on the aft deck, there is a helicopter to bring in guests from the mainland. On one side of the hull there is a glazed terrace for sunbathing or dining in front of the sea. During the time that is has been moored in the Bay of Palma, in Mallorca , slides and inflatable water toys have been seen in the sea.

Last week, the crew tested the yacht and the ship’s helicopter, signalling Zuckerberg’s imminent arrival. The social media guru landed in the private area of Palma airport on Friday night, June 14. The businessman and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were snapped leaving the terminal, with their three daughters: Max, August and Aurelia. The family was picked up by a vehicle that took them directly to the port of Palma, where the Launchpad was located. In recent weeks, the megayacht has been moored in the luxurious Club de Mar-Mallorca, fitting in beside the vessels of wealthy sheikhs and businessmen. Over the weekend, the Launchpad sailed to the south of the island, to spots such as Santa Ponça. So far, no photos have been taken of the Zuckerberg family or their guests on dry land.

Last weekend, Zuckerberg himself posted a photo on his Instagram profile, which has almost 14 million followers. In the image, he appears with his entire family as they celebrate his father’s 70th birthday. The group is seen wearing identical T-shirts that read “Ed’s Kids” after his father. Around 20 family members have come together on the megayacht to celebrate the milestone birthday. Zuckerberg’s three siblings also appear smiling in the images, joined by their partners and children.

“Happy Father’s Day to the man who started and continues to inspire our whole family,” Zuckerberg posted. “We’re also celebrating his 70th birthday and it was really something to hear the grandkids (at least the ones old enough) take turns telling papa all the ways he is meaningful in their lives last night at dinner. Here’s to many more.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck)

Megayacht debuts

The Launchpad , which also has a support vessel called the Wingman , is the latest megayacht to make its debut in Mallorca. Last year, Bezos launched Koru, the largest sailing yacht in the world, measuring 127 meters (416 feet). The Amazon founder and his fiancée, news anchor Lauren Sánchez , sailed the Mediterranean last summer on the $500-million vessel. Both arrived to the yacht directly by helicopter from a private plane that landed in Palma and were also photographed with a group of friends in Ibiza.

The Koru was also docked at the luxurious Club de Mar-Mallorca in Palma, the capital of the Balearic Islands, where producer David Geffen often moors his yacht Rising Sun . Just a couple of weeks ago, this gigantic 138-meter boat welcomed Kendall and Kylie Jenner , who spent a few days off with their mother, Kris Jenner, on the coast of Mallorca. In recent summers, Geffen has regularly sailed across the Balearic Islands with famous friends such as Bezos himself, actor Tom Hanks and singer Paul McCartney.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kendall (@kendalljenner)

Chinese tycoon Jack Ma, founder of the Alibaba group , also debuted his megayacht Zen in Mallorca. The ship made its debut in 2021 after its construction was completed in a shipyard in the Netherlands. At the time, Jack Ma had largely out of the public view for two years after publicly criticizing China’s regulatory system. He was spotted on the Balearic island that summer playing golf in the municipality of Calvià, where his yacht was anchored. He liked the island, and he returned in 2022 the following summer.

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Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s vacation in Mallorca: Beer, walks and sunsets

The villa featured in ‘The Crown’ is located in Mallorca, Spain, and can be rented for €60,000

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