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In a first for the iconic Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, a cat named Oli has made history as a unique participant. This event, which started as a casual cruise down Australia’s east coast in 1945, has seen various colorful competitors, but 2023 marked the first time a feline has joined the ranks of the sailors. Skipper Robert Williams and his cat Oli participated aboard the yacht ‘Sylph VI’ in the 78th running of the 628 nautical mile race. Oli, approximately 10 years old, has been part of Williams’ life for five years and has adapted well to life at...

This is a rather detailed dissection of the recent HOAX claiming that two yachts were purchased for Zelensky at a cost of $75 million. The discussion dissembles the original story, the subsequent parroting of the story, and the forged documents underlying the story. Detailed links in the footnotes. This is probably the very best analysis of the hoax claims on the net.

Burglars have been raiding yachts and houseboats in the Oakland-Alameda Estuary in a surge one resident compared to the pirate movie "Captain Phillips." They steal anything of value, then either sink the ships or dump the remnants of plundered boats miles away in the Oakland Harbor or along its shorelines, said Dan Hill, who lives on his boat like many other families in the 800-foot waterway. Each "attack" can cost the owner thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, Hill said.

To own a vessel that’s worth more than $1 million would be a luxury for most of us, but in the case of a billionaire, this is just one of the tenders that come with the mothership, a fabulous superyacht. With the owner’s connection to the real estate market, it’s no surprise that this opulent pleasure craft feels like a true top-level resort on water. At just 45, Rene Benko is one of the richest men in Austria, with an estimated fortune of almost $5 billion. He founded the company that would become a real estate empire at age 22,...

Two weeks ago the Biden administration proposed a $33 billion support package for Ukraine. After de-linking COVID-related funding that had managed to latch itself to the proposal, the cost came to $40 billion. Let’s see what’s in there. “H.R. 7691, Making emergency supplemental appropriations for assistance for the situation in Ukraine for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, and for other purposes,” is very short and disturbingly vague. As of this writing, only a draft copy is up here. Total cost is $39,841,338,500. The title is a bit disingenuous. Less than $8 billion is to be fully expended this...

A giant superyacht said to be owned by Vladimir Putin was last night set to be seized by Italian authorities after they recommended it be impounded as part of sanctions against Russia. Authorities in Italy said the $700 million The Scheherazade, which is more than 450ft long, and boasts spas, swimming pools and two helicopter pads was connected to a 'significant person' but did not name them. The yacht has been the subject of an investigation by the Italian financial police since the end of March and has been in dock at Marina di Carrara near Pisa since September undergoing...

The yacht BOLD was built in 2019 by SilverYachts. Measuring 85m with a volume of 1,504 GT, she sleeps up to 16 guests. BOLD is the fifth largest and most recent Superyacht under construction by Australia’s premier luxury yacht builder SilverYachts. She harnesses the world leading fuel efficiency and technical supremacy defined by her predecessors. Working in collaboration with renowned yacht designer Espen Oeino, BOLD reveals aggressive styling, expansive interior and exterior spaces.

MALIBU, CA—Many described the scene as breathtaking or awe-inspiring. Others were so touched they couldn't find the words to communicate how they felt. Most simply wept. No matter how they expressed their emotions, everyone agreed that the scene off the Malibu coast Monday morning was exactly what America needed to get through this pandemic. Celebrities gathered their multi-million-dollar yachts on the waters of the Pacific Ocean and spelled out "WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER." "We're just like you," said Ellen DeGeneres on her Instagram as her servants sailed her yacht into position to form the apostrophe. "Yes, maybe I have...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/shaping-our-future/property-values/2017/04/21/tattoo-yachts-wants-create-50-jobs-st-lucie-county/100478452/

Any millionaire can buy themselves a fancy yacht, but if you want a conversation piece ... well, it helps if it has a story behind it, and the Lockheed Martin-built Sea Slice certainly does. Launched in 1996 by the US Navy as a military support vessel, the experimental watercraft features a unique hull design that reportedly allows it to remain as stable as a conventional ship three times its size. It cost US$15 million to design and build, but you can have it now for the low, low price of just $180,000. The Sea Slice utilizes a variation on the...

Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 4 ~ Feb. 17, 2012 ~ Spring Projects Launching ~ Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 1 ~ Jan. 27, 2012 Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 2 ~ Feb 3, 2012 ~ “Off Season” Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 3 ~ Feb. 10, 2012 ~ Boat TransportationLast week’s thread had 23 posts, including boat transportation sources and recommendations. With Spring in the air and the boating season around the corner, what is everyone doing to prepare? This week I have been busy helping clients either prep their boats to sell or get...

Last week saw the launching of this Weekly FR Boating Thread. 15 posts with 6 boating links – nice start! Launching ~ Weekly FR Boating Thread ~ Vol. 1 ~ Jan. 27, 2012 Everyone is welcome to come aboard – come on it, the water is fine!This time of year almost all boaters are mired in the midst of ‘off-season’. What do you do to survive your ‘off season’? Listen to boating music, watch boating movies, surf boating YouTube and blogs, busy yourself with Winter boat upgrade and maintenance projects, catch up on non-boating stuff? Where you do your boating...

It is the biggest private yacht in existence and comes with a missile-detection system, two helipads, a luxury spa, swimming pool and a miniature submarine. But when you're Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, only the most ostentatious displays of wealth will do. His latest baby is the Eclipse, a 557-footer reported to have cost a staggering

Life can have its little irritations when you're cruising around the world on your £100million superyacht. For example, the endless vista of clear blue sea fails to provide much greenery to ease the eye - apart from the odd tropical island. For the owner of a forthcoming craft named WallyIsland, however, this will not be a problem. For he, or she, will have a personal ocean-going garden. The 325ft-long yacht is to feature a growing area with shrubbery and flower beds, kept healthy by an irrigation system. It will also have a tennis court, pool and five accommodation decks including...

BOOTHBAY, Maine (AP) -- Navy SEALs are tough by nature, but they take a beating from their patrol boats: bruises, bumps and sore backs, even sprained ankles and chipped teeth. An all-composite version of the aluminum Mark V patrol boat is launched n East Boothbay, Maine on Friday. An all-composite version of the aluminum Mark V patrol boat, constructed by luxury boat builder Hodgdon Yachts Inc., is aimed at reducing the wear and tear on boat operators and SEALs by absorbing the impact as the vessel crashes through the waves at 50-plus knots.

Swedish boaters may soon need to pass a 'driving test' before taking to the seas. Should a forthcoming government proposal gain acceptance the new requirement will apply to boats that are over seven metres long and/or have a top speed of at least ten knots. "Between 200,000 and 250,000 boat owners may need to take the driving test," said Lars Högdahl from the Ministry of Enterprise. A generous set of transitional rules may however soften the blow. Seasoned boaters with many years of documented experience will for example be eligible for a licence without needing to first pass a test....

Storm-battered and abandoned in winter, Sweden’s harbor-side restaurants come alive in the summer. But two million boat lovers’ thirst for good food and seaside relaxation means tough work for the seasonal restaurant owners.

Norway has more millionaires, measured in US dollars, than any other country in the world in terms of its size.

A rising tide that lifts only yachts By Ezra Klein LAST WEEK WAS a good one for economists, as the normally dour practitioners of the dismal science got to use decidedly non-dismal, even exhilarating, words such as "surging" and "momentum" to describe the new quarterly growth numbers. And they had cause for such enthusiasm. From January through March, the economy shot forward, growing by 4.8% — the largest increase in nearly three years and a stunningly rapid recovery after the previous quarter's Katrina-dampened 1.7%. Economists, though, aren't the only ones excited. Floundering amid chaos in Iraq and corruption in Congress,...

IN an effort to capitalize on the megadollars that megayachts can bring to a harbor area, coastal resorts around the globe are racing to build or retrofit their marinas to accommodate the colossal cruisers. [. . .] . . . new marinas . . . are being developed . . . To keep megayacht owners busy - not to mention spending - while their boats are parked at the marina, developers are surrounding their ports with high-end restaurants and retail shops. To entice yacht owners and their entourages to stay longer, they are also building luxury condominiums and five-star hotels....