Posted on 01/13/2006 6:30:04 AM PST by Racehorse
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.
. . . a new real estate concept is beginning to emerge . . . Island Capital Group . . . is transforming an existing port . . . into a megayacht marina . . . with 48 slips averaging 120 feet in length. Twelve luxury condominiums, four waterfront restaurants, high-end shopping and a private yacht club around the 32-acre harbor . . .
In Miami, Flagstone Property Group is designing Island Gardens, a $480 million development . . . Island Gardens will include a 50-slip Super-Yacht Harbor for vessels up to 450 feet, a Westin hotel and a Shangri-La Hotel, to open in 2008, offering round-the-clock butler service. Shangri-La will also manage 105 fractional-ownership residences on the site and CHI, a 20,000-square-foot spa.
Developers believe the megayachts will be an inherent attraction, drawing other visitors to the destination as well. "It's not only a place to visit for the megayacht owners, but also a great opportunity for people to enjoy viewing the megayachts," said Mehmet Bayraktar, chief executive of Flagstone Property Group. "That's how places like Monaco and Portofino became famous. People want to get close to that lifestyle."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I guess the NYT wants the children to go hungry.
Paul Allen's (Microsoft) yacht Octopus. 416 feet long, two helicopters, a 10-man submarine, seven boats and a permanent crew of 60. Cost, $200 million, about $20 million yearly upkeep.
I'm sure the lefties see this as stupid excess, but aside from the jobs required to build it, we see right there the jobs he creates just keeping it running.
check out this powerpoint slideshow
this ship is amazing, way cooler than any James Bomd bad guy ship so far.
http://www.yachtingcrews.com/Octopus.pps
bookmark out of sheer jealousy
Well, since he considered conspicuous consumption a mark of the predatory beast, he'd have to consider Paul Allen a shark.
What's interesting is that Paul Allen is a neo-liberal in the mold of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, men rich beyond Croesus' wildest dreams, but all angst-ridden about the "poor and unfortunate."
Evidently Paul Allen's angst has a crew of 60.
no interior pics. shucks
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