John Kerry's Yacht Returns

Unclear Sailing For John F. Kerry -- Boston Herald

NEWPORT, R.I. — Summer is back in New England and you know what that means — backyard barbecues, traffic tie-ups on the Cape, and the return of one of the most storied sailing vessels on the high seas — U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry’s yacht.

The Herald Truth Squad made a surprise inspection of the $7 million Isabel last week while it was docked in tony Newport, R.I. — a strange location considering it’s the place that landed Kerry in hot water two summers ago.

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My Comment: He paid $7 million for that ?!?!?!

The Most Beautiful Boat Race In The World?

Finish line: The race ended off the coast of Dubai. The distinctive Burj hotel - can be seen in the background of this picture

The Most Beautiful Boat Race In The World? Dubai Sets Sail For The Past As Dozens Of Dhows Recreate A Golden Age Of Shipbuilding -- The Daily Mail

Skimming the surface of the sea, brilliant white sails billowing in the wind, they are a timeless image of elegance. But the 99 dhows taking part in this year’s Al Gaffal race are not simply a stunning site on a beautiful day. They are also keeping alive an ancient tradition of shipbuilding which stretches back to Greek and Roman times.

The ships – recognisable by their triangular lateen sails – were once used on the trade routes across the Indian Ocean.

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My Comment: An incredible site to see so many together at one time.

What Went Wrong On The Costa Concordia

What Went Wrong On The Costa Concordia -- Popular Mechanics

The sight of behemoth pleasure vessel Costa Concordia sideways in the sea became an indelible image around the world. Here's the full story of how this entirely avoidable vacation-turned-nightmare unfolded.

Antonello Tievoli, headwaiter on the Costa Concordia, stepped onto the bridge of the cruise ship at 9:15 pm on Friday, Jan. 13, of this year. From the wide windows, Tievoli could see the glittering lights of his home, Giglio Island, drawing closer.

Capt. Francesco Schettino knew that Tievoli's sister lived on Giglio, and invited him to the bridge as they cruised past. With its 13 brightly lit decks, the ship was more brilliant than anything on the island. The 4200 people onboard outnumbered the island's residents four to one.

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My Comment: Something to think about should you decide to go on a cruise.

Azimut Benetti Luxury Yacht Making

Luxury Boats Sink Or Swim By Design -- EE Times

Italians are well accustomed to creating luxury products for world markets, from fashion to fast cars and, of course, food. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that another luxury on Italy’s long list of high-quality exports includes Yachts for the mega-rich.

Azimut Yachts, with a boat making factory at Avigliana, in the province of Turin, is Italy’s premiere builder of yachts and megayachts, some of which total 30 meters (70 feet) in length.

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My Comment: A fascinating video on how super yachts are made .... check it out. On a side note .... having Lloyd Alter give a commentary at the end was a little too much.

Motor Yacht Aurora 160' (A Video Promo)

My Comment: I can live in this yacht forever.

Are Billionaires Dumping Their Superyachts?

Athena

Tycoons Are Dumping Their Superyachts -- Forbes

FORTUNE -- The oldest adage on the sea is that the two happiest days in a sailor's life are the days he buys his boat and the day he sells it. For three business titans, the days seem to be getting happier.

In 2009, Tom Perkins, the nonpareil venture capitalist of Silicon Valley, sold the Maltese Falcon, a 289-foot futuristic Darth Vader-esque square-rigger. Reported price: $90 million. The buyer: Elena Ambrosiadou, a European hedge-fund billionaire. Then, last June, Joe Vittoria -- who made a fortune as head of Avis Rent a Car when he led an LBO of the company in the 1980s -- unloaded Mirabella V, the 247-foot sloop with a 292-foot mast that's so tall the yacht can't fit under the Golden Gate Bridge or through the Panama Canal. Price, according to industry sources: $25 million. The buyer: Rod Lewis, a billionaire Texas oil-and-gas tycoon. Now comes the 68-year-old billionaire Jim Clark, the co-founder of Netscape, Shutterfly and WebMD. He just put his splendid sailboats, Athena and Hanuman, on the market on the same day.

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My Comment: These men buy and sold all the time .... they will be back in the market and/or building another yacht.

Eco Activists Sting And Trudy Styler Go Shopping For A Luxury Yacht

Speed demon: The yacht was steered in the wright direction by a crew, as Sting and Trudie relaxed with a bottle of wine

Eco Activists Sting And Trudy Styler Go Shopping For A Luxury Yacht -- Daily Mail

In 1989, the couple founded the Rainforest Foundation, and they are both well known for being eco friendly.

However, buying a very large luxury yacht is perhaps not the best way to help save the earth from the global warming.

Singer Sting and his wife Trudie Styler were spotted taking out a super yacht for a spin as they decided whether or not they would buy it.

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My Comment: Nice boat. A prediction .... if they buy this or any other luxury yacht .... expect many more celebrities in the music industry to follow in their footsteps to buy a yacht of their own.