Monday, June 29, 2009

Best Maritime Mystery: Solved.

FIRST of all, Don't forget that it's Wear White Socks for the King of Pop Day. If you're so inclined, wear white socks to work in honor of MJ. Bonus points if you post a picture or email me one.

Moving on...

I don't have a window at work but out in the hall the views are pretty excellent, I'm way downtown and up higher than anything around so you can see out onto the river, to Jersey, and beyond.

This week there was a gigantic yacht anchored near Ellis Island. It stayed there for several days, it was driving me nuts, just sitting there in the middle of everything, being absolutely gigantic. The Ellis Island/Liberty Island ferries all passed by it real close, like tiny fish investigating a docile whale. I began wondering if this boat was something special or if gigantic yachts were always out there in the river, I just never noticed.


A little research revealed the following: The yacht is "Le Grand Bleu." It was built in 2000 and is 370 feet long and it's on its second billionaire Russian owner. For a nice up close shot check this out. Honestly, that picture doesn't really do it justice, it really stood out from 35 stories in the air and at least a half-mile away. It seemed to be two or three times as tall as the double-decker Island Ferries. It was something but I hope it's gone when I get in this morning. Too much of a distraction, too much to worry about.

But what our billionaire friend is up to doesn't seem like such a bad vacation: have your yacht sailed across the Atlantic, park it off Manhattan, take the speedboat into the island for the day, come home and spend the evening on your waterbound palace. I'd do it, and I suffer a bit of boatphobia. (Well, except for that one time)

3 comments:

niall said...

That yacht is owned by Roman Abramovitch who also happens to own Chelsea FC in London! Does that mean you are going to hitch a ride and come visit us? I hope so.

niall said...

I just read about it and apparently he gave it to a friend. Still, it will likely be headed East at some point so you should still see if you can get a lift. Seriously.

The Rascal said...

I walked by this in the Nassau Harbor in the Bahamas on June 6th. I stopped and was talking with the crew for a few moments but they wouldn’t tell me who owned it just that it was owned by a private person. I tried to touch it but they had about 75 hemorrhages apiece as I neared the ship so I couldn’t draw close enough. Only the first half is the living quarters, the entire back half has speed boats and jet skis and a big sail boat that they can pull up onto the yacht.