yacht animal

• Cars, Jets & Yachts

How the Spectacular Superyacht Scout is Making Waves

Named for one of her owners’ dogs, Scout is a base from which they can explore the world.

By Ellie Brade

In 2019, over 150 brand-new superyachts were delivered; one of the standout designs of the year was the 209-ft yacht Scout , built for owner James Berwind and his partner, Kevin Clark. Named for one of her owners’ beloved dogs, she is set to be a semi-permanent base from which they can explore the world — canine companions  and all.

The story of Scout begins with a simple napkin. “We started with a sketch on a napkin before interviewing any designers,” say Berwind and Clark. “Our wish list was to have a capable, comfortable explorer to travel the world, and we got a long-range ice-classed yacht with ample crew and guest areas, advanced systems for fuel efficiency, telecommunications and responsible waste management.” From the moment of that very first sketch, the couple was extremely hands on throughout every stage of the build, resulting in an incredibly personal yacht. “During the build we were involved 110%, in every aspect of the project,” they say.

Once they’d developed an initial concept for the yacht, a range of designers were approached, with UK-based H2 Yacht Design eventually being commissioned for both the exterior and interior design. “Jonny Horsfield was a fantastic collaborator; he and his team executed our vision impeccably,” say Berwind and Clark. The decision was made to build at Hakvoort Shipyard in the Netherlands; Scout is now the biggest yacht that the 100-year-old yard has built to date.

Scout ’s fun detailing and a quirky design approach, paired with a contemporary and practical layout, make the yacht eminently usable while still bursting with personality. “ Scout ’s design was influenced by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis , the interiors of Jules Verne’s Nautilus submarine, every James Bond villain’s lair, with a touch of Looney Tunes ,” say Berwind and Clark. “Everything about the interior focuses on the outside views with abundant windows and sliding glass walls.”

[See also: Yersin: The Eco Superyacht for Sustainable Explorers]

Her distinct exterior design pairs hardy explorer capabilities, striking lines and a hint of trawler influence. While this sounds slightly odd on paper, in real life it works in a stunning way. This is a yacht with her own style — inside and out — that turns heads wherever she goes. Distinctive design elements include a high freeboard, exposed tenders in the bow with cut-down bulwarks and integrated forward-sloping windows.

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Her gray hull and white superstructure are complemented by playful pops of yellow. “She is a very unique vessel that really captures the owners’ passion for being on the water and their fun outlook on yachting,” says Captain Kynan McDonald. “It’s been an exciting project to be a part of.”

On board the yacht, in addition to her owners, Scout is able to welcome up to eight guests in four cabins, each with its own nautical-inspired theme. The main deck is a focal guest space, with a beautiful main saloon that includes an LCD ceiling that mirrors the outside scenes. Complementing the main saloon is a large winter garden — a social hub that is perfect for year-round use, thanks to frameless glass panels that provide shelter when needed and retract when not in use, plus full air conditioning.

[See also: What Do We Know About Jeff Bezos and his Yacht?]

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The winter garden space features a cocktail bar for sharing fresh beverages and a dining table for 14; it’s no surprise that this is a favorite spot for hosting. Aft of the winter garden is an intimate C-shaped fire pit that’s ideal for gathering around as the sun sets, with atmospheric flames flickering in front of the horizon.

A beautiful private owner’s apartment is accessed via a library studded with nautical-themed artifacts. The apartment is a stylish retreat with multiple spaces including an observation lounge forward — this characterful space includes a hidden bar area within a globe structure, seating around stone-topped tables inset with constellations and a carbon fiber squid sculpture by British artist Alistair Gibson hanging from the ceiling. The owners’ full-beam bedroom suite has two large bathrooms, walk-in closets and frosted full-length windows to port and starboard.

The master suite leads out to what the owners affectionately call “Puppy Park,” a custom-designed garden area for their two dogs, Scout and Brio, to enjoy. With their pets set to be on board for long stretches of time, it was very important to design the boat with this specialist usage in mind. “The dogs have their own ‘yard,’ all materials on board are pet-friendly, and all access points, such as the gates, scuppers and door sensors, are ‘puppy proofed,’” say Berwind and Clark. This passion for animals also extended to the construction of the yacht itself. “As animal rights activists, we used no animal-based materials — no fur, no hide, no bone, etc. — on board.”

Above the main deck, the bridge deck is home to the modern bridge, which has sophisticated operating systems and comfortable seating for those wanting to watch the captain at work. This deck also features another very personal space — dubbed the ‘greenhouse’ — which has been designed around the owners’ passion for gardening, and includes its own potting shed, sink and gardening equipment.

Outdoors, a favorite spot has proved to be the vast, multipurpose sundeck. “We live up there with our guests and dogs, and we also love the open fore to aft space,” say Berwind and Clark. The sundeck is an impressive open space, even by superyacht standards, with features including an inviting Jacuzzi and sweeping views across the ocean.

[See also: How Much Does a Yacht Cost to Build?]

[See also: Top 10 Explorer Yachts in the World]

A helipad on the foredeck allows guests to arrive and depart in style by chopper, while an impressive crane ensures easy deployment of the vessel’s two 26-ft tenders. A packed lineup of toys and water equipment ensures that Scout ’s guests can enjoy their ocean playground no matter where they cruise. The yacht’s custom limousine tender, built by Cockwells, has been finished in the same color scheme as Scout and can carry up to 10 guests while reaching a thrilling top speed of 37 knots.

While the average superyacht is used for just six weeks a year, Scout will buck the trend, with her owners hoping to spend up to seven months of the year on board: It will be a true home away from home. “We plan to use Scout as our primary home for the next several years and hope to travel extensively wherever, whenever, with safety as a primary concern,” say Berwind and Clark.

“Bucket list locations include the British Isles, the Far East and Hawaii .” With her ice-classed hull, very little of the world will be off limits, and there is no doubt that her owners are set to enjoy cruising on board just as much as they enjoyed the build process. Scout truly embodies the endless possibilities of custom yacht building where, if you can dream it, it can be made a reality.

Images: Jeff Brown — Breed Media

[See also: The Best Luxury Yacht Builders in the World]

Ellie Brade

Latest in luxury, the explorer.

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This $600 million concept yacht was inspired by ancient Roman architecture but designed to look like a shark — see inside the Prodigium

• Rome-based Lazzarini Design Studio has unveiled another megayacht design inspired by an animal: the Prodigium.
• The concept yacht was designed to look like a shark, but has interior elements inspired by ancient Roman architecture.
• If constructed, the ship could take about 28 months and almost $364.5 million to build, designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini told Business Insider in an email interview.
• As a result, the yacht could retail for about $607.4 million.
• Yacht sales spiked early on in the coronavirus pandemic, and the wealthy have been using yacht charters as a way to isolate for weeks to months at a time.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories

Rome-based Lazzarini Design Studio has unveiled its latest megayacht concept inspired by an animal and Roman architecture: the Prodigium .

The yacht could take about 28 months and almost $364.5 million to construct if the design was executed, designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini told Business Insider in an email interview. As a result, Lazzarini predicts the ship could retail for about $607.4 million.

Despite these high numbers, 2020 has proven to be a good year to unveil a yacht design given the resiliency of yachting during the coronavirus pandemic. While cruise ships have become a known source of coronavirus spread , superyacht marinas have stayed open, according to a report in March .

"Yachts are actually considered one of the most hygienic and safest places to be under any circumstance," superyacht and luxury yacht firm IYC said in a news release in March . "The diligent efforts from crew members around the clock ensure that each yacht is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized prior to, and throughout every trip."

Read more: Yachting insiders detail the rampant sexual harassment aboard million-dollar ships, where crew members are promised a glamorous lifestyle and can instead find themselves trapped at sea with no one to turn to

As a result, the wealthy have been resorting to superyacht charters as a way to isolate for up to several months at a time during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are witnessing a double digit increase in terms of booking requests from clients who are looking to switch from a hotel stay to a yacht vacation," co-founder and CEO of BoatAffair, a boat rental and "experiences" company, Adrian Walker told Paula Froelich for Travel and Leisure in March .

Similarly, boat sales, including yachts, saw an increase in sales early on in the pandemic, ultimately hitting a decade high in May with a 9% increase in sales compared to pre-COVID-19 numbers, according to a report from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) .

That same month saw a 51% increase in yacht sales in May compared to April, according to data from NMMA obtained by Barron's Penta .

"Sooner or later, someone brave enough [to build the concept] will arrive," Lazzarini said.

Keep scrolling to see the Prodigium:

The Prodigium is a 501-foot long ship with elements that mimic the shape of a shark.

However, the aquatic animal was not the only inspiration point the studio used to design the avant-garde megayacht.

"We imagine the shark as the emperor of the seas," the design studio said in a statement. "Automatically with the term 'emperor and empire,' we decided to base our design on the most famous empire, the Roman empire."

As a result, components of both a shark and ancient Roman architecture can be seen throughout different parts of the yacht ...

... from its shark fin-like terraces to the columns by the swimming pools.

The unique concept is the second of six nature-inspired yachts that the Rome-based design studio plans to unveil in the future.

The first design in the series — the $500 million concept Avanguardia inspired by Japanese anime and created to look like a swan — debuted in September.

The next concept is set to be unveiled January 1, 2021, designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini told Business Insider in an email interview.

 Source: Travel and Leisure

Prodigium's beam measures at almost 112-feet, making the ship what the design studio calls the "largest mega yacht ever conceived."

However, this beam length doesn't include the two additional terraces that extend out almost 22 feet on both sides of the ship …

… that were designed to resemble the fins of a shark.

In continuation with the shark theme, the living area on the upper deck was also designed to appear like the aquatic animal.

According to the Lazzarini Design Studio, the shark, combined with the Roman empire's architecture influence, creates a "futuristic" appearance.

The Roman inspiration can be seen in the two columns towards the main entrance of one of the pools, according to its maker.

The columns support the upper floor and its swimming pool ...

… although there are several other pools aboard the megayacht.

The concept has six different levels, with the top floor containing the main living space.

Meanwhile, the rear has a port that can carry 98-foot long yachts.

There are also two garages for extra water toys …

… room for three helicopters in the three hangars, and eight tenders.

Other amenities include gyms and extra living spaces.

And unlike other yachts with an open aired bow, Prodigium's bow consists of an enclosed deck.

Solar panels line the top of the upper deck, according to images of the superyacht concept ...

... but the ship is powered by three jet engines and two electric engines in the centerline.

This series of engines gives the yacht a cruising speed of 22 knots.

According to the studio, having a steel hull on the concept yacht gives the ship a lowered center of gravity, therefore improving its efficiency.

The yacht can hold around 40 guests with rooms on the lower floors ...

... and can accommodate 18 staff and 12 crew members.

According to Lazzarini, the design studio is constantly in contact with brokers, yacht agencies, and shipyards regarding design proposals and potential constructions.

• Main content

After Orcas Sink Another Yacht, Researcher Says They're Probably Just Playing

Deputy Editor, Trends, HuffPost

Following news of the latest boat sunk by orcas in the waters near the Strait of Gibraltar, a killer whale researcher is warning that the incidents may be misunderstood.

News outlets ( including HuffPost ) have used the word “attack” to describe a spate of events in which orcas have damaged vessels in the waters around Morocco, Portugal and Spain. But Monika Wieland Shields, co-founder and director of the nonprofit Orca Behavior Institute, argued the term is misleading in an MSNBC opinion piece published Thursday.

“When I watch the videos of these so-called attacks, I see something completely different,” Shields wrote.

Rather than an act of aggression, “it looks like another behavior we often see killer whales engage in: play.”

On Tuesday, a group of orcas slammed into the hull and damaged the rudder of a 50-foot sailing yacht off the coast of Morocco. The people aboard were rescued and the vessel was left to sink. It was the fifth time orcas have sunk a boat in the region in recent years, The New York Times reported . There have been dozens of other incidents of damage, though no human deaths.

Shields said “from the whale’s perspective,” it makes sense that they often go after rudders.

“Rudders move and, when humans try to regain steering control, show resistance,” she wrote. “It’s probably more like a game of tug-of-war than a maliciously motivated attack.”

Orcas are highly intelligent and social animals, which means they have “a unique capacity for amusement and playfulness,” she wrote. It also means that new behaviors and fads spread easily among social groups. For example, during a brief in a period in the late 1980s, many orcas near Washington state began wearing dead salmon on their heads , like hats.

Shields’ view is in line with what other orca experts have theorized.

“What I think is probably happening is it’s a playful behavior,” Dr. Deborah Giles, science director at research and advocacy group Wild Orca, said last year . “It’s a social behavior.”

However, one non-playful possibility has gone particularly viral . Biologist Alfredo López Fernandez suggested in a 2022 paper that it all may have started after a female orca known as “White Gladis” had a traumatic encounter with a boat, then began to act in a defensive manner towards other boats.

That theory helped fuel online support for “team orca,” with many people on social media casting the killer whales as revolutionaries fighting back against human destruction of the natural world.

i wish the orcas knew how many of us were rooting for them — Allium (@snacklesbian) May 14, 2024

what if we kissed while watching the orcas take back the ocean — Doth (@DothTheDoth) May 15, 2024

“Yeah, we sunk that shit, and we’re gonna do it again.”- the Orcas https://t.co/gPWyG3PPuM pic.twitter.com/QZYtNgSKk8 — Hadley Sheley (@HadleySheley) May 14, 2024

While Shields doesn’t buy the White Gladis theory, she thinks it’s worth examining why people find the idea of an orca uprising so compelling.

“We recognize that we have done enough to the world to deserve orcas attacking us in response,” she wrote.

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Orcas Sink Another Boat Near Iberia, Worrying Sailors Before Summer

Two people were rescued on Sunday after orcas damaged their boat near the Strait of Gibraltar, where the animals have caused havoc in recent years.

By Isabella Kwai

Summer is on the way, meaning that the orcas are out to play near the Strait of Gibraltar — which is bad news for sailors.

Two people were rescued on Sunday after an attack by a group of orcas caused enough damage to sink their boat, according to the Spanish maritime rescue service. It was the fifth such sinking in waters off the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa in recent years.

The Alboran Cognac, a sailing yacht about 50 feet long, was approached by the animals on Sunday morning, some 14 miles off Cape Spartel in Morocco, the rescue service said. Crew members onboard reported that the animals had slammed the hull, damaged the rudder and caused a leak.

A nearby oil tanker quickly maneuvered toward the boat and evacuated the two sailors, who were taken to Gibraltar, the rescue service said. The boat was left adrift, and the Moroccan authorities reported that it eventually sank.

It’s the first boat to sink in those waters this year after an orca-related mishap. A group of orcas that traverse the Strait of Gibraltar and nearby waters has plagued sailors and intrigued marine biologists , who are studying the population. Since 2020, orcas have disrupted dozens of sailing journeys in these high-traffic waters, in some cases slamming vessels hard enough to cause critical damage.

Last November, orcas slammed a yacht’s rudder for 45 minutes, causing its crew to abandon the vessel, which sank near the Tanger Med port.

The group is more likely to appear in the busy lanes around the Gulf of Cadiz and the Strait of Gibraltar between April and August, the Spanish government said in a news release, and sailors have spotted some of the orcas there in recent weeks.

Researchers do not know why the pod is targeting boats, but they have theorized that the behavior is a form of play for the curious apex predators. The interactions have become so frequent that they are now a multinational issue, involving scientists and officials from Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Online, anxious sailors have gathered to share advice on navigating “orca alley,” and biologists are tracking the orcas’ movements and testing methods that could deter them.

In the event of an orca encounter, the government advised in its release, boats should not stop but instead head toward shallower waters near the coast.

But the number of incidents may be declining: Researchers at the Atlantic Orca Working Group said on Monday that the number of orca interactions with boats between January and May had dropped some 40 percent, compared with that of similar periods in the past three years.

Isabella Kwai is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news and other trends. More about Isabella Kwai

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

How to take your dog or cat sailing

• Katy Stickland
• July 21, 2021

Taking a dog or cat to sea needs extra thought on a cruising yacht, explains Erin Carey

Animal buoyancy aids give convenient hand holds for lifting. A set point from which to leave the boat reduces the temptation to jump off for a swim

Whether it’s a spilt litter tray or dogs overboard, sailing with your dog or cat can be a challenge, writes Erin Carey .

But since a pet is often an integral member of the family, leaving them at home is simply not an option for some.

When we got a kitten, I spoke to past and present cruisers to find out the realities of living on the water with a pet.

Movement around the boat for your dog or cat

Whether the pet or the boat comes first, there are several considerations to keep in mind when it comes to reconciling the two to each other.

Moving between above and below decks on a monohull can be tricky.

Modern yachts tend to have less vertiginous companionways and bathing platforms aft.

Once used to the boat, many dogs love being on the water

Older yachts often have a companionway with five or six near-vertical steps, smaller living spaces and a lack of easy access to the water.

These design features can present problems for those sailing with a large dog, especially if you are unable to lift them regularly.

A plank with rungs is one solution for making a steep companionway climbable.

Adding marine carpet to your companionway steps might help by providing more grip.

Safe space for a dog or cat

Creating a safe space during rough weather on both tacks requires a bit of forethought.

A bed that will keep them secure is vital.

A simple crate with padded lining, the footwell beside your bunk lined with cushions, or a saloon settee with a lee cloth would all work for a dog.

Cats will naturally find hidey-holes to hunker down in at sea.

Safety on deck

If your pet prefers to hang out in the cockpit, enforce rules similar to those used when children are aboard.

Under sail, pets should always be tethered to the boat.

They must be trained not to leave the cockpit unless for using the toilet, accompanied by a human.

Space under the sprayhood or wedged between the cockpit seats and the steering pedestal works well for some pets.

Helping pets feel secure and relaxed will make sailing more enjoyable for all. Credit: Richard Langdon

Others are happy simply spreading out on the cockpit cushions.

Netting fixed to lifelines and training your animal to wait for commands before leaving the boat when in port, via a predetermined exit point, are all good control measures.

Should a pet go overboard in harbour, a good-sized net to scoop up smaller dogs is handy.

For cats, a length of carpet to dangle over the side, which they can sink their claws into to climb back on board, is useful.

Accessories

click to read our buyers guide to pet floatation, lifejackets and buoyancy aids

When it comes to tethers and dog lifejackets , high-quality material, robust handles, covered buckles and clips that won’t get caught on things are a must.

Jackets need to fit snugly and shouldn’t hinder the animal’s ability to swim.

Standard tethers or leashes can be used to secure your pet to the boat.

First things first. Find a safe space and introduce them to it

But ensure they are not long enough to allow your pet to reach the edge.

Other accessories available include nautical leashes, carry bags and a light for after dark walks.

An identity tag with the boat’s details and contact information, cooling coats or gel pads for hot weather, dog potty pads and weighted blankets to calm pets in times of stress.

It’s also advisable to take an airline-approved pet carrier with you should you need to fly home with your pet.

waterproof beanbags also make great pet beds on boats as they can be wedged in to awkward spaces and provide a secure place to sleep downbelow or on deck.

Click to view waterproof beanbags for sale

Seasickness and health

Seasickness can be a genuine problem for pets.

It’s worth talking to your vet and trying the options available, in terms of both seasickness and anti-anxiety medication, to find what works for your creature.

Ensure you protect them from UV with plenty of shade and even hypo-allergenic sunblock.

Overheated animals feel hot, pant uncontrollably and may vomit.

Cooling pads and wet towels will help in hot weather.

There’s a good selection of pet cooling mats in pet stores. 

Click to view a selection of cooling mats for sale

Enjoying the destinations you visit will no doubt include taking your pets to shore.

It is worth talking to your vet about seasickness before cruising with you pet

Unfortunately, it is here that animals are most likely to injure themselves.

Stray dogs, broken glass, rusty steel, poison baits and fast-moving vehicles all have the potential to harm your pet.

While vets are accessible in most locations, it’s still important to bring along supplies to treat common occurrences.

These can include such cuts on paws, skin and ear infections, and dehydration.

A basic pet first-aid kit is vital.

Gauze, bandages, antiseptic cream and a saline solution will help control bleeding and infection in the short term.

Diet and provisioning for your dog or cat

If your pet has a special diet, or a favourite brand of food, bring as much as you can from home.

Sourcing high-quality pet foods abroad can be difficult and expensive.

What about their business?

What are often most taxing on pet owners are the numerous trips to shore each day so pets can do their business.

The most common toileting method for dogs on board involves a square of astroturf on the bow of the boat or a puppy pad in the shower tray.

A dog can be trained to do their business here, though they may not oblige.

A square of astroturf on the bow can make a good ‘dog toilet’

A puppypad can be placed in the shower tray for toilet business when underway and if going on deck isn’t safe.

You can buy compostable puppy pads easily.

Click the image to view puppy pads for sale

One cruiser I spoke to had a dog that would hold on for up to 48 hours rather than go on the boat.

Cat owners have a much easier time.

For Kach and Jonathan Howe, toilet arrangements were a cinch.

‘We had a litter tray on board which both cats were happy to share, and sourcing litter for their tray was easy.’

Sand from a beach can make an easy alternative.

While under way, it is recommended that you secure the kitty litter tray with bungee cords or tough Velcro.

International travel with pets

Owners sailing between EU countries can purchase an EU pet passport for around £60.

This document, filled out by an EU vet, allows your pet freedom of movement within the European Union.

It is also accepted in Turkey and Scandinavia.

Continues below…

What could a no-deal Brexit mean for UK cruisers?

The Cruising Association considers what a no-deal Brexit might mean for UK sailors

Boating abroad: what you need to know

Essential information for sailors heading for foreign climes

Cruising after Brexit and sailing in Europe

As Europe begins to open up again for cruising, Lu Heikell looks at the implications of Brexit on UK sailors…

Following the end of the Brexit transition period on the 31 December 2020, UK pet owners cruising from Great Britain to the EU with their animals have to register for an animal health certificate (AHC).

AHCs will be issued by a vet, will be valid for four months and must be obtained 10 days before travel.

AHCs will be valid for a single trip into the EU, onward travel within the EU for and re-entry to Great Britain.

Your pet must have been microchipped and have had a rabies vaccination and a treatment against echinococcus multilicaris (a type of tapeworm).

However, bringing an animal back into the UK after it has visited other non-EU countries is more complicated.

UK Pet Passports for travel to the EU will only be valid until the end of 2020

Cruisers must check with the relevant authorities to avoid complications.

The need to research the country you will be entering cannot be stressed enough.

In the rest of the world, pets must be declared to customs and immigration upon arrival into each new country.

You will have to provide proof your pet has all of his or her vaccinations up to date, a valid health certificate and rabies titer (antibody test).

Erin Carey, from Australia, left the rat race to sail Roam , a Moody 47, with husband Dave and three sons around the world and writes about the adventures online and on social media.

In general, pet owners reported spending a £40-80 in customs fees each time they visited a new country.

Vet appointments cost £30-60 on top of that.

Blood work, a microchip, and tapeworm treatment are often required.

Animals could also be placed into quarantine and fees can be as high as £1,000 in places like Australia.

The absolute worst-case scenario is that your pet could be euthanised if you arrive in a country that strongly enforces biosecurity, so thorough research is a must.

Despite the challenges, there are many benefits to cruising with a pet.

Not one of the cruisers I spoke to regretted bringing their animal aboard.

Most said that sailing with a pet enriched their experience.

Let’s hope our new crewmember can do the same.

To make sure we always provide the latest information, this page was last updated on 1 January 2021

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The Mad Scientist and the Killer Whales

By Tomas Weber

Tomas Weber

T he five animals took an hour to put the sailboat beneath the waves. At the end of October 2022, four men, each in his late twenties, set sail from western France toward Lisbon. Augustin Drion, an experienced sailor from Brittany, was one of them. He had come to lend a hand to a friend from engineering school, Elliot Boyard, who owned the 39-foot sailing vessel. From Portugal, they planned to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean. They would cruise around the islands for a year. Then they would return home. 

He heard a crash. The boat shook, and Drion lost his balance. “What happened?” he shouted up to the others. There was banging on the hull from the outside. The crew looked over the side and saw black fins breaking the glassy surface. Five killer whales , each more than half the length of the boat, their glossy skin shining in the sunlight, were taking turns swimming into the back of the sailboat, ramming the rudder with their heads. With each crash, the boat jolted into a new direction. 

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After a while, Drion began to worry about the boat’s structural integrity. He went down into the cockpit. This time, there was water on the floor. A steady stream flowed in from a crack in the stern. The boat was quickly flooding, and it was starting to sink. Boyard put out a mayday call. The nearest vessel was 60 minutes away, and the men inflated the lifeboat. They wanted to stay on the sinking boat for as long as possible, worried that the orcas might decide to sink their life raft, too — which would be catastrophic. But the water was rising quickly, and they all crowded into the blow-up dinghy. They looked around. The killer whales had gone. A Swedish yacht arrived to pick them up. The men watched the top of the sailboat’s mast disappear beneath the swells.  

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The group of orcas that live around the Iberian Peninsula are the only killer whales that attack boats, and researchers know very little about them. There is only one scientific paper about their new hobby. The Portuguese government has advised sailors to stop moving if killer whales hit them, and wait for them to get bored — which is what Drion and Boyard did instinctively. The Spanish authorities, though, say keep going. In 2020, the Spanish government banned small sailing boats from a part of northwestern Spain. Meanwhile, the attacks are spreading. This community of orcas, documented in the Strait of Gibraltar since the Roman Empire, consists of nearly 90 animals. Some scientists believe that all of them now ram sailing boats. What triggered the behavior is unclear. One hypothesis, though, has taken off: The orcas are seeking revenge. 

The notion of killer whales with vendettas against humans — whether for injuring them with boat propellers, or for picking their tuna hunting grounds clean, or for ruining the climate, or for capturing their brothers and sisters and imprisoning them in swimming pools — took the internet by storm last summer. You can buy stickers and mugs of the Gladis orcas. “Fuck them boats.” “Eat the Rich.” “Support for Comrade Gladis.” 

But these aren’t superyachts. The orcas tend to leave fishing boats alone, too. The targets include humble craft, sailing boats of the kind you can buy for the cost of a cheap used car. For their owners and crew, many of whom are not, by sailing standards, especially wealthy, the attacks are terrifying. The most recent sinking was last October. There is no reliable way to deter them, and sailors are completely at their mercy. 

Which is why, in January 2022, the Spanish government asked Renaud de Stephanis, a 48-year-old Spanish orca expert, to figure out a solution to the problem. De Stephanis, who has a grizzled beard, shaggy hair, and bronzed aging-surfer skin, has been studying this group of orcas since the 1990s. Last December, I flew to Gibraltar, crossed the border into Spain by foot, and drove west along the coast toward a ramshackle house perched upon a cliff above the strait to spend a week with him. 

HIS HOUSE IS difficult to pinpoint in the hills above Tarifa, a hippie kite-surfing town at the southernmost tip of mainland Europe. I arrive at the door after getting lost, and a 27-year-old marine-biology intern named Maggie cracks it open. De Stephanis isn’t home right now, she says. He’s at sea. “Be careful,” de Stephanis had warned a few days earlier on Facebook: The orcas are now in the strait. Maggie isn’t sure how long he’ll be. But I can wait for him here. 

From the top of the house I can make out the cliffs of the Moroccan coast. A procession of freight ships chugs between the Pillars of Hercules, two promontories that frame the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean: one on the European side, the other in North Africa. For ancient mariners, the two pillars were a warning: Advance no farther. They marked out the edges of the known world and the start of nothingness. According to classical mythology, the Strait of Gibraltar was Hercules’ handiwork — eight miles across at its tightest point. Why would Hercules make it so narrow? To stop sea monsters from coming up into the Mediterranean, wrote Diodorus Siculus, an ancient-Greek historian. The protector of mankind had built a bottleneck for blocking civilization off from the wild.

There are three interns, and they tell me they hardly ever see de Stephanis, despite living in his little house for many months. “He has mad-scientist vibes,” one of them tells me over tapas. Some days, de Stephanis remains in his bedroom morning to night, announcing “Today doesn’t exist.” Or he waits out bad weather and rough swells in his sleeping bag in the living room with an old movie — Gladiator is his favorite. But as soon as conditions are right, he slips out onto the strait again, searching for Gladis. 

Which is what he’s doing as I wait, passing the time trying to decipher a Spanish translation of Moby Dick I find on a shelf in his office, beside crossbow darts used for extracting whale biopsies. That evening, as de Stephanis steps through the door just in time for spaghetti and meatballs, I remember I’d read he was an ex-rugby player — his cetacean obsession had followed a short professional career, and he still has the physique of a feared enforcer. His wet blue eyes are a little bloodshot. They appear to intimidate the interns, who were chattering happily until the moment he walked in. 

Nobody has died. But sailors worry it’s just a matter of time.

After dinner, de Stephanis kindles a log fire. He tells me about changing ancient seafaring routes, passages sailors had followed since before the ancient Romans. A few months earlier, he had announced that boats should avoid the deep waters in the middle of the strait where the orcas usually strike. Sailors obeyed, and today most vessels in the area hug the coast. Diverting boats seems to delight him. He stands up and starts pacing the living room. “Super fun,” he says. “I like it.” 

THE MORNING OF Jan. 10, 2023, was cloudy and calm on the Strait of Gibraltar. De Stephanis and his team of five stepped into an inflatable Zodiac and sped out of Tarifa harbor in the direction of Morocco, past the statue of Christ at the port’s entrance. It was the first day of their government-funded project to understand how to deter the killer whales. First, though, the crew had to check if they were even around.  

It was in these waters that once swam the first killer whales to ever be described in writing. “The killer whale, a creature that is the enemy of the other species and the appearance of which can be represented by no other description except that of an enormous mass of flesh with savage teeth,” wrote Pliny the Elder in A.D. 77, “charge[s] and pierce[s] other whales like warships ramming.” But in the winter, killer whales are less common in the Strait of Gibraltar. They often follow the bluefin tuna into the Atlantic, and de Stephanis didn’t expect to see them. Standing on the blow-up tube on the side of the boat, he scanned the horizon. He was not ready to begin any experiments. As far as he knew, the orcas never went for inflatable boats. 

Once in the deep water, though, two killer whales started approaching them quickly from behind. Their black-and-white faces were rhythmically emerging from the water as they swam, their eyes fixed on the boat. The pair got closer and closer, until one lifted the Zodiac out of the water with a gentle tap of its nose. It happened again. Everybody on the boat was knocked toward the bow. De Stephanis’ heart was pounding. He worried the orcas would destroy the boat on their first day of work. “I wasn’t scared,” he tells me with a smirk. “OK, I was fucking scared.” 

The killer whales played with the blow-up craft for about an hour. Sebastian Lang, a German photographer who lives in Tarifa, had come aboard for the ride. A few years earlier, Lang had been snorkeling at a nearby spot with pilot whales, long black cetaceans with bulbous foreheads that are the only animals Iberian orcas appear to fear. One of them took Lang’s arm in its mouth and swam down to the depths, delivering him back to the surface just before he passed out. As the orcas rammed the fragile inflatable, Lang zoned out again, but this time with a feeling of awe. “My brain shut off,” he tells me. “I wanted to look at them for hours and hours.”  

He tried out a pinger that played a high-pitched sound, which some sailors say repels the whales, and found it seemed to attract them instead. He played recordings of pilot whale calls — but he worried they would drive the orcas out of the strait altogether, so he stopped. He dragged decoy rudders behind the boat to see which designs they preferred, and he deployed a prototype deterrent rudder covered with soft spikes. It appeared to be effective. What he failed to prove, though, was the reason for the behavior — although what conclusive evidence of that would look like is hard to imagine. Still, de Stephanis has a theory. 

ON A BRIGHT and clear day a few months later, de Stephanis was approached by a group of orcas, including one with a deep wound gouged into his dorsal fin. It was Gladis Black. De Stephanis shows me underwater video he had taken with a GoPro attached to a stick. Beneath the boat, Gladis Black rotates into a vertical position, and presses and rubs the pointed black tip of his face against the rudder. His face and white chin are covered with scratches and scars.

Was he seeking revenge? This theory, it seemed, had originated with Alfredo López, an animal biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. Lòpez believes that one of the orcas could have been harmed, perhaps by a fishing line, and that the behavior might be a response to injury. “Complete bullshit,” says de Stephanis, who has known Lòpez since 1999 through attending whale conferences, and has little respect for him. “I call him ‘the expert,’” he says with a mocking smile. “He’s no friend of mine.” He adds: “He knows I know that he has never seen an orca.” 

It’s worth pointing out here that de Stephanis has attracted controversy, too. He has studied the orcas at Loro Parque, Spain’s version of SeaWorld, which still keeps four animals in captivity. The conservation foundation connected to the park has also given him grant money. De Stephanis says he opposes keeping orcas in captivity: We shouldn’t capture any more, he tells me — but as long as they are there, they can be useful to biologists.

Gonzàlez tells me she doesn’t care what de Stephanis thinks of Lòpez’s work. Still, team Lòpez and team de Stephanis battle it out in Facebook comments — and just as the attacks have become a craze among the orcas, Lòpez’s trauma-and-revenge hypothesis quickly became a meme among human onlookers. “Killer whales orchestrating revenge attacks on boats,” wrote the New York Post in 2020. “Revenge of the orcas?” asked the Washington Post in May 2023.

Every orca researcher I speak to agrees that Lòpez’s hypothesis is implausible. Even Drion, whose experience with the orcas felt like an attack, compares the whales to a powerful dog playing rough with a small child. It feels scary, and it’s certainly dangerous — but to the dog, it’s just a game. 

If they wanted to sink the boat, they’d jump on it and the game is over.

“If they really wanted to sink the boat,” Drion tells me, “they would just jump on it and the game is over.”

But the attacks could still be a result of how humans have harmed killer whales, de Stephanis says. In 2010, overfishing decimated the bluefin tuna population. During that period, the orcas birthed fewer calves. With fewer siblings to play with, de Stephanis wonders, were boisterous juveniles choosing boats as their playmates instead? OK — but then why are the adults joining in? That’s not so surprising, he tells me. Humans aren’t so different. His daughter is trying to teach him TikTok dances. 

Whether or not that story holds water, de Stephanis is convinced Lòpez’s trauma-and-revenge idea is wrong. The behavior is play through and through. But as de Stephanis fills the house with chaos, shouting and blasting Independence Day at 8 a.m., I can’t shake the idea that this interpretation, that it’s nothing but horseplay, overlaps almost too neatly with what he himself seems to share with the orcas. 

 STILL, DE STEPHANIS is probably right. If the orcas do intend to destroy boats and harm people on them, they could do that easily by smashing holes in the hull — but they never do. They are obsessed only with the rudder. And the idea that the behavior developed in reaction to an injury from a fishing line, or even because of overfishing, is dubious, because the orcas very rarely, to our knowledge, attack fishing boats — for unclear reasons. More than that, though, is the fact that every killer whale scientist I speak to repeats the same thing: These creatures just don’t carry vendettas.

Orcas have “one of the most elaborated brains on the planet,” says Lori Marino, a neuroscientist, expert in whale behavior, and founder and president of the Whale Sanctuary Project. An orca’s cerebral cortex is more convoluted, more intricately folded, than a human’s — which gives them an extraordinary ability to learn, remember, think, and feel. Killer whales lead a rich emotional life, and share some complex feelings with humans, Marino says. They experience empathy, they mourn their dead, and they are probably smart enough to understand why an individual might want to harm another in vengeance — to impart a lesson, for example, or to discourage future attacks. Which makes it even more remarkable that, in the wild, orcas never do. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, when orcas in the northeastern Pacific were repeatedly terrorized by boats that kidnapped their relatives and put them into captivity, they never attacked vessels of any kind. Unlike highly intelligent terrestrial mammals, such as chimps, gorillas, or humans, there is very little evidence that wild killer whales have ever sought revenge. (Although orcas in captivity have killed trainers, those animals were probably psychologically disturbed by their environment, says Marino.) When a chimpanzee steals food, the victim often retaliates. An aggrieved macaque will settle scores, sometimes attacking a family member of the perpetrator. But orcas don’t do that. “They have adapted in a way that eliminates the need for aggression,” says Deborah Giles, a killer whale researcher at the University of Washington.  

What looks like revenge against humans, Whitehead says, is a behavior that may be a kind of culture, a way this community of orcas now strengthens its group identity. Orca obsessions can quickly turn into collective fads. Take their eating habits. Most wild animals are not fussy gourmands. But the orcas that live in the seas around Antarctica eat tiny penguins, and when they kill them, they discard everything other than the breast muscles. Orcas that eat other whales usually enjoy only the lips and the tongue and leave the rest to wash up or rot. Each community of killer whales speaks in its own dialect, and off the coast of Australia, in a place called Shark Bay, orcas adorn their noses with ornamental sponges. In the 1980s, the salmon-eating orcas of the northeastern Pacific fashioned hats from the carcasses of their prey. They wore them all summer.

Outside of humans, the complexity and stability of these cultural forms is unparalleled. Boat ramming is just the latest of these practices. But when we, another eminent cultural animal, seek to understand what killer whales are up to, we can’t help but see them through the pinhole of our own cultural practices and group dynamics. We look beneath the surface with ape eyes, and we see territoriality and retaliation where we should see cultural behaviors that have little to do with land-based violence — which results in orcas with apelike vendettas going viral. 

FOR MOST OF my stay with de Stephanis, the ocean is too rough to go out upon. On my last day, though, there’s a window of calm, and he wants to show me the orcas before I leave. I offer to drive us to the port in my rental car. He thinks I’ll probably drive too slowly, and bombs down the hill on his motorbike. At the port, we meet a man named Salva, who will control the boat while de Stephanis scans the surface for fins. We hop onto the Zodiac, motor past the Jesus statue and out into the strait, and squint into the horizon until our faces hurt. 

 We see hundreds of silvery dolphins breach and spin in the air. We see a pod of pilot whales and a languid sunfish drifting on the surface. We see a yacht in the distance between a stream of cargo ships, underway in deep water. The captain is resisting de Stephanis’ advice. “That could get him into trouble,” says de Stephanis. But the yacht will be lucky: The killer whales are nowhere to be seen. They are probably already hunting tuna in the open ocean. Perhaps, I think, they’ve abandoned their craze. Maybe they’ve even developed a new fixation. 

 I drive back to Gibraltar feeling a little deflated, and while I wait for my flight, I walk up the European Pillar of Hercules. Near the top, a sign warns me about macaques, the only wild monkeys that live on the continent, which “may behave aggressively.” For a few minutes, I watch them lounging peacefully in the sun, then turn around and fly home. 

 But two months later, the orcas, fresh from the open seas, swim back into the Strait of Gibraltar. At dusk on Feb. 4, their fad apparently now their tradition, a way of life, five individuals begin to ram the back of a large sailing boat, in rough seas six miles off the coast of Tangiers. “We saw them heading straight for us,” says the French captain. “Aggressive and lively and very fast.” 

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May 14, 2024

Orcas Just Sank Another Yacht

Orcas have once again attacked and sunk a boat near the Strait of Gibraltar, a behavior that has scientists stumped

By Andrea Thompson

Orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Patty Tse/Alamy Stock Photo

The orcas are at it again.

A group of the highly social marine mammals, also called killer whales, attacked and sank a 50-foot-long sailing yacht on Sunday, the New York Times reported . Two people had to be rescued from the waters near the Strait of Gibraltar.

The incident was yet another in a startling spate of such attacks by orcas ( Orcinus orca ) in the area since 2020—an apparently emerging phenomenon that has researchers stumped.

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“It is a rare behavior that has only been detected in this part of the world,” said Alfredo López, an orca researcher at the Atlantic Orca Working Group (GTOA), in an interview with Scientific American last year.

In the more than 500 cases GTOA has documented of orcas reacting to boats, most often the animals have only approached the vessels. In the fraction of reports that have included physical interactions, the orcas have usually bit at a vessel’s rudder. The attacks have usually lasted less than 30 minutes, but some have gone on for up to two hours.

So far there are two main hypotheses regarding the baffling behavior. One is that it is a fad, which orcas seem to engage in just like humans do. Orcas in one Pacific Northwest group famously spent the summer of 1987 sporting dead salmon on their head, for example.

The other is that the new trend stems from past negative experiences with boats, which can strike and severely harm marine animals. The Iberian orca population is critically endangered; migration routes put its members in the path of many fishing, military and recreational vessels. But researchers caution against attributing malicious intent to animals. Deborah Giles, science and research director of the Washington State–based nonprofit conservation organization Wild Orca, previously told Scientific American that orcas in the Pacific Northwest were relentlessly pursued by humans in the 1960s and 1970s—but never attacked people or boats.

Scientists are gaining a greater awareness and understanding of the these clever predators by studying not only the boat attacks (which GTOA has said have declined overall so far this year, compared with previous ones) but also other behaviors. The first recorded instance of a group of orcas killing a blue whale was observed in 2019, and single orcas have been documented killing great white sharks . Recent research has also suggested that orcas in the Pacific Northwest should actually be recognized as two different species versus part of a single global species. It is possible that other groups that are currently considered subpopulations of that one species are also separate ones.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Pets on board – how to go long-distance cruising with your dog or cat

• Elaine Bunting
• November 2, 2015

Pets are part of the family, but how does it work out when you take them long-distance cruising? Elaine Bunting talks to two owners taking part in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers about sailing with man’s best friend

Chester and Sparkles with their owners Rolf Oetter and Silke Sommerfeld

Chester and Awa’s story is a boating bromance. It’s the touching tale of two inseparable buddies who met through sailing and cruised together on their boats. I met them at the ARC last year: Chester, a big, stocky Canadian and his slight-framed young Spanish friend. They were completely at home on each others’ boats and always hung out together.

Chester and Awa are dogs, two of perhaps a dozen that did the transatlantic event with their owners. Our dogs are part of the family, beloved companions, and sometimes it’s too much of a wrench to leave them behind. That was the case for Silke Sommerfeld and Rolf Oetter from Canada, while Spanish sailor Gonzalo Rubio Paris had bought a fox terrier pup partly to keep his two young daughters, aged four and two, company.

Chester and Awa love to hang out together

Their story is an amusing one. The two sets of owners had been in touch on an online forum, but only met for the first time last April when they launched their respective Lagoon 450 catamarans two days apart at the yard in Les Sables d’Olonne in France. Chester’s owners have hull No 130, named Next Life , and Awa’s has hull 132, Kazaio .

The two crews and their pets got on immediately and over the months between the launches and the ARC rally they cruised all the way to the Canary Islands “together 80 per cent of the time”. The dogs became inseparable, the nine-month-old fox terrier pup following Chester, a six-year-old golden retriever and more experienced hand, everywhere he went.

Even if the dogs were separated for a day, they would greet each other, Gonzalo says, “as if they hadn’t met for three weeks”. The two boats usually rafted up together. “Awa comes over here to get away from Gonzalo’s two girls and have some quiet time, and Chester goes over there for some excitement,” says Silke Sommerfeld.

Crazy antics

Both have their little quirks. Awa goes nuts when he sees dolphins and has a bad habit of peeing on the flybridge so that it all runs down the sides. Gonzalo says he can be quite useful at times because he’ll bark like mad if there’s a big windshift.

The downside is that he hates flapping sails – “he jumps up and bites them every time I furl the genoa. He doesn’t pierce them so he hasn’t damaged them – yet. And he goes crazy when we use the windlass.”

The Rubio Paris family take Awa ‘walkies’

Chester, conversely, loves dolphins. They are “his biggest joy,” says Sommerfeld. “He watches for them all the time and by watching him we see a lot more wildlife. He loves trips in the dinghy as well.”

Chester isn’t the only pet on board Next Life . Sommerfeld and Oetter are also cruising with Sparkles, a ten-year-old black and white cat “that’s half blind and we didn’t want to leave him with anyone,” says Sommerfeld. The cat once had a bad experience with a dog on a marina dock and ever after has never left the boat when they’re cruising. However, Chester has to be walked and wants to get off the boat regularly, which means he has to be cleared for animal import in every new country.

The pets’ papers run to over 100 pages – “Every country has different rules,” says Silke Summerfeld

Cruising with an animal adds a new level to the bureaucractic hurdles of cruising. Their owners admit that Chester and Awa each have more paperwork than their boats. “It’s been quite difficult,” admits Sommerfeld. “Every country has different rules. In Europe it’s easier because there is a European pet passport, but there’s a lot of additional work with the papers and expense with the vaccines, antibiotics and vets’ inspections.”

Sommerfeld shows me a large folder that runs to over 100 pages, filled with all the rules and regulations in each country they planned to visit. Before leaving Canada last February, both Chester and Sparkles were chipped with international microchips (“not North American ones!” she adds).

New one-year rabies vaccinations were given to both pets and import permit applications plus required documents were emailed in advance to the Saint Lucia and Bahamas authorities.

“I tried to email other Caribbean veterinary authorities, but gave up after most email addresses researched on government sites were returned invalid. The exception was Barbados. We got a prompt email reply saying: ‘If you bring your cat and dog on a private boat you will not be allowed to tie up on any pier/dock in Barbados. You will only be allowed to tie up for outfitting the vessel, ie water, fuel. Your animals will not be allowed to land.’

Pet passports

In preparation for flying the animals to France to go sailing on the new boat, Sommerfeld got all documentation together for the flight to Europe plus a proper-sized crate for the dog. Once in Europe, she was able to obtain European Pet Passports for both dog and cat after getting a rabies blood titer test (which measures the level of antibodies) carried out more than 30 days after the animals’ most recent rabies vaccination.

She also stocked up on heartworm, tapeworm and tick medication, as some countries such as Saint Lucia, require a Lyme disease and heartworm test.

To an extent, their cruising plans have had to be formed around animal import procedures. “Chester already had a rabies vaccination, but that was before he was microchipped, so we had to do that again. He will have to be vaccinated yet again because by the time we get to Bermuda it will be 11 months since it was done and they only accept it up to 10 months.

“Some islands we’ve had to avoid: there’s quarantine in Dominican Republic and Montserrat so we’re not going, and in Jamaica you can’t import animals at all. In the Turks and Caicos you need two rabies vaccinations and another blood titer test.

“The back up is always that you can go, but don’t take pets ashore.”

Doing their business

What about the more day-to-day practicalities. How do they do their business? Do cats and dogs get seasick?

“Oh yes,” says Sommerfeld. “Sparkles gets seasick for the first two or three hours and he pukes, but then he goes to his bed and he’s OK.” The dog never gets seasick, in contrast to his young buddy Awa, who throws up at the start of passages.

Sparkles the cat (mostly) uses a litter tray. Sommerfeld tried to train Chester to poo on a piece of carpet, but he decided by himself to pee and do his business on either of the catamaran’s two bows and will do so on command.

Ten-year-old Sparkles doesn’t like to leave the boat

Chester usually sleeps under the saloon table, but he will get up and keep his owners company on night watches.

Sommerfeld takes care that he doesn’t go to the bow when it’s rough. He wears a harness all the time to make it easier to handle him. “He’s a big dog; he weighs 40kg,” she says. Chester wears a dog lifejacket if conditions merit it, but it is cumbersome.

“He’s the one who gets the Raymarine Life Tag,” Sommerfeld declares. “That gives me peace of mind. But he’s never gone overboard.”

Despite all the hassles, both sets of owners love having their pets on board. Gonzalo Rubio Paris agrees that the paperwork is a nuisance, but says “the girls really enjoy him”.

Sommerfeld muses: “Would I bring a dog on board again? As much as I love it, I wouldn’t recommend buying a dog to take cruising, but if you already have a dog it’s doable. A dog is family and he’s happiest when he’s with us, and when he is it doesn’t matter where he is.

“Walks are not always possible, but I’ve never seen him not content. He’s got lots of toys and stuff for him to chew on. I know he’s happy. He loves it. It’s more complicated with a dog, but it’s absolutely worth it.”

Silke Sommerfeld’s tips

In general:

• The dog will learn to do its business on board, even if it takes a few days. No worries.

• Have some games for the dog so that it doesn’t get bored on the boat. I felt that I had fewer opportunities to walk/exercise my dog than at home, regardless of the trips to the beach. We played ‘kick it and find it’ with Chester – kick it is when he sits at the top of the steps, kicks a ball down the stairs for me to catch and throw back to him. Find it is where I conceal a ball somewhere on the boat for Chester to find and return it.
• The dog will bring a lot of dirt, especially sand, on the boat.
• Bringing any pet requires internet research. A really helpful site is www.pettravel.com . They sell documents, but most documents can be found online at no cost. Search for Department of Agriculture and Pet Import Permit.

In the Caribbean:

• In Saint Lucia many locals are afraid of dogs or don’t like dogs. I kept Chester away from them unless they approached me.
• On the other hand, dogs seem to be very welcome in French islands such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, etc. People here seem to like dogs and it is no problem to take a dog to a restaurant.
• Any non-French island: I would never bring a dog to a restaurant.
• Avoid beaches with people as a courtesy.
• Do not take a dog to National Park beaches, eg St Thomas, USVI.
• So far, no vet has checked the microchip. I wouldn’t recommend going without it, though.

Conclusion: Will bring my dog again. It’s a blast.

• The cat uses litter box only most of the time. Not fun to wake up to a mess inside or outside the boat.
• Cat distributes litter all over.
• Not fun having a litter box close to cockpit/dining area owing to rain protection requirements.
• Cat gets sick with waves, upwind and downwind.
• Cat uses scratch pad some of the time. Now we have so many holes in our cockpit cushions. Not fun!
• Cat hair all over the place. Really sticks to the gelcoat.

Conclusion: Will leave cat at home next time.

Orcas have attacked and sunk another boat in Europe — and experts warn there could be more attacks soon

A group of orcas known to attack boats in southwest Europe have sunk a 50-foot sailing yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar after ripping open its hull. It is the fifth time these killer whales have sent a ship to the seafloor in the last three years.

Orcas that have been terrorizing boats in southwest Europe have just sank their fifth yacht in three years. And experts have warned that more attacks are likely in the coming months after the orcas unexpectedly switched up their behavior earlier this year.

On Sunday (May 12), an unknown number of orcas ( Orcinus orca ) attacked the 49-foot-long (15 meters) sailing yacht named the Alboran Cognac in the Strait of Gibraltar — a narrow body of water between southern Spain and North Africa that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. During the attack, which began at around 9 a.m. local time, the killer whales repeatedly rammed the boat's hull and rudder, Reuters reported . 

The yacht's two-person crew radioed for help and was rescued by a passing oil tanker. But the vessel's hull sustained serious damage during the attack and the yacht began to take on water, which eventually caused it to sink, Reuters reported.

The attack was likely carried out by a growing number of individuals from the Iberian subpopulation of orcas — a group of around 40 killer whales that live off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Gibraltar — that have been attacking boats across their range since 2020. 

Most of the attacks occur between May and August each year in and around the Strait of Gibraltar. However, earlier this year, some of the highly social apex predators were spotted circling a boat in northern Spain , suggesting they have spread out much further and earlier than normal.

As a result, the Spanish authorities have warned recreational boaters to avoid sailing too far from the coast and to not stop their vessels if they are approached by orcas, according to a translated statement from Spain's Maritime Safety and Rescue Society.

Related: Orcas are learning terrifying new behaviors. Are they getting smarter?

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Since the attacks started in 2020, sailors have reported around 700 interactions with orcas in the area, ranging from circling and nudging vessels to ramming, ripping apart and sinking boats, Reuters reported.

The most recent sinking event prior to this one occurred on Halloween last year when a pod of orcas sank a sailing yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar after a near hour-long attack . Before then, at least three other boats were sunk in the region between 2022 and early 2023. However, no humans have been injured or killed.

During attacks, the orcas' most common tactic is to damage or rip off the vessel's rudder , which makes it impossible to steer the vehicles. Researchers believe this is a learned behavior, and eye-witnesses have previously reported seeing individuals seemingly teach other orcas how to do this . As a result, the number of attacks has increased over the last few years.

— 11 ways orcas show their terrifying intelligence

— How often do orcas attack humans?

— How orcas gained their 'killer' reputation

So far, at least 15 individuals have been linked to at least one attack in the region. But researchers believe the attacks can be traced back to a single female, named White Gladis, who may have been pregnant when she started harassing the boats. However, it is unclear exactly what sparked the attacks.

There has even been a suggestion that the behavior has spread beyond the Iberian population after an orca similarly attacked a boat in Scotland in 2023. However, this was an isolated incident, which makes it hard to link it to the Iberian attacks.

Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior, evolution and paleontology. His feature on the upcoming solar maximum was shortlisted in the "top scoop" category at the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Awards for Excellence in 2023. 

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Yacht ( New Horizons )

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The yacht is a customizable houseware furniture item in Animal Crossing: New Horizons introduced in the 2.0 Free Update. As an outdoor item, it will provide an additional 0.5 development points towards the island rating .

No villagers have this item in their home.

After unlocking this item in Happy Home Paradise , the item can be purchased from Wardell 's catalog.

The yacht has 6 variations and 4 patterns.

• Includes data sourced from the ACNH Spreadsheet project ( Spreadsheet - Translations )
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Pod of killer whales attacks and sinks 50-foot yacht in Strait of Gibraltar

The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

A pod of killer whales attacked and sunk a yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar, between Spain and Morocco, officials confirmed to ABC News.

Two people were on board the vessel when the incident occurred Sunday at 9 a.m. local time, according to Spain's maritime authority.

The nearly 50-foot yacht, named The Alboran Cognac, was 15 miles from Cabo Espartel in Morocco when an unknown number of orcas began ramming it.

The couple alerted Spanish authorities and a rescue team arrived to extricate them from the vessel an hour after the attack, though officials were unable to salvage the sinking boat.

There have been approximately 700 orca attacks since 2020, according to GT Orca Atlantica, a conservation group, and officials believe there are more than 37 orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, separating Europe from Africa.

"During the summer and autumn of 2020, interaction events began to occur between several specimens of this species and vessels, mainly sailboats, both in the Strait of Gibraltar and in the waters of the Galician coast," according to Spanish government officials. "These interactions have ranged from persistent approaches to ships, to ramming the hull and rudder, causing various types of damage, which continue today."

It's unclear why orcas attack boats, though experts hypothesize the marine mammals could be targeting vessels for sport or they feel threatened.

According to a study in Biological Conservation, a peer-reviewed journal, "sophisticated learning abilities" have been found to exist in orcas.

In June 2023, racing yachts in the Strait of Gibraltar had a close encounter with a pod of orcas, race officials said at the time.

Crew members aboard a rival pair of 65-foot yachts were on the final leg of The Ocean Race, a global sailing competition, when they reported being intercepted by killer whales as their boats approached the Strait of Gibraltar.

No fatalities were reported in the incident, according to officials.

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All The Vehicles You Can Get In The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update, Ranked

The latest — and final — update adds some wheeled flair to the game..

Animal Crossing: New Horizons , the Switch game that stole our hearts at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, sent out its final free update for the game on Nov. 4, 2021, and it includes a few things you’ve never been able to acquire before in the franchise: vehicles.

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Transportation items have been part of the Animal Crossing franchise since its start. Since the first game, your character begins their journey on a train (a 2-4-0 steam locomotive at first, which evolves to a self-propelled diesel railcar in later editions), where you strike up a conversation with a cat named Rover who allows you to pick your name and destination. The train is accessible throughout the game; you can hop on it to ride to other places.

In Animal Crossing: Wild World , instead of arriving on a train, you arrive via taxi, which will drop you off at the main plaza and never again appear. In City Folk , you’re dropped off in a bus, and you can later ride that bus to get to The City. In New Horizons , you can take a water plane to other islands to steal their resources.

But in terms of things we’d recognize as cars? They’re just not there. One character, the traveling fashionista giraffe named Gracie, initially started off as the only character with a vehicle. She’d roll into town in her convertible cabriolet, or her soft-top depending on the game, and you’d either wash her car for a prize, or she’d judge you on your fashion sense. New Leaf introduced the RV and Pocket Camp the camper.

To put it plainly, though, there has never been room for these vehicles in the game. Towns exist as isolated oases with their own self-contained economy, and the only transportation you use gets you from your town to a different area of the game or to another player’s island. Most of the time, the closest your character would get to owning a car was having a race car bed.

New Horizons has broken the mold in a lot of ways, though, so the fact that it provides vehicle options in this new update isn’t completely surprising — especially since they don’t look to be much more than décor. I haven’t personally stumbled across one in the game yet since the new update has only been available since Nov. 4, but they merely appear to be pieces of customizable furniture that you can use to decorate your home or your town. I’ve done some data mining to nab the photos, so the official names in the game could be different.

I never quite expected cars to be an option in my favorite game franchise in the world, though. And that is why I’m bringing you this blog.

13. Fair Train

The fair train, while beautiful, appears to be nothing more than a decoration or a ride at a carnival. It looks like it’s sitting on a platform that is not a rail, which means it’s a stationary train. I am aware that none of the vehicles on this list are actually maneuverable, but there’s nothing stopping me from imagining cruising around in my little expensive sedan. The fair train has a platform. It ranks last because of this.

12. Skateboard

Skateboards have existed in various forms in Animal Crossing for ages. Skateboards are fine. The ones in this game are fine. You can get either a board or a rack of skateboards that hang on the wall. But it is nothing new or exciting, and therefore it gets a low spot on the list.

11. Bicycle

A mountain bike already exists in New Horizons, but this cute bicycle has a retro look with a little metal basket on the front. It’s good, but it’s nothing revolutionary. I will craft one in pink.

10. Excavator

Now here’s where we start to dive into the good stuff. An excavator? Holy shit. I don’t exactly ever plan on using one for anything other than placing it next to an in-progress worksite for the few hours I play before the day changes over and my building is completed, so it’s not going to get a very high ranking, but it is a whole ass piece of construction equipment. I dig it.

9. Delivery Truck

Finally, I can pretend to ship my local goods out to spartan island nations in exchange for other local goods and services. A colonist’s dream. The delivery truck gets ninth.

I recently read Restoration Agriculture by Mark Shepard, which basically avers that widespread crop cultivation is killing our planet and that we should be creating perma-culture cropping systems that provide more nutrients per acre than, say, an acre of a monocrop like corn. I’m very into the idea and can’t wait to implement something similar at my own home. Tractors now make me cringe, even when they’re virtual. This tractor is cute in blue, though, so I give it an eight.

7. Steam Roller

The steam roller receives the same criticisms as the excavator, but because it is by nature a steam roller, I have the added flexibility of placing it next to things and pretending I am running them over. For that, it earns a respectable seventh place.

The Animal Crossing universe is the only space I frequently inhabit in which I am a rich and annoying benefactor to everyone around me. I live a life of gluttonous excess and both destroy and perfect my island in turns. I shower my favorite villagers in gifts and spend one million bells on that stupid-expensive crown again just because I can. This is the life I lead, and it is a perfect fit for this rich bitch yacht.

5. Shopping Cart

“But a shopping cart isn’t a form of transportation,” I hear you cry. “It’s not a vehicle!” I direct you to the documentary Carts of Darkness and ask you to expand your horizons.

4. Expensive Car

The expensive car is some Mercedes-ass looking shit. It’s fancy. It looks like something a terrible and rich old hag would drive. It looks like something my husband would drive. I hate it. It’s great. I want to build one in gold.

3. Covered Wagon

Never content to merely represent the modern age, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has provided us with a beautiful covered wagon for those among us who like to keep our islands machine-free. Try not to think too hard about the implications of placing a covered wagon on an island that features horse villagers.

This little scooter is honestly the only form of transportation that I’d actually want to cruise around in because it is cute and harmless in the same way that all of Animal Crossing is cute and harmless. I would drive it on the beach and up a mountain and from Tom Nook’s nephews’ store to Hornsby’s house to deliver a gift. It’s great. I love it.

1. Compact Car

The compact car in Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the first vehicle I saw on the list of new items, and it made me gasp out loud because of how much I loved it. It comes with tons of different customizable options, and I truly cannot wait to put together my gorgeous pink compact machine to park outside of my gorgeous pink Animal Crossing home.

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort Transportation to Animal Kingdom: Navigating the Magic Efficiently

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Guests staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort enjoy luxurious accommodations with nautical-themed décor, reminiscent of a New England yacht club. This resort is a lakeside hotel that is located within the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. When planning a day trip from Disney’s Yacht Club Resort to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there are several transportation options available for your convenience.

You can utilize the complimentary bus service provided by Walt Disney World Resort to travel from Disney’s Yacht Club Resort to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The buses operate approximately every 20 minutes, starting 45 minutes prior to park opening until one hour after park closing. Boarding the bus at the designated stop outside Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, you will arrive at Animal Kingdom’s main gate without any additional stops.

For a more personal commuting experience, you have the choice of the Minnie Van Service , which can be easily booked through the Lyft app. This special service offers direct transportation in a charming Disney-themed vehicle, allowing for a memorable and comfortable ride. Further, if you prefer to drive, parking at Animal Kingdom is available for a fee, and car rental services are offered at the resort for your convenience.

Free Bus Service

Free bus service refers to the complimentary transportation provided by Disney resorts, including Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, for guests traveling to various Disney parks, like Animal Kingdom. This service is included with your stay at the resort, offering a convenient and cost-effective option for moving between your guest area and the parks.

Bus Schedule and Availability

• Check the posted schedule near the resort’s bus stop for departure times to Animal Kingdom. Typically, buses run every 15-20 minutes.
• Ensure you arrive at the bus stop a few minutes earlier than the departure time to secure a spot, as these buses can become busy, especially during park opening and closing times.

Travel to Animal Kingdom

• Locate the bus service to Animal Kingdom specifically, as buses are destination-specific, including routes to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Disney Springs.
• Board the bus marked for Animal Kingdom. The journey from Disney’s Yacht Club Resort to Animal Kingdom usually takes around 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic within Walt Disney World.

Bus Features

• Enjoy comfortable seating and air conditioning on Disney buses.
• The bus service includes space for strollers and wheelchairs, ensuring accessibility for all guests.

Remember, the complimentary transportation by Disney World Transportation is a feature designed to enhance your resort experience, allowing you to travel to and from the theme parks effortlessly. Use this free Disney bus service to explore the magic of Walt Disney World without the added cost.

Can You Take Water Transportation From The Yacht Club?

There is no direct water transportation from the Yacht Club to the Animal Kingdom park. Guests staying at the Yacht Club can use bus services or other transportation options mentioned below to reach Animal Kingdom. Water transportation at the resort connects select resorts to nearby theme parks and Disney Springs, but Animal Kingdom is not accessible via water routes due to the Animal Kingdom park’s remote location and the layout of the waterways. To get to Animal Kingdom from the Yacht Club, use the complimentary bus service provided by Disney, which is specifically designed to transport guests between different parts of the resort, including Disney Springs, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach and theme parks.

Can You Take The Monorail From The Yacht Club to Animal Kingdom Park?

Unfortunately, the Yacht Club is not connected to the Monorail and the Monorail does not serve Animal Kingdom park. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t ride the Monorail during your stay! The monorail connects select destinations such as the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and nearby resorts, but not the Yacht Club or Animal Kingdom. During your visit make plans and reservations for dining at one of the resorts that on the Monorail line and you can use the Monorail to travel for your evening out! The monorail connects several opening-day resorts — the Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian — where you can experience the Resort Monorail. This travel method requires you to first take a bus from the Yacht Club to one of these hotels.

Remember, while the resorts connected via the Resort Monorail provide easy access to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, you will still need to use a bus or other Disney transportation options to reach Animal Kingdom. It’s important to plan for additional travel time due to transfers.

• Contemporary Resort: Here, the monorail glides through the main concourse. You can enjoy this experience by transferring from a Yacht Club bus.
• Polynesian Village Resort: The monorail station here is a short stroll from the main lobby. After arriving by bus, you can travel to other theme parks or resorts on the monorail loop.
• Grand Floridian Resort & Spa: This Victorian-style hotel is another stop on the Resort Monorail. Guests can switch from bus to monorail for a scenic route around the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Travel Tip: If you’re looking for the most efficient route to Animal Kingdom, it is to stay on the bus service directly linking the Yacht Club Resort to the park.

Can You Take The Disney Skyliner From The Yacht Club to Animal Kingdom park?

You cannot take the Disney Skyliner from the Yacht Club to Animal Kingdom Park. The Disney Skyliner is an aerial gondola system that connects select Walt Disney World Resort hotels with EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Yacht Club Resort, while being in proximity to Epcot, does not have a direct Skyliner route to Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is not served by the Disney Skyliner system.

However, you can use it to visit several other locations originating near Disney’s Yacht Club Resort area at the EPCOT International Gateway station.

While the Disney Skyliner does not provide direct service to Animal Kingdom, it does connect EPCOT and Hollywood Studios directly, with interchange routes to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Pop Century Resort, and Riviera Resort. To reach Animal Kingdom, you will disembark at the Hollywood Studios station and use a bus or other ground transportation options.

Walking Paths

No, despite the great ambitions of some of you to see how many steps you can get in, you cannot walk from the Yacht Club to Animal Kingdom Park. The distances between the Walt Disney World Resort hotels and the theme parks can be quite substantial, and the layout of the roads, as well as the natural geography of the area, do not support pedestrian access from the Yacht Club to Animal Kingdom. The resort is designed with specific pathways for walking and biking primarily within and between nearby resorts or attractions, not for long-distance travel across the entire property. Animal Kingdom is located several miles away from the Yacht Club, making walking impractical and unsafe due to the lack of designated pedestrian paths over such distances and the heavy vehicular traffic. Guests looking to travel from the Yacht Club to Animal Kingdom are encouraged to use the complimentary bus service or other Disney transportation options provided for convenience and safety.

Ride-Sharing Services

Ride-sharing services are transportation options that allow travelers to book a ride through a mobile application, which connects them with drivers who use their personal vehicles to take passengers to their desired locations. At Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, you will find that both Uber and Lyft operate as popular ride-sharing options. These services offer a convenient and efficient way for you to travel from the resort to Animal Kingdom, another theme park, or various attractions within the Disney World area.

To use ride-sharing services, follow these steps:

• Download the Lyft or Uber app to your smartphone and set up your account.
• After signing in, specify your pickup location at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and set your destination to Animal Kingdom.
• Select your preferred ride option; standard sedans usually accommodate up to 4 passengers, and larger vehicles are available for bigger groups.
• Confirm your ride and wait for your driver at the designated pickup location at the resort.

For guests traveling to Orlando International Airport, ride-sharing can be a cost-effective and straightforward travel option. The price for a ride varies based on the time of day, traffic conditions, and the type of vehicle you select. During peak times, when the demand for ride-shares increases, rates may be higher due to surge pricing. Remember to consider your travel budget and plan accordingly.

The convenience of ride-sharing services at Disney resort properties includes the benefit of not worrying about navigating unfamiliar roads, dealing with parking, or waiting for shuttle buses. With these services, you enjoy direct transportation to your destination while someone else manages the driving.

Taxi Services

Taxi services constitute a form of private transportation for guests seeking to travel from Disney’s Yacht Club Resort to Animal Kingdom. When leaving the resort, you can find a taxi at the designated guest area for pickups. These taxis are typically operated by Mears Taxi, a well-established transportation provider in the Orlando area.

Availability : Taxis are available 24/7.

• Request a taxi at the resort’s concierge desk or hail one from the taxi stand.
• Pre-schedule a ride by calling Mears Taxi directly.

Travel Time : Approximately 15-20 minutes to Animal Kingdom.

• Duration may vary based on traffic and time of day.

Costs : Fares are metered and subject to change.

• Estimate your fare in advance using the Mears Taxi fare calculator.
• Flexibility : Leave for the park at your own convenience without waiting for bus schedules.
• Speed : Direct route to Animal Kingdom without additional hotel stops.

For a personalized experience or if you are in a hurry, taxis offer a practical transportation option from your Disney resort to the Disney park. Remember to check for the latest fare information and availability before planning your trip.

Personal Vehicle Parking

Parking at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort follows specific regulations designed to provide convenience and orderliness for guests driving their personal vehicles. When you decide to travel from the resort to Animal Kingdom by car, you’ll find self-parking available for your use. Disney Resort guests are privy to the benefit of complimentary standard self-parking at the resort itself.

For your convenience, here is a breakdown of important considerations regarding personal vehicle parking:

• Location : Parking is located near the main entrance of the resort, ensuring easy access to your vehicle at all times.
• Cost : As a guest of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, standard self-parking at the resort is included in your stay at no additional charge.
• Transportation Options : In addition to driving, you have several complimentary transportation options to Disney parks, including bus service and boat transportation, which can enhance your experience by alleviating the need to drive and park at the parks.
• Disney Park Parking : When driving to Animal Kingdom, remember that standard parking at the theme park is not complimentary and is subject to a parking fee unless you are a Disney World Annual Passholder.
• Arrival : Arrive early to ensure the best parking spots and to reduce travel time to the park entrance.
• Remember Your Spot : Make a note of your parking section at Animal Kingdom to facilitate an effortless return to your car after a day of adventure.

Should you choose to use your personal vehicle throughout your stay, you’ll enjoy the ease of complimentary parking at the resort and have the choice to pay for parking at the Disney parks, unless other free parking options apply to you.

Minnie Van Service

Minnie Vans are private ride services exclusive to guests of Disney Resorts, including Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. These services offer direct and comfortable transportation to theme parks, like Animal Kingdom.

Available Options: You can book a Minnie Van via the Lyft mobile app. Availability extends from early morning to late night, ensuring flexibility for your visit to Animal Kingdom or other destinations.

Cost Efficiency: The Minnie Van service is a premium option, with pricing dependent on distance traveled. Remember, standard Lyft services may offer lower rates.

• Booking Your Ride: Start by opening the Lyft app when you’re ready to leave. Then, choose the Minnie Van service from the list of vehicle options.
• Convenience: Minnie Vans accommodate up to 6 guests and provide two versatile car seats for younger passengers. This option ensures a private, direct trip without additional stops.
• Resort Accessibility: In addition to Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Minnie Vans are also available at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Experience the themed vehicles, usually adorned with iconic polka dots that represent the character Minnie Mouse, adding a unique touch to your transport. These vans are driven by knowledgeable Disney Cast Members, contributing additional magic to your journey.

Duration: A trip from Disney’s Yacht Club Resort to Animal Kingdom typically lasts around 20 minutes, though times may vary based on traffic conditions.

Car Services

Car service is a private mode of ground transportation that offers personalized travel between locations. When staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, you have various car service options to enhance your travel experience to Animal Kingdom. These services range from standard sedans and town cars to more luxurious limousines.

Availability and Booking:

• Contact the concierge desk for availability.
• Choose from a selection of town cars, SUVs, or limousines.
• Reserve your preferred vehicle in advance.

Advantages of Car Services:

• Enjoy the comfort of a private, air-conditioned vehicle.
• Experience direct transportation without additional stops.
• Travel on your own schedule, suitable for early or late park hours.

Rates and Fees:

• Prices vary depending on the type of vehicle and length of the trip.
• Be aware that limousines and luxury vehicles incur higher charges.
• Ask about any applicable fees or charges during booking.

Guests seeking a more upscale travel experience can opt for luxury vehicles which come with additional amenities and comfort. Remember to confirm your travel arrangements at least 24 hours in advance to ensure vehicle availability. Guests staying at the resort who prefer not to drive themselves can rely on these services for efficient transport to Animal Kingdom.

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How to Get Yacht: Colors, Variants & Price

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Here you'll find how to get the Yacht from Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) for Nintendo Switch. Check out the Yacht's price, colors, and how to customize it below!

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How to Get Yacht

Yacht colors and variations, related guides, buy at nook's cranny.

The Yacht can be bought at Nook's Cranny for 260,000 Bells . Take note that, the shop will only stock just one variation for this item.

How to Unlock Nook's Cranny

Trade with Friends Online

If all else fails, you can trade for the Yacht with your fellow ACNH gamers! You can visit other islands to trade for items with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

You can also join our Message Board to meet with fellow Game8 users and trade for your favorite items!

Trade Message Board

Customization Information

Customize through diy.

Customize through Reese & Cyrus

Return to List of Housewares

Apparently it’s just a prop, can’t be used

I bought my yacht by purchasing it through Nook Shopping for 260,000 bells. Just bought it today but I’m wondering if i can actually step onto the yacht and sail. Anyone else have one that they have sailed?

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Yacht Club vs. Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney World Resort Guide 2023

By Wendy Leave a Comment

There are a LOT of options (well over 20 , in fact!) when it comes to choosing your Resort hotel for your Disney World vacation .

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Do you prefer being on “Island Time” or would you rather go back in time ? Are you looking for whimsical surroundings or are you considering something more sophisticated ? Would you like to stay near Magic Kingdom or perhaps closer to EPCOT ?

With so many choices, we’ve found it helpful to take things one at a time. Well, okay… technically we’re taking things TWO at a time as we compare TWO Disney World Resort hotels to help you get an idea of which might be right for you . So here we’re exploring both Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort .

We’re going to tackle this topic with help from  a few chosen categories: Common Ground, Theme/Rooms, Pools, Food,  and  Transportation . Let’s go!

Common Ground

So,  what do Animal Kingdom Lodge and Yacht Club Resort share in common ? For starters, they both fall into the highest category of Disney Resort hotels.  Categories are Value, Moderate, and Deluxe , and  both of these are Deluxe Resorts , so room sizes and guest perks are fairly comparable. (For instance, both are eligible for  Extended Evening Hours held at select theme parks on select nights, as this perk is exclusive to Deluxe Resort guests.)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Both offer close proximity to at least one of Disney World’s four theme parks : Animal Kingdom Lodge is closest to…  wait for it …  Disney’s Animal Kingdom . 😉 The Yacht Club Resort is closest to EPCOT , and also boasts a walking path to Disney’s Hollywood Studios .

Stroll by the water on your way to EPCOT

Prices for both of these Resorts are in a similar range; however,  you’ll find that Animal Kingdom Lodge is the slightly less costly option overall:

For the Yacht Club , for the cheapest  room at the  cheapest  time to visit, you can expect to pay around  $537 per night  (not accounting for any tax or current discounts), and it goes up to  $3,877 per night  (not accounting for any tax or current discounts) for the  most expensive  rooms at the  most expensive time to visit. (Based on 2023 rates.)

For the  Animal Kingdom Lodge , for the cheapest room at the cheapest time to visit, you can expect to pay around $469 per night (not accounting for any tax or current discounts), and it goes up to $3,792 per night (not accounting for any tax or current discounts) for the most expensive rooms at the most expensive time to visit. (Based on 2023 rates.)

Theme/Rooms

Yacht club resort.

First, let’s set sail towards   Disney’s Yacht Club Resort !

New England-style yacht clubs  serve as the inspiration for Disney’s own  Yacht Club Resort. 

Yacht Club Lobby

Deep blues and rich woods help to establish the classic nautical setting.

Disney’s Yacht Club

The Yacht Club is the  sister Resort to the  attached Beach Club Resort .

Yacht and Beach Club

Disney’s Yacht Club features  standard guest rooms with either 1 King Bed OR 1 King Bed and 1 Day Bed OR 2 Queen Beds OR 2 Queen Beds and 1 Day Bed,  as well as  Club Level Rooms  ( up to a 2 Bedroom Suite which sleeps up to 6 adults).

For standard rooms, guests may choose a Standard View, a Water View, or a Garden View.

Though there is an option for a Suite, we should note here that the Yacht Club does not offer Disney Vacation Club Villas (even though its sister Resort, Beach Club , does). So that is one difference from…

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Disney’s gorgeous  Animal Kingdom Lodge  is unlike any other in Walt Disney World — or anywhere else, for that matter. What truly sets this Resort apart are the  over 200 animals and birds  that  call the savannas of Animal Kingdom Lodge “home!”

As Disney shares, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge invites you into the “heart of Africa,” with four savannas housing over 200 hoofed animals from over 30 species and birds offering a truly stunning and unique feature of the Resort.

Giraffe at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Many activities offered at the Resort are entirely unique to Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Guests have several opportunities to interact with Cultural Representatives and Animal Specialists in fun, family-friendly programming .

Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Activities

While the savannas alone offer plenty of reasons to enjoy the Resort’s outdoor settings, the Resort also presents  “one of the largest collections of African art in the United States,”  according to Disney.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge features  standard guest rooms and Villas  in the main building,  Jambo Hous e, along with  options for rooms featuring Savanna views , as well as rooms with  Club Level Concierge services . Animal Kingdom Lodge also offers  Disney Vacation Club accommodations at Kidani Village , with villas ranging from basic studio rooms all the way up to multi-room villas  overlooking their own animal savanna.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Standard Room

Though not all rooms offer savanna views, many guests are thrilled to book this unique option, enjoying their morning coffee while watching giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, and more! And let’s face it… that’s pretty sweet!

You’ve likely noticed that we focused a LOT more on Animal Kingdom Lodge when it comes to theming. But it’s next to impossible to not be entirely WOWED by the incredibly immersive and unique feel of this special Resort. The Yacht Club is certainly lovely and has a wonderfully classic atmosphere; however, when it comes to theming there are just a select few Resorts that can go toe-to-toe with Animal Kingdom Lodge. And when it comes to room logistics, Animal Kingdom Lodge also presents more options thanks to the addition of Disney Vacation Club Villas. So this round is going to Animal Kingdom Lodge!

The Yacht Club has some serious bragging rights when it comes to  Stormalong Bay ! This 3-acre water recreation area is available  exclusively to both Yacht and Beach Club guests.

Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Beach Club

Seriously, Stormalong Bay is a destination all its own. This  pool complex is practically its own mini-water park , with sand at the bottom, a lazy river, 3 whirlpool spas, and a tanning deck!

Lazy River at Stormalong Bay

Kiddos (and adults) can take on the 230-footlong  ‘shipwrecked’ themed water slide , while Shipwreck pool with its own mini waterslide is available just for the little ones.

Stormalong Bay Water Slide

Oh, and guests who prefer a little more quiet can take advantage of any of the  3 additional leisure pools.

Guests can enjoy the spacious  Uzima Pool  (complete with a waterslide) at the Jambo House and the  Samawati Springs Pool  at Kidani Village. Each are accompanied by two whirlpool spas.

Uzima Springs is lovely, and, even though it is obviously a popular spot as the Resort’s main pool, it still somehow manages to feel like a relaxing oasis, due to aspects like the zero-entry wade-in and the lush greenery surrounding the area. It’s also incredibly roomy at 11,000 square feet.

Samawati Springs Pool also offers a fun waterslide. But the big boast here is  Uwanja Camp , which is an  “animal observation site-themed water playground”  featuring three zones complete with a rope bridge and water cannons!

Samawati Springs Pool

And guess what? Disney shares that this camp is made for “kids of all ages” (though do note that select areas are designated for specific ages)!

I do love a nice lounge by a relaxing pool like Uzima or Samawati Springs at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I mean, who doesn’t? But there is simply nothing like Stormalong Bay at any other Disney World hotel, so we’re giving this round to the Yacht Club !

Check out our video on the 10 BEST POOLS in Disney World!

Yacht club dining.

Guests at Yacht Club have a wide array of dining options to enjoy, from  a Signature steakhouse  to  Quick Service restaurants  to  relaxing lounges , and beyond!

Yachtsman Steakhouse

Yachtsman Steakhouse  delivers a  Signature Dining option to Yacht & Beach Club guests.

Filet Mignon

This craftsman-inspired dining room caters to all tastebuds with a variety of dishes, incredible sides, and amazing, cut-in-house steaks.

Ale & Compass Restaurant   is the  table service  component of the Ale & Market dining concept in Disney’s Yacht Club, which also includes  The Market at Ale & Compass  along with the refreshed  Ale & Compass Lounge .

Ale and Compass Restaurant

The atmosphere offers a  gastropub ambience while comfort food (New England-inspired) is featured  on the menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Simple convenience is the name of the game, with a focus on grab-and-go items at  The Market at Ale & Compass .

The Market at Ale & Compass

However, hot sandwiches, specialty desserts — and even a coffee bar — round out the options nicely.

Ale & Compass Lounge  is located just off the lobby of the Yacht Club.

Maple Old Fashioned at Ale & Compass Lounge

It’s an ideal spot to relax with a night cap while winding down for the evening, or to grab a bite or two from their substantial appetizer menu.

Crew’s Cup Lounge  is a favorite cozy spot of ours!

Crew’s Cup Lounge

Along with a full-service bar (featuring a wide selection of Single Malt Scotch), guests can also order select items from the full Yachtsman Steakhouse menu.

Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill  is the Pool Bar for Stormalong Bay!

Hurricane Hanna’s

Thankfully a few substantial entrees (like burgers and chicken nuggets) are on the menu along with the drinks, because you won’t want to leave this amazing pool area!

And remember,  all of the restaurants at Disney Beach Club Resort are easily accessible to Yacht Club guests ! These include:

• Cape May Cafe  (featuring buffet dining and a Character Breakfast)
• Beaches and Cream  (classic diner eats and MAMMOTH ice cream sundaes!)
• Beach Club Marketplace  (Quick Service options)
• Martha’s Vineyard (evening lounge)

But that’s not all… because  ALL of the dining options along Disney’s BoardWalk  are a quick stroll away , too!

Abracadabar on Disney’s BoardWalk

Click HERE for our Complete Guide to Eating at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts!

Animal kingdom lodge dining.

Guests at  Animal Kingdom Lodge  also have a wide array of dining choices, too, from  fine dining  to  quick service  to  relaxing lounges , and beyond! In fact, with all-you-care-to-eat dining options and fine signature dining, Animal Kingdom offers several of our favorite  Table Service (sit-down) restaurants  in all of Walt Disney World!

Bread Service at Sanaa

Boma   gives visitors the opportunity to sample a wide variety  African dishes  while also dining on  American favorites  during  breakfast or dinner .

Striped & Spiked Cold Brew at Boma

Jiko — The Cooking Place ,  the Lodge’s  Signature Restaurant , comes highly recommended if you enjoy excellent gourmet food in a lovely and tranquil atmosphere.

Sanaa , which means  “Work of Art” in Swahili , is a beautiful restaurant serving a  fusion of African and Indian cuisine  made with authentic cooking methods like slow-roasting and tandoori oven cooking. (You’ll find Sanaa in Kidani Village.)

Named after the Masai Mara National Reserve in Africa,  The Mara  is a  quick service restaurant  that’s sure to please all appetites with  a taste of Africa, as well as American favorites , for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Nyala Brownie from The Mara

Victoria Falls  is a relaxing oasis perched above  Animal Kingdom Lodge’s   Boma  restaurant. Enjoy a glass of  South African wine,  or indulge in your favorite  martini, beer or mixed drink .

Victoria Falls

Or just stop in on your way out for the evening to grab a quick bite from the  unique appetizer menu  including crisp breads and African dips, marinated olives, and more.

Tucked into the entrance of the Table Service restaurant,  Sanaa , the exotic ambiance of the  Sanaa Lounge  is the perfect setting before or after visiting the savanna overlooks at the Kidani Village.

Sanaa Lounge

With  dim lighting and cozy banquettes , this is an intimate watering hole with  specialty beverages, wine flights, and signature appetizers . (You can order Sanaa’s Indian-style Bread Service here, too.)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge offers several lovely respites, and among them is  Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar  located en route to the main dining room at the Resort’s signature restaurant,  Jiko — The Cooking Place .

Cape Town Lounge

This wine bar serves appetizers and pairings of African wines along with hand-crafted cocktails, dessert wines, and more.

The  Uzima Springs Pool Bar  is a relaxing oasis at the pool at Jambo House, complete with a thatched roof and surrounded by lush foliage.

African Sunset from Uzima Springs Pool Bar

Did you know that Maji is Swahili for “water”?

Maji Pool Bar

Luckily, the  Maji Pool Bar  at Kidani Village in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge serves other liquids as well: cocktails (served frozen and on the rocks), wine, and draft beer, including Safari Amber.

We chat about  the BEST Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants HERE .

I would love to hand you a clear winner here. But alas… no can do! Great options abound at both Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Yacht Club (though Yacht Club earns its place with thanks in no small part to its easy access to TWO more Deluxe Resort hotels and all of their dining options). So here it’s best to consider what YOU want the most from your dining options . Lots of variety? The Yacht Club is likely your better bet. Restaurants featuring unique flavors and dishes that you won’t find elsewhere? You might prefer Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Transportation

Like all Disney World Resort guests, Yacht Club and Animal Kingdom Lodge guests have access to free Disney World Resort transportation .

A  very rare perk is that, from the Yacht Club, guests have a short walk to get to EPCOT’s International Gateway  (between the park’s United Kingdom and France pavilions). Folks can also  walk to the connected Beach Club Resort, to the  Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels , and to all of the dining and shopping along  Disney’s BoardWalk .

Directions to Resorts and International Gateway

Yacht Club guests can also  walk along Crescent Lake to Disney’s Hollywood Studios ; however, due to the longer distance to Hollywood Studios, other forms of transportation to Hollywood Studios are provided. For instance, you can take a  Friendship Boat  down Crescent Lake to   Disney’s Hollywood Studios !

Yacht Club Marina

The Friendship Boat also makes stops at EPCOT, BoardWalk Inn, and the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels.

The International Gateway also hosts EPCOT’S  Disney Skyliner  Station. From EPCOT, the Skyliner has a stop at  Disney’s Riviera Resort  and continues  directly to  Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort  (which serves as the Skyliner Hub). From Caribbean Beach, it’s a simple  transfer to  Disney’s Hollywood Studios   (or to  Disney’s Pop Century  and  Art of Animation Resorts ).

Disney Skyliner EPCOT Station

And, of course, there is complimentary access to  Disney Bus Transportation  to and from Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom ,  the water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), and  Disney Springs .

Guests staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge have complimentary access to  Disney Bus Transportation  to and from all  four theme parks ( Magic Kingdom ,  EPCOT ,  Disney’s Hollywood Studios , and  Disney’s Animal Kingdom ), water parks, and  Disney Springs .

Animal Kingdom Loge Bus Stop

Aaaaand … that’s it. 😉 Though it is nice to know that the ride is very quick to get to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to aim for that first ride on  Avatar — Flight of Passage (and since Animal Kingdom typically opens — though it should be said, also closes — earlier than the other parks, that sure doesn’t hurt in the morning)! The flip side of that coin, however, is that Animal Kingdom Lodge is also that much farther away from the other three theme parks.

This one’s easy-peasy! We’re giving it the Yacht Club. 

The Winner!

“Aaaand the winner is”. .. whichever Resort YOU think it is for your group’s needs and desires. Since Yacht Club vibes are very different from Animal Kingdom Lodge’s atmosphere, you may have one that already jumps right out at you. If not, you might find it most helpful to consider your group’s park touring M.O. above other factors. If you plan on making the theme parks the focus of your vacation, Yacht Club Resort might be your best bet due to better transportation and close proximity to TWO theme parks. If you’re planning on soaking up the setting at your Resort, you honestly can’t go wrong with either choice… but Animal Kingdom Lodge offers the more unique experience.

Still have a Resort decision to make? If you’d like to check out some more Resort comparisons, feel free to click on any of the links below:

More Resorts versus Animal Kingdom Lodge

• Animal Kingdom Lodge vs. BoardWalk Inn Resort Guide
• Contemporary vs. Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Guide
• Grand Floridian vs Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Guide
• Polynesian Village vs. Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Guide
• Saratoga Springs vs. Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Guide
• Old Key West vs. Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Guide
• Wilderness Lodge vs. Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Guide

More Resorts versus Yacht Club Resort

• Contemporary vs. Yacht Club Resort Guide
• Grand Floridian vs. Yacht Club Resort Guide
• Polynesian Village vs. Yacht Club Resort Guide

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So book that trip now, then sit back and enjoy planning your Disney World Trip with a DFB-approved expert! Click here for a no obligation price quote today, and let them know DFB sent you 🙂

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Yacht Club or Animal Kingdom Lodge: Which would YOU choose? Please let us know with a comment!

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Luxury yachts and other myths: How Republican lawmakers echo Russian propaganda

Two senior Republican lawmakers, the chairs of the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees, say their colleagues are echoing Russian state propaganda against Ukraine.

Researchers who study disinformation say Reps. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, are merely acknowledging what has been clear for some time: Russian propaganda aimed at undermining U.S. and European support for Ukraine has steadily seeped into America’s political conversation over the past decade, taking on a life of its own.

McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Puck News he thinks “Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base.”

Turner, chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told CNN that anti-Ukraine messages from Russia are “being uttered on the House floor.”

For the past decade, since Russia’s first military incursion into Ukraine in 2014, Moscow has spread propaganda and disinformation in a bid to undercut U.S. and European military support for Ukraine, according to U.S. and Western officials.

Some of the arguments, distortions and falsehoods spread by Russia have taken root, mostly among right-wing pro-Trump outlets and Republican politicians, researchers say, including that Ukraine’s government is too corrupt to benefit from Western aid and that the Biden family has alleged corrupt ties to Ukraine.

Russia, in keeping with traditional propaganda techniques, seeks to make its case and tarnish Ukraine through a mixture of outright falsehoods, half-truths, inferences or simply amplifying and promoting arguments already being made by American or European commentators and politicians, researchers say.

The propaganda is sometimes spread covertly, through fake online accounts, or openly by Russian officials and state media. As a result, the origin of some allegations or criticisms is often opaque, especially when a certain accusation or perception has gained wide acceptance, leaving no clear fingerprints.

Early in the war, a false story boosted by Russian propaganda — that the U.S. had helped Ukraine build biological weapons labs — gained traction on right-wing social media and was touted by then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Russia also is conducting a parallel propaganda campaign in Europe. Belgium’s prime minister said Thursday that his government is investigating alleged Russian bribes to members of the European Parliament as part of Moscow’s campaign to undermine support for Ukraine. Czech law enforcement officials last month alleged that a former pro-Russian member of Ukraine’s parliament, Viktor Medvedchuk, was behind a Prague-based Russian propaganda network designed to promote opposition to aiding Ukraine.

Here are some examples of Republican lawmakers using arguments often promoted by Russian propaganda:

Buying yachts

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with members of Congress behind closed doors in December to appeal for more U.S. help for his country’s troops, some lawmakers raised questions about Ukraine allegedly buying yachts with American aid money.

Zelenskyy made clear that was not the case, according to Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a strong supporter of arming Ukraine. “I think the notion of corruption came up because some have said we can’t do it, because people will buy yachts with the money,” Tillis told CNN. “[Zelenskyy] disabused people of those notions.”

Where did the yacht rumor come from?

Pro-Russian actors and websites promoted a narrative alleging Zelenskyy bought two superyachts with U.S. aid dollars. One Russia-based propaganda site, DC Weekly , published a story last November that included photos of two luxury yachts, called Lucky Me and My Legacy , which it alleged were bought for $75 million.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a vocal opponent of military aid to Ukraine, in November retweeted a post about the alleged yacht purchase from the Strategic Culture Foundation, a Russian-based propaganda outlet directed by Russia’s intelligence services, according to the Treasury Department. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the organization, accusing it of spreading disinformation and interfering in U.S. elections.

Another outspoken critic of aid to Ukraine, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, also made a similar claim.

In a December interview with former President Donald Trump’s White House adviser Steve Bannon, Vance claimed that members of Congress wanted to cut Social Security benefits to provide more aid to Ukraine, and that money would allegedly be used for Zelenskyy’s ministers to “buy a bigger yacht.”

“There are people who would cut Social Security, throw our grandparents into poverty. Why? So that one of Zelenskyy’s ministers can buy a bigger yacht?” Vance said. “Kiss my ass, Steve. It’s not happening.”

The tale of Zelenskyy’s luxury yacht, however, turned out to be totally false . The yachts cited in the DC Weekly article remain up for sale , the owners told The Associated Press.

Two academics at Clemson University, disinformation researchers Darren Linvill and Patrick Warren, found that DC Weekly ran numerous stories copied from other sites that were rewritten by artificial intelligence engines. The articles had bylines with fake names along with headshots copied from other online sites. DC Weekly appeared to be a Russian effort to launder false information through a seemingly legitimate news site as part of an attempt to undermine U.S. support for Ukraine, according to the researchers .

Asked by reporters about Vance’s comments, Tillis said: “I think it’s bullshit. ...If you’re talking about giving money to Ukrainian ministers — total and unmitigated bullshit.”

Greene’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Vance’s spokesperson said the senator was making a rhetorical point about how he opposed sending U.S. assistance to what he sees as a corrupt country, but was not asserting the yacht stories online were accurate.

Vance’s office referred NBC News to an earlier response to the BBC on the same topic:

“For years, everyone in the West recognized that Ukraine was one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Somehow everyone forgot that just as we started sending them billions of dollars in foreign aid.”

Enabling ‘corruption’

Russian state media for years has painted Ukraine as deeply corrupt, and has argued that the U.S. and its allies are wasting money and military hardware by assisting such an allegedly corrupt government.

“This is absolutely a line that they have pushed, and then once it appears in the Western ecosystem, other [Russian] media picks it up and it gets recycled back,” said Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy.

This line of argument has gained traction partly because Ukraine does face a genuine corruption problem.

Russia’s effort to focus attention on corruption in Ukraine reflects a long-established propaganda method of using facts or partial truths to anchor a broader assertion or accusation, sometimes making a leap in logic, Schafer and other researchers said. Russia’s message amounts to: Ukraine is corrupt, therefore U.S. and Western aid will be stolen and wasted.

Schafer said it was ironic for Russia, a country mired in corruption and kleptocracy, to be leveling accusations about corruption.

Republican Rep. Mary Miller has said she strongly opposes more assistance for Ukraine because it amounts to sending cash to “corrupt oligarchs.”

“With Zelensky coming to DC this week to ask for more money, I will continue to vote AGAINST sending your tax $$ to corrupt oligarchs in Ukraine for a proxy war that could have ended in ‘22,” Miller wrote in a post on X in December.

The Illinois lawmaker also echoed another assertion that often appears in Russian media, that the Biden administration allegedly undermined efforts by Russia to avoid war with Ukraine.

 “A peace deal was on the table that [Ukraine] and [Russia] were both ready to sign, but Biden said NO,” she wrote.

There was in fact no proposed peace agreement that Russia and Ukraine were prepared to sign before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to U.S. and European officials. As Russian troops massed on the border of Ukraine, Western governments urged Russia not to invade and warned there would be economic and diplomatic consequences.

Reuters has reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a possible deal to avert a war that had been discussed with Kyiv by Russia’s envoy to Ukraine. The Kremlin said the report was inaccurate and has said Russia tried for years to arrive at an understanding with Ukraine.

As for corruption in Ukraine, Zelenskyy has vowed to tackle the problem, sacking senior officials in some recent cases. But some civil society groups have criticized his approach and Ukrainians say corruption is the country’s second-most serious problem, after the Russian invasion, according to a poll conducted last year.

In an annual survey, Transparency International said Ukraine made progress toward addressing the issue and now ranks 104th out of 180 countries on its Corruption Perceptions Index , climbing 12 places up from its previous ranking.

Ukraine is not alone among countries that receive U.S. and other foreign aid but struggle with corruption. Supporters of assisting Ukraine argue it would undermine America’s influence in the world and its humanitarian efforts if Washington withheld foreign aid from every country where there were reports of corruption.

Miller’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Biden family and Ukraine

Republicans have repeatedly alleged that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter have corrupt ties to Ukraine, and that they sought $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma to protect the firm from an investigation by Ukraine’s prosecutor general.

There is no credible evidence for the allegations. A key source for the accusations against the Bidens is a former FBI informant, Alexander Smirnov, who was arrested in February on federal charges of fabricating the bribery claims. Smirnov says he was fed information by Russian intelligence.

Republicans had heavily promoted Smirnov’s allegations against the Bidens, seeing them as crucial to a planned impeachment effort against the president that has since fizzled .

“In my estimation, that is probably the clearest example of Russian propaganda working its way into the American political system,” said Emerson Brooking, a resident senior fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council.

GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona cited the false bribery allegations in expressing his opposition to providing assistance to Ukraine.

“In exchange for … bribe money from Ukraine, Joe Biden has dished out over $100 billion in taxpayer money to fund the war in Ukraine. I will not assist this corruption by sending more money to the authoritarian Ukrainian regime,” Gosar said in a statement in October.

Gosar’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Dan De Luce is a reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. 

Syedah Asghar is a Capitol Hill researcher for NBC News and is based in Washington, D.C.