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73m James Bond-Inspired Superyacht 'Quantum of Solace' SOLD For $60 Million

By Heather Collier

Launched by Turquoise Yachts over a decade ago, the iconic 72.6m superyacht 'Quantum of Solace' has been sold once again and is due to be handed over to her new owner.

Listed for sale with Peter Thompson at Ahoy Club , FGI Yacht Group was also on hand to assist with Vice President Frank Grzeszczak Jr representing the buyer.

Quantum of Solace was previously owned by John Staluppi, Founder of Atlantic Auto Group. Staluppi has owned 21 yachts over the course of 30 years, all of which are named after the films in the James Bond Series.

Staluppi's second yacht, Octopussy , is officially the fastest superyacht in the world as of today, with a top speed of 61 mph (98 kph).

Upon her launch in 2012, she was the largest and most technologically advanced superyacht ever built by Turquoise Yachts . As one of the defining projects of the shipyard, she is still inspiring new designs there today.

H2 Yacht Design helped to collaborate on creating her strong graphic lines, flowing curves and an interior, which creates a clean and modern atmosphere when on board.

Built with steel hull and aluminium superstructure, her beam stretches across 12.23 metres to provide an open layout which introduces design elements such as her unique double-height atrium in the main salon.

Other such elements include the spa, which is positioned next to a sea platform which extends 90 degrees over the water to bring owners closer to the ocean. Here, those on board can make the most of a steamroom, shower, spa pool, treatment room and a spacious area for yoga. 

Spread over four levels, she is replete with a range of contemporary facilities including a built-in DJ booth, a touch-and-go helipad, and spacious living areas. On the lower deck, there is an expansive beach club with a fold-down door and access to the Asian-inspired spa.

These open spaces feature a relaxed, comfortable yet modern approach to interior styling, with a mixture of light woods and fabrics with contemporary furniture moving through the various characters of the yacht’s individual areas. Furnishes are highly elegant and rich, as one would expect from a James Bond tribute yacht.

Matching tenders sit in the lateral garages, equipped with cranes and hydraulically activated doors for easy launching and retrieval from water.

Several morel formal and informal dining areas can also be added, both indoors and outside, a private cinema, a small concert hall, and more areas for entertaining and socialising. 

Quantum of Solace offers accommodation for up to 12 guests in 6 cabins; consisting of a full-beam Owner’s suite as well as five guest cabins on the main deck. 

The owner’s suite is located on the upper deck and features his and hers bathrooms, two opulent dressing rooms and a balcony on either side. Six staterooms can be found on the main deck, all with walk-in closets and stunning interior design by H2 Yacht Design.

Superyachts.com would like to extend our congratulations to her new owner and all parties involved.

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Boat of the Week: This 238-Foot James Bond-Inspired Superyacht Would Make Q Proud

"quantum of solace" is the latest in serial yacht owner john staluppi's collection, all named after james bond movies., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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A wry smile from Hollywood actor Daniel Craig is all that is needed to summon the image of James Bond. But if you mention a 007-themed superyacht , it’s the name John Staluppi that springs to mind. The recognition is well-earned. The serial yacht owner’s latest 238-footer, Quantum of Solace, comes with designs that even Q would marvel at.

The Brooklyn-born businessman has owned 27 boats over the course of 30 years and has named each of his superyachts after a James Bond film. The 118-foot For Your Eyes Only , built in 1985 by Denison, marked a step change from Staluppi’s smaller fishing vessels and was the first motoryacht in the US to have a combination of MTU engines with water-jet propulsion.

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But it was his second 007-inspired yacht, Octopussy, that gave Staluppi fame outside the yachting world, and made the Bond names more than a gimmick. Built in 1988, the 144-foot Heesen had an earth-shattering top end of 61 mph—a speed that every other shipyard at the time said couldn’t be done. Octopussy immediately entered the record books as the world’s fastest yacht.

This superyacht is just one of four in the world to have a double-height atrium on the interior.  YPI

“That record was important to me because when you pull into any place there’s always a bigger boat or a prettier boat, but there’s not many people who can say, ‘Hey, this is the fastest yacht in the world,” Staluppi told Robb Report.

Over time, Staluppi has fine-tuned his requirements, saving adrenaline kicks for his cars, helicopters and jets. Today, he prefers his yachts to have a top speed of about 21 knots, transatlantic capability, and plenty of interior space. That’s exactly what Quantum of Solace provides.

Built by Turquoise in 2012, Quantum of Solace is one of just four yachts in the world to have a double-height atrium in the main salon. For Staluppi, who finds the excitement and gadgetry of Bond films a fitting association for his yachts, the design feature was a big draw. “I’ve never really seen that before and I just couldn’t imagine it. So that’s why I had to see the boat,” he says.

The contra-flow pool is another unusual feature that Q might have designed.  YPI

Staluppi bought the yacht almost “sight unseen” in 2019. “They were in Colombia and I said, ‘I’ll give you a $50,000 non-refundable deposit, bring the boat to the Bahamas on the way to Europe. If I like it, I’ll take it right on the spot. If I don’t, keep my $50,000,’” he recalls.

Staluppi liked the design a lot. Beyond the aesthetics, he is a pragmatist about his yachts. He noted that Quantum ’s garage was set up with user-friendly cranes, the beach club had door openings at water level. The boat also had a 16-foot contra-flow swimming pool “that you can actually swim in” and a professional DJ station on the sun deck that doubles up as a versatile heli-deck.

It’s also the first yacht that Staluppi and his wife have spent an unprecedented eight weeks aboard. When Covid-19 hit and his preferred cruising grounds of Europe closed, they traveled from Maine to Boston, around Nantucket and Greenport, and dropped anchor off of Martha’s Vineyard.

Over the years, Staluppi has moved from building super-fast superyachts to ones emphasizing space and comfort. 

“I’m the last guy that wants to anchor out, but this boat is just so stable you don’t even know you’re anchoring. I never thought I’d be able to do that,” he says.

Years of being intrinsically involved with the design, build and sale of so many yachts has made Staluppi a sought-after consultant for both owners and shipyards. In 1998, he launched his Millennium Super Yachts fleet, in which he built yachts to order. “It’s important to have a good design from the beginning, so you don’t have to have many changes,” he says. “Of course, that’s almost impossible. Anytime you build a boat, you know you’re going to have anything from $400,000 to $2 million in changes.”

From his personal builds, 2004’s World Is Not Enough is one of his favorites. “The truth of the matter is, World Is Not Enough was the fastest yacht that we’ve ever owned; it’s just nobody ever went up to that speed,” he says. Capable of 77 mph on paper, technical issues with the boat’s steering hampered its performance.

The laid-back but luxurious Beach Club and Spa areas would work well as a setting in a Bond movie. 

Spectre , built in 2019 by Benetti, came close to being his “perfect yacht,” but the top deck felt too small for Staluppi’s liking. By the time he realized that was the case, the build was too far along. Now, the serial yacht owner is focusing on his next project, which promises to have a multitude of Bond gadgets.

“I always say this is the last boat I’m building and then I’m building a new boat again,” Staluppi says. “Sometimes I get the urge to build a fast yacht again, but you give up a lot of luxury, and now I’m more into having a nice bottle of wine and a meal on board. If I want to go fast, I have a 92-foot Pershing for that.”

The sense of space throughout Quantum of Solace ‘s interior was a key feature for Staluppi, who bought the yacht virtually sight unseen. 

Staluppi has listed Quantum of Solace for $58 million with Yachting Partners International to make space for the new unbuilt yacht. The Turquoise-built yacht is actually the second with the same name. Staluppi made the decision name it Quantum of Solace , after the then-latest Bond movie, No Time To Die, was released. “I didn’t want to have a boat named that,” he says.

Speaking of which, does knowing that his yachts will always have to be connected to a 007 movie title ever bother Staluppi? “No,” he says. “I kind of enjoy it.”

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The Haves and the Have-Yachts

By Evan Osnos

In the Victorian era, it was said that the length of a man’s boat, in feet, should match his age, in years. The Victorians would have had some questions at the fortieth annual Palm Beach International Boat Show, which convened this March on Florida’s Gold Coast. A typical offering: a two-hundred-and-three-foot superyacht named Sea Owl, selling secondhand for ninety million dollars. The owner, Robert Mercer, the hedge-fund tycoon and Republican donor, was throwing in furniture and accessories, including several auxiliary boats, a Steinway piano, a variety of frescoes, and a security system that requires fingerprint recognition. Nevertheless, Mercer’s package was a modest one; the largest superyachts are more than five hundred feet, on a scale with naval destroyers, and cost six or seven times what he was asking.

For the small, tight-lipped community around the world’s biggest yachts, the Palm Beach show has the promising air of spring training. On the cusp of the summer season, it affords brokers and builders and owners (or attendants from their family offices) a chance to huddle over the latest merchandise and to gather intelligence: Who’s getting in? Who’s getting out? And, most pressingly, who’s ogling a bigger boat?

On the docks, brokers parse the crowd according to a taxonomy of potential. Guests asking for tours face a gantlet of greeters, trained to distinguish “superrich clients” from “ineligible visitors,” in the words of Emma Spence, a former greeter at the Palm Beach show. Spence looked for promising clues (the right shoes, jewelry, pets) as well as for red flags (cameras, ornate business cards, clothes with pop-culture references). For greeters from elsewhere, Palm Beach is a challenging assignment. Unlike in Europe, where money can still produce some visible tells—Hunter Wellies, a Barbour jacket—the habits of wealth in Florida offer little that’s reliable. One colleague resorted to binoculars, to spot a passerby with a hundred-thousand-dollar watch. According to Spence, people judged to have insufficient buying power are quietly marked for “dissuasion.”

For the uninitiated, a pleasure boat the length of a football field can be bewildering. Andy Cohen, the talk-show host, recalled his first visit to a superyacht owned by the media mogul Barry Diller: “I was like the Beverly Hillbillies.” The boats have grown so vast that some owners place unique works of art outside the elevator on each deck, so that lost guests don’t barge into the wrong stateroom.

At the Palm Beach show, I lingered in front of a gracious vessel called Namasté, until I was dissuaded by a wooden placard: “Private yacht, no boarding, no paparazzi.” In a nearby berth was a two-hundred-and-eighty-foot superyacht called Bold, which was styled like a warship, with its own helicopter hangar, three Sea-Doos, two sailboats, and a color scheme of gunmetal gray. The rugged look is a trend; “explorer” vessels, equipped to handle remote journeys, are the sport-utility vehicles of yachting.

If you hail from the realm of ineligible visitors, you may not be aware that we are living through the “greatest boom in the yacht business that’s ever existed,” as Bob Denison—whose firm, Denison Yachting, is one of the world’s largest brokers—told me. “Every broker, every builder, up and down the docks, is having some of the best years they’ve ever experienced.” In 2021, the industry sold a record eight hundred and eighty-seven superyachts worldwide, nearly twice the previous year’s total. With more than a thousand new superyachts on order, shipyards are so backed up that clients unaccustomed to being told no have been shunted to waiting lists.

One reason for the increased demand for yachts is the pandemic. Some buyers invoke social distancing; others, an existential awakening. John Staluppi, of Palm Beach Gardens, who made a fortune from car dealerships, is looking to upgrade from his current, sixty-million-dollar yacht. “When you’re forty or fifty years old, you say, ‘I’ve got plenty of time,’ ” he told me. But, at seventy-five, he is ready to throw in an extra fifteen million if it will spare him three years of waiting. “Is your life worth five million dollars a year? I think so,” he said. A deeper reason for the demand is the widening imbalance of wealth. Since 1990, the United States’ supply of billionaires has increased from sixty-six to more than seven hundred, even as the median hourly wage has risen only twenty per cent. In that time, the number of truly giant yachts—those longer than two hundred and fifty feet—has climbed from less than ten to more than a hundred and seventy. Raphael Sauleau, the C.E.O. of Fraser Yachts, told me bluntly, “ COVID and wealth—a perfect storm for us.”

And yet the marina in Palm Beach was thrumming with anxiety. Ever since the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, launched his assault on Ukraine, the superyacht world has come under scrutiny. At a port in Spain, a Ukrainian engineer named Taras Ostapchuk, working aboard a ship that he said was owned by a Russian arms dealer, threw open the sea valves and tried to sink it to the bottom of the harbor. Under arrest, he told a judge, “I would do it again.” Then he returned to Ukraine and joined the military. Western allies, in the hope of pressuring Putin to withdraw, have sought to cut off Russian oligarchs from businesses and luxuries abroad. “We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,” President Joe Biden declared, in his State of the Union address.

Nobody can say precisely how many of Putin’s associates own superyachts—known to professionals as “white boats”—because the white-boat world is notoriously opaque. Owners tend to hide behind shell companies, registered in obscure tax havens, attended by private bankers and lawyers. But, with unusual alacrity, authorities have used subpoenas and police powers to freeze boats suspected of having links to the Russian élite. In Spain, the government detained a hundred-and-fifty-million-dollar yacht associated with Sergei Chemezov, the head of the conglomerate Rostec, whose bond with Putin reaches back to their time as K.G.B. officers in East Germany. (As in many cases, the boat is not registered to Chemezov; the official owner is a shell company connected to his stepdaughter, a teacher whose salary is likely about twenty-two hundred dollars a month.) In Germany, authorities impounded the world’s most voluminous yacht, Dilbar, for its ties to the mining-and-telecom tycoon Alisher Usmanov. And in Italy police have grabbed a veritable armada, including a boat owned by one of Russia’s richest men, Alexei Mordashov, and a colossus suspected of belonging to Putin himself, the four-hundred-and-fifty-nine-foot Scheherazade.

In Palm Beach, the yachting community worried that the same scrutiny might be applied to them. “Say your superyacht is in Asia, and there’s some big conflict where China invades Taiwan,” Denison told me. “China could spin it as ‘Look at these American oligarchs!’ ” He wondered if the seizures of superyachts marked a growing political animus toward the very rich. “Whenever things are economically or politically disruptive,” he said, “it’s hard to justify taking an insane amount of money and just putting it into something that costs a lot to maintain, depreciates, and is only used for having a good time.”

Nobody pretends that a superyacht is a productive place to stash your wealth. In a column this spring headlined “ A SUPERYACHT IS A TERRIBLE ASSET ,” the Financial Times observed, “Owning a superyacht is like owning a stack of 10 Van Goghs, only you are holding them over your head as you tread water, trying to keep them dry.”

Not so long ago, status transactions among the élite were denominated in Old Masters and in the sculptures of the Italian Renaissance. Joseph Duveen, the dominant art dealer of the early twentieth century, kept the oligarchs of his day—Andrew Mellon, Jules Bache, J. P. Morgan—jockeying over Donatellos and Van Dycks. “When you pay high for the priceless,” he liked to say, “you’re getting it cheap.”

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In the nineteen-fifties, the height of aspirational style was fine French furniture—F.F.F., as it became known in certain precincts of Fifth Avenue and Palm Beach. Before long, more and more money was going airborne. Hugh Hefner, a pioneer in the private-jet era, decked out a plane he called Big Bunny, where he entertained Elvis Presley, Raquel Welch, and James Caan. The oil baron Armand Hammer circled the globe on his Boeing 727, paying bribes and recording evidence on microphones hidden in his cufflinks. But, once it seemed that every plutocrat had a plane, the thrill was gone.

In any case, an airplane is just transportation. A big ship is a floating manse, with a hierarchy written right into the nomenclature. If it has a crew working aboard, it’s a yacht. If it’s more than ninety-eight feet, it’s a superyacht. After that, definitions are debated, but people generally agree that anything more than two hundred and thirty feet is a megayacht, and more than two hundred and ninety-five is a gigayacht. The world contains about fifty-four hundred superyachts, and about a hundred gigayachts.

For the moment, a gigayacht is the most expensive item that our species has figured out how to own. In 2019, the hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin bought a quadruplex on Central Park South for two hundred and forty million dollars, the highest price ever paid for a home in America. In May, an unknown buyer spent about a hundred and ninety-five million on an Andy Warhol silk-screen portrait of Marilyn Monroe. In luxury-yacht terms, those are ordinary numbers. “There are a lot of boats in build well over two hundred and fifty million dollars,” Jamie Edmiston, a broker in Monaco and London, told me. His buyers are getting younger and more inclined to spend long stretches at sea. “High-speed Internet, telephony, modern communications have made working easier,” he said. “Plus, people made a lot more money earlier in life.”

A Silicon Valley C.E.O. told me that one appeal of boats is that they can “absorb the most excess capital.” He explained, “Rationally, it would seem to make sense for people to spend half a billion dollars on their house and then fifty million on the boat that they’re on for two weeks a year, right? But it’s gone the other way. People don’t want to live in a hundred-thousand-square-foot house. Optically, it’s weird. But a half-billion-dollar boat, actually, is quite nice.” Staluppi, of Palm Beach Gardens, is content to spend three or four times as much on his yachts as on his homes. Part of the appeal is flexibility. “If you’re on your boat and you don’t like your neighbor, you tell the captain, ‘Let’s go to a different place,’ ” he said. On land, escaping a bad neighbor requires more work: “You got to try and buy him out or make it uncomfortable or something.” The preference for sea-based investment has altered the proportions of taste. Until recently, the Silicon Valley C.E.O. said, “a fifty-metre boat was considered a good-sized boat. Now that would be a little bit embarrassing.” In the past twenty years, the length of the average luxury yacht has grown by a third, to a hundred and sixty feet.

Thorstein Veblen, the economist who published “The Theory of the Leisure Class,” in 1899, argued that the power of “conspicuous consumption” sprang not from artful finery but from sheer needlessness. “In order to be reputable,” he wrote, “it must be wasteful.” In the yachting world, stories circulate about exotic deliveries by helicopter or seaplane: Dom Pérignon, bagels from Zabar’s, sex workers, a rare melon from the island of Hokkaido. The industry excels at selling you things that you didn’t know you needed. When you flip through the yachting press, it’s easy to wonder how you’ve gone this long without a personal submarine, or a cryosauna that “blasts you with cold” down to minus one hundred and ten degrees Celsius, or the full menagerie of “exclusive leathers,” such as eel and stingray.

But these shrines to excess capital exist in a conditional state of visibility: they are meant to be unmistakable to a slender stratum of society—and all but unseen by everyone else. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the yachting community was straining to manage its reputation as a gusher of carbon emissions (one well-stocked diesel yacht is estimated to produce as much greenhouse gas as fifteen hundred passenger cars), not to mention the fact that the world of white boats is overwhelmingly white. In a candid aside to a French documentarian, the American yachtsman Bill Duker said, “If the rest of the world learns what it’s like to live on a yacht like this, they’re gonna bring back the guillotine.” The Dutch press recently reported that Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, was building a sailing yacht so tall that the city of Rotterdam might temporarily dismantle a bridge that had survived the Nazis in order to let the boat pass to the open sea. Rotterdammers were not pleased. On Facebook, a local man urged people to “take a box of rotten eggs with you and let’s throw them en masse at Jeff’s superyacht when it sails through.” At least thirteen thousand people expressed interest. Amid the uproar, a deputy mayor announced that the dismantling plan had been abandoned “for the time being.” (Bezos modelled his yacht partly on one owned by his friend Barry Diller, who has hosted him many times. The appreciation eventually extended to personnel, and Bezos hired one of Diller’s captains.)

As social media has heightened the scrutiny of extraordinary wealth, some of the very people who created those platforms have sought less observable places to spend it. But they occasionally indulge in some coded provocation. In 2006, when the venture capitalist Tom Perkins unveiled his boat in Istanbul, most passersby saw it adorned in colorful flags, but people who could read semaphore were able to make out a message: “Rarely does one have the privilege to witness vulgar ostentation displayed on such a scale.” As a longtime owner told me, “If you don’t have some guilt about it, you’re a rat.”

Alex Finley, a former C.I.A. officer who has seen yachts proliferate near her home in Barcelona, has weighed the superyacht era and its discontents in writings and on Twitter, using the hashtag #YachtWatch. “To me, the yachts are not just yachts,” she told me. “In Russia’s case, these are the embodiment of oligarchs helping a dictator destabilize our democracy while utilizing our democracy to their benefit.” But, Finley added, it’s a mistake to think the toxic symbolism applies only to Russia. “The yachts tell a whole story about a Faustian capitalism—this idea that we’re ready to sell democracy for short-term profit,” she said. “They’re registered offshore. They use every loophole that we’ve put in place for illicit money and tax havens. So they play a role in this battle, writ large, between autocracy and democracy.”

After a morning on the docks at the Palm Beach show, I headed to a more secluded marina nearby, which had been set aside for what an attendant called “the really big hardware.” It felt less like a trade show than like a boutique resort, with a swimming pool and a terrace restaurant. Kevin Merrigan, a relaxed Californian with horn-rimmed glasses and a high forehead pinked by the sun, was waiting for me at the stern of Unbridled, a superyacht with a brilliant blue hull that gave it the feel of a personal cruise ship. He invited me to the bridge deck, where a giant screen showed silent video of dolphins at play.

Merrigan is the chairman of the brokerage Northrop & Johnson, which has ridden the tide of growing boats and wealth since 1949. Lounging on a sofa mounded with throw pillows, he projected a nearly postcoital level of contentment. He had recently sold the boat we were on, accepted an offer for a behemoth beside us, and begun negotiating the sale of yet another. “This client owns three big yachts,” he said. “It’s a hobby for him. We’re at a hundred and ninety-one feet now, and last night he said, ‘You know, what do you think about getting a two hundred and fifty?’ ” Merrigan laughed. “And I was, like, ‘Can’t you just have dinner?’ ”

Among yacht owners, there are some unwritten rules of stratification: a Dutch-built boat will hold its value better than an Italian; a custom design will likely get more respect than a “series yacht”; and, if you want to disparage another man’s boat, say that it looks like a wedding cake. But, in the end, nothing says as much about a yacht, or its owner, as the delicate matter of L.O.A.—length over all.

The imperative is not usually length for length’s sake (though the longtime owner told me that at times there is an aspect of “phallic sizing”). “L.O.A.” is a byword for grandeur. In most cases, pleasure yachts are permitted to carry no more than twelve passengers, a rule set by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, which was conceived after the sinking of the Titanic. But those limits do not apply to crew. “So, you might have anything between twelve and fifty crew looking after those twelve guests,” Edmiston, the broker, said. “It’s a level of service you cannot really contemplate until you’ve been fortunate enough to experience it.”

As yachts have grown more capacious, and the limits on passengers have not, more and more space on board has been devoted to staff and to novelties. The latest fashions include IMAX theatres, hospital equipment that tests for dozens of pathogens, and ski rooms where guests can suit up for a helicopter trip to a mountaintop. The longtime owner, who had returned the previous day from his yacht, told me, “No one today—except for assholes and ridiculous people—lives on land in what you would call a deep and broad luxe life. Yes, people have nice houses and all of that, but it’s unlikely that the ratio of staff to them is what it is on a boat.” After a moment, he added, “Boats are the last place that I think you can get away with it.”

Even among the truly rich, there is a gap between the haves and the have-yachts. One boating guest told me about a conversation with a famous friend who keeps one of the world’s largest yachts. “He said, ‘The boat is the last vestige of what real wealth can do.’ What he meant is, You have a chef, and I have a chef. You have a driver, and I have a driver. You can fly privately, and I fly privately. So, the one place where I can make clear to the world that I am in a different fucking category than you is the boat.”

After Merrigan and I took a tour of Unbridled, he led me out to a waiting tender, staffed by a crew member with an earpiece on a coil. The tender, Merrigan said, would ferry me back to the busy main dock of the Palm Beach show. We bounced across the waves under a pristine sky, and pulled into the marina, where my fellow-gawkers were still trying to talk their way past the greeters. As I walked back into the scrum, Namasté was still there, but it looked smaller than I remembered.

For owners and their guests, a white boat provides a discreet marketplace for the exchange of trust, patronage, and validation. To diagram the precise workings of that trade—the customs and anxieties, strategies and slights—I talked to Brendan O’Shannassy, a veteran captain who is a curator of white-boat lore. Raised in Western Australia, O’Shannassy joined the Navy as a young man, and eventually found his way to skippering some of the world’s biggest yachts. He has worked for Paul Allen, the late co-founder of Microsoft, along with a few other billionaires he declines to name. Now in his early fifties, with patient green eyes and tufts of curly brown hair, O’Shannassy has had a vantage from which to monitor the social traffic. “It’s all gracious, and everyone’s kiss-kiss,” he said. “But there’s a lot going on in the background.”

O’Shannassy once worked for an owner who limited the number of newspapers on board, so that he could watch his guests wait and squirm. “It was a mind game amongst the billionaires. There were six couples, and three newspapers,” he said, adding, “They were ranking themselves constantly.” On some boats, O’Shannassy has found himself playing host in the awkward minutes after guests arrive. “A lot of them are savants, but some are very un-socially aware,” he said. “They need someone to be social and charming for them.” Once everyone settles in, O’Shannassy has learned, there is often a subtle shift, when a mogul or a politician or a pop star starts to loosen up in ways that are rarely possible on land. “Your security is relaxed—they’re not on your hip,” he said. “You’re not worried about paparazzi. So you’ve got all this extra space, both mental and physical.”

O’Shannassy has come to see big boats as a space where powerful “solar systems” converge and combine. “It is implicit in every interaction that their sharing of information will benefit both parties; it is an obsession with billionaires to do favours for each other. A referral, an introduction, an insight—it all matters,” he wrote in “Superyacht Captain,” a new memoir. A guest told O’Shannassy that, after a lavish display of hospitality, he finally understood the business case for buying a boat. “One deal secured on board will pay it all back many times over,” the guest said, “and it is pretty hard to say no after your kids have been hosted so well for a week.”

Take the case of David Geffen, the former music and film executive. He is long retired, but he hosts friends (and potential friends) on the four-hundred-and-fifty-four-foot Rising Sun, which has a double-height cinema, a spa and salon, and a staff of fifty-seven. In 2017, shortly after Barack and Michelle Obama departed the White House, they were photographed on Geffen’s boat in French Polynesia, accompanied by Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, and Rita Wilson. For Geffen, the boat keeps him connected to the upper echelons of power. There are wealthier Americans, but not many of them have a boat so delectable that it can induce both a Democratic President and the workingman’s crooner to risk the aroma of hypocrisy.

The binding effect pays dividends for guests, too. Once people reach a certain level of fame, they tend to conclude that its greatest advantage is access. Spend a week at sea together, lingering over meals, observing one another floundering on a paddleboard, and you have something of value for years to come. Call to ask for an investment, an introduction, an internship for a wayward nephew, and you’ll at least get the call returned. It’s a mutually reinforcing circle of validation: she’s here, I’m here, we’re here.

But, if you want to get invited back, you are wise to remember your part of the bargain. If you work with movie stars, bring fresh gossip. If you’re on Wall Street, bring an insight or two. Don’t make the transaction obvious, but don’t forget why you’re there. “When I see the guest list,” O’Shannassy wrote, “I am aware, even if not all names are familiar, that all have been chosen for a purpose.”

For O’Shannassy, there is something comforting about the status anxieties of people who have everything. He recalled a visit to the Italian island of Sardinia, where his employer asked him for a tour of the boats nearby. Riding together on a tender, they passed one colossus after another, some twice the size of the owner’s superyacht. Eventually, the man cut the excursion short. “Take me back to my yacht, please,” he said. They motored in silence for a while. “There was a time when my yacht was the most beautiful in the bay,” he said at last. “How do I keep up with this new money?”

The summer season in the Mediterranean cranks up in May, when the really big hardware heads east from Florida and the Caribbean to escape the coming hurricanes, and reconvenes along the coasts of France, Italy, and Spain. At the center is the Principality of Monaco, the sun-washed tax haven that calls itself the “world’s capital of advanced yachting.” In Monaco, which is among the richest countries on earth, superyachts bob in the marina like bath toys.

The nearest hotel room at a price that would not get me fired was an Airbnb over the border with France. But an acquaintance put me on the phone with the Yacht Club de Monaco, a members-only establishment created by the late monarch His Serene Highness Prince Rainier III, whom the Web site describes as “a true visionary in every respect.” The club occasionally rents rooms—“cabins,” as they’re called—to visitors in town on yacht-related matters. Claudia Batthyany, the elegant director of special projects, showed me to my cabin and later explained that the club does not aspire to be a hotel. “We are an association ,” she said. “Otherwise, it becomes”—she gave a gentle wince—“not that exclusive.”

Inside my cabin, I quickly came to understand that I would never be fully satisfied anywhere else again. The space was silent and aromatically upscale, bathed in soft sunlight that swept through a wall of glass overlooking the water. If I was getting a sudden rush of the onboard experience, that was no accident. The clubhouse was designed by the British architect Lord Norman Foster to evoke the opulent indulgence of ocean liners of the interwar years, like the Queen Mary. I found a handwritten welcome note, on embossed club stationery, set alongside an orchid and an assemblage of chocolate truffles: “The whole team remains at your entire disposal to make your stay a wonderful experience. Yours sincerely, Service Members.” I saluted the nameless Service Members, toiling for the comfort of their guests. Looking out at the water, I thought, intrusively, of a line from Santiago, Hemingway’s old man of the sea. “Do not think about sin,” he told himself. “It is much too late for that and there are people who are paid to do it.”

I had been assured that the Service Members would cheerfully bring dinner, as they might on board, but I was eager to see more of my surroundings. I consulted the club’s summer dress code. It called for white trousers and a blue blazer, and it discouraged improvisation: “No pocket handkerchief is to be worn above the top breast-pocket bearing the Club’s coat of arms.” The handkerchief rule seemed navigable, but I did not possess white trousers, so I skirted the lobby and took refuge in the bar. At a table behind me, a man with flushed cheeks and a British accent had a head start. “You’re a shitty negotiator,” he told another man, with a laugh. “Maybe sales is not your game.” A few seats away, an American woman was explaining to a foreign friend how to talk with conservatives: “If they say, ‘The earth is flat,’ you say, ‘Well, I’ve sailed around it, so I’m not so sure about that.’ ”

In the morning, I had an appointment for coffee with Gaëlle Tallarida, the managing director of the Monaco Yacht Show, which the Daily Mail has called the “most shamelessly ostentatious display of yachts in the world.” Tallarida was not born to that milieu; she grew up on the French side of the border, swimming at public beaches with a view of boats sailing from the marina. But she had a knack for highly organized spectacle. While getting a business degree, she worked on a student theatre festival and found it thrilling. Afterward, she got a job in corporate events, and in 1998 she was hired at the yacht show as a trainee.

With this year’s show five months off, Tallarida was already getting calls about what she described as “the most complex part of my work”: deciding which owners get the most desirable spots in the marina. “As you can imagine, they’ve got very big egos,” she said. “On top of that, I’m a woman. They are sometimes arriving and saying”—she pointed into the distance, pantomiming a decree—“ ‘O.K., I want that!  ’ ”

Just about everyone wants his superyacht to be viewed from the side, so that its full splendor is visible. Most harbors, however, have a limited number of berths with a side view; in Monaco, there are only twelve, with prime spots arrayed along a concrete dike across from the club. “We reserve the dike for the biggest yachts,” Tallarida said. But try telling that to a man who blew his fortune on a small superyacht.

Whenever possible, Tallarida presents her verdicts as a matter of safety: the layout must insure that “in case of an emergency, any boat can go out.” If owners insist on preferential placement, she encourages a yachting version of the Golden Rule: “What if, next year, I do that to you? Against you?”

Does that work? I asked. She shrugged. “They say, ‘Eh.’ ” Some would gladly risk being a victim next year in order to be a victor now. In the most awful moment of her career, she said, a man who was unhappy with his berth berated her face to face. “I was in the office, feeling like a little girl, with my daddy shouting at me. I said, ‘O.K., O.K., I’m going to give you the spot.’ ”

Securing just the right place, it must be said, carries value. Back at the yacht club, I was on my terrace, enjoying the latest delivery by the Service Members—an airy French omelette and a glass of preternaturally fresh orange juice. I thought guiltily of my wife, at home with our kids, who had sent a text overnight alerting me to a maintenance issue that she described as “a toilet debacle.”

Then I was distracted by the sight of a man on a yacht in the marina below. He was staring up at me. I went back to my brunch, but, when I looked again, there he was—a middle-aged man, on a mid-tier yacht, juiceless, on a greige banquette, staring up at my perfect terrace. A surprising sensation started in my chest and moved outward like a warm glow: the unmistakable pang of superiority.

That afternoon, I made my way to the bar, to meet the yacht club’s general secretary, Bernard d’Alessandri, for a history lesson. The general secretary was up to code: white trousers, blue blazer, club crest over the heart. He has silver hair, black eyebrows, and a tan that evokes high-end leather. “I was a sailing teacher before this,” he said, and gestured toward the marina. “It was not like this. It was a village.”

Before there were yacht clubs, there were jachten , from the Dutch word for “hunt.” In the seventeenth century, wealthy residents of Amsterdam created fast-moving boats to meet incoming cargo ships before they hit port, in order to check out the merchandise. Soon, the Dutch owners were racing one another, and yachting spread across Europe. After a visit to Holland in 1697, Peter the Great returned to Russia with a zeal for pleasure craft, and he later opened Nevsky Flot, one of the world’s first yacht clubs, in St. Petersburg.

For a while, many of the biggest yachts were symbols of state power. In 1863, the viceroy of Egypt, Isma’il Pasha, ordered up a steel leviathan called El Mahrousa, which was the world’s longest yacht for a remarkable hundred and nineteen years, until the title was claimed by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. In the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt received guests aboard the U.S.S. Potomac, which had a false smokestack containing a hidden elevator, so that the President could move by wheelchair between decks.

But yachts were finding new patrons outside politics. In 1954, the Greek shipping baron Aristotle Onassis bought a Canadian Navy frigate and spent four million dollars turning it into Christina O, which served as his home for months on end—and, at various times, as a home to his companions Maria Callas, Greta Garbo, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Christina O had its flourishes—a Renoir in the master suite, a swimming pool with a mosaic bottom that rose to become a dance floor—but none were more distinctive than the appointments in the bar, which included whales’ teeth carved into pornographic scenes from the Odyssey and stools upholstered in whale foreskins.

For Onassis, the extraordinary investments in Christina O were part of an epic tit for tat with his archrival, Stavros Niarchos, a fellow shipping tycoon, which was so entrenched that it continued even after Onassis’s death, in 1975. Six years later, Niarchos launched a yacht fifty-five feet longer than Christina O: Atlantis II, which featured a swimming pool on a gyroscope so that the water would not slosh in heavy seas. Atlantis II, now moored in Monaco, sat before the general secretary and me as we talked.

Over the years, d’Alessandri had watched waves of new buyers arrive from one industry after another. “First, it was the oil. After, it was the telecommunications. Now, they are making money with crypto,” he said. “And, each time, it’s another size of the boat, another design.” What began as symbols of state power had come to represent more diffuse aristocracies—the fortunes built on carbon, capital, and data that migrated across borders. As early as 1908, the English writer G. K. Chesterton wondered what the big boats foretold of a nation’s fabric. “The poor man really has a stake in the country,” he wrote. “The rich man hasn’t; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht.”

Each iteration of fortune left its imprint on the industry. Sheikhs, who tend to cruise in the world’s hottest places, wanted baroque indoor spaces and were uninterested in sundecks. Silicon Valley favored acres of beige, more Sonoma than Saudi. And buyers from Eastern Europe became so abundant that shipyards perfected the onboard banya , a traditional Russian sauna stocked with birch and eucalyptus. The collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1991, had minted a generation of new billionaires, whose approach to money inspired a popular Russian joke: One oligarch brags to another, “Look at this new tie. It cost me two hundred bucks!” To which the other replies, “You moron. You could’ve bought the same one for a thousand!”

In 1998, around the time that the Russian economy imploded, the young tycoon Roman Abramovich reportedly bought a secondhand yacht called Sussurro—Italian for “whisper”—which had been so carefully engineered for speed that each individual screw was weighed before installation. Soon, Russians were competing to own the costliest ships. “If the most expensive yacht in the world was small, they would still want it,” Maria Pevchikh, a Russian investigator who helps lead the Anti-Corruption Foundation, told me.

In 2008, a thirty-six-year-old industrialist named Andrey Melnichenko spent some three hundred million dollars on Motor Yacht A, a radical experiment conceived by the French designer Philippe Starck, with a dagger-shaped hull and a bulbous tower topped by a master bedroom set on a turntable that pivots to capture the best view. The shape was ridiculed as “a giant finger pointing at you” and “one of the most hideous vessels ever to sail,” but it marked a new prominence for Russian money at sea. Today, post-Soviet élites are thought to own a fifth of the world’s gigayachts.

Even Putin has signalled his appreciation, being photographed on yachts in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. In an explosive report in 2012, Boris Nemtsov, a former Deputy Prime Minister, accused Putin of amassing a storehouse of outrageous luxuries, including four yachts, twenty homes, and dozens of private aircraft. Less than three years later, Nemtsov was fatally shot while crossing a bridge near the Kremlin. The Russian government, which officially reports that Putin collects a salary of about a hundred and forty thousand dollars and possesses a modest apartment in Moscow, denied any involvement.

Many of the largest, most flamboyant gigayachts are designed in Monaco, at a sleek waterfront studio occupied by the naval architect Espen Øino. At sixty, Øino has a boyish mop and the mild countenance of a country parson. He grew up in a small town in Norway, the heir to a humble maritime tradition. “My forefathers built wooden rowing boats for four generations,” he told me. In the late eighties, he was designing sailboats when his firm won a commission to design a megayacht for Emilio Azcárraga, the autocratic Mexican who built Televisa into the world’s largest Spanish-language broadcaster. Azcárraga was nicknamed El Tigre, for his streak of white hair and his comfort with confrontation; he kept a chair in his office that was unusually high off the ground, so that visitors’ feet dangled like children’s.

In early meetings, Øino recalled, Azcárraga grew frustrated that the ideas were not dazzling enough. “You must understand,” he said. “I don’t go to port very often with my boats, but, when I do, I want my presence to be felt.”

The final design was suitably arresting; after the boat was completed, Øino had no shortage of commissions. In 1998, he was approached by Paul Allen, of Microsoft, to build a yacht that opened the way for the Goliaths that followed. The result, called Octopus, was so large that it contained a submarine marina in its belly, as well as a helicopter hangar that could be converted into an outdoor performance space. Mick Jagger and Bono played on occasion. I asked Øino why owners obsessed with secrecy seem determined to build the world’s most conspicuous machines. He compared it to a luxury car with tinted windows. “People can’t see you, but you’re still in that expensive, impressive thing,” he said. “We all need to feel that we’re important in one way or another.”

In recent months, Øino has seen some of his creations detained by governments in the sanctions campaign. When we spoke, he condemned the news coverage. “Yacht equals Russian equals evil equals money,” he said disdainfully. “It’s a bit tragic, because the yachts have become synonymous with the bad guys in a James Bond movie.”

What about Scheherazade, the giant yacht that U.S. officials have alleged is held by a Russian businessman for Putin’s use? Øino, who designed the ship, rejected the idea. “We have designed two yachts for heads of state, and I can tell you that they’re completely different, in terms of the layout and everything, from Scheherazade.” He meant that the details said plutocrat, not autocrat.

For the time being, Scheherazade and other Øino creations under detention across Europe have entered a strange legal purgatory. As lawyers for the owners battle to keep the ships from being permanently confiscated, local governments are duty-bound to maintain them until a resolution is reached. In a comment recorded by a hot mike in June, Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national-security adviser, marvelled that “people are basically being paid to maintain Russian superyachts on behalf of the United States government.” (It usually costs about ten per cent of a yacht’s construction price to keep it afloat each year. In May, officials in Fiji complained that a detained yacht was costing them more than a hundred and seventy-one thousand dollars a day.)

Stranger still are the Russian yachts on the lam. Among them is Melnichenko’s much maligned Motor Yacht A. On March 9th, Melnichenko was sanctioned by the European Union, and although he denied having close ties to Russia’s leadership, Italy seized one of his yachts—a six-hundred-million-dollar sailboat. But Motor Yacht A slipped away before anyone could grab it. Then the boat turned off the transponder required by international maritime rules, so that its location could no longer be tracked. The last ping was somewhere near the Maldives, before it went dark on the high seas.

The very largest yachts come from Dutch and German shipyards, which have experience in naval vessels, known as “gray boats.” But the majority of superyachts are built in Italy, partly because owners prefer to visit the Mediterranean during construction. (A British designer advises those who are weighing their choices to take the geography seriously, “unless you like schnitzel.”)

In the past twenty-two years, nobody has built more superyachts than the Vitellis, an Italian family whose patriarch, Paolo Vitelli, got his start in the seventies, manufacturing smaller boats near a lake in the mountains. By 1985, their company, Azimut, had grown large enough to buy the Benetti shipyards, which had been building enormous yachts since the nineteenth century. Today, the combined company builds its largest boats near the sea, but the family still works in the hill town of Avigliana, where a medieval monastery towers above a valley. When I visited in April, Giovanna Vitelli, the vice-president and the founder’s daughter, led me through the experience of customizing a yacht.

“We’re using more and more virtual reality,” she said, and a staffer fitted me with a headset. When the screen blinked on, I was inside a 3-D mockup of a yacht that is not yet on the market. I wandered around my suite for a while, checking out swivel chairs, a modish sideboard, blond wood panelling on the walls. It was convincing enough that I collided with a real-life desk.

After we finished with the headset, it was time to pick the décor. The industry encourages an introspective evaluation: What do you want your yacht to say about you? I was handed a vibrant selection of wood, marble, leather, and carpet. The choices felt suddenly grave. Was I cut out for the chiselled look of Cream Vesuvio, or should I accept that I’m a gray Cardoso Stone? For carpets, I liked the idea of Chablis Corn White—Paris and the prairie, together at last. But, for extra seating, was it worth splurging for the V.I.P. Vanity Pouf?

Some designs revolve around a single piece of art. The most expensive painting ever sold, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi,” reportedly was hung on the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s four-hundred-and-thirty-nine-foot yacht Serene, after the Louvre rejected a Saudi demand that it hang next to the “Mona Lisa.” Art conservators blanched at the risks that excess humidity and fluctuating temperatures could pose to a five-hundred-year-old painting. Often, collectors who want to display masterpieces at sea commission replicas.

If you’ve just put half a billion dollars into a boat, you may have qualms about the truism that material things bring less happiness than experiences do. But this, too, can be finessed. Andrew Grant Super, a co-founder of the “experiential yachting” firm Berkeley Rand, told me that he served a uniquely overstimulated clientele: “We call them the bored billionaires.” He outlined a few of his experience products. “We can plot half of the Pacific Ocean with coördinates, to map out the Battle of Midway,” he said. “We re-create the full-blown battles of the giant ships from America and Japan. The kids have haptic guns and haptic vests. We put the smell of cordite and cannon fire on board, pumping around them.” For those who aren’t soothed by the scent of cordite, Super offered an alternative. “We fly 3-D-printed, architectural freestanding restaurants into the middle of the Maldives, on a sand shelf that can only last another eight hours before it disappears.”

For some, the thrill lies in the engineering. Staluppi, born in Brooklyn, was an auto mechanic who had no experience with the sea until his boss asked him to soup up a boat. “I took the six-cylinder engines out and put V-8 engines in,” he recalled. Once he started commissioning boats of his own, he built scale models to conduct tests in water tanks. “I knew I could never have the biggest boat in the world, so I says, ‘You know what? I want to build the fastest yacht in the world.’ The Aga Khan had the fastest yacht, and we just blew right by him.”

In Italy, after decking out my notional yacht, I headed south along the coast, to Tuscan shipyards that have evolved with each turn in the country’s history. Close to the Carrara quarries, which yielded the marble that Michelangelo turned into David, ships were constructed in the nineteenth century, to transport giant blocks of stone. Down the coast, the yards in Livorno made warships under the Fascists, until they were bombed by the Allies. Later, they began making and refitting luxury yachts. Inside the front gate of a Benetti shipyard in Livorno, a set of models depicted the firm’s famous modern creations. Most notable was the megayacht Nabila, built in 1980 for the high-living arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, with a hundred rooms and a disco that was the site of legendary decadence. (Khashoggi’s budget for prostitution was so extravagant that a French prosecutor later estimated he paid at least half a million dollars to a single madam in a single year.)

In 1987, shortly before Khashoggi was indicted for mail fraud and obstruction of justice (he was eventually acquitted), the yacht was sold to the real-estate developer Donald Trump, who renamed it Trump Princess. Trump was never comfortable on a boat—“Couldn’t get off fast enough,” he once said—but he liked to impress people with his yacht’s splendor. In 1991, while three billion dollars in debt, Trump ceded the vessel to creditors. Later in life, though, he discovered enthusiastic support among what he called “our beautiful boaters,” and he came to see quality watercraft as a mark of virtue—a way of beating the so-called élite. “We got better houses, apartments, we got nicer boats, we’re smarter than they are,” he told a crowd in Fargo, North Dakota. “Let’s call ourselves, from now on, the super-élite.”

In the age of oversharing, yachts are a final sanctum of secrecy, even for some of the world’s most inveterate talkers. Oprah, after returning from her sojourn with the Obamas, rebuffed questions from reporters. “What happens on the boat stays on the boat,” she said. “We talked, and everybody else did a lot of paddleboarding.”

I interviewed six American superyacht owners at length, and almost all insisted on anonymity or held forth with stupefying blandness. “Great family time,” one said. Another confessed, “It’s really hard to talk about it without being ridiculed.” None needed to be reminded of David Geffen’s misadventure during the early weeks of the pandemic, when he Instagrammed a photo of his yacht in the Grenadines and posted that he was “avoiding the virus” and “hoping everybody is staying safe.” It drew thousands of responses, many marked #EatTheRich, others summoning a range of nautical menaces: “At least the pirates have his location now.”

The yachts extend a tradition of seclusion as the ultimate luxury. The Medici, in sixteenth-century Florence, built elevated passageways, or corridoi , high over the city to escape what a scholar called the “clash of classes, the randomness, the smells and confusions” of pedestrian life below. More recently, owners of prized town houses in London have headed in the other direction, building three-story basements so vast that their construction can require mining engineers—a trend that researchers in the United Kingdom named “luxified troglodytism.”

Water conveys a particular autonomy, whether it’s ringing the foot of a castle or separating a private island from the mainland. Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist, gave startup funding to the Seasteading Institute, a nonprofit group co-founded by Milton Friedman’s grandson, which seeks to create floating mini-states—an endeavor that Thiel considered part of his libertarian project to “escape from politics in all its forms.” Until that fantasy is realized, a white boat can provide a start. A recent feature in Boat International , a glossy trade magazine, noted that the new hundred-and-twenty-five-million-dollar megayacht Victorious has four generators and “six months’ autonomy” at sea. The builder, Vural Ak, explained, “In case of emergency, god forbid, you can live in open water without going to shore and keep your food stored, make your water from the sea.”

Much of the time, superyachts dwell beyond the reach of ordinary law enforcement. They cruise in international waters, and, when they dock, local cops tend to give them a wide berth; the boats often have private security, and their owners may well be friends with the Prime Minister. According to leaked documents known as the Paradise Papers, handlers proposed that the Saudi crown prince take delivery of a four-hundred-and-twenty-million-dollar yacht in “international waters in the western Mediterranean,” where the sale could avoid taxes.

Builders and designers rarely advertise beyond the trade press, and they scrupulously avoid leaks. At Lürssen, a German shipbuilding firm, projects are described internally strictly by reference number and code name. “We are not in the business for the glory,” Peter Lürssen, the C.E.O., told a reporter. The closest thing to an encyclopedia of yacht ownership is a site called SuperYachtFan, run by a longtime researcher who identifies himself only as Peter, with a disclaimer that he relies partly on “rumors” but makes efforts to confirm them. In an e-mail, he told me that he studies shell companies, navigation routes, paparazzi photos, and local media in various languages to maintain a database with more than thirteen hundred supposed owners. Some ask him to remove their names, but he thinks that members of that economic echelon should regard the attention as a “fact of life.”

To work in the industry, staff must adhere to the culture of secrecy, often enforced by N.D.A.s. On one yacht, O’Shannassy, the captain, learned to communicate in code with the helicopter pilot who regularly flew the owner from Switzerland to the Mediterranean. Before takeoff, the pilot would call with a cryptic report on whether the party included the presence of a Pomeranian. If any guest happened to overhear, their cover story was that a customs declaration required details about pets. In fact, the lapdog was a constant companion of the owner’s wife; if the Pomeranian was in the helicopter, so was she. “If no dog was in the helicopter,” O’Shannassy recalled, the owner was bringing “somebody else.” It was the captain’s duty to rebroadcast the news across the yacht’s internal radio: “Helicopter launched, no dog, I repeat no dog today”—the signal for the crew to ready the main cabin for the mistress, instead of the wife. They swapped out dresses, family photos, bathroom supplies, favored drinks in the fridge. On one occasion, the code got garbled, and the helicopter landed with an unanticipated Pomeranian. Afterward, the owner summoned O’Shannassy and said, “Brendan, I hope you never have such a situation, but if you do I recommend making sure the correct dresses are hanging when your wife comes into your room.”

In the hierarchy on board a yacht, the most delicate duties tend to trickle down to the least powerful. Yacht crew—yachties, as they’re known—trade manual labor and obedience for cash and adventure. On a well-staffed boat, the “interior team” operates at a forensic level of detail: they’ll use Q-tips to polish the rim of your toilet, tweezers to lift your fried-chicken crumbs from the teak, a toothbrush to clean the treads of your staircase.

Many are English-speaking twentysomethings, who find work by doing the “dock walk,” passing out résumés at marinas. The deals can be alluring: thirty-five hundred dollars a month for deckhands; fifty thousand dollars in tips for a decent summer in the Med. For captains, the size of the boat matters—they tend to earn about a thousand dollars per foot per year.

Yachties are an attractive lot, a community of the toned and chipper, which does not happen by chance; their résumés circulate with head shots. Before Andy Cohen was a talk-show host, he was the head of production and development at Bravo, where he green-lighted a reality show about a yacht crew: “It’s a total pressure cooker, and they’re actually living together while they’re working. Oh, and by the way, half of them are having sex with each other. What’s not going to be a hit about that?” The result, the gleefully seamy “Below Deck,” has been among the network’s top-rated shows for nearly a decade.

To stay in the business, captains and crew must absorb varying degrees of petty tyranny. An owner once gave O’Shannassy “a verbal beating” for failing to negotiate a lower price on champagne flutes etched with the yacht’s logo. In such moments, the captain responds with a deferential mantra: “There is no excuse. Your instruction was clear. I can only endeavor to make it better for next time.”

The job comes with perilously little protection. A big yacht is effectively a corporation with a rigid hierarchy and no H.R. department. In recent years, the industry has fielded increasingly outspoken complaints about sexual abuse, toxic impunity, and a disregard for mental health. A 2018 survey by the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network found that more than half of the women who work as yacht crew had experienced harassment, discrimination, or bullying on board. More than four-fifths of the men and women surveyed reported low morale.

Karine Rayson worked on yachts for four years, rising to the position of “chief stew,” or stewardess. Eventually, she found herself “thinking of business ideas while vacuuming,” and tiring of the culture of entitlement. She recalled an episode in the Maldives when “a guest took a Jet Ski and smashed into a marine reserve. That damaged the coral, and broke his Jet Ski, so he had to clamber over the rocks and find his way to the shore. It was a private hotel, and the security got him and said, ‘Look, there’s a large fine, you have to pay.’ He said, ‘Don’t worry, the boat will pay for it.’ ” Rayson went back to school and became a psychotherapist. After a period of counselling inmates in maximum-security prisons, she now works with yacht crew, who meet with her online from around the world.

Rayson’s clients report a range of scenarios beyond the boundaries of ordinary employment: guests who did so much cocaine that they had no appetite for a chef’s meals; armed men who raided a boat offshore and threatened to take crew members to another country; owners who vowed that if a young stew told anyone about abuse she suffered on board they’d call in the Mafia and “skin me alive.” Bound by N.D.A.s, crew at sea have little recourse.“We were paranoid that our e-mails were being reviewed, or we were getting bugged,” Rayson said.

She runs an “exit strategy” course to help crew find jobs when they’re back on land. The adjustment isn’t easy, she said: “You’re getting paid good money to clean a toilet. So, when you take your C.V. to land-based employers, they might question your skill set.” Despite the stresses of yachting work, Rayson said, “a lot of them struggle with integration into land-based life, because they have all their bills paid for them, so they don’t pay for food. They don’t pay for rent. It’s a huge shock.”

It doesn’t take long at sea to learn that nothing is too rich to rust. The ocean air tarnishes metal ten times as fast as on land; saltwater infiltrates from below. Left untouched, a single corroding ulcer will puncture tanks, seize a motor, even collapse a hull. There are tricks, of course—shield sensitive parts with resin, have your staff buff away blemishes—but you can insulate a machine from its surroundings for only so long.

Hang around the superyacht world for a while and you see the metaphor everywhere. Four months after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the war had eaten a hole in his myths of competence. The Western campaign to isolate him and his oligarchs was proving more durable than most had predicted. Even if the seizures of yachts were mired in legal disputes, Finley, the former C.I.A. officer, saw them as a vital “pressure point.” She said, “The oligarchs supported Putin because he provided stable authoritarianism, and he can no longer guarantee that stability. And that’s when you start to have cracks.”

For all its profits from Russian clients, the yachting industry was unsentimental. Brokers stripped photos of Russian yachts from their Web sites; Lürssen, the German builder, sent questionnaires to clients asking who, exactly, they were. Business was roaring, and, if some Russians were cast out of the have-yachts, other buyers would replace them.

On a cloudless morning in Viareggio, a Tuscan town that builds almost a fifth of the world’s superyachts, a family of first-time owners from Tel Aviv made the final, fraught preparations. Down by the docks, their new boat was suspended above the water on slings, ready to be lowered for its official launch. The scene was set for a ceremony: white flags in the wind, a plexiglass lectern. It felt like the obverse of the dockside scrum at the Palm Beach show; by this point in the buying process, nobody was getting vetted through binoculars. Waitresses handed out glasses of wine. The yacht venders were in suits, but the new owners were in upscale Euro casual: untucked linen, tight jeans, twelve-hundred-dollar Prada sneakers. The family declined to speak to me (and the company declined to identify them). They had come asking for a smaller boat, but the sales staff had talked them up to a hundred and eleven feet. The Victorians would have been impressed.

The C.E.O. of Azimut Benetti, Marco Valle, was in a buoyant mood. “Sun. Breeze. Perfect day to launch a boat, right?” he told the owners. He applauded them for taking the “first step up the big staircase.” The selling of the next vessel had already begun.

Hanging aloft, their yacht looked like an artifact in the making; it was easy to imagine a future civilization sifting the sediment and discovering that an earlier society had engaged in a building spree of sumptuous arks, with accommodations for dozens of servants but only a few lucky passengers, plus the occasional Pomeranian.

We approached the hull, where a bottle of spumante hung from a ribbon in Italian colors. Two members of the family pulled back the bottle and slung it against the yacht. It bounced off and failed to shatter. “Oh, that’s bad luck,” a woman murmured beside me. Tales of that unhappy omen abound. In one memorable case, the bottle failed to break on Zaca, a schooner that belonged to Errol Flynn. In the years that followed, the crew mutinied and the boat sank; after being re-floated, it became the setting for Flynn’s descent into cocaine, alcohol, orgies, and drug smuggling. When Flynn died, new owners brought in an archdeacon for an onboard exorcism.

In the present case, the bottle broke on the second hit, and confetti rained down. As the family crowded around their yacht for photos, I asked Valle, the C.E.O., about the shortage of new boats. “Twenty-six years I’ve been in the nautical business—never been like this,” he said. He couldn’t hire enough welders and carpenters. “I don’t know for how long it will last, but we’ll try to get the profits right now.”

Whatever comes, the white-boat world is preparing to insure future profits, too. In recent years, big builders and brokers have sponsored a rebranding campaign dedicated to “improving the perception of superyachting.” (Among its recommendations: fewer ads with girls in bikinis and high heels.) The goal is partly to defuse #EatTheRich, but mostly it is to soothe skittish buyers. Even the dramatic increase in yacht ownership has not kept up with forecasts of the global growth in billionaires—a disparity that represents the “one dark cloud we can see on the horizon,” as Øino, the naval architect, said during an industry talk in Norway. He warned his colleagues that they needed to reach those “potential yacht owners who, for some reason, have decided not to step up to the plate.”

But, to a certain kind of yacht buyer, even aggressive scrutiny can feel like an advertisement—a reminder that, with enough access and cash, you can ride out almost any storm. In April, weeks after the fugitive Motor Yacht A went silent, it was rediscovered in physical form, buffed to a shine and moored along a creek in the United Arab Emirates. The owner, Melnichenko, had been sanctioned by the E.U., Switzerland, Australia, and the U.K. Yet the Emirates had rejected requests to join those sanctions and had become a favored wartime haven for Russian money. Motor Yacht A was once again arrayed in almost plain sight, like semaphore flags in the wind. ♦

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John Staluppi: Speed, sophistication and superyachts

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Written by Maria Korotaeva

There have been numerous James Bond-related superyachts cruising throughout the Mediterranean and the Caribbean for the last four decades, and in most cases the names can be attributed to a single owner: John Staluppi . Rising from rags to riches during the golden age of the Automobile, the New York millionaire is the fulfilment of the American dream.

Yacht Skyfall by Trinity – Forward Profile

Starting out as a mechanic, his father quickly recognised his talent with automobiles and took out a loan on the house for his son to own a Sunco station. From there, John Staluppi gained enough success and experience to take a chance on the unknown Japanese brand Honda. Within ten years he had 20 dealerships and had expanded from motorcycles to cars.

His love of all things fast was not limited to wheels and in the mid-80s Staluppi owned his first superyacht. The high-speed nature of his vessel was reminiscent of the unusual gadgets and high-octane vehicles of the James Bond films, leading to the beginning of a naming convention that would last through the decades.

Spectre – 2018

Due to launch before summer 2018, 69m/226ft motor yacht SPECTRE is the latest hull from renowned Italian shipyard Benetti . Mulder Design reprises its role as naval architects for John Staluppi, while the interiors will be completed by  Giorgio M. Cassetta .

With a top speed of 21 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots, she may not be as fast as her predecessors but she has four decks dedicated purely to guest enjoyment and an extensive range of 6,500 nautical miles.

Diamonds Are Forever – 2011

Staluppi also had a 51m/167ft Benetti named motor yacht QUANTUM OF SOLACE (now known as ELYSIUM) , followed by 61m/200ft superyacht DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. British designer Evan K. Marshall styled her interiors with art deco accents, plenty of mirrors and captivating details such as the onyx floor and hand-beaten glass inlay.

Diamonds Are Forever – exterior starboard profile

The lavish amenities include a spa massage room, a beauty salon, a sauna and spa pool, a helipad and two Master suites. The accommodation has six cabins to sleep up to 12 guests and her skilled crew of 15 will keep events running smoothly.

Skyfall – 2010

Built by Trinity Yachts , 58m/190ft luxury yacht SKYFALL (ex.MI SUEÑO) is another from Staluppi’s collection available on the charter market and she offers guests timeless interiors for a relaxing and elegant holiday shared with family and friends.

Yacht Skyfall by Trinity – Aft Deck With Helicopter

Her large outdoor deck spaces are ideal for lounging in the warm breezes and the sundeck in particular offers a lounge, a deck area and hoop for basketball, a sundeck pool and a separate Jacuzzi with a swim-up bar.

Accommodation provides for 12 guests over 6 cabins, which includes a full-beam Master suite on the main deck forward.

Casino Royale – 2008

After attempting to reach 70 knots, Christensen -built superyacht CASINO ROYALE was a clear-cut departure from speed and a move towards luxury, capable of a leisurely cruising speed of 13 knots and a top speed of 16 knots.

CASINO ROYALE

Currently available on the charter market, she features interiors from Carol Williamson which were last refitted in 2015. The exceptional interior and exterior living spaces are matched by an equally stellar crew of 9, and the guest accommodation sleeps 12 guests over 6 cabins, one of which being a full-beam Master suite with a spa pool and multi-jet shower.

World Is Not Enough – 2004

In 1998 Staluppi began building his own shipbuilding company called Millennium Super Yachts, which later formed part of Neptunus-Millennium in the Netherlands .

World is Not Enough

To this day, Staluppi maintains that 42m/138ft superyacht THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH is his favourite:

‘That boat was set to do 70 knots, but we could never get it to steer over 66 knots,’ Staluppi reminisces. ‘As soon as it got to 65, 66 knots, it would either spin out to the right or the left. It was a massive spin-out, like being on a WaveRunner. We never ran that boat over 90 per cent power.’

Despite never reaching the desired 70 knots, Staluppi had plenty of fun outracing the other luxury yachts:

‘Sport-fishing boats had started doing 42 knots, 44 knots, and some of the smaller boats did 50 miles an hour… We would go by those boats, I would have a cocktail in my hand, a nice martini and give the people a “how you doing?” Nobody could believe it.’

Moonraker – 1992

It was only a year and a half after OCTOPUSSY was launched that Staluppi set his sights on an even faster yacht and commissioned Frank Mulder and Norship to make his dream into reality. Superyacht MOONRAKER reached 61 knots, which beat his closest competition, HH the Aga Khan, by 4 knots.

Built from a GRP hull and superstructure, she has a draft under 2m/7ft and a beam of 7m/24ft. The interiors were completed by Terence Disdale and feature elegant staircases, nautical murals and an abundance of outdoor space, including a sundeck fitted with a wet bar and Jacuzzi.

36m/118ft MOONRAKER also represented a shift in tone for John Staluppi; whereas before he was commissioning motor yachts for his passion for speed and high-end travel, he was now also considering the commercial side of superyachts, especially after OCTOPUSSY sold so well.

Octopussy – 1988

In the 1980s, Frans Heesen was still establishing his shipyard’s reputation on the global stage when he was approached by John Staluppi to build the fastest yacht in the world. Together with Frank Mulder, they created 54m/178ft superyacht OCTOPUSSY, the yacht that would make or break Heesen ‘s name.

As part of the build contract, Staluppi could choose not to take OCTOPUSSY should she do fewer than 50 knots at top speed. When the time for her sea trials came she proved she was capable of 50.5 knots, but Staluppi believed she could go even faster and promised Frans Heesen an additional $200,000 for every knot over 51 knots she could achieve. By removing the chines and reducing the drag, OCTOPUSSY reached 53 knots and Heesen became $400,000 richer.

OCTOPUSSY has since been available on the charter market and boasts a full-beam Master suite, an aft formal dining area that can be opened up to the main deck aft to create a lavish alfresco eating area, and a sundeck Jacuzzi with plenty of sunpads. Her accommodation sleeps up to 12 guests over 5 cabins and has a crew of 7. Although a refit and hull extension means that she is no longer capable of 53 knots, she will still take her guests through the Mediterranean in haste and style.

For Your Eyes Only – 1985

The first yacht owned by Staluppi, luxury yacht FOR YOUR EYES ONLY was a 36m/118ft hull built by Denison in 1985 and has since been known as DYNAMO V, LAKEWOOD LADY, I DON’T RECALL and most recently WANDERLUST.

For Your Eyes Only

‘I really wanted to have something different,’ says Staluppi. ‘I wanted to build the first boat over 100 feet (30.5 metres) that would go over 30 knots.’

Built with an aluminium hull and superstructure, M/Y FOR YOUR EYES ONLY has an impressively shallow draft of 1.4m/4.5ft, making her perfect for approaching close to beaches and entering sheltered bays and coves. Her accommodation sleeps 8 over 1 Master cabin, 1 VIP stateroom, 1 twin cabins and a further cabin that sleeps three. The crew accommodation is designed for up to 4. Coupled with her impressive cruising speed of 23 knots and a top speed of 30 knots, she has stood the test of time.

The high-speed nature of his luxury yacht was reminiscent of the unusual gadgets and high-octane vehicles of the James Bond films, leading to the beginning of a naming convention that would last through the decades.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "John Staluppi: Speed, sophistication and superyachts".

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Diamonds Are Forever: John Staluppi’s Luxury Yacht Marvel

In the world of superyachts, where opulence meets the open ocean, one vessel shines above the rest. “Diamonds Are Forever” is not just a yacht; it’s a symbol of unrivaled luxury and adventure. In this article, we delve into the captivating world of superyachts, with our spotlight firmly fixed on the resplendent “Diamonds Are Forever.” As we explore its unique allure, you’ll come to understand why this yacht has earned a place of prominence in the echelons of luxury yachting.

Diamonds Are Forever yacht owner biography

John Staluppi is a prominent figure in the luxury yachting and automotive industries. He is known for his successful career as a car dealership owner, entrepreneur, and yacht enthusiast. He was born in January 1947. Here is some information about John Staluppi:

Automotive Business

John Staluppi gained recognition as the owner and operator of a chain of automotive dealerships in the United States. His dealerships have been associated with various high-end car brands, including Honda, Toyota, Lexus, and Hyundai.

James Bond Connection

Staluppi is also known for his passion for James Bond films and cars. He has an extensive collection of James Bond memorabilia and has owned several cars featured in James Bond movies, including some of the iconic Bond cars.

Yacht Ownership

John Staluppi is well-known in the world of luxury yachts. He has owned and commissioned several superyachts, many of which have been named after James Bond films, including “Diamonds Are Forever,” “Quantum of Solace,” and “Skyfall.” These yachts are known for their opulence and have garnered attention in the yachting community.

Philanthropy

Staluppi is also involved in philanthropic endeavors, including supporting charities and organizations focused on children’s health and well-being.

Entrepreneurship

Throughout his career, John Staluppi has been recognized for his entrepreneurial spirit and his ability to build successful businesses in the automotive and luxury yachting sectors.

Diamonds Are Forever is a stunning superyacht owned by the renowned entrepreneur and yachting enthusiast, John Staluppi. This luxurious vessel, known for its opulent design and exceptional amenities, reflects Mr. Staluppi’s passion for the finer things in life. To experience more of his remarkable maritime ventures, take a glimpse into the opulence of Superyacht Lana and the grandeur of Superyacht Rising Sun , two other magnificent yachts that showcase the epitome of luxury on the high seas.

Overview of Diamonds Are Forever yacht

This magnificent superyacht is a true marvel of engineering and design. With a length of 200 feet and a beam of 40 feet, it offers ample space for opulent living and entertainment. The sleek, contemporary exterior design, adorned with reflective glass, creates an aesthetic that is both timeless and modern.

Luxurious Amenities

Onboard, guests are treated to an array of lavish amenities. Spacious cabins, each with panoramic sea views, ensure a restful stay. State-of-the-art technology controls everything from climate to entertainment. The yacht boasts extravagant leisure areas, including a cinema, a fully equipped gym, and a library.

Diamonds Are Forever yacht Technical Details

“Diamonds Are Forever” is powered by twin MTU 16V 4000 M90 engines, delivering a staggering 6,000 horsepower. This powerhouse allows the yacht to reach a maximum speed of 18 knots, ensuring swift and comfortable voyages. With a cruising range of 4,800 nautical miles, this vessel can whisk its fortunate passengers to the world’s most remote and breathtaking destinations.

Design and Architecture

The yacht’s architectural marvel lies not only in its exterior design but also in the meticulous attention to detail throughout its interior. Premium materials, including marble, onyx, and exotic woods, adorn the living spaces. The use of glass walls and an open layout enhances the sense of space and connection to the surrounding sea.

Cruising Destinations

“Diamonds Are Forever” offers a passport to paradise. From the turquoise waters of the Caribbean to the secluded bays of the Mediterranean, this yacht can take its passengers to the most exotic and exclusive destinations on the planet.

Notable Guests and Events

The decks of this iconic vessel have hosted an array of celebrities and exclusive events. From A-list movie stars to royalty, “Diamonds Are Forever” has been the backdrop for unforgettable moments in the world of luxury.

Diamonds Are Forever yacht interior photos

Crew and Service

A dedicated crew of 14 ensures that every guest experiences unparalleled service and attention. From personalized itineraries to discreet butlers, the crew is committed to making every moment onboard unforgettable.

Culinary Excellence aboard Diamonds Are Forever

The yacht boasts a gourmet dining experience prepared by a team of talented chefs. Multiple dining areas, including an alfresco option, offer a variety of culinary journeys. The bars on board serve up exquisite cocktails and fine wines, adding to the indulgence.

Safety and Sustainability

Safety is paramount on “Diamonds Are Forever.” Advanced safety measures, including state-of-the-art navigation systems and a highly trained crew, guarantee peace of mind. The yacht also champions sustainability, with eco-friendly initiatives such as waste reduction and energy-efficient systems.

Wellness and Spa Oasis onboard Diamonds Are Forever

For those seeking rejuvenation at sea, the wellness and spa facilities aboard offer a haven of relaxation. State-of-the-art fitness centers, indulgent spa treatments, and expansive sun decks provide guests with the opportunity to prioritize self-care while sailing the world’s oceans.

Thrills on the Water

Adrenaline enthusiasts will find their paradise with the yacht’s extensive collection of watersports equipment. From jet skiing to scuba diving and even heli-skiing in select locations, “Diamonds Are Forever” offers thrilling adventures at every turn.

In conclusion, “Diamonds Are Forever” stands as a testament to the epitome of luxury and adventure on the seas. Its combination of cutting-edge design, lavish amenities, and a commitment to service excellence makes it an unrivaled choice for those seeking a once-in-a-lifetime yachting experience.

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• American John Staluppi decided in the early 1980s that he wanted the fastest superyacht in the world 
• He wanted a yacht that could exceed 50 knots – but every boatyard he approached told him it was impossible 
• Heesen Yachts said yes – and a new documentary tells the story of how they fulfilled this tallest of orders 

They said it was ‘the superyacht that couldn’t be built’.

When American entrepreneur John Staluppi decided in the early 1980s that he wanted the fastest superyacht in the world – one that could break the 50knot (57.5mph) barrier – every boatyard told him it couldn’t be done. Every boatyard except Heesen Yachts in the Netherlands.

Octopussy, pictured left in the 1980s, was designed by Frank Mulder and built at the Heesen shipyard. Pictured right is John Staluppi using a radar gun to measure precisely how fast the yacht can go 

Called Octopussy: The Yacht That Could Not Be Built, it tells how Staluppi, after investigating the highest horsepower engines available, took the unprecedented step of buying three immensely powerful MTU power units and went looking for a naval architect to design a boat around them. 

But it was an order too tall for everyone he approached.

Heesen agreed to a legally binding penalty clause in the contract stipulating that if Octopussy did not reach 48 knots (55mph) at launch, Staluppi would not have to take the boat or pay for the cost

However, Frank Mulder of Mulder Design, a skilled naval architect from the Netherlands, after six weeks of calculations, said the project was possible.

Staluppi continues: ‘Mulder said that he only knew one shipyard that might take the challenge. And that’s how we got started with  Frans Heesen , who was supposed to be the best.’  

Shortly after, in a meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Heesen accepted Staluppi’s challenge to build the fastest superyacht in the world. 

OCTOPUSSY: FACTS AND FIGURES

Length: 38m (124ft) in 1988, now 44m (144ft) 

Top Speed: 53.17 knots (61 mph)

Shipyard: Heesen Yachts

Naval Architect: Mulder Design

Exterior Designer: Gerhard Gilgenast

Interior Designer: Joachim Kinder and Art Line

Material: Aluminium

The documentary reveals that Heesen was so supremely confident in his team’s engineering and craftsmanship, he even agreed to a legally binding penalty clause in the contract that if Octopussy did not reach 48 knots (55mph) at launch, Staluppi would not have to take the boat or pay for the cost.

In addition, for every knot under 50 that the top speed equalled, the shipyard would have to pay Staluppi $100,000 (£80,000). That’s the equivalent of $200,000 (£160,000) in today’s money.

However, for every knot over 50, Heesen Yachts would receive a $200,000 bonus ($430k/£345k in today’s money).

Staluppi said: ‘It was a risky challenge for a shipyard – if it went under 48 knots, I didn’t have to take the boat and they’d give me all my money back.

According to Moran Yacht and Ship, Octopussy is ‘perfect for island hopping and allows access to anchorages normally reserved for much smaller vessels’ 

Financially the yard could not survive such a loss, but the documentary shows that with the international press following Staluppi’s every move, an ambitious Heesen decided to risk the entire future of the company for the opportunity to put the shipyard’s name on the global stage.

From then, each decision, from the water jets specified to the appliances that Staluppi’s wife, Jeanette, chose were defined by weight.

All parties worked around the clock to ensure the boat was as light as possible to facilitate hitting the 50-knot goal.

The listing for Octopussy describes the superyacht as ‘iconic in every sense of the word’ 

Heesen Yachts said: ‘Her speed and design became the benchmark for other shipyards and Heesen’s reputation for boldly delivering world firsts based on a DNA of innovation, technology and top craftsmanship, was born.

‘The gamble had paid off. Staluppi realized his dream and Heesen Yachts became an international sensation, forever marking its brand on the world map as a major player in the superyacht arena.’

Octopussy pictured moored in the Bahamas. The current fastest superyacht in the world is the 140ft ‘World Is Not Enough’, which has a top speed of 70 knots (80mph)Octopussy

It has five spacious staterooms, a huge main salon and a formal dining area with floor-to-ceiling glass doors, which open out on to the main deck.

The superyacht is currently for sale with  Moran Yacht & Ship  and has an asking price of $3,995,000 (£3,211,580). 

The current fastest superyacht in the world is the 140ft ‘World Is Not Enough’, which has a top speed of 70 knots (80mph).

Built in 2004, the vessel was also designed by Mulder Design and is the brainchild of Staluppi and his close friend, businessman John Rosatti.

While Octopussy can now ‘only’ reach 32 knots (36mph) – she’s a lot heavier post-refit – the speed achieved in 1988 is a record that still puts her in the top 20 fastest superyachts ever. 

• To watch Octopussy: The Yacht That Could Not Be Built click  here .  For more on Heesen Yachts, visit  www.heesenyachts.com .

By JENNIFER NEWTON

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The James Bond-Inspired Superyachts of John Staluppi

John Staluppi likes anything mechanical, especially if it has speed.  He quit school at sixteen to start working as a mechanic at a local GM dealership in Brooklyn, New York.  At the time, the muscle car era of big engines and fast cars was just beginning to emerge.  John loved working on high-performance cars.  In his spare time, he drag-raced and won some races, even building some of his own drag cars.  He was a Grand National Drag-Racing Champion at one point.

Soon his parents helped him buy his first gas station, which quickly grew into a series of several gas stations.  In the early 1960s, Staluppi was one of the first to begin selling an unknown brand of motorcycles from Japan called Honda.  Soon after, the first Honda cars arrived in the mid-60s and within a decade he had several east coast auto dealerships.  He later took on the Hyundai franchise.  He quickly became one of the east coast’s largest independent car dealerships through his Atlantic Auto Group .

Early on when he was a mechanic at that GM dealership, the owner had him replace the engines in his 28-foot Shepherd mahogany runabout with a pair of Corvette engines.  That was a start to Staluppi’s interest in boats.  Later on as his business grew, he started powerboat racing but a couple of mishaps including a roll-over in one boat and a destructive fire in the next one ended his enthusiasm. 

He next went for a 43-foot Ocean sportfisherman, not because he necessarily liked fishing but because, as larger boats go, it was relatively fast.  His second big pleasure boat was a 60-foot Viking, but even this didn’t satisfy his need for speed and size and comfort, especially since his offshore racing had shown him the thrill of a hundred miles an hour on the water.  Thus started his search for satisfaction, which would see him chase size, speed, and luxuriousness in larger yachts.  This constant searching also meant finding a replacement yacht every few years. 

Somewhere along the way, Staluppi decided he wanted the fastest superyacht over 100 feet long.  He quickly discovered a 118-foot yacht being built at Denison Yachts in Fort Lauderdale.  He got involved with the builder, Kit Denison, both in the engineering and in the fine points of construction, design, and outfitting.  He had the Detroit diesel inboard power replaced with MTU diesels with jet drives – the largest pleasure vessel to that point in the US with water-jet propulsion.  It was launched in 1985.

The yacht was named For Your Eyes Only as Staluppi was a James Bond movie fan and the boat embraced the exotic, exciting, and glamourous nature of the films with its speed and character.  This would become the first of a number of superyachts owned by John Staluppi to carry the name from a James Bond movie. 

In the late 1980s, I attended a boatbuilder’s conference in Ft. Lauderdale and we were given a tour of For Your Eyes Only by Kit Denison himself at his Dania, Florida yard when the yacht was in for a refit.  It was simply magnificent and unforgettable.

Here are some of John Staluppi's most iconic and memorable Jamed Bond-themed superyachts:

For Your Eyes Only

Very soon, Staluppi heard that two other superyachts were being built that would be faster than the roughly 35 miles per hour of For Your Eyes Only .  He eventually found new Netherlands shipbuilder Frans Heeson and designer Frank Mulder who agreed to build the world’s fastest superyacht.  The deal was that the boat had to run 50 knots (58 mph) in order to get paid and a bonius would be paid for every knot over 50.   After a couple of weight-reducing modifications, Octopussy, with its three MTU diesels each producing 3500 horsepower, eventually topped 53 kts (61 mph) and Staluppi paid the promised $400,000. bonus for the extra speed.  Octopussy was launched in 1988.

John and Jeanette Staluppi cruised extensively for almost a couple of years in Octopussy while garnering a lot of attention wherever they went.  Until that is, he heard of another superyacht being built that was intended to hit 65 knots but after launching, only achieved about 57 knots.  Only!!  This would not do and so John had Frank Mulder design and Norship of Norway build the 118-foot Moonraker .  After launching in 1992, top speed was clocked at 61 knots or just over 70 mph – in a 118-foot yacht!  The world superyacht speed record once again belonged to John Staluppi.

After buying, building, using and then selling a number of boats, Staluppi the businessman soon realized that commercializing his boating enjoyment would be beneficial.   In 1998 he created Millenium Superyachts as a boatbuilder and a charter fleet operator.  In 2004, Millenium launched the Neptunus of Holland built and Frank Mulder designed 138-foot The World Is Not Enough with interior design heavily influenced by Jeanette Staluppi.

Powered by a pair of Paxman 18-cylinder diesels plus twin Lycoming turbines producing a total of 20,000 horsepower, the V-hulled The World Is Not Enough  had a top speed of just over 80 mph, a cruising speed of just under 60 mph, and a range of over 4,000 statute miles from its 15,000-gallon fuel capacity.  And remember, this superyacht is almost 140-feet long  with accommodations for ten guests and a crew of six!

The World is Not Enough

Next for John Staluppi was the 163-foot Christensen-built Casino Royale , originally named Millenium Edition .  Built in the US west coast Christensen yard in Washington State and launched in 2008, Casino Royale  broke tradition in a couple of ways for John Staluppi.  All of his previous superyachts were built primarily of aluminum whereas this one has a hull and tri-deck superstructure of Kevlar composites.  Following Millenium Superyachts’ objective to pursue pleasure and comfortable and efficient cruising that would be suitable for chartering , Casino Royale had only moderate diesel power with 5-bladed propeller drive.

Casino Royale

Famed Italian yacht builder Benetti built and in 2011 launched Staluppi’s next superyacht, the 197-foot (60m) Diamonds Are Forever , a multi-award-winner and intended from the start to be a luxurious charter yacht.  It could accommodate twelve guests in six cabins plus a crew of sixteen.  During construction, Staluppi had a fifth deck added for sunbathing.

It featured a steel hull with aluminum superstructure, teak decks, a helipad, and Caterpillar diesel power.  Most of these features had not previously been prevalent on Staluppi yachts.  He had even once said that he did not like teak decks and railings due to the constant maintenance required and the teak oil which got transferred from hands and feet throughout the rest of a boat onto carpets and surfaces.  Staluppi sold this gorgeous yacht in 2013.

Diamonds Are Forever

The spectacular 227-foot Spectre launched in 2018 was once again a Benetti build with naval architects Mulder Design involved once again with John Staluppi.  It was designed to be a faster than normal yet comfortable displacement hull with “Ride Control” to reduce pitch and roll with a cruising speed of almost 20 mph and a top speed of 23 mph.

With a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, Spectre  is powered by twin MTU diesels.  It accommodates twelve guests in six cabins plus a crew of fifteen.  The master suite features its own private deck with whirlpool.  Staluppi sold Spectre within one year of its delivery to him.

Skyfall  is mentioned here next as it is a superyacht once owned by John Staluppi and it does have a name from a Bond movie but its launch date of 2010 does not follow in sequence to the superyachts mentioned above.  That is because John Staluppi was not the original owner and purchased it as a pre-owned vessel.  Built by Trinity Yachts of Gulfport, Mississippi the multi-award-winning 190-foot Skyfall  is a superyacht designed and destined for charter.  It accommodates twelve guests in six cabins plus a crew of fourteen.  Staluppi sold it in 2018.

Quantum of Solace  was built by Turkish boatbuilder Turquoise Yachts and launched in 2009.  Once again, John Staluppi was not the original owner of this 238-footer.  Quantum of Solace could accommodate fourteen guests in seven cabins plus a crew of nineteen in ten cabins.  The master suite was full-beam approaching forty feet in width!  It featured a unique two-story atrium in the main salon.  It had a full displacement hull of steel with aluminum superstructure and twin Caterpillar diesel engines with a range of 7,000 nautical miles.  Staluppi sold it in 2011.

Quantum of Solace

Along with his Atlantic Auto Group comprised of thirty-odd new car dealerships in New York and Nevada, John Staluppi has owned many boats, yachts, and superyachts over the years of which nine with Bond movie names are featured in this article.  He also maintained his fascination with cars, became an avid collector and co-owned a mall to house his collection of over one hundred mainly fifties and sixties automobiles in a museum setting.  In 2012, he sold his Cars of Dreams collection at auction. 

The Staluppi’s have been major philanthropists over the years with childrens’ charities being among their favourites.  In 2017, they purchased at auction a 1996 Ford Mustang which had been built by students at a vocational high school.  They paid $50,000. for the car but immediately donated it back to be re-auctioned in order to raise additional funds for the school.

 In 2018, John and Jeanette Staluppi were the winning bidders at Barrett-Jackson Auctions of a 2018 Corvette Z06 Carbon 65, VIN 001 and signed by President George W. Bush.  The Staluppi winning bid was $1.4 Million which was donated to the Wounded Warriors charity fund.  The Staluppi’s are also major contributors to Honda’s Classic Cares charity for American youth.

The story of John Staluppi is the story of the American dream.  The superyachts he has owned and named after James Bond-themed movies is an apt reflection of that dream.

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Millennium Yachts’ History

Entrepreneur John Staluppi has had a lifelong obsession with speed. From early days spent racing Cigarettes with friend Rosatti, Staluppi’s need for speed matured into the desire to create the fastest superyachts on the planet. He succeeded admirably well with the megayachts he created for his personal use, each named after a movie featuring Ian Fleming’s iconic British agent. Several of his vessels have held world speed records for their weight class, and he is continually producing new models as technology advances. While Millennium Yachts excels at producing exceptionally fast superyachts, the vessels the company creates offer so much more.

Millennium Yachts’ superyachts are completely customized to meet their owner’s expectations, employing the best of everything to create unique vessels that offer matchless quality. To achieve this exceptional quality, the company enlists the help of more than 100 suppliers from around the world, each of which is the best at producing some component of the yachts. Headquartered in Palm Springs, Florida, Millennium produces superyachts that range in size from 75 feet to 151 feet, with some vessels holding classification by the American Bureau of Shipping or Lloyd’s Registry.

Are you craving the luxurious customization and quality that Millennium Yachts has to offer? Millennium Yachts are so highly prized that it can be difficult to find previously owned Millenniums on the market, but Atlantic Yacht and Ship has a wonderful preowned Millennium Yacht ready to join its new owner.

The 2001 Millennium 118′ encompasses four staterooms including a split-level master room with luxurious touches including a whirlpool tub. Celebrated designer Evan Marshall was responsible for the interior concepts, which offer the ultimate in luxury and comfort. The design has been carefully selected to allow for customer preferences while leaving ample room for customization in accordance with individual preferences. Move up to ultimate luxury with this gorgeous 118’ Millennium 2001, at the asking price of $4,600,000 USD. For more information, call Andrey Shestakov at 954-274-4435 or email him at [email protected] .

For more than 53 years, Atlantic Yacht and Ship has been a leader in the South Florida yacht and ship brokerage  industry. Whether you are interested in selling, trading, or buying a yacht , our experienced yacht brokers can help you with every step of the transaction.

Contact  Atlantic Yacht & Ship  at 954.921.1500, click here , or chat with us by clicking the link in the lower right corner of the screen!

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