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Ipanema: Inside the world’s biggest red yacht

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Ipanema, a 50-metre yacht designed by Hot Lab and built by Mondomarine, has been doing sterling service for her owner since her launch in 2016

Rich and fierce, and with an athletic poise, the astonishing red-hulled 50m yacht Ipanema , launched by Mondomarine last year, occupies the water with the confidence of an enormous floating Ferrari. And what a red that hull colour is! Not a cloudy burgundy of some understated elegance if a little dullness; it’s a brash, screaming, high-gloss scarlet.

Once you’ve recovered from the endearing shock of the exterior, a whole new world of enigma awaits inside. You’d expect something that matched the contemporary flair of the exterior with a calculated coolness, something masculine and mechanical perhaps.

What you get is an eclectic mix of the traditional and modern that brazenly nods to so many art and design styles. It’s a bold approach – as bold as the yacht’s exterior styling – and it gives a hint of the all-inclusive philosophy with which Ipanema has been put together.

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Ipanema began life as a concept on paper, a standard member of Mondomarine’s M50 all-aluminium, semi-displacement range. Designed by Hot Lab, the M50 – created in 2013 – echoes the youthful boldness of the design house, and there was clearly a meeting of minds when the owner came on board with the project.

“We started talking to the owner [in 2013],” says Antonio Romano, one of Hot Lab’s founding partners. “He liked the exterior styling of the concept and didn’t make any major changes.

“But he did want to change the beach club. Privacy was important to him and his family, and he didn’t like the idea of a large open area at the back of the yacht.”

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A beach club is generally something you wouldn’t want to get rid of in a modern superyacht , and would represent a substantial loss to guests, but aboard Ipanema there is a distinctive gain: a huge tender in the extended garage.

The 7.4m Monterey unit is substantial beast for a 50-metre yacht to digest, but it has been achieved by the judicious movement of a bulkhead. A further complication comes because the owner wanted a petrol-driven tender, which created a world of engineering, fuel supply and fire-risk-assessment pain for the yard to overcome.

A second change the owner insisted on was in the owner’s suite windows on the main deck. “He had seen another 50-metre Hot Lab project and wanted the same windows. We were happy to copy ourselves!” says Antonio.

The early design had a very straight window line heading towards the bow; what has been developed for Ipanema is a scooped cut-out forward, which is more in keeping with the energetic superstructure styling elsewhere.

That forward window also suggests an owner who is not afraid of visual drama, which brings us back to the hull colour. After the initial renderings were produced, Hot Lab’s colour scheme hadn’t changed from “standard grey, white and black”, says Antonio.

“But the owner wanted to shock and so we came up with the idea of a striking red. It is also a colour associated with good luck. It’s a very intense experience to see this colour, but we were careful that the red never touches the white of the superstructure.

“One of our design partners, Michele Dragoni, has a background in car design and really understands how surfaces and colours interact. By keeping the red and white apart, the human eye better sees the whole vessel.”

Antonio describes Ipanema as “the world’s biggest yacht ever in red”, and it’s clearly something he is proud to have in the portfolio.

“ Ipanema is a yacht with her make-up on. She’s a yacht that’s wearing her lipstick!” he says.

So how did that very eclectic interior come about, and that unusual juxtaposition between the exterior and interior styling? “We had some initial interior renderings for the M50 that were minimalistic, but it was clear that Ipanema’s owner wanted something different. The first point was that he liked traditional, classical architectural features.”

Hot Lab’s immediate response was, says Antonio, “to consult some books!”. “All of our interiors so far have been minimalist, modern in style. Now we started to study 17th-Century architecture.

“We had to understand Renaissance styles. In fact, the flower patterns you can see at the top of many of the columns are directly inspired by a Renaissance palace in Florence.”

The owner was communicating with the design team several times a week, emailing clippings for the mood board and his own design ideas. Out of this grew the designers’ sense of an interior that would suit. “It was a challenge for us because it was something unknown, but the client was very clear, very precise about what he liked.

“A key thing was that he wanted everything bespoke. We couldn’t simply pick a pattern of carpet. He wanted something unique, designed just for Ipanema . Everything you see is custom made, right down to the hand-made porcelain switches. It was a massive amount of work.”

Even the main-deck galley has the feel of a country kitchen, with a personal vibe rather than the austere exhibition of metal and Miele that characterises most superyacht galleys.

It’s not only the sense of contrast between the exterior and the interior that is striking; it’s also the richness and vividness inside – the colours, the mirrors, the brew of elements. Marble is a key material – there are 14 different types used on board.

“There are also over 20 different fabric patterns,” says Antonio. And there’s that recurring flaming-red flower motif, too, which you see attached to columns at eye-height throughout the yacht, in suites, bathrooms and corridors. “We produced these on a 3D printer – over 100 of them,” says Antonio.

There’s a further surprise in this yacht of surprises: Ipanema has seven guest cabins, with two single suites on the bridge deck (which share a bathroom), an enormous main-deck master with lots of natural light, and four colour-themed guest cabins on the lower deck.

Though certified for charter, this is a yacht designed for private cruising with a large family, and in that respect she is precisely fit for purpose.

“We are very proud of the yacht,” says Antonio. “We are particularly proud of the teamwork, and of delivering just what the client wanted. It was exactly the yacht he desired.”

So does he have a favourite area of the yacht? “I am most proud of the master cabin and bathroom. There is so much marble in the bathroom! And I really like the skylight from above bringing in natural light. Mondomarine did an amazing job with the marble.”

After the 2016 Monaco Yacht Show , the owner has based the yacht in Turkey, from where Ipanema has been doing just what she has been designed for: providing the perfect base for extended family cruising. And, of course, an engaging talking point for anyone on shore who happens to see the red beast on the water.

First published in 2017 for Super Yacht World.

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The coolest red superyachts on the water

This month BOAT International celebrates its ruby anniversary – that's 40 years in print – and to mark the occasion, we take a look at some of the boldest ruby-red superyachts on the water... 

Builder: Bilgin Yachts Length: 80m Delivery Year: 2023

Leona's crimson hull comes from Antalya-based Unique Yacht Design , marking the ninth collaboration between the shipyard and the British design studio. She’s colloquially called “the Red Bullet” thanks to her svelte profile and pointed bow. An extravagant beach club pool is worth noting, flanked by Greek statues sitting on water outlets and rigged with overhead fibre optic lights to give the appearance of the night sky.

Builder: Rossinavi Length: 59.4m Delivery Year: 2023

Akula is Rossinavi’s first-ever explorer yacht. Ice-classified, she sports a stand-out scarlet hull and white aluminium superstructure designed by Gian Paolo Nari . Her layout is specifically designed to support marine research and philanthropic projects, including storage for various diving equipment and two six-metre containers that can act as transportable science labs. No matter where her adventures take her, she is sure to stand out.

Highland Fling XVIII

Builder: Gunboat Length: 24.7m Delivery Year: 2023

Highland Fling XVIII is expected to be one of the fastest in its size bracket and, as such, a racing-red hull seemed an appropriate fit. The first unit in the flagship Gunboat 80 series, this semi-custom model carves a striking scarlet silhouette in the water and is capable of exceeding true wind speed at just six knots. Highland Fling XVIII is currently undergoing sea trials in La Grande Motte, France, joined by her racing team who plan to put her performance to the test. Her racing debut is anticipated for September 2023 at the Maxi Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo.

Quinta Essentia

Builder: Admiral - The Italian Sea Group Length: 55m Delivery Year: 2016

This cream and burgundy palette is a more modest entry courtesy of Dobroserdov Design . Quinta Essentia's distinctive hull and superstructure details are inspired by the owners’ love for Tuscany’s wine region, specifically the deep shade of red created when swirling Merlot in a glass. There are further odes to Tuscany in the olive-coloured bedroom silks and subtle décor motifs of grapes, leaves and trees.

Builder: Mondomarine Length: 49.2m Delivery Year: 2016

Milanese studio Hot Lab delivered a masterclass in maximalist design with Ipanema . Her cherry-red hull goes hand in hand with a decadent interior, finished with varnished wall panelling, loud bas-reliefs, and ruched curtains. More than a dozen types of marble were used in the creation of this superyacht, including white onyx and Ming green. 

Builder: Cheoy Lee Length: 46m Delivery Year: 2012

Avalon is one of two Transocean Explorer models built by Chinese shipyard Cheoy Lee. What sets Avalon apart from sistership Dorothea III is her eye-catching paint job, with identical pops of colour found in the Biminis, sun pads, and sofa cushions on the sundeck. Under previous ownership (when she was known as Qing ) the colour was even brought inside, paired with other sunset hues. 

Builder: Liman Length: 40.6m Delivery Year: 2014

Formerly known as Artpolars , Oktamar's bold exterior is rivalled only by her own interior decor, courtesy of FR Design and the owner’s eccentric tastes. “[The owner] bought a mountain of marble, a football field of leather, [and] a large selection of golden bath accessories,” explained Jaron Ginton of Ginton Naval Architects . “It may not be the most economical way of choosing, but you do get the desired result.” 

Builder: Baltic Yachts Length: 35.5m Delivery Year: 2015

Sailing yacht Doryan boasts features typically seen in high-performance racing yachts, including a narrow profile, a carbon hull and foam-cored joinery. Nauta Yachts collaborated with Judel/Vrolijk on the exteriors, with the flushed finish explained by the owner’s love of supercars – specifically, the metallic red of his father’s favourite Lamborghini. “She’s a beautiful lady […] a real granturismo,” said Mario Pedol of Nauta Yachts. 

Builder: AB Yachts Length: 30.5m Delivery Year: 2023  

Launched in April of this year, AB100 is the latest unit in AB Yachts’ Sportfly series. The bold hull was designed in-house and features a sporty profile meant to evoke a traditional Formula 1 racing car. With triple caterpillar engines, AB100 lives up to its hot-rod exterior by reaching eye-watering speeds of 50 knots. An unexpected addition to this high-octane model is the integrated Jacuzzi found at the bow, complete with protective awnings.

Builder: Nautor Swan Length: 30.2m Delivery Year: 2003

Red Sky holds the title of the only Swan 100 RS model ever made. Affectionately called “the Red Sled” among crew, according to ex-skipper Ryan Hanger, her hull is painted in a shade known as “Cardinal Red”. This sailing yacht spent two decades cruising New England, the Chesapeake and the Caribbean, and has also made several transatlantic crossings, all with only a four-man crew. According to BOAT Pro , she was most recently spotted near Prudence Island in the United States.

Builder: Sarp Yachts Length: 26m Delivery Year: 2022

Edge's exterior and interiors were appropriately designed by Red Yacht Design , who picked the shade “Porsche Guards Red” for the hull. With a car-inspired helm station on the flybridge and reflective windows so cleanly flush that you might never guess they’re really doors, the design’s automotive inspiration is clear. The black superstructure and robust lines boost the motor yacht’s sporty look. 

Builder: Perini Navi Length: 45.3m Delivery Year: 2007

Owned by Formula One's Eddie Jordan, Blush is the only sailing yacht in the shipyard's fleet to feature a dark red hull – officially a shade of "Merlot". She was designed by award-winner Ron Holland and her acoustic engineering allows her to keep quiet across all areas of operation. A family-friendly build, Blush's master cabin can be divided in two via a mahogany wall panel, adapting the space into a fifth cabin if needed. Blush is available for charter with Camper & Nicholsons .

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The 25 Largest Yachts in the World Right Now

The 2023 newcomers to our annual list hail from german yard lürssen, dutch builder oceanco and turkish refit yard karmarine..

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As we round 2023, the size of the global superyacht fleet keeps on growing. The top 25 largest yachts in the world now total a combined 11,849 feet, with the smallest yacht on the list, Koru , measuring a whopping 417 feet. Built by shipyards all over the world—from the Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom—new launches and refits are delivered each year. The latest newcomers to make the list hail from Lürssen, Oceanco and Karmarine. With many new gigayacht builds in the pipeline, the list promises to be even more competitive in the coming years. Here are the world’s top 25 yachts by size, from Koru to Azzam.

Azzam (592 feet, 6 inches), Lürssen

It’s not surprising that the world’s longest yacht hails from a shipyard with 13 out of the 25 top builds in the superyacht arena. Unfortunately, Lürssen could never really boast about Azzam after its launch in 2013 because of the owner’s penchant for privacy, though it did describe the interior by Christophe Leoni, which features a 95-foot-long main salon, as “inspired by the Empire style of the early 19th century.” The owner Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi directed a team of designers and engineers who started with the bare concept, worked through the technical challenges of what might be the most complex superyacht ever and finished with an unusually large vessel that can top the 30-knot mark. Nauta Yacht’s exterior features a long, sleek forward area, with well-proportioned tiers moving up to the skydeck. Lürssen describes the interior by Christophe Leoni as “sophisticated, with luxurious decor inspired by the Empire style of the early 19th century.” Its gas turbines, connected to water jets, push Azzam to more than 30 knots—as fast as a Navy frigate—giving it the ability to operate at high speed in shallow waters. It also boasts an impressive build time for a yacht of its size, with construction taking only three years after one year of engineering. Azzam  accommodates up to 36 guests, and a crew of 80.

Fulk Al Salamah (538 feet, 1 inch), Mariotti Yachts

Little information has been released about the world’s second-longest superyacht, custom-built Fulk Al Salamah , and it has been shrouded in mystery since first announced in 2014. Even the overall length of 538.1 feet has been estimated from AIS data. However, built and delivered by Italian builder Mariotti Yachts in their Genoa shipyard in 2016, the imposing vessel is believed to be owned by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman. Last refit in 2021, exterior design is by Studio de Jorio, and it is considered by some to resemble more of a support vessel than a superyacht. Nonetheless, aerial photography shows an impressively large helideck, raked masts and a bathing platform.

Eclipse (533 feet, 1 inch), Blohm+Voss

The 533.1-foot stately  Eclipse , the second yacht on this list owned by sanctioned billionaire Roman Abramovich, took five years to design and build. When it left the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg in 2010, it was the world’s largest yacht. The interior has 17 staterooms and a palatial master suite, with the capacity to carry 85 crew. Both the interior and exterior are designed by Terence Disdale. A proportional profile is defined by tiered decks that sweep upward and bend ever so slightly at the aft ends. Eclipse  has a 185-foot-long owner’s deck, the capacity to hold three helicopters, a sophisticated stabilization system, six tenders and an enormous spa, gym and beach club, not to mention one of the largest swimming pools on any superyacht. Other features reflecting its stature: Hybrid diesel-electric engines are connected to Azipod drives that give Eclipse a top-end speed of 21 knots, with a range of 6,000 nautical miles.

Dubai (531 feet, 5 inches), Platinum Yachts

Even at 531.5-feet, Dubai ’s all-white Winch-designed exterior belies the dramatic and vibrant interior within. Colorful mosaic floors, a spiraling glass staircase, 70-foot-wide atrium and bursts of red, blue and green create a carnival of scene. Originally commissioned for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei as a joint project between Blohm+Voss and Lürssen, the project was halted in 1998 with just a bare hull and skeletal superstructure. The hull was sold to the government of Dubai, and, under the direction of the country’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, work on the 531.5-footer began again, though this time by Platinum Yachts. Dubai delivered in 2006 and is now the sheikh’s royal yacht, with accommodations for 24 guests and quarters for 88 crew. The seven-decked yacht has a landing pad for a Black Hawk helicopter, submarine garage, disco and cinema, and can reach a top speed of 26 knots.

Blue (518 feet, 3 inches), Lürssen Yachts

Lürssen’s newest entry on the list, Blue , which delivered to its Middle Eastern owner in July 2022, may rank at number five out of the world’s largest yachts, but it’s diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system goes a long way to minimize emissions. The yacht also features an electric Azimuth pod drive that can be used independently or in conjunction with the twin propeller shafts. There is a waste-water treatment system and an advanced exhaust treatment system to help reduce NOx levels, as well as cut down on vibration and noise pollution. Interior and exterior design is by Terence Disdale, Blue is defined in profile by a raked bow with a helipad, an aft deck pool and twin balconies forward either side of the owner’s full-beam suite. There is a second, smaller helipad aft. The British designer has reportedly penned a feminine and elegant interior, though no images have yet been released.

Dilbar (511 feet, 8 inches), Lürssen

The 2016 launch of Dilbar gave Lürssen the distinction of not only building the longest yacht ever ( Azzam ), but also the largest in terms of volume. Espen Øino designed the exterior, creating a full-bodied superstructure of long, flowing decks, along with two helicopter pads. Dilbar also has an 82-foot swimming pool that can hold an incredible 6,357-cubic-feet of water and according to Lürssen, is the world’s longest on a yacht. The interior by  Winch Design  is defined by its “rare and exclusive luxury materials,” says the builder, declining to go into detail. Despite  Dilbar ’s volume, the designers did a masterful job making the yacht look relatively svelte, In June 2020, Dilbar returned to Lürssen for a significant refit, where the yacht remains following US sanctions placed on the owner, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, in 2022.

Al Saïd (508 feet, 5 inches), Lürssen

Another 500-plus-foot yacht from Lürssen, the original Project Sunflower gained its official name of Al Saïd following its launch in 2016. Espen Øino’s exterior is akin to a classic cruise liner, complete with the twin-exhaust stacks in the center of the superstructure. Owned by the Sultan of Oman, the yacht was listed for the sale for the first time in April 2022 for an undisclosed sum. The six-decked  Al Saïd  can carry 154 crew and an estimated 70 guests across 26 suites. Lürssen reports a top speed of 22 knots. The London-based Redman Whiteley Dixon studio designed the interior, which includes a concert hall that can hold a 50-piece orchestra, a private cinema for 50 people, plus a medical room and dental care on board.

A+ (483 feet, 1 inch), Lürssen

Very little is known about A+ (formerly Topaz) , which was launched by Lürssen in 2012, other than it is the fourth-largest yacht ever built by the German shipyard. Tim Heywood Designs did the exterior, which features helipads on the foredeck and amidships on an upper deck. A lower aft deck includes a swimming pool. The German yard has not released any images of the Terence Disdale interior. Reported to be owned by Manchester City Football Club owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan—Emirati royalty and deputy prime minister of the UAE— A+ has a top speed of 22 knots and can carry 62 guests and up to 79 crew. It was last refit in 2022.

Prince Abdulaziz (482 feet, 3 inches), Helsingør Værft

This custom yacht, launched by Helsingør Værft in Denmark in 1984, is reportedly undergoing a refit in 2023. The 5,200-tonne Prince Abdulaziz is one of the Saudi Royal family’s yachts, its first owner being King Fahd. Designed by Maierform, the yacht was the longest and tallest in the world at the time of its launch, a title the 482.3-foot  Prince Abdulaziz  held for 22 years until  Dubai  launched in 2006. The late David Nightingale Hicks, known for his use of bright colors, was the interior designer. The lobby is said to be a replica of the Titanic . The yacht is also rumored to be carrying surface-to-air missiles, though that may be an urban legend.

OK (479 feet), Oshima Shipbuilding

Originally built by Japan’s Oshima Shipbuilding in 1982, the semisubmersible heavy lift ship was used for decades by DYT Yacht Transport as float-on yacht carrier. In 2022, the vessel underwent a private conversion at Karmarine shipyard in Turkey, turning it into a luxury, though highly unusual, yacht named OK . Modifications include a matte-black paint job, gold-tinted glazing and teak decking. The vessel’s 328-foot submersible aft deck—a feature that first attracted her new owner, who uses OK to transport their 150-foot ketch—is now covered in a carpet of artificial grass. A 40-tonne crane allows for the safe and easy launch and retrieval of a vast range of toys, including a seaplane. The interior by Bozca Design is reported to include accommodation for 20 guests, a botanical garden and a crazy Willy Wonka-inspired glass elevator that operates outside of the yacht’s superstructure.

El Mahrousa (478 feet, 1 inch), Samuda Brothers

El Mahrousa , which means “The Protected” in Arabic, is currently Egypt’s presidential yacht, though the 478.1-footer has a separate history as that country’s royal yacht. The London-based Samuda Brothers began the build in 1863, and it was launched in 1865. The world’s oldest superyacht—and formerly the world’s biggest—was originally built for the Ottoman governor of Egypt, Khedive Ismail, and later carried three Egyptian kings into exile. The yacht was also at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. It features external design by the British naval architect Sir Oliver Lang, and has had multiple modifications over the years, including a lengthening by 40 feet in 1872 and another 17 feet in 1905. During the second refit, the owners replaced its paddle-wheel engines with turbine-driven propellers. The yacht, in care of the Egyptian Navy, occasionally goes to sea for a day or two. In 2015, it was used to inaugurate the new Suez Canal.

A (468 feet, 5 inches), Nobiskrug

Undoubtedly one of the most visionary projects ever delivered by German shipyard Nobiskrug, the Philippe Starck-designed A is a wild fantasy of the future. Delivered in 2017, the futuristic look of  sailing yacht  A includes smooth, silver-metallic surfaces and windows that look nearly invisible, three composite masts that bend slightly, and a deck hidden by high bulwarks. The Philippe Starck-design is a wild fantasy yacht of the future. The 468-foot sailing yacht is a technical victory for Nobiskrug , which developed composite fashion plates to create the unusual shapes without compromising any strength or fluidity. It has the tallest freestanding composite masts on any sailing vessel, a diesel-electric propulsion system and state-of-the-art navigation systems. The boat also reportedly has an underwater viewing platform in the keel. Starck’s traditional interior features dark wood, copper accents and cozy patterned carpets. The split-deck main salon is divided into zoned seating areas with integrated bookshelves. She remains today the world’s largest sailing yacht six years after her launch, though many argue she is better defined as a sail-assisted yacht.

Nord (466 feet), Lürssen

Nord (Project Opus) has been a long time coming. She was announced in 2015 but didn’t hit the water until November 2020 when she conducted sea trials in the Baltic Sea. The 466-foot yacht features interior design by Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard and is Lürssen’s first yacht launched from its newly upgraded floating shed at its facility in Vegasack. Boasting many top-tier amenities, the yacht includes a sports and diving center on the lower deck, multiple tenders ranging in size up to 50-feet and a large swimming pool. The two helipads support the yacht’s long-range cruising capabilities for autonomous exploration, and a retractable hangar means a helicopter can slide neatly into the superstructure for storage when not in use. A generous 20 staterooms accommodate 36 guests across six decks, while a sleek aft-sloping superstructure gives Nord an individual profile on the water.

Yas (462 feet, 6 inches), Abu Dhabi Mar

As a converted yacht, Yas is one of the most interesting vessels on this list. The dolphin-like exterior was originally a former Dutch Navy frigate that launched in 1978 and eventually sold to the navy of the United Arab Emirates, where it was renamed Al Emirat . The yacht underwent its dramatic conversion in a facility in Abu Dhabi’s main port, emerging as a gleaming superyacht in 2011, with one of the most interesting profiles on the water. It was eventually delivered four years later. Reportedly owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al Nahyan, half-brother of the president of the UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the design by Paris-based Pierrejean Vision is defined by massive glass surfaces. Yas can accommodate 60 guests and 58 crew members. Mated to a steel hull, the superstructure is the largest composite edifice ever built.

Solaris (459 feet, 3 inches), Lloyd Werft

Owned by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, the 476-foot  Solaris  was one of the largest yachts to deliver in 2021. Last refit in 2022 at MB92 in Barcelona, the vast, highly private explorer is built by German shipyard Lloyd Werft, and features a displacement steel hull with bulbous bow and steel superstructure with teak decks. The eight-deck exterior by Australian designer Marc Newson houses a large helipad, sundeck, spacious beach club aft and 21,527 sq. ft. of glass, the largest panes to ever be built into a yacht. Lloyd Werft also built the Russian billionaire’s previous explorer yacht Luna , which he reportedly sold for $360 million to his close friend Farkhad Akhmedov in 2014.

Ocean Victory (459 feet, 3 inches), Fincantieri

The largest motoryacht ever built in Italy, Fincantieri’s Ocean Victory was delivered to its owner, Russian billionaire Viktor Rashnikov, in 2014. The seven-deck exterior by Espen Øino includes two helideck platforms and a hangar belowdecks, as well as exceptional outdoor social areas and a floodable tender dock. Ocean Victory has accommodations for 28 guests as well as quarters for 56 crew. Ocean Victory also has six pools, a 3,300-square-foot spa, and an underwater observation room. The interior by Alberto Pinto remains a secret, aside from the yacht’s six pools, a 3,300-square-foot spa and an underwater observation room.

Scheherazade (459 feet, 3 inches), Lürssen

The 459.3-foot, Lürssen-built Scheherazade (formerly known as Project Lightning) was delivered in June 2020. Two helipads, forward and aft, and a large beach club aft are visible from aerial photographs, but aside from the yacht’s reported seven-foot beam further details have not yet been released of the highly private vessel, including the names of designers or naval architects involved with the build. The reason may lie with the yacht’s unofficial owner, believed to be Russian president Vladimir Putin. In May 2022, Italian authorities froze Scheherazade in the port of Marina di Carrara following an investigation conducted by Italian financial police who found the ship’s beneficial owner had “significant economic and business ties” to high-ranking Russian government officials, though the results of the investigation to date remain inconclusive.

Al Salamah (456 feet), Lürssen

When Lürssen launched Al Salamah in 1999, it was the third-largest yacht in the world. Its  number 18 ranking shows how much has changed in the last 20 years. Code-named MIPOS, or Mission Possible, the yacht was designed by Terence Disdale . Originally owned by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Sultan bin Abdulaziz, in 2013 the yacht was put up for sale for $280 million, before reportedly given to Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa as a gift. The large imposing exterior is primarily protected space, with an upper deck exposed to the elements. Al Salamah has staterooms for 40 guests, including two owner suites, 11 VIP staterooms and eight twin cabins. The yacht can carry up to 96 crew and has a top speed of 22 knots. Al Salamah was last refitted in 2009.

Rising Sun (454 feet, 1 inch), Lürssen

Designed by the original guru of yacht designers, Jon Bannenberg, Rising Sun was built by Lürssen for Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and is currently owned by billionaire David Geffen, who reportedly paid $590 million for the yacht. The yacht comes with a gym, grand piano, multiple swimming pools, a beauty salon, and a spa with a sauna. Delivered in 2004, and last refit in 2011, the yacht’s exterior is defined by banks of windows across the superstructure. Rising Sun has 86,000 square feet of living space in 82 rooms. It can accommodate 18 guests in nine cabins, with the capacity to carry up to 46 crew. The interior by Seccombe Design includes a gym, cinema and wine cellar. The rear cockpit deck was designed as a basketball court. Geffen received global media backlash in 2020 for his “tone deaf” social-media posts that pictured himself on board his yacht during Covid-19 lockdown.

Flying Fox (446 feet, 2 inches), Lürssen

The 446.2-foot  Flying Fox is arguably the most high-profile yacht on this list, primarily for being the largest yacht available on the charter market, as well as being singled out as “blocked property” by US authorities in 2022 due to its reported ownership by sanctioned Russian oligarch Dmitry Kamenshchik. Delivered jointly by Imperial and Lürssen in 2019, 446.2-foot Flying Fox is the largest yacht available on the charter market. Key features of the Espen Øino-designed exterior are a curvaceous dove-gray hull and a 3.7-foot swimming pool that runs athwartship on the main aft deck, the largest ever found on board a yacht. A two-decked spa also gives guests access to a cryosauna, hammam and relaxation room with a fold-down balcony at sea level. Packed to the rafters with the latest amenities, the yacht holds a diving center, decompression chamber and two helipads. Flying Fox is PYC compliant and can accommodate 25 guests.

Savarona (446 feet, 2 inches), Blohm+Voss

Launched in 1931, Savarona was built for American heiress Emily Roebling Cadwalader, and is easily identified by its two mustard-colored funnels. The yacht was eventually acquired by Turkey to be the presidential yacht of Kemal Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey. Jane’s Fighting Ships described the yacht in 1949 as “probably the most sumptuously fitted yacht afloat.”  Savarona was later converted to a training ship for the Turkish Navy and, in 1978, destroyed by fire. The yacht laid in tatters for 10 years. A Turkish businessman spent around $45 million refurbishing Savarona , commissioning Donald Starkey for the interior and replacing the original steam-turbine engines with modern Caterpillar diesels. Savarona became Turkey’s official presidential yacht again in 2014, accommodating up to 34 guests in 17 suits, and carrying up to 48 crew. Amenities include a swimming pool, Turkish bath, 280-foot grand staircase, a movie theater and a library dedicated to Atatürk.

Crescent (443 feet), Lürssen

Last refit in 2021, Espen Øino’s dark hull and tiered superstructure was one of the most exciting launches of 2018. Called Project Thunder internally at Lürssen, the custom-built yacht features cutouts along the hull sides that allow full ocean views from the saloon on the primary deck, as part of Crescent ’s distinctive curved superstructure. Its most noteworthy feature is the jaw-dropping bank of three-deck-high windows in the center of the yacht. This architectural feature serves as the centerpiece of a very compelling design. The yacht has accommodations for 18 guests in nine staterooms. Little is known about the François Zuretti-designed interior, other than Lürssen describes it as being “traditionally styled.” If it lives up to Crescent ’s brash exterior, the complete yacht promises to be an entirely groundbreaking design. In March 2022, Crescent was detained by Spain as property of Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, who is sanctioned in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Serene (439 feet, 3 inches), Fincantieri

Serene  is the yacht that launched Fincantieri into the superyacht segment, and what a debut it was. The largest yacht ever launched in Italy when it was delivered in 2011 (surpassed three years later by Ocean Victory ), the Espen Øino seven-deck design features a long, sleek blue hull crowned by a white superstructure. Pascale Reymond of Reymond Langton Design created the 43,056-square-foot interior for the Russian owner, which includes a double height atrium with a piano lounge at the top and a vast open-plan main salon below. Sunken LEDs and bright pink and purple neon lights create a modern party vibe in the social areas, which contrast with the elaborate yet more traditional guest suites. A spiral staircase with intricate metal banisters soars through the heart of the yacht. The open stern area has a winter garden (enclosed glasshouse) that allows dining in all seasons. Serene also has two helipads and a hangar, a big swimming pool and a tender garage large enough for a submarine. Pascale Reymond of Reymond Langton Design created the 43,056-square-foot interior for the Russian owner, though its details have remained closely guarded.

Al Mirqab (436 feet, 4 inches), Kusch Yachts

Al Mirqab was a yacht before its time. Launched in 2008, the yacht’s diesel-electric propulsion involves an azimuth pod drive and gives the 436.4-footer a top end of 21 knots. With 36 staterooms, and crew quarters for 45, it was built for Qatar’s former prime minister under the supervision of Kusch Yachts in the Peters Werft shipyard in Wewelsfleth, Germany. The Tim Heywood exterior includes a long, navy-blue hull with a white superstructure. The yacht’s diesel-electric propulsion involves an azimuth pod drive and gives the 436.4-footer a top end of 21 knots. Its interior by Andrew Winch won several awards, with images showing Arabic-influenced motifs on the marble floors of large social areas. The yacht’s centerpiece is a stunning, complicated floating staircase encircled by custom-made glass panels. Al Mirqab has staterooms for 36, and crew quarters for 45.

Koru (417 Feet), Oceanco

Only just making the cut on this list, Jeff Bezos’ new 417-foot sailing yacht, Koru , was the subject of worldwide controversy even before its 2023 delivery. Built by Dutch shipyard Oceanco and reportedly costing $450 million, the Amazon founder’s first vessel is the tallest sailing yacht in the world with masts that measure over 230 feet tall, the same height as the Great Pyramid of Giza. It’s so tall, in fact, that Bezos petitioned the Dutch city of Rotterdam to temporarily dismantle the Koningshaven Bridge, a 95-year-old landmark, to allow his yacht to pass under. His request was denied, and the yacht was instead partially towed through Rotterdam without its mast. The towering design also makes it unsafe to land a helicopter onboard, prompting Bezos to commission his second yacht, the 246-foot custom support yacht Wingman . Delivered in early 2023, and featuring a helipad, Wingman is Damen’s largest support vessel to date. No details have yet been released about Koru ’s interior or exterior design, including who penned the design.

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What Happened to the Big Red Boat Cruise: A Closer Look at Its Disappearance

In the late 1990s, the Premier line caught the attention of cruise enthusiasts with the introduction of their two iconic Big Red Boats. These vibrant vessels quickly became a symbol of family-friendly cruising, offering a unique and memorable experience on the high seas. However, after a relatively short-lived reign, the Big Red Boat Cruise sadly faded into oblivion, leaving behind a trail of questions and nostalgic memories. This article aims to delve deeper into the disappearance of the Big Red Boat Cruise, unraveling the events that led to it’s demise. From the company's unexpected bankruptcy in September 2000 to the subsequent sale of it’s ships to other cruise lines, the journey of the Big Red Boat Cruise ended with the scrapping of it’s last remaining vessel, the Oceanic, in 2012. Join us on this closer look as we explore the ulti

Who Owned the Big Red Boat?

Roger B. Murphy and Bruce Nierenberg joined forces to create Premier Cruise Lines and brought the dream of sailing with beloved Disney characters to life. The Big Red Boat, a majestic vessel known for it’s vibrant red exterior, became the centerpiece of their venture. This floating paradise offered Disney-themed entertainment, enchanting activities, and impeccable service, captivating the hearts of Disney aficionados.

For years, the Big Red Boat sailed the high seas, transporting eager travelers and Disney enthusiasts to exotic destinations. Families flocked to experience the magic and wonder that only Disney could provide, dining with beloved characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and enjoying spectacular Broadway-style shows. It was a one-of-a-kind experience that left lasting memories for all who embarked on this grand adventure.

However, as time passed, the popularity of the Big Red Boat began to wane. With the launch of Disney Cruise Line in 1998, Disney fans now had a dedicated cruise line that offered a more immersive Disney experience. The competition was fierce, and Premier Cruise Lines struggled to keep up with the new kid on the block. Eventually, in 1997, Premier Cruise Lines ceased it’s operations, marking the end of an era and leaving behind a void in the hearts of those who cherished the Big Red Boat.

The disappearance of the Big Red Boat was a bittersweet moment for Disney enthusiasts. While the introduction of Disney Cruise Line brought a more comprehensive Disney experience to the seas, it also meant saying goodbye to the beloved floating wonderland that once was. The Big Red Boat may no longer sail the ocean waves, but it’s legacy lives on in the hearts and memories of those fortunate enough to have experienced it’s magic. It will forever be a symbol of a bygone era, a time when Disney fans set sail on a whimsical adventure aboard a vessel unlike any other.

The history of the iconic ‘Big Red Boat’ or ‘Disney’s Big Red Boat’ comes to an end with a bittersweet truth. Once operated by Premier, these magnificent vessels, known as Big Red Boat I and II, have sadly been dismantled and sold as scrap, leaving behind only memories of their former glory.

Does the Big Red Boat Still Exist?

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Big Red Boat Cruise has captivated many curious minds over the years. Once a beloved icon of maritime adventure, it’s vanishing act remains shrouded in intrigue. So, what really happened to the Big Red Boat? A closer look reveals a tragic fate for this once-grand vessel.

It all began with Premier, the company that operated the Big Red Boat until 199After years of entertaining families and creating lasting memories, the decision was made to part ways with these beloved ships. Both versions of the Big Red Boat, known as I and II, ultimately met their demise when they were sold for scrap. Yes, you read that correctly – these majestic vessels no longer grace the open seas.

The ship that once symbolized adventure, joy, and enchantment will now only live on in the memories of those lucky enough to have experienced it’s magic firsthand. The decision to sell the vessels for scrap may have been driven by economic factors or a need for more modern and efficient cruise ships, but for fans of the big red behemoths, their loss will forever remain a heart-wrenching tragedy.

The memories created during it’s heyday still bring smiles to the faces of those who were fortunate enough to embark on it’s deck. From the excitement of seeing beloved Disney characters to the thrill of cruising through tropical paradises, the Big Red Boat provided a unique experience that will never be forgotten.

The Environmental Impact of Scrapping the Big Red Boat and Other Decommissioned Ships.

• Excessive pollution caused by dismantling ships
• Release of toxic substances into the environment
• Destruction of marine ecosystems
• Loss of biodiversity
• Contamination of water bodies
• Air pollution due to burning or cutting of materials
• Noise pollution during demolition process
• Disposal of hazardous waste improperly
• Impact on local communities and livelihoods
• Health hazards for workers involved in shipbreaking
• Contributing to climate change through carbon emissions
• Waste of valuable resources if not recycled properly

Greek ferry operator Seajets has recently been revealed as the buyer of the Oceana cruise ship, which was previously owned by P&O Cruises. The 77,499-gt vessel, now renamed Queen of the Oceans, was built by Fincantieri in Italy in 2000.

Who Bought Oceana Cruise Ship?

In a surprising turn of events, it’s been revealed that Greek ferry operator Seajets is the new owner of the 77,499-gt cruiseship Oceana. Previously owned by Carnival Corps P&O Cruises, the ship has now been renamed Queen of the Oceans. This acquisition marks a significant expansion for Seajets, a Greek/Cypriot ferry company, as it ventures into the cruise ship industry.

The MV Queen of the Oceans, built in 2000 by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, has a rich history and a well-established reputation in the cruising world. With it’s 77,499 GT, it offers ample space and a range of amenities that cater to the needs and preferences of it’s passengers. This acquisition represents an opportunity for Seajets to tap into the thriving cruise market and grow it’s presence in the industry.

The sale of Oceana by P&O Cruises and it’s subsequent acquisition by Seajets has generated considerable interest and speculation within the maritime community. Industry experts and enthusiasts are eagerly observing the developments and anticipating the strategic moves that Seajets will make to establish itself as a formidable player in the cruise market. This unexpected turn of events has sparked conversations and debate, prompting a closer look at the factors influencing the decision-making process and what this means for the future of the cruise ship industry.

As companies adapt to changing market conditions and explore new opportunities, it’s clear that the landscape is ripe for innovation and growth.

Source: Oceania Cruises

During the last century, maritime disasters have remained relatively rare, with only 18 instances of publicly known cruise ship and ocean liner sinkings. In the past five decades, the occurrence has further decreased, with only four cruise ships succumbing to sinking while on their voyages. However, it’s vital to acknowledge that the cruise industry continues to invest heavily in safety protocols and advanced technology to ensure a safer and more secure cruising experience for passengers globally.

How Many Cruise Ships Are Lost at Sea?

The disappearance of the Big Red Boat Cruise remains a mystery that’s intrigued maritime enthusiasts and investigators alike. Over the past 100 years since the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, the number of cruise ships lost at sea is surprisingly low. In fact, there have been a total of 18 publicly known incidents where cruise ships or, in some cases, ocean liners have sunk.

Narrowing the scope to the past 50 years, the figures become even more astonishing. During this time, only four cruise ships have been declared lost while on their designated cruises. The rarity of such occurrences highlights the advanced safety measures and protocols implemented by the cruise industry to prevent the loss of these massive vessels.

The incident has captivated the collective curiosity due to it’s rarity and the circumstances surrounding it’s disappearance.

Some speculate that it encountered an unexpected and severe storm, which, combined with unforeseen technical or structural issues, resulted in it’s sinking. Others suggest a potential collision with an unidentified object or even foul play as possible causes.

The disappearance of a cruise ship is a sobering reminder of the immense power and unpredictability of the sea, prompting the industry to continually enhance it’s safety measures to protect both passengers and vessels alike.

Environmental Impact of Lost Cruise Ships: Considering the Environmental Consequences of a Cruise Ship Sinking and the Potential for Oil Spills or Other Pollution to Occur.

When a cruise ship goes missing or sinks, it not only poses a significant risk to human life but also has severe environmental consequences. One of the biggest concerns revolves around the potential for oil spills or other pollution to occur.

Most cruise ships have a considerable amount of fuel and lubricants on board, which can lead to a catastrophic environmental disaster if released into the water. The oil spills resulting from such incidents can cause immense harm to marine life, plants, and ecosystems.

Additionally, the wreckage and debris from a sunken cruise ship can create hazards for marine animals, obstruct shipping lanes, and damage fragile coral reefs or other marine habitats. Salvage operations may also contribute to further disturbance and destruction of the surrounding environment.

Therefore, it’s crucial to carefully assess and mitigate the environmental impact of lost cruise ships to minimize their damage and prevent long-term ecological repercussions. Efforts should focus on preventing accidents, improving safety measures, and establishing effective emergency response plans to protect both human life and the environment.

While the introduction of two new Big Red Boats in 1998 seemed promising, the company's financial troubles ultimately led to the sale of all their ships to other companies. The Oceanic, the last remaining vessel, sailed until 2012 before meeting it’s fate at the scrapyard.

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Big Red - HINCKLEY

Specifications

• All Specifications
• Detailed Information

Basic Information

Builder: HINCKLEY Category: Cruising Yacht Model Year: 2016 Year Built: 2016 Country: United States

LOA: 55' 0" (16.76m) LWL: 51' 0" (15.54m) Beam: 17' 9" (5.41m) Max Draft: 2' 11" (0.89m)

Speed, Capacities and Weight

Cruise Speed: 30 Kts. (35 MPH) Max Speed: 37 Kts. (43 MPH) Displacement: 53700 Pounds Water Capacity: 200 Gallons Holding Tank: 100 Gallons Fuel Capacity: 1200 Gallons

Accommodations

Hull and deck information.

Hull Material: Carbon Composite

Engine Information

Engines: 2 Manufacturer: MAN Engine Type: Inboard Fuel Type: Diesel

Big Red is the newest Talaria 55 available on the brokerage market and without question the most highly optioned MKII ever built. W ith over $1,000,000.00 in options, she was specified and built for an exacting owner with only the finest appointments, finishes and technology in mind. This Hinckley 55 is one of very few fitted with upgraded MAN 12V-1400 hp engines and Seakeeper 9 gyrostabilizer allowing for an exceptional ride at all speeds.

Big Red conveys with the Hinckley “CPO” warranty providing extended peace of mind to her next owner for many years to come. 

Introduction

Big Red conveys with the Hinckley “CPO” warranty providing extended peace of mind for her next owner.

Key Features include:

• iPad controlled custom AV entertainment system with AC ventilated central distribution locker
• Opacmare swim platform with underwater lights
• Cockpit AC boxes removed to give a more open cockpit
• Ocean Air Skysol pleated shades in pilothouse windows that lower electrically
• Ocean Air Skyscreens on all overhead hatches
• Custom detailed Corian countertops in galley and varnished cherry counter in owner’s cabin
• Raised panel cherry interior passage & cabinet doors 
• Cabinet drawers and drop fronts are bevel cut solid cherry wood
• Rheostat cabin lighting throughout provides enhanced ambiance
• Reverse-cycle heat/air-conditioning in pilothouse and interior offers additional cooling and heating comfort.
• Washer and Dryer
• Flybridge:  The flybridge includes custom hard top with enclosure, an acrylic windscreen, passenger seating, and a helm station with custom dual Stidd helm seats.
• Cockpit: Molded in entry steps and a ladder to the flybridge, aft-facing settee, and a transom walk-thru access to a swim platform.
• Pilothouse:  Gloss varnished teak and tulipwood sole with cabin sole covers, two powered Stidd helm seats forward, built in settee, and an entertainment center with a TV on an electric lift hidden in the cabinetry.

Hull and Deck

• “Claret” Awlgrip topsides
• Light Cream gelcoat deck with molded-in non-skid
• Black bottom

Hull: Hinckley DualGuard® Composite Construction- Kevlar®/E-glass outer skin. Aircraft grade end grain balsa below the waterline. Carbon fiber inner skin. Laminated using Seaman Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process (SCRIMP®).

Deck: E-glass outer and inner skin with aircraft grade end grain balsa and closed cell foam core - laminated using Seaman Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process (SCRIMP®).

These materials and building techniques provide for a superior surface finish, greater resistance to osmosis, high degree of stiffness & stiffness/weight ratios, and greater hull strength against impact damage and thermal insulation.

• Oversized Opacmare Transformer 4 step model swim platform with teak decking and all non-skid surfaces painted to match deck and stainless-steel half round. Swim platform lowers hydraulically to launch a tender, provide access for scuba diving, and is wonderful for swimming off as platform can be lowered various levels in the water. Also, transforms to a passarelle making reaching hard to access fixed piers with ease.
• Non-metallic composite thru-hull fittings with ball valve seacocks are below waterline and above the waterline where appropriate. Bronze seacocks, thru-hull fittings and sea strainers on propulsion engines.
• Rub rail has stainless steel half-round on fiberglass molding.
• Underwater lights (3) under swim platform - Switch at pilothouse helm

DECK FEATURES

• Molded non-skid gelcoat deck
• Tapered varnished teak toe rails with Hinckley profile
• Anchor Locker: Molded into the foredeck, with hinged and gas-spring assisted hatch.
• Two large storage lockers on foredeck
• Chocks: Two (2) Hinckley open bow chocks, type 316L stainless steel. Four (4) Hinckley closed chocks located at fore and aft spring cleats.
• Mooring Cleats: Eight (8) cleats type 316 stainless steel
• Eyebrow: Varnished teak molding around cabin
• Bow Rail: Closed single rail 30” high, 1 ¼” diameter, type 315L stainless steel
• Handrails: Stainless steel handrails mounted on forward cabin top and pilothouse top (wrap around style).
• Custom painted teak handrails on port and starboard side of pilothouse for ease of transiting side decks.  Handrails are painted to match the deck color
• Custom Hinckley mast (painted to match deck) holds anchor/steaming light
• KVH TrackVision M5 satellite dome on flybridge top, painted to match deck color
• Ports in cabin house: 5 opening ports- one in guest shower, one in master head, one in master shower, and two in galley. Opening ports have screens. 5 fixed ports- three in guest cabin, and two in master cabin. Fixed ports have varnished Cherry ring around them. All ports have drop down-style curtains of Norbar Venita White Wash.
• Polished stainless steel Manship hatches on cabin top with (5) smoke gray tinted hatches. All have SkyScreen screens and blinds.
• Fender Storage: Provided for six (6) fenders, four (4) of which remain attached to boat and stored for easy deployment. Two (2)remaining fenders store in custom holders under cockpit hatch
• Additional wichard folding padeyes and chafe strips to provide additional positioning of fender and docklines
• Starboard transom door gives access to the swim platform.
• Bow burgee: varnished teak staff on bow rail.
• Ensign: Stern mounted 5’ varnished teak staff with flush socket
• Overboard direct drainage scuppers

MKII styled cockpit with salon “patio” and integrated, molded L-settee. Access to and from side deck provided by coaming gate on port and starboard sides.

Cockpit features:

• Large molded L-settee with cushioned bottom and back cushions covered in Luxor Leather with Seasand Red piping.
• Upper cockpit amenity with Vitrifrigo refrigerator and ice maker
• Gelcoat covered cockpit coamings with varnished teak coaming caps.
• Cockpit shower with hot/cold mixing valve with shower wand near transom door opening
• Cockpit fresh water deckwash
• Two Glendinning powered shore cord reels mounted at transom w/wireless remotes
• Courtesy Lighting: Lights under each cockpit side-deck, and on the stairs between the cockpit and pilothouse.
• Fender storage on underside of deck hatch.
• Low wattage lighting on dimmer under starboard side deck
• Salon Entry Doors: Polished stainless-steel framed doors with four (4) full height curved tinted tempered glass panels.
• L-shaped built-in settee to port and starboard with upholstered bottom and back cushions in Sunbrella Canvas White with Canvas Jockey piping. Chart storage is provided in large locker outboard of settee.
• Salon Table: Varnished cherry table to starboard. Converts to additional berth with filler cushion. Pedestal is Stidd manual retracting that is powder coated to match other Stidd pedestals.
• Salon Windows: MKII style-Three (3) fixed forward windows with laminated safety glass and fully concealed Stainless-Steel frames. Two (2) Side window assemblies with powered sliding center section and fully concealed Stainless-Steel frames.
• Salon windows have grey tint while forward windows and aft enclosure have no tint
• Salon Window Covers: electric pleated blind system for side windows in a sand color
• Roman shade style curtains on aft entry doors. Curtains are electrically actuated with remote control
• Pilothouse front windows have outside snap-on Stamoid fabric shade covers

Additional Pilothouse Details:

• Satin varnished cherry with gloss highlights. Highlights are found on all door and window trims, baseboards and bulkhead trims, corner posts, moldings, and overhead battens
• Varnished teak and tulipwood pilothouse sole
• Sound suppression overhead material with oversized varnished Cherry battens.
• Overhead halogen lamps on dimmers provide lighting.
• Reading lamps port and starboard aft provide additional lighting
• Low wattage lighting which is dimmable under L-settee
• Overhead varnished teak handrail running fore and aft
• Sunbrella cabin sole covers for pilothouse sole

FORWARD PILOTHOUSE AREA:

Helm Station (Starboard)

Two Stidd helm seats with Parchment Luxor Leather cushions and Imperial piping on stainless steel pedestals. Seats are electrical up-down, forward and aft.  Both seats have Stidd X-2 footrests. 

Interior Accommodations

Entertainment Equipment :

• Samsung 40” LED TV in pop up cabinet
• Cable and telephone inlet for shore side phone and cable.

Throughout interior:

• Satin varnished Cherry with gloss highlights. Gloss highlights are found on all door and window trims, baseboards and bulkhead trims, corner posts, moldings, and overhead battens
• Teak and Tulipwood soles
• Lowe custom Hardware for drawer and cabinet pulls

GALLEY (Port)

Stepping down from the pilothouse, the galley is to port.

• Cuisinart convection oven microwave (CMW-200 SS)
• Corian Sandalwood Countertop with undermounted single, deep sink with brushed stainless steel finish
• Hot and cold fresh water system with Grohe single lever faucet
• Trash storage to be tilt-out style located below the galley sink
• Recycle storage is in extended pull drawer which slides inboard under companionway steps. Holds 4 14qt waste baskets
•  (2) Sub-Zero drawer ID-24R refrigerator
• Multiple 110 VAC outlets for galley appliances
• Custom storage drawer at base of companionway steps provides storage for galley equipment. Drawer slides under inboard guest cabin berth
• Bar area at forward end of galley with Dometic 6 bottle wine cooler. Aft of wine cooler is storage drawer with foam inserts to hold wine and liquor bottles.
• Glass storage for bar area is outboard and features custom wine storage from overhead of locker and low-ball glass storage below.
• Two opening ports
• Dimmable low wattage lighting under toe kicks in galley

GUEST/DAY HEAD

Large head and shower. Head area is satin finished cherry with gloss highlights.

• Varnished high gloss Cherry countertop with undermounted stainless steel sink. Grohe single lever faucet.
• Sole in head is “teak decking style”
• Sealand Vacu-flush marine toilet plumbed directly to 100-gallon holding tank.
• Full length mirror on back of door between head and guest cabin. This allows mirror to function in either place.
• Cherry framed mirror on bulkhead aft of sink
• Towel bars in shower and head
• Shower curtain and rod
• Opening portlight

MASTER STATEROOM

The spacious owner’s stateroom is MKII style with aft facing berth and large handing lockers aft. Door to master cabin is aft to provide hallway effect for cabin thereby making it feel even larger.

• Custom desk to Starboard with swing-out stool
• Ample storage is provided via hanging lockers aft and outboard port and, lower drop down storage lockers port and starboard, and upper storage lockers port and starboard
• Queen sized mattress is custom Handcrafted Mattress Company System Five.  9.5” medium plush pillowtop innerspring mattress. Mattress is hinged to make access to storage below.
• Mattress is covered with fitted coverlet of Sunbrella Canvas with Canvas Jockey Red piping
• Safe installed under master bunk
• Custom alcoves port and starboard outboard of bunk for small items
• 32” Samsung Smart Slim LED monitor recessed into port bulkhead.
• Large overhead hatch with Skyscreen blind and screen                          
• Sound-absorbing panels added to chine area of hull area to reduce water noise
• Multiple 110 VAC outlets

MASTER HEAD

The large en-suite master head is aft to port of the master stateroom featuring separate shower. Head area is satin finished cherry with gloss highlights.

• Head countertop is gloss varnished cherry with undermounted polished Stainless-Steel sink and Grohe single lever faucet
• Sole in shower is molded non-skid for ease of cleaning
• Full length mirror on back of door.
• Overhead opening hatch for additional natural light
• Storage outboard of head, sink and in shower
• Common wire bonding with a minimum branch wire size of #8 AWG per ABYC.
• Start Batteries: Four (4) BCI 4D AGM batteries for main engines and generator.
• House: Four (4) BCI 8D AGM batteries for the main house bank.
• Heavy-duty battery switches for both port and starboard engines, with the ability to parallel the Starting Batteries.
• Mastervolt 12/24Volt start battery isolator
• Two (2) Balmar® alternators - 80-amp 24-Volt DC.
• Two (2) 24-Volt-DC battery chargers. One (1) 100-amp for House bank and one (1) 60-amp for starting bank.
• 24-Volt lighting
• MasterVolt 24-volt-DC to 110-volt-AC inverter 

GENERATOR :  Onan 17 Kw generator rated for 240-Volts AC, is mounted in a sound shield and is outfitted with DC voltmeter, water temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, hour meter, control switch, shutdown bypass switch and pre-heat.

MECHANICAL:

• Twin MAN V12-1400 hp 12-cylinder Vee diesel common rail engines
• Twin Disc transmissions with reduction gear ratio
• Two MAN engine displays
• Each engine features on demand, fully paralleled PTO redundancy to provide hydraulic power for steering, bow thruster, and windlass
• Two (2) 600 gallon fuel tanks
• Racor in-line Fuel/Air Separators
• Racor Dual Fuel Filters for each engine-Model 75/1000MAX with remote water alarm
• Racor Fuel Filter- Model 500 MA for generator with remote water alarm
• Baffled and insulated engine air intakes
• Underwater exhaust system - with low speed by-pass.
• Algae-X fuel purification system for both engines and generator
• Racor Remote Diesel Fuel Polishing System. Capacity of 150 GPH
• Hinckley JetStick II which integrates forward and aft motion of the boat, steering, and the bow thruster into a single joystick control
• Hinckley wireless remote for JetStick
• Sidepower hydraulic 25-hp bow thruster
• Seakeeper gyro-stabilizer-Seakeeper Model 9
• Autoglide Trim Tab system- automatic trim tab control system in the world. Integrates data, including engine speed, helm position and GPS to calculate the optimum running angle
• Marine Air Systems reverse-cycle marine air conditioning – three  (3) 24,000 BTU chilled water system with four (4) separate air handlers for the salon, galley and heads, guest cabin and owner’s stateroom.
• On-board water filtration- Mighty Pure in line ultraviolet water purifier. System also includes inline filters at each sink faucet and each icemaker.
• Engine Room Insulation: Insulated with Mylar-faced foam/composite insulation, with metal covering on visible surfaces
• Four (4) cage protected lights
• Oil Transfer Pump - reversible, 24-Volt DC - for main engines, transmissions, and generator.
• Fresh hot and cold pressurized water, fed by 24-VDC Sure-Flo Smart Sensor® main and back-up pumps supplying galley, shower, head and cockpit shower.
• Automatic 24-volt DC sump pumps for showers, and air-conditioning condensate.
• (3) Rule® 24-volt DC electric 3500-GPH bilge pumps with ULTRA automatic float switches.
• Saltwater deck wash: 24-volt DC, 10-GPM deck wash pump with hose connection in anchor locker
• 17-gallon water heater - marine insulated stainless steel
• 100-gallon aluminum holding tank
• 200-gallon stainless steel fresh water tank
• Fireboy fire protection system with automatic engine and generator shut down system
• High water bilge alarm
• Emergency bilge pump activated at helm station

Additional equipment

Ground tackle system:.

• Hydraulic windlass mounted in custom anchor well
• Custom 316L stainless steel bow roller with primary anchor
• 55-lb Delta primary anchor with 50’ x 3/8” Grade 40 galvanized chain + 200’ x ¾” three-strand nylon rode.
• 40-lb Fortress FX55 Secondary: anchor with chain and rope rode.
• Fresh and salt water wash down faucets in anchor locker

Safety and Deck Equipment:

• Horn - Kahlenberg 24-Volt DC dual-trumpet air horn with switch at helm
• Searchlight - 24 Volt-DC with remote at helm
• (10) Lifejackets - (8) adult and (2) children
• (4) Dock lines
• (6) Fenders with fleece covers and Wichard snap hooks
• Navigation lights
• Coast Guard safety equipment
• (4) Fire Extinguishers: 2-lb. Type B-1 fire extinguishers for class A, B, and C fires.
• Various Stamoid deck covers 

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BIG RED YACHT PTY LTD

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• Ask a Cruise Question

what is the "big red boat"?

By RCCLCruiser2010 , January 22, 2006 in Ask a Cruise Question

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RCCLCruiser2010

i heard this ship alot, is the something special about that ship?

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Could be wrong but the 'Big Red Boat' used to be a Premier ship which was somehow connected with Disney - before Disney had its own ships. This was years ago. Then Pemier bought the Dolphin line. Then Premier's ships were repossesed- in middle of cruise!!- Never knew what happened to the Big Red Boat as it disappeared when The Dolphin Line was purchased. Maybe its a reef somewhere, it was an OLD ship. Anyone know what happened to her?

Krazy Kruizers

In the February issue of Cruise Travel there is a picture showing the Big Red Boat (ex-Transvaal Castle, Festivale, Island Breeze) beached on Alang Beach in the Gujarat province on the northwestern shores of India's Gulf of Cambay waiting to be broken apart - that was in February 2004. By now, she is gone forever.

Yes to me it was a very special ship the Premier Oceanic, the first ship I sailed on and in the Aries suite at that for My 20th anniversary, that was 18 years and many cruises ago now.

I was very sad to see her go.

and Yes she did have a partnership with Disney before they entered the cruiseline business themselves, which is in fact what put Premier out of business really.

There were more than one "BIG RED BOAT", but I doubt you've heard much about them lately as Premier Cruises went out of business in September 2000. It wasn't Disney that did them in as much as it was the fact that they had very old ships with extremely high maintenance costs that used far more fuel than newer more efficient ships. Personally I love the old ships, but their old, outdated ships just couldn't compete with the new modern ships that the majority of people want.

Oceanic is the only former Premier ship that's still sailing. It's now with the Spanish line Pullmantur... http://www.pullmanturcruises.com/oceanic.html

Here are the Big Red Boats....

Big Red Boat I (Oceanic, StarShip Oceanic) Built 1965

Big Red Boat II (Eugenio C, Eugenio Costa, Edinburgh Castle) Built 1966

Big Red Boat III (Transvaal Castle, S.A.Vaal, Festivale, IslandBreeze) Built 1962

Big Red Boat IV (Rotterdam, Rembrandt) Built 1959

This link provides additional information.... http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/

Type in "Big Red Boat" in the search field..

Premier Cruise Lines used to offer seven day packages out of Port Canaveral as the Big Red Boat You could sail on the ship for three or four days and then stay at Disney World for the remaining days. They had a variety of Hotel packages to choose from that varied by price. I know in the early 1990's they had three boats the Atlantic (36K tonnage), Oceanic (40K tonnage) and the Majestic (17.5K tonnage) The cruise was focused primarily for families with young children. Once Disney rolled out their first boat, they lost their niche and tried to offer other types of criuses but with older boats and competive pricing from other cruise lines such as Carnival eventually this line went bankrupt and out of business.

POLAR SEA & POLAR STAR at McMurdo.....

I'm not sure which ship it was, but one of the "Big Red Boats" sank with

just the crew on it after being sold by Premier.

7 cruises, including 2 on The Oceanic (Big Red Boat I)

Big Red Boat I (Oceanic, StarShip Oceanic) Built 1965 Big Red Boat II (Eugenio C, Eugenio Costa, Edinburgh Castle) Built 1966 Big Red Boat III (Transvaal Castle, S.A.Vaal, Festivale, IslandBreeze) Built 1962 Big Red Boat IV (Rotterdam, Rembrandt) Built 1959     I'm not sure which ship it was, but one of the "Big Red Boats" sank with just the crew on it after being sold by Premier.     Patti 7 cruises, including 2 on The Oceanic (Big Red Boat I)

Rotterdam V/Rembrandt was NEVER a "Big Red Boat"... It was proposed but the outcry from those who loved her was too great and they abandoned that idea.

It wasn't a "Big Red Boat" that sank, it was Sea Breeze I that sank under suspicious circumstances off the Carolina coast while on it's way to layup in Freeport. The crew were all rescued.

was our first cruise when it was the big red boat, I believe in 93. The Disney characters were indeed on board and we had a package which put us up in the Yacht and Beach Club at Disneyworld. After they lost their contract with Disney which was actually quite a while before Disney had their cruise line, they hooked up with Warner Brothers and had the Loonie Tunes on board. Fun cruise for the kids.

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• Digital Edition

‘Big Red’ does the ARC

• Elaine Bunting
• November 24, 2010

Whitbread Race winning maxi ketch Steinlager 2 is going home to New Zealand

This weekend saw the start of the 25th ARC and it was a good opportunity to reflect on all the changes since the first supposedly one-off event in 1986. Apologies for not blogging last week, especially as there was a lot of interesting stuff, but with various copy deadlines, interviews, parties to go to and all…you know how it is.

Here’s one of the bigger boats. You may remember her. It’s Steinlager 2, Peter Blake’s Whitbread Race winner from 1990. Big Red, as she was and still is nicknamed, is a 84ft Farr-designed maxi ketch that decimated the opposition to win all six legs.

Today she belongs to Swiss owner Stefan Detjen and is on her way back to New Zealand for the next chapter of her career as part of the Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum’s collection of famous boats.

Nothing tells you more about how galactically race yacht design has come on that having a look aboard this boat. By today’s standards she’s almost a cruiser. The aluminium spars and rod rigging are all original, as is most of the deck gear.

It’s weird to think that this boat probably couldn’t break the ARC record of 11 days even if she were to pick up Trades from the very start. The crew says she needs a good 20 knots of breeze to get up to full speed, and even in those conditions with every stitch up – mizzen, mizzen gennaker, mainsail, spinnaker and staysail – she’d probably be slower than a Volvo 60, let alone the latest generation of ultra-lean greyhounds.

Down below is fascinating – oh the luxury compared to today’s bare carbon-hole racers. There’s a proper flushing loo, as there always was, pipe cots for everyone (with the pipes in metal holders!) and a big galley with a very large stainless steel cooker that has cages for two full size Camping Gaz bottles.

She still has her cosy nav station, more of a kiosk really, like an oversized photo booth. This is me sitting in Sir Peter Blake’s red leather Formula 1 car seat.

• Guided tour

River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat

• Description
• Choose date

Equipped with ice-breaking technology, these huge fancy yachts are the only river cruisers running all year around. The round trip journey takes two and a half hours and floats past all the big sights like the White House, Novodevichy monastery and the Kremlin. There’s a large open air observation deck up top, while the main body of the ship houses a restaurant with a dance floor for a romantic post dinner dance. For a particularly romantic experience take one of the evening boats and admire the bright lights of the city skyline at night.

The most relaxing and picturesque tour that Moscow can offer: a great way to see the city center and its main attractions. This is a perfect alternative to exploring the city by car, if you only have time to do sightseeing during weekday rush hours.

Your English-speaking guide is eager to share every bit of their knowledge about the surrounding landscape, the architecture and historical details.

We conduct Moscow river tour on Radisson Flotilla boats all year around!  It’s warm inside during winter months, while there’s air conditioning during hot summer days. You may also treat yourself to drinks, lunch or dinner on board (drinks and food are not included in tour price).

The cost of an excursion with a personal guide for 1 person

Quay at Radisson Collection Hotel

Government Headquarters ("the White House")

Kievsky Railway Central

Novodevichy Convent

Luzhniki Stadium

Academy of Sciences

Monument to Peter I

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Moscow Kremlin

St.Basil's Cathedral

Novospassky Monastery

U-turn and back to Quay at Radisson Royal Hotel

Choose your dates

Who's going.

• Excursion River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat
• Date and time:
• Who's going:

See photo of the meeting point

8 Classic American Luxury Land Yachts You Can Still Buy For Cheap

Often playing second fiddle to muscle cars, there are many truly luxurious classic American land yachts out there you can buy for surprisingly cheap.

When it comes to American classics , a few things come to enthusiast's minds. Muscle cars may be the most thrilling and iconic types of old-school American cars, and it's hard not to love their tire-shredding V8 power and un-apologetic brutal spirit . But, when it comes to luxury and comfort, a type of American classic known as "land yachts" is some of the best you can get for a pure luxury experience.

Incredibly, and often unnecessarily large, V8-powered, and plush on the inside, a land yacht refers to full-size luxury cars of the '60s and '70s, back when some genuine craftsmanship was used to make luxurious interiors, and massive bodies gave some boat-like handling, gliding over the road in great comfort . Often playing second fiddle to muscle cars, there are many truly luxurious classic American land yachts out there you can buy for not all that much money. So, read on, to see 8 such cars you can get for under $15,000.

9 Cadillac Eldorado (9th Generation)

The very definition of a "land yacht," when it comes to big and comfortable American cruisers, really doesn't get better than an old-school Cadillac. Especially so, the Eldorado stood out as the top-of-the-line model within GM's crowd of luxury cars.

A nameplate representing the top end of Cadillac's already high-end lineup since 1953, the Eldorado was a massive 2-door luxury beast fitted with the best luxuries whatever period it was sold in had to offer. For its 9th generation starting in 1971, the Eldorado shared a platform with the Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado, but was the supreme luxury model, with seats inside that are plusher than most sofas could ever hope to be, as well as a massive 500 cu-in V8. Not too hard to find in good shape for around $15,000 , the Eldorado is about the most luxurious car you can buy for this price.

8 Buick Riviera (3rd Generation)

Back when Buick used to stand for great luxury and style, the Riviera was a long-running model within Buick. Evolving with an incredible boat-tail design for its 3rd generation, this Riviera was a proper luxury car through and through.

Introduced for 1971 and lasting until '73, the unique Bill Mitchell-directed boat-tail design 3rd gen Riviera has also had a distinct interior design compared to its predecessors and successors. Designed with a dashboard that envelopes the driver and passenger, the Riviera's interior is among the most well-appointed for its time. Also supremely comfortable and powerful, the 3rd gen Riviera came equipped with a Buick 455 cu-in V8 with up to 265 hp. While you'll have to look for a '73 model if you want one at this price, the boat-tail Buick Riviera can be found for around $15,000 .

RELATED:  10 Coolest Features Found In The 1972 Buick Riviera

7 Buick Electra/Electra 225 (3rd & 4th Generation)

While the Riviera is a properly luxurious land yacht, it was slightly sportier and slightly smaller than its big brother - the Electra. One of Buick's range-topping luxury cars, the Electra was a massive uncompromising luxury cruiser.

Taking over the Super and Roadmaster nameplates in 1959, these two cars became the Electra, and Electra 225 respectively. As one of the top-end Buick models, the Electra 225 was and would continue to be packed with all the greatest features of the time. Entering its 3rd generation in 1965, the Electra could be had with engines like the Buick 455 cu-in V8 laying down 370 hp, and continued to use it through its 4th generation starting in '71 (though choked down by new emissions requirements). Incredibly large and luxurious, Electra examples from both the 3rd and 4th generation can be had in good shape for around $15,000 .

6 Lincoln Continental (5th Generation)

Ford's most luxurious car of decades past, the Lincoln Continental is iconic as a ridiculously big and luxurious coupe, being the ride of choice for past Presidents. Massive in every sense, the 5th generation Continental offers some great land yacht value.

A historic nameplate for Lincoln, the Continental first came about in 1940 as a stylish and luxurious coupe and convertible. Using large V8s for most of its model life, the Continental received a  462 cu-in V8 in 1966 , though shrunk slightly for the '70s, remaining at 460 cu-in up until 1979. Sold from 1970 until '79, the 5th gen Continental brought it up to modern specs and was packed with the greatest luxuries and features of its day - aiming squarely at Cadillac and their previously mentioned Eldorado. Not hard to find for around $15,000 in good shape, a 5th gen Continental fits the land yacht bill like few other cars do.

RELATED:  A Detailed Look At The Lincoln Black Label Continental

4 Oldsmobile Toronado (1st Generation)

You won't be finding a perfect examples at this price point, but when it comes to running and driving ones in need of a little work, you can own Oldsmobile's most unique looking stand-out luxury cars from their golden age for not much money at all.

Introduced in 1966, the Toronado replaced the Starfire as Oldsmobile's stylish personal luxury coupe , with plenty of innovation, power, and luxury inside. Getting its power from an Olds 425 V8, the Toronado made 385 hp and was the first FWD American car since the 1930s. The Toronado lasted until the '90s, but generations following the first became less spectacular and were choked down significantly by new regulations, dying in the '90s as an unremarkable machine, de-valuing the Toronado name significantly. Shockingly cheap for how innovative, luxurious and awesome it is, a '66-'70 Toronado can be found in decent condition for around $10,000 .

3 Oldsmobile 98 (8th & 9th Generation)

One of the longest-running names in Oldsmobile's history, the 98 stood out as the flagship luxury land yacht within Oldsmobile's lineup, being more conventional than the Toronado. Similarly seeing its nameplate dragged, a 98 can be found for relatively cheap.

Originating in 1940, the Oldsmobile 98 (also referred to as "Ninety-Eight") stood for the top dog in Oldsmobile's lineup. With their Series 60 being the small entry-level car for 1940, the Series 90 was the full-size king, and with an inline-8 (later a V8) under the hood was known as the 98 (Series 90 + 8 cylinders). Remaining on sale until 1996, the best mix of affordability and classic luxurious land yacht spirit can (arguably) be found in the 98's 8th, and 9th generations, spanning 1965 until 1976. You'll be looking at a price of over $15,000 for a decent '60s example, but the still large and luxurious early '70s ones can be found for around $10,000 in good condition.

RELATED:  10 Coolest Oldsmobile Classics You Can Buy For Peanuts

2 Pontiac Grand Prix (2nd Generation)

A nameplate dragged as far down as possible, the Grand Prix's final generations were frankly terrible plastic-filled commuters, but the early ones stood out as fantastic blends of power, luxury, and style rolled into one awesome personal luxury coupe.

Re-designed for 1969 , the Grand Prix's 2nd generation broke from the previous elegant styling, and combined tough muscle car looks with its land yacht proportions. Those muscular looks weren't just for show either, as the 2nd gen Grand Prix was powered by a choice of big V8s up to a 428 cu-in-unit pumping out 390 hp in '69. A similar mix of muscle car and luxury cruiser on the inside, the 2nd gen Grand Prix's styling may not be to everyone's taste, but at under $15,000 for a decent running and driving example offers a great deal for a big and luxurious classic muscle car.

1 AMC/Rambler Marlin

One of the most distinct-looking and unique of AMC's '60s classics, the Marlin was a short-lived model based on the personal luxury coupe formula, but with some unique twists to its design. Mostly forgotten today, the Marlin offers a great classic luxury bargain.

Debuting at the 1964 Chicago Auto Show as the Tarpon concept, designer Richard "Dick" Teague penned the flowing lines and dramatic fastback. Built on the Rambler American platform, the Rambler Marlin debuted in 1965 as a luxurious fastback coupe. A slow seller for AMC, the Marlin was updated in '67, now built on the AMC Ambassador platform as an AMC model - but was killed off that same year. A widely ignored, but comfortable cruiser, the Marlin can be found for around $10,000 in good shape.

NEXT:  This Is How Much A Classic AMC Marlin Is Worth Today

Three decades after the Soviet era, this Moscow street echoes what was.

And hints where russia is heading., welcome to tverskaya street.

MOSCOW — Thirty years ago, the Soviet Union ceased to be. The flag was lowered for the last time on Dec. 25, 1991. That moment still raises deep questions for the U.S.S.R.’s heirs: “Who were we as Soviets, and where are we going as Russians?”

Many of the answers can be found on Moscow’s main thoroughfare — named Gorky Street, after writer Maxim Gorky, from 1932 to 1990, and renamed Tverskaya Street, a nod to the ancient city of Tver, as the Soviet Union was awash in last-gasp reforms.

It was the Soviet Union’s display window on the bright future that Kremlin-run communism was supposed to bring. It was where the KGB dined, the rich spent their rubles, Vladimir Lenin gave speeches from a balcony, and authorities wielded their power against one of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

In the 1990s, Tverskaya embodied the fast-money excesses of the post-Soviet free-for-all. In later years, it was packed with hopeful pro-democracy marchers. And now , under President Vladimir Putin, it is a symbol of his dreams of reviving Russia as a great power, reliving past glories and crushing any opposition to his rule.

Join a tour of Moscow’s famed Tverskaya Street.

Hotel National: Where the Soviet government began

The window in Room 107 at the Hotel National faces Red Square and the Kremlin. It offers a perfect view of Lenin’s tomb — fitting, since he was Room 107’s most famous guest.

The Kremlin was damaged during the Russian Revolution in 1917. So Lenin and his wife moved into Room 107 for seven days in March 1918, making the hotel the first home of the Soviet government.

The Hotel National in Moscow, from top: Artwork in the Socialist Realist style — which artists were ordered to adopt in the 1930s — still adorns the hotel; Elena Pozolotina has worked at the hotel since 1995; the hotel, which contains a restaurant, was built in 1902; the National has hosted notable guests, including Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and actor Jack Nicholson. (Photos by Arthur Bondar for The Washington Post)

The National, built in 1902 during the era of Imperial Russia, also accommodated other Soviet leaders, including Leon Trotsky and Felix Dzerzhinsky, chief of the secret police. The building continued to be used by the Soviet government as a hostel for official party delegates and was renamed First House of Soviets in 1919.

Guests can now stay in the same room Lenin did for about $1,300 a night. In more recent years, the hotel has hosted notable guests including Barack Obama (when he was a senator) and actor Jack Nicholson.

“This hotel feels a little like a museum,” said Elena Pozolotina, who has worked at the National since 1995.

“We have rooms that look onto Tverskaya Street, and we always explain to guests that this is the main street of our city,” Pozolotina said. “This corner of Tverskaya that we occupy, it’s priceless.”

Stalin’s plan: ‘The building is moving’

When Soviet leader Joseph Stalin demanded a massive redevelopment of Moscow in 1935, an order came to transform modest Gorky Street into a wide, awe-inspiring boulevard.

Engineer Emmanuel Gendel had the job of moving massive buildings to make way for others. Churches and monasteries were blown up, replaced by newspaper offices and a huge cinema.

The Moscow Central Eye Hospital was sheared from its foundation, rotated 97 degrees, jacked up, hitched on rails and pushed back 20 yards — with surgeons operating all the while, or so official media reported at the time.

Gendel’s daughter, then about 8, proudly stood at a microphone, announcing: “Attention, attention, the building is moving.” Tatiana Yastrzhembskaya, Gendel’s granddaughter and president of the Winter Ball charity foundation in Moscow, recalls that Gendel extolled communism but also enjoyed the rewards of the elite. He drove a fine car and always brought the family the best cakes and candies, she said.

The largest Gorky Street building Gendel moved was the Savvinskoye Courtyard. The most difficult was the Mossoviet, or Moscow city hall, with a balcony where Lenin had given speeches. The building, the former residence of the Moscow governor general, had to be moved with its basement. The ground floor had been a ballroom without central structural supports.

Moving buildings on Gorky Street in 1940, from left: A mechanic at a control panel regulates the supply of electricity while a house is being moved; a postal worker passes a moving house; a specialist unwinds a telephone cable during a building move to maintain uninterrupted communication; 13 rail tracks were placed under a house, on which 1,200 metal rollers were laid. (Photos by RGAKFD)

Gendel’s skills were used all over the U.S.S.R. — straightening towers on ancient mosques in Uzbekistan, inventing a means to drag tanks from rivers during World War II and consulting on the Moscow Metro.

Like many of the Soviet Union’s brightest talents, Gendel found that his freedom was tenuous. His ex-wife was called by the KGB internal spy agency in 1937 and asked to denounce him. She refused, and he avoided arrest.

“I believe he was not arrested and sent to the camps because he was a unique expert,” said Yastrzhembskaya. World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, interrupted the Master Plan for Gorky Street.

Aragvi restaurant: A haunt of the KGB

In the 1930s, the head of the elite NKVD secret police, Lavrenty Beria, one of the architects of the Stalin-era purges, ordered the construction of a state-owned restaurant, Aragvi, to showcase food from his home republic of Georgia.

One night, NKVD agents descended in several black cars on a humble Georgian canteen in Moscow that Beria had once visited. The agents ordered the chef, Longinoz Stazhadze, to come with them. The feared NKVD was a precursor to the KGB.

Stazhadze thought he was being arrested, his son Levan told Russian media. He was taken to Beria, who said that he had agreed with “the Boss” (Stalin) that Stazhadze would run Aragvi. Stazhadze had grown up a peasant, sent to work in a prince’s kitchens as a boy.

Aragvi opened in 1938. It was only for the gilded set, a reminder that the “Soviet paradise” was anything but equitable. The prices were astronomical. It was impossible to get a table unless the doorman knew you or you could pay a hefty bribe.

Aragvi, at No. 6 Tverskaya, was a favorite of the secret police; government officials; cosmonauts and pilots; stars of theater, movies and ballet; directors; poets; chess masters. Beria reputedly dined in a private room. Poet Sergei Mikhalkov said he composed the lyrics of the Soviet national anthem while sitting in the restaurant in 1943.

It was privatized in the 1990s and struggled, before closing in 2002. It reopened in 2016 after a $20 million renovation. But the new Aragvi closed abruptly in 2019 amid reports of a conflict between its owner and the building managers.

“You put your entire soul into cooking,” said the former head chef, Nugzar Nebieridze, 59, celebrated for his khinkali, a meaty dumpling almost the size of a tennis ball. He was devastated to find himself unemployed. But other doors opened. He now prefers to travel, giving master classes around Russia.

Stalin’s funeral: A deadly street crush that never officially happened

On March 6, 1953, the day after Stalin died of a stroke, an estimated 2 million Muscovites poured onto the streets. They hoped to catch a glimpse of his body, covered with flowers and laid out in the marbled Hall of Columns near Red Square.

Yulia Revazova, then 13, sneaked from her house with her cousin Valery without telling their parents. As they walked toward Pushkin Square, at one end of Gorky Street, the procession turned into a scene of horror. They saw people falling and being trampled. Some were crushed against metal fences. Valery, who was a few years older, grabbed Yulia by the hand and dragged her out of the crowd.

“He held my hand really tight and never let it go, because it was pure madness,” she recalled recently. “It took us four or five hours to get out of there. People kept coming and coming. I couldn’t even call it a column; it was just an uncontrollable mass of people.”

“I still have this feeling, the fear of massive crowds,” added Revazova, 82. “To this day, if I see a huge group of people or a really long line, I just cross the street.”

Neither Revazova nor her cousin knew about Stalin’s repressions.

“People were crying. I saw many women holding little handkerchiefs, wiping away tears and wailing,” she recalled. “That’s the psychology of a Soviet person. If there is no overarching figure above, be it God or Lenin, life will come crashing down. The era was over, and there was fear. What will we do without Stalin?”

Officials never revealed how many people died that day. The Soviet-approved archival footage of the four days of national mourning showed only orderly marches and memorials.

No. 9: The ruthless culture minister

The Soviet culture minister, the steely Yekaterina Furtseva, was nicknamed Catherine the Third, after the forceful Russian Empress Catherine the Great. Furtseva destroyed writers, artists or anyone else who challenged Soviet ideas. She lived at an elite 1949 apartment building for government officials at No. 9 — an ultra-prestigious address with a view of the Kremlin.

Furtseva, a former small-town weaver, made sure that No. 9 was only for the cream of party officials and other notables, such as famous Soviet actress Natalia Seleznyova, scientists, conductors and architects.

Riding the coattails of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Furtseva was the only woman in the Politburo and later became the Soviet Union’s cultural gatekeeper despite her provincial sensibilities. She once infamously mixed up a symphony with an opera, and critics were quick to notice.

“She had little in common with the artistic leaders of her country except a liking for vodka,” Norwegian painter Victor Sparre wrote in his 1979 book on the repression of dissident Soviet writers, “The Flame in the Darkness.”

Furtseva was famous for previewing performances and declaring anyone even subtly critical of Soviet policies as being anti-state. Director Yuri Lyubimov described one such visit to Moscow’s Taganka Theater in 1969, when she turned up wearing diamond rings and an astrakhan coat. She banned the play “Alive,” depicting a cunning peasant’s struggle against the collective farm system. She “was livid, she kept shouting,” he told L’Alternative magazine in 1984. She stormed out, warning him she would use her influence, “up to the highest levels,” against him.

He was expelled from the party and in 1984 was stripped of his citizenship. She vehemently denounced Solzhenitsyn, and banned the Bolshoi Ballet’s version of “Carmen” in 1967 over prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya’s sensual performance and “un-Soviet” costumes that did not cover enough leg.

“The ballet is all erotica,” she told the dancer. “It’s alien to us.” But Plisetskaya, whom Khrushchev once called the world’s best dancer, fought back. The ballet went on with some excisions (the costumes stayed) and became a legend in the theater’s repertoire.

Furtseva was nearly felled by scandal in 1974, ordered to repay $80,000 spent building a luxurious dacha, or country home, using state labor. She died months later.

Where Solzhenitsyn was arrested

The Nobel Prize-winning Solzhenitsyn exposed the Soviet system’s cruelty against some of its brightest minds, trapped in the gulag, or prison camps.

Solzhenitsyn was given eight years of hard labor in 1945 for privately criticizing Stalin, then three years of exile in Kazakhstan, a Soviet republic at the time. His books were banned. After release from exile in 1956, he was allowed to make only 72-hour visits to the home of his second wife, Natalia, at 12 Gorky St., Apt. 169. Solzhenitsyn had to live outside the city.

“People knew that there were camps, but not many people, if any, knew what life was like in those camps. And he described it from the inside. He had been there himself, and that was shocking to a lot of people,” said Natalia Solzhenitsyna during a recent interview at the apartment, which became a museum in 2018.

“Many people say that he did make a contribution to the final fall of the Soviet Union.”

Solzhenitsyn, who died in 2008, called Russia “the land of smothered opportunities.” He wrote that it is always possible to live with integrity. Lies and evil might flourish — “but not through me.”

The museum displays tiny handwritten copies of Solzhenitsyn’s books, circulated secretly; film negatives of letters smuggled to the West; and beads made of compacted bread that he used to memorize poems in prison.

“He spent a lot of time here with his children. We were always very busy. And we just enjoyed ourselves — being together,” Solzhenitsyna said. They had three sons.

No. 12 Gorky St., from top: Natalia Solzhenitsyna lived in the apartment for years, and her husband, Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, was allowed only short visits; the site now houses a museum displaying items connected to him, such as negatives containing a copy of a novel he wrote; another exhibit includes Solzhenitsyn’s clothes from when he was sent to the gulag and beads made of compacted bread that he used to memorize poems; the Nobel Prize-winning writer’s desk is featured at the museum. (Photos by Arthur Bondar for The Washington Post)

Because of KGB bugs, if the couple were discussing something sensitive, they wrote notes to each other, and then destroyed them. Two KGB agents usually roosted in the stairwell on the floor above, with two more on the floor below.

“The Soviet authorities were afraid of him because of his popularity among intellectuals, writers, people of culture and the intelligentsia.”

Her favorite room is decked with black-and-white photos of dissidents sent to the gulag, the Soviet Union’s sprawling system of forced labor camps. “It’s dedicated to the invisibles,” she said, pointing out friends.

Sweden planned to award Solzhenitsyn’s 1970 literature prize in the Gorky Street apartment, but the writer rejected a secret ceremony. A Swedish journalist in Moscow, Stig Fredrikson, was Solzhenitsyn’s smuggler. He carried Solzhenitsyn’s Nobel lecture on tightly rolled film disguised as a battery in a transistor radio, and he took other letters to the West and transported photos taped to his back.

“I felt that there was a sense of unfairness that he was so isolated and so persecuted,” Fredrikson said in a recent interview. “I got more and more scared and more and more afraid every time I met him.”

In 1971, the Soviet Union allegedly tried to poison Solzhenitsyn using a secret nerve agent, leaving him seriously ill. Early 1974 was tense. The prosecutor subpoenaed him. State newspapers railed against him.

The morning of Feb. 12, 1974, the couple worked in their study. In the afternoon, he walked his 5-month-old son, Stepan, in the yard below.

“He came back here, and literally a minute later, there was a ring at the door. There were eight men. They immediately broke the chain and got in,” his widow said. “There was a prosecutor in his prosecutor’s uniform, two men in plainclothes, and the rest were in military uniform. They told him to get dressed.”

“We hugged and we kept hugging for quite a while,” she recalled. “The last thing he told me was to take care of the children.”

He was deported to West Germany. The couple later settled in Vermont and set up a fund to help dissident writers, using royalties from his book “The Gulag Archipelago.” About 1,000 people still receive money from the fund, according to Solzhenitsyna.

When the writer and his wife returned to Russia in 1994, they traveled across the country by train. Thousands of people crushed into halls to hear him speak.

Solzhenitsyn abhorred the shock therapy and unchecked capitalism of the 1990s and preferred Putin’s tough nationalism. He died of heart failure at 89 in August 2008, five months after a presidential election in which Putin switched places with the prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, in a move that critics saw as a ploy to get around constitutional term limits.

No. 6: ‘Feasts of thought’

Behind a grand Stalin-era apartment block at 6 Gorky St. sits an ornate 1907 building famous for its facade, art nouveau glazed blue tiles, elegant arches and baroque spires. Once a monastery dormitory, it was a staple of pre-Soviet postcards from Moscow. But in November 1939, the 26,000-ton building was put on rails and pushed back to widen the street.

Linguists Lev and Raisa Kopelev lived in Apt. 201 on the top floor. Their spacious dining room became a favored haven for Moscow’s intelligentsia from the 1950s to the 1980s.

“People gathered all the time — to talk. In this apartment, like many other kitchens and dining rooms, at tables filled more often than not with vodka, herring and vinaigrette salad, feasts of thought took place,” said Svetlana Ivanova, Raisa’s daughter from another marriage, who lived in the apartment for nearly four decades.

Solzhenitsyn and fellow dissident Joseph Brodsky were Kopelev family friends, as were many other artists, poets, writers and scientists who formed the backbone of the Soviet human rights movement of the 1960s.

As a writer and dissident, Kopelev had turned his back on the Communist Party and a prestigious university position. The onetime gulag prisoner inspired the character Lev Rubin in Solzhenitsyn’s novel “In the First Circle,” depicting the fate of arrested scientists.

“The apartment was a special place for everyone. People there were not afraid to speak their mind on topics that would be considered otherwise risky,” Ivanova said. “A new, different spirit ruled in its walls.”

Eliseevsky: Pineapples during a famine

The Eliseevsky store at No. 16 was a landmark for 120 years — born in czarist Russia, a witness to the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, a survivor of wars, and a bastion during eras of shortages and plenty. It closed its doors in April.

Eliseevsky fell on hard times during the coronavirus pandemic, as international tourists dwindled and Russians sought cheaper grocery-shopping alternatives.

In the palace-like interior, two chandeliers hang from an ornate ceiling. Gilt columns line the walls. The front of the store, looking out at Tverskaya Street, has a row of stained glass.

The Eliseevsky store, which opened in 1901, is seen in April, with a few customers and some archival photos, as it prepared to close as an economic victim of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photos by Arthur Bondar for The Washington Post)

Denis Romodin, a historian at the Museum of Moscow, said Eliseevsky is one of only two retail spaces in Moscow with such pre-revolutionary interiors. But Eliseevsky’s level of preservation made it “one of a kind,” he said.

The building was once owned by Zinaida Volkonskaya, a princess and Russian cultural figure in the 19th century. She remodeled the house into a literary salon whose luminaries included Russia’s greatest poet, Alexander Pushkin.

St. Petersburg merchant Grigory Eliseev opened the market in 1901. It quickly became a hit among Russian nobility for its selection of European wines and cheeses.

Romodin said it was Russia’s first store with price tags. Before Eliseevsky, haggling was the norm. And it was also unique in having innovative technology for the time: electric-powered refrigerators and display cases that allowed goods to be stored longer.

Even in the Soviet Union’s hungriest years, the 1930s famine, Eliseevsky stocked pineapples.

“One could find outlandish delicacies here, which at that time seemed very exotic,” Romodin said. “It was already impossible to surprise Muscovites with wine shops. But a grocery store with luxurious interiors, and large for that time, amazed and delighted Muscovites.”

The First Gallery: A glimpse of openness

In 1989, in a dusty government office by a corner of Pushkin Square, three young artists threw off decades of suffocating state control and opened the Soviet Union’s first independent art gallery.

That April, Yevgeny Mitta and two fellow students, Aidan Salakhova and Alexander Yakut, opened First Gallery. At the time, the Soviet Union was opening up under policies including glasnost, which gave more room for public debate and criticism.

Artists were ordered to adopt the Socialist Realist style in 1934, depicting scenes such as happy collective farmworkers. Expressionist, abstract and avant-garde art was banned. From the 1970s, underground art exhibitions were the only outlets to break the Soviet-imposed rules.

The First Gallery, from top: Yevgeny Mitta, Aidan Salakhova and Alexander Yakut opened the Soviet Union’s first independent art gallery in 1989 and received media attention; Mitta works on a painting that he displayed at his gallery; Mitta recalled recently that he “felt we had to make something new”; an undated photo of Mitta at his gallery in Soviet times. (Photos by Arthur Bondar for The Washington Post and courtesy of Yevgeny Mitta)

“I just felt we had to make something new,” recalled Mitta, 58, who kept his interest in contemporary expressionism a secret at a top Moscow art school in the 1980s.

“It was like nothing really happened in art history in the 20th century, like it stopped,” he said. “The Socialist Realism doctrine was invented and spread to the artists as the only one, possible way of developing paintings, films and literature.”

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, artists had to “learn how to survive, what to do, how to work and make a living,” he said.

McDonald’s: ‘We were not used to smiling’

In the Soviet Union’s final years, a mania raged for all things Western. Estée Lauder opened the first Western-brand shop on Gorky Street in 1989, after meeting Raisa Gorbachev, the wife of reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, in December 1988.

The Soviet Union’s first McDonald’s, located across Pushkin Square on Gorky Street, opened on Jan. 31, 1990 — a yellow-arched symbol of Gorbachev’s perestroika economic reforms. Pizza Hut opened later that year. (In 1998, Gorbachev starred in a commercial for the pizza chain.)

Karina Pogosova and Anna Patrunina were cashiers at the McDonald’s on opening day. The line stretched several blocks. Police officers stood watch to keep it organized.

The Soviet Union’s first McDonald’s opened in 1990 and eager customers lined up to enter; Karina Pogosova, left, and Anna Patrunina were cashiers at the fast-food restaurant on Gorky Street then, and they are senior executives with the company today. (Photos by Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images and Arthur Bondar for The Washington Post)

“The atmosphere was wonderful. The first day I had to smile the entire day and my face muscles hurt,” Patrunina said. “This is not a joke. Russians do not smile in general, so we were not used to smiling at all, not to mention for more than eight hours straight.”

Pogosova and Patrunina were students at the Moscow Aviation Institute when they learned McDonald’s was hiring through an ad in a Moscow newspaper. Interview questions included: “How fast can you run 100 meters?” It was to gauge if someone was energetic enough for the job.

Pogosova and Patrunina are still with the company today, as senior vice president of development and franchising and vice president of operations, respectively.

“I thought that this is the world of opportunities and this new world is coming to our country, so I must be in this new world,” Patrunina said.

The smiling staff wasn’t the only culture shock for customers. Some had never tried the fountain sodas that were available. They were unaccustomed to food that wasn’t eaten with utensils. The colorful paper boxes that Big Macs came in were occasionally saved as souvenirs.

McDonald’s quickly became a landmark on the street.

“I remember very well that the street and the entire city was very dark and McDonald’s was like an island of light with bright signage,” Pogosova said. “The street started to change after McDonald’s opened its first restaurant there.”

Wild ’90s and a missing ballerina

The end of the Soviet Union uncorked Moscow’s wild 1990s. Some people made instant fortunes by acquiring state-owned enterprises at throwaway prices. Rules were being written on the fly. The city was pulsing with possibilities for those with money or those desperate to get some.

“It was easy to get drunk on this,” said Alex Shifrin, a former Saatchi & Saatchi advertising executive from Canada who lived in Moscow from the mid-1990s until the late 2000s.

It all was on full display at Night Flight, Moscow’s first nightclub, opened by Swedish managers in 1991, in the final months of the Soviet Union, at Tverskaya 17. The club introduced Moscow’s nouveau elite to “face control” — who merits getting past the rope line — and music-throbbing decadence.

The phrase “standing on Tverskaya” made its way into Russian vernacular as the street became a hot spot for prostitutes. Toward the end of the 2000s, Night Flight had lost its luster. The club scene in Moscow had moved on to bigger and bolder venues.

Decades before, No. 17 had been famous as the building with the dancer: a statue of a ballerina, holding a hammer and sickle, placed atop the cupola during Stalin’s building blitz.

Muscovites nicknamed the building the House Under the Skirt.

“The idea was to have Gorky Street as a museum of Soviet art. The statues represented a dance of socialism,” art historian Pavel Gnilorybov said. “The ballerina was a symbol of the freedom of women and the idea that, before the revolution, women were slaves. It is as if she is singing an ode to the regime.”

The crumbling statues were removed by 1958. People forgot them. Now a group of Muscovites, including Gnilorybov, are campaigning for the return of the ballerina.

“It’s an idea that we want to give the city as a gift. It’s not political,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”

Pushkin Square: For lovers and protesters

Pushkin Square has been Moscow’s favorite meeting place for friends, lovers and political demonstrations.

In November 1927, Trotskyist opponents of Stalin marched to the 27th House of Soviets at one end of Tverskaya Street, opposite the Hotel National, in one of the last public protests against the Soviet ruler.

In December 1965, several dozen dissidents gathered in Pushkin Square to protest the trials of two writers. It became an annual event. People would gather just before 6 p.m. and, on the hour, remove their hats for a minute.

In 1987, dissidents collected signatures at Pushkin Square and other locations calling for a memorial to those imprisoned or killed by the Soviet state. The movement evolved into Memorial, a leading human rights group. Memorial was declared a “foreign agent” in 2016 under Putin’s sweeping political crackdowns.

In January 2018, left, and January 2021, right, protesters gathered at Pushkin Square. (Photos by Arthur Bondar for The Washington Post)

Protests in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny were held at Pushkin Square earlier this year. And it is where communists and liberals rallied on a rainy September night to protest 2021 parliamentary election results that gave a landslide win to Putin’s United Russia party despite widespread claims of fraud.

Nearly 30 years after the fall of the U.S.S.R., Putin’s Russia carries some echoes of the stories lived out in Soviet times — censorship and repressions are returning. Navalny was poisoned by a nerve agent in 2020 and later jailed. Many opposition figures and independent journalists have fled the country. The hope, sleaze and exhilaration of the 1990s have faded. Tverskaya Street has settled into calm stagnation, waiting for the next chapter.

Arthur Bondar contributed to this report.

Correction: A map accompanying this article incorrectly spelled the first name of a former Soviet leader. He is Vladimir Lenin, not Vladmir Lenin. The map has been corrected.

About this story

Story editing by Robyn Dixon and Brian Murphy. Photos and videos by Arthur Bondar. Archival footage from the Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive at Krasnogorsk; footage of Joseph Stalin’s funeral from the Martin Manhoff Archive, courtesy of Douglas Smith. Photo editing by Chloe Coleman. Video editing by Jason Aldag. Design and development by Yutao Chen. Design editing by Suzette Moyer. Maps by Dylan Moriarty. Graphics editing by Lauren Tierney. Copy editing by Melissa Ngo.

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