yacht week hbs

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The ultimate MBA networking event? A yacht party in Croatia

Hundreds of students from Harvard and other elite business schools like to connect at Yacht Week, a floating festival in the Adriatic Sea

Jaron Wright and Shivani Singh, first-year students at Harvard Business School, started networking before the fall semester started. They connected during a seven-day-long party aboard yachts floating in the Adriatic Sea.

Hundreds of students from Harvard and other elite business schools spent time this summer participating in an emerging rite of passage for M.B.A. candidates: Yacht Week.

Created, branded and organized by a Swedish company, the event features flotillas of white boats descending on different parts of the Mediterranean throughout the summer for seven days at a time. Partygoers willing to pay thousands of dollars frolic in the azure waters, explore the coastal villages of southern Croatia and dance to DJ sets after sundown. They also board neighboring boats to network with other M.B.A. candidates.

That is how Mr. Wright and Ms. Singh, one night in August, discovered their mutual aspiration to break into venture capital after graduation. The next day Ms. Singh greeted Mr. Wright from her perch astride a seven-seat inflatable unicorn.

“Someone from Yacht Week is going to be a really important part of my life one day," Mr. Wright says. “I have a feeling that’s going to happen."

M.B.A. students have long prized off-campus relationship building as a key part of a degree that can cost them as much as $200,000 at certain schools. Those networking opportunities might happen on ski trips, at black-tie galas or informal summertime group gatherings. Yacht Week emerged over the last decade as a new way to monetize this pursuit.

The event started in 2006 when two Swedish skippers decided to plan their own ocean party with friends in Croatia. With Facebook, and friends inviting friends, the event quickly expanded into a moneymaking venture. The number of yachts they commandeered went from 95 in 2007 to 431 in 2010 to just under 1,000 this year. The company, now called Day 8, expanded beyond Croatia to new locations including Greece, the British Virgin Islands and Tahiti. A place on a boat can now cost between $800 and $2,500, depending on the yacht’s size, age and whether it has air conditioning. Airfare, food, drinks and tips aren’t included. The company said its Yacht Week festivities brought in nearly $13 million in revenue this year.

Along the way Yacht Week gained a reputation as a nonstop party. When docked, the guests troop up stone staircases to sun-dappled courtyards built on cliffs for outdoor dinners with breathtaking views. There are disco raves, and some days skippers tie up boats in flotillas, forming two parallel lines or a big circle, with people dancing aboard and swimming in the middle. Carousels of social-media posts chronicle the lavish destinations.

Partygoers include travelers ranging from 21 to roughly 40 years old, the company said, and the M.B.A. crowd is a staple of Day 8’s customer base. The first business-school students were from HBS, said Day 8 marketing and sales director Nik Valentine, followed by other candidates at schools such as Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

The number of M.B.A.-dedicated yachts expanded from 12 in 2019 to 95 in 2021, according to Day 8 estimates, as students scratched their travel itch following a period of pandemic lockdowns. That included 40 yachts booked just by Wharton students, according to Day 8.

This year there were 42 M.B.A. boats carrying roughly 500 people, according to the company. HBS students alone booked 28 yachts that took part in the festivities, according to Day 8, up from 20 in 2021. Photos posted to Instagram last month showed some Yacht Week attendees in matching white hats with the HBS crest and a sailboat. Students from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Tuck came aboard, too, according to Day 8.

Schools don’t sanction nor organize these trips, according to spokeswomen from the Graduate School of Business, Kellogg, Fuqua and spokesmen from Tuck, Wharton, and HBS. A HBS spokesman added that “the pursuit of a graduate degree and the building of the M.B.A. class community should begin in the classroom."

Day 8 said it views M.B.A.s as a source of strategic growth for the company. It reassigned an employee to support M.B.A. groups and is considering adding business school-specific networking events for some of its tours, Mr. Valentine said.

Students say planning for Yacht Week kicks off as applicants are accepted to business school in the first few months of each calendar year, with some turning to Slack or What’s App to organize their summer travels. Some also plan boats with friends for between their first and second years of business school. On Facebook and on Day 8’s website, students seek fellow “crew" members with whom to set sail.

“7 Wharton MBAs looking for 3 more to fill out boat!" read one listing on Day 8’s Yacht Week’s website, advertising that the sailor-students were from New York City, South Africa, Hong Kong, Tokyo and San Francisco and worked in finance, real estate, consulting and social impact.

One person who set sail this summer was Hanah Bae, a 30-year-old student at Tuck who traveled with classmates. During one of her days in Croatia, a group of “Tuckies" who graduated in 2011 pulled up next to Ms. Bae’s yacht; they saw the students’ school flag from their chartered boat and came over to say hello, according to Ms. Bae. The students, she said, were impressed by the boat; the alums assured them that in a decade, Ms. Bae and her fellow classmates would also be able to afford a private charter.

“The girlfriends I went with on the trip, maybe we’ll become co-founders one day," she said. “I know we’ll be successful no matter what."

For Shankar Mundluru, a recent Wharton graduate, Yacht Week helped him come up with a business idea following his first year in business school. The day after a huge party, he said, many fellow students were hung over and Dr. Mundluru, who earned his medical degree before business school, explained to his fellow travelers the benefits IV infusions can have after a night of overindulging.

During the rest of that 2021 trip, he brainstormed ideas for a concierge service that could provide that type of resuscitation after a rough night, including cosmetic treatments.

“I never thought I would really do that," he said, but his fellow travelers “sort of pushed me."

Now, it is a business. Skin Kare Magic, an on-call IV treatment service, plans to begin operations this winter. His M.B.A. buddies from Yacht Week signed up for the online wait list, he said.

Entrepreneur Drew Himel said he made a memorable connection in Croatia after deciding to set sail as part of the festivities in 2015. His boat tied up next to a boat that he said had great music, and on it was Jordan Vaughn, who was celebrating his 30th birthday and was the Democratic National Committee’s African American Leadership Council finance director at the time.

In such a setting, Mr. Himel said, “people are a lot more open to connecting and having conversations." Mr. Vaughn said the two socialized regularly the rest of the week.

Mr. Himel later introduced Mr. Vaughn to the Summit Series, an invite-only, multiday confab that brings together authors, philanthropists and business leaders for talks and workshops. Mr. Vaughn asked Mr. Himel to come to the White House Christmas party. They remain friends.

Mr. Wright and Ms. Singh have also stayed in touch since their impromptu get together this summer, when Mr. Wright boarded Ms. Singh’s boat after a party. Mr. Wright, 29 years old, recommended that Ms. Singh connect with her Harvard career adviser before the semester began. Ms. Singh, who is also 29, floated ideas for a potential startup from Mr. Wright that would aim to improve employee retention and manage burnout.

They had dinner once they both got to campus last month. Mr. Wright says he has also stayed in touch with other Yacht Week alums from Harvard and the Stanford Graduate School of Business who were in Croatia, too.

Ms. Singh took Mr. Wright’s recommendation and emailed her career adviser while on the trip, who recommended she start networking early, she said. Back ashore, when classmates organized Labor Day plans, she says, people who met in Croatia booked an Airbnb together in Cape Cod.

“This is why I wanted to go to school," she says. “I wanted to network."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Top-tier MBA students are shelling out thousands to network and party at 'Yacht Week' in the Mediterranean

• MBA students are flocking to Yacht Week each summer to party and hobnob with potential future employers and colleagues. 
• The annual event has grown significantly since it started in 2007, and now hosts hundreds of attendees. 
• The trip doesn't come cheap, at upwards of $1,000 for the yacht experience itself, not including airfare, food, or drinks. 

Among the lavish cocktail parties and industry soirees, another luxurious networking experience for elite MBA students is quickly emerging as the go-to event of the year: Yacht Week. 

Students hailing from the country's top business schools are flocking to Croatia each summer to party and hobnob with potential future employers and colleagues while sailing across the Adriatic Sea, the Wall Street Journal reported .

Yacht Week was created in 2006 by the Swedish company Day 8 AB, and has continued to grow every year since, according to its website. Today it hosts more than 500 MBA students — typically hailing from top-tier US programs at schools like Harvard, Duke, Dartmouth, and Northwestern — every summer for week-long trips.

While its traditional route begins in Trogir and culminates in Split, students also can select more expensive routes that sail around the coasts of Greece, Turkey, or French Polynesia, among others. The original Croatian route costs between $566 and nearly $1,000 per person, depending on the week, and airfare, food, and drinks are not included. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, hosting these business students has expanded into big business — from 2007 to 2022, the number of yachts has grown from 95 total to just under 1,000 in 2022. 

"The girlfriends I went with on the trip, maybe we'll become co-founders one day," Hannah Bae, a student at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business told WSJ. "I know we'll be successful no matter what."

Yacht Week typically involves heavy partying, with the boats often docking in a circle to create an area where attendees can sip cocktails and lounge on floaties while cavorting with students on other boats. The average age of a Yacht Week-goer is between 21 and 40 years old, WSJ reported.

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A 2015 review of Yacht Week in GQ described the event and its parties as "raucous," and its attendees as largely affluent. 

"Nearly everyone is beautiful, single, uninhibited, and bottle-service wealthy," GQ's Stuart McGurk wrote. "Several have been on reality-TV shows. It is the only holiday you can go on, I discover, that includes two staff photographers taking pictures of everything you, the hard-partying customer, get up to at all times.

Whether the week-long party actually translates to jobs for these students remains uncertain, but regardless, it's clear the attendees are having a good time and at the very least believe in the possibility of making meaningful connections. 

"Someone from Yacht Week is going to be a really important part of my life one day," Jaron Wright, a Harvard MBA student told WSJ. "I have a feeling that's going to happen."

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Pre-MBA Greek Islands and Yacht Week

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so ive been hearing some buzzing that INSEAD graduates are spending the end of June in the Greek Islands and also the next week is Yacht week in Croatia where Stanford/Booth/others? are starting to swirl talk of going there as well... anyone at these or other b schools can confirm?

and no i am not trolling this to make brady super jealous lol

I can think of worse ways to spend a week or two. I should really learn how to sail.

Several first years at Booth are talking about doing Yacht Week in August right after internships end.

see you in croatia

Not spending I don't know how much to be stuck on a boat with a bunch of dudes doing overpriced stuff :)

luckystriker: Not spending I don't know how much to be stuck on a boat with a bunch of dudes doing overpriced stuff :)

There's some buzz at HBS about Yacht Week in early August as well.

You don't have to be able to sail to join The Yacht Week as they provide the skippers. I went two years ago to Greece and it was one of the best weeks of my life! I know a friend of mine who just went to the BVI on yacht week and HBS had 12 boats there.

Columbia will have 2 or 3 boats I think. I'm not going so I don't know which particular location but it seems pretty popular.

I can confirm that HBS has 3 boats so far.

Brady, if you're out there, give us a sign!

Hearing about all this is making me jealous and really look forward to B school someday.

I can imagine how jealous Brady might be right now.

Are you sure this is not Brady bait? Is this real?

Brady will literally be crying himself to sleep tonight.

yes this is real lol we were just talking about it today and heard other schools were involved too..

Wharton admit here. Pretty sure wharton is also involved in the yacht trip that shorttheworld is talking about.

Sounds lame to me. Bunch of MBA douchebags and mediocre looking MBA girls going on an overpriced yacht trip when they don't have income coming in. Give me a fucking break.

mbavsmfin: Wharton admit here. Pretty sure wharton is also involved in the yacht trip that shorttheworld is talking about. Sounds lame to me. Bunch of MBA douchebags and mediocre looking MBA girls going on an overpriced yacht trip when they don't have income coming in. Give me a fucking break.

Remind to give this post some SBs when I have WSO credits again.

mongoose: mbavsmfin: Wharton admit here. Pretty sure wharton is also involved in the yacht trip that shorttheworld is talking about. Sounds lame to me. Bunch of MBA douchebags and mediocre looking MBA girls going on an overpriced yacht trip when they don't have income coming in. Give me a fucking break.

Haha. Yes sir, i shall indeed remind you.

MBA is a lot of hype, especially the social experience.

mbavsmfin: Haha. Yes sir, i shall indeed remind you. MBA is a lot of hype, especially the social experience.

While I'm sure the social experience is certainly overhyped in most cases, I have to say I've been impressed by some of the stories and examples I've heard. And I'm not talking about yacht week type stuff but the strong friendships/connections that many make while in b-school.

I haven't attended b-school, so I can't say definitively how great the experience is, but I've met and networked with a fair number of alums and current students from different schools and they all have cool stories to support some of the hype. I've talked to a number of people that have been out of business school for years, some nearly a decade and they still do an annual girls or guys weekend with their close friends from b-school where they all fly in for a ski trip or beach weekend, etc. I've also talked to many that had classmates in their weddings, even though they live in different cities in different parts of the country/world.

Clearly that's much different from a yacht week with blow and strippers, or whatever else people dream up, but those types of close, lasting relationships, typically imply something unique occurred while these folks were in school.

On a side note, I have some friends that just came back from a BVI yacht trip about a week or two ago and some of the pictures were pretty insane. So while I agree some of the dudes may be d-bags and some of the MBA girls mediocre, I can assure you there were plenty of girls on that trip that were not in business school and not mediocre that love to booze it up and probably get around a bit. Your mileage may vary, lol.

What does a b-school girl's appearance have to do with anything?

Can you please let me know your name so I can tell my girl friends going to Wharton this fall what a dickbag you are? Thanks.

venturecapitalista: mbavsmfin: Wharton admit here. Pretty sure wharton is also involved in the yacht trip that shorttheworld is talking about. Sounds lame to me. Bunch of MBA douchebags and mediocre looking MBA girls going on an overpriced yacht trip when they don't have income coming in. Give me a fucking break.

Sure. I will tell you my name if you tell me yours so i can tell my girlfriend going to HBS about you. Does that sound fair?

This is WSO , not Jezebel. No need to get defensive about guys ratings girls based on their looks.

Would be pretty funny if mbavsmfin's gf goes to a yatch trip with the Harvard dbags and falls for one of them. His worst nightmare will come true.

abacab: Would be pretty funny if mbavsmfin's gf goes to a yatch trip with the Harvard dbags and falls for one of them. His worst nightmare will come true.

I'm seriously considering dumping my gf soon.

mbavsmfin: I'm seriously considering dumping my gf soon.

You will regret it.

Stanford GSB is going to Yacht Week - 50 of my boyfriend's classmates. Aug 17-24, Greece route. Maybe see some other schools there! Can the other schools post where and when they are going?

Booth has the "random-walk"s staggering the week of Aug 17-24. So there shouldn't be any Boothie at these dates.

Hmmm. I could go after my internship this summer.

Naaah. Think I'm gonna stay around Lake Michigan/Lake Superior, work on getting certified for technical scuba diving, and visit some awesome wrecks at deco depths.

Pfft. Who needs Greece. The Midwest has a lot more interesting stuff to do. :D

Illini, what SCUBA certs do you have? I hear diving in the Red Sea is great...so what you really need to do is go yachting there and you can SCUBA from the yacht. :0

AndroidFinancier: Illini, what SCUBA certs do you have? I hear diving in the Red Sea is great...so what you really need to do is go yachting there and you can SCUBA from the yacht. :0

I dove off Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea a few years ago. It's a beautiful area but it was also only my 2nd or 3rd dive after getting basic open water certified so we didn't go anywhere particularly exotic.

Rescue, Nitrox, Drysuit. Done a fair amount of coldwater diving.

I will never be organized enough to dive the Andrea Doria, but the St. Albans @ 160 feet is something I can probably do safely with a carefully planned deco dive.

IlliniProgrammer: Rescue, Nitrox, Drysuit. Done a fair amount of coldwater diving. I will never be organized enough to dive the Andrea Doria, but the St. Albans @ 160 feet is something I can probably do safely with a carefully planned deco dive.

I'm trying to send a private message to MilitaryToFinance and IlliniProgrammer but I don't have 10 banana points yet. I only have my OW, but out of curiosity, where did you guys get your certs? One day I want to do Socorro, Sardine Run, and Palau. One day...

AndroidFinancier: IlliniProgrammer : Rescue, Nitrox, Drysuit. Done a fair amount of coldwater diving. I will never be organized enough to dive the Andrea Doria, but the St. Albans @ 160 feet is something I can probably do safely with a carefully planned deco dive. I'm trying to send a private message to MilitaryToFinance and IlliniProgrammer but I don't have 10 banana points yet. I only have my OW, but out of curiosity, where did you guys get your certs? One day I want to do Socorro, Sardine Run, and Palau. One day...

http://www.personalscubatraining.net/

Aquawookie on scubaboard.com

Costs about $100 more than a class with ten students at panaqua, but worth every penny. Paul does a private or semi-private course and takes the time to do it right and with a reasonable standard of care.

Takes two or three good weekends with Paul, and you can crank out drysuit diving, if you choose, at the same time. (Recommended if you plan on diving north of 35° on a regular basis).

If you're thrifty, I used to swim at the same pool that panaqua uses for their training. I haven't seen them do anything bad. I just think CESAs and OOAs are better learnt when there aren't ten other people in the class fighting for the instructor's attention.

http://panaqua.com/

Both Paul and PanAqua do their open water dives at Dutch Springs. The entrance fee is on top of the course price.

http://dutchsprings.com/

If you plan on diving in the northeast, I strongly recommend getting your AOW dive cert. Many boats require it to dive off the NJ or NY coast. For some of the deeper (but still rec limit) dives in Lake Michigan, they want to see AOW AND ~10-20 dives AND prior OW dives in the past 12 months.

If you're diving in FL or Mexico, they don't really care. But it's good to get experience on deeper dives with coldwater diving.

Does anyone know where in Croatia? If I had to guess, I would say they're most likely having it in Makarska.

Can somebody please talk brady off the ledge now

i had heard good things about yacht week however now that it appears to have become a business school networking event i think i can safely cross it off my list of things to do. running into a yacht full of harvard MBAs on vacation is the stuff of nightmares.

Bondarb: i had heard good things about yacht week however now that it appears to have become a business school networking event i think i can safely cross it off my list of things to do. running into a yacht full of harvard MBAs on vacation is the stuff of nightmares.

Way too harsh Bondarb. Most HBS students (top b-schools in general) are smart interesting people who also know how to let loose.

Thanks Illini, good stuff!

Made a thread in the "Other" forum for SCUBA diving so I don't hijack this one. Thanks guys

You should all just take the $200K you're spending on bschool and just buy the damn yacht that you're overpaying to rent. I'm sure you can network and make plently of lifelong friendships on your $2M boat that you co-own.

j/k... sort of... but not really...

Bumping this thread. Anyone going to the Greek islands yacht week in early August?

mbavsmfin: Bumping this thread. Anyone going to the Greek islands yacht week in early August?

Are you going?

The last thing I would want to do before starting school is to hang out with a bunch of stiffs. WHEN I get accepted into my dream school I'm off to Africa on safaris and shit...start in Cairo and end in Capetown. You gotta get away from the bullshit sometimes so you can be ready to jump back into it when you have to.

The whole "top MBA students are stiffs" meme is totally exaggerated. Most of them are a pretty fun group. I think yacht week will be on par with the craziest parties you would find at say usc, arizona, asu, ut austin. Looking forward to it.

Damn it I want to go to yacht week

It's not that expensive. Go with a group of friends who make decent cash or apply and get into a top b-school and go with your classmates.

The cost isn't the issue. I can find guys that are down. The issue is finding enough girls to go to balance out the gender requirement.

mbavsmfin: The whole "top MBA students are stiffs" meme is totally exaggerated. Most of them are a pretty fun group. I think yacht week will be on par with the craziest parties you would find at say usc, arizona, asu, ut austin. Looking forward to it.

yeah potentially, but at 5x the cost (or whatever people pay to get there...)

Who cares about the cost. YOLO.

Ben Shalom Bernanke: The cost isn't the issue. I can find guys that are down. The issue is finding enough girls to go to balance out the gender requirement.

Why anyone would want to go on the one week where you're guaranteed the place will be chock full of nothing but nerdy dudes? I have absolutely no clue.

It's not just MBA students who will be there. Lot of rich successful alphas from all over the world and of course, tons of hot chicks. It's going to be truly epic on all fronts.

I still cling to the hope that you are an incredibly talented troll.

bengigi: I still cling to the hope that you are an incredibly talented troll.

dare to dream

mbavsmfin: Yacht week>>>>>>>>>>any undergrad party in America.

You don't actually mean this, do you?

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Yacht Week: A Beginner’s Guide 

Table of Contents

If you could sail, swim, and celebrate on repeat each day for a week until you’re happily exhausted, you’d do it, wouldn’t you? Well, boating has just the event for that: Yacht Week. Haven’t heard of it? Here’s a Yacht Week Beginner’s Guide : 

Rent. Charter. Share— only at Boatsetter 

First, what is Yacht Week? 

If you’ve never heard of The Yacht Week , it’s called the original floating festival. You stay aboard a skippered boat with a bunch of your friends, cruising alongside other like-minded travelers. 

A skippered boat is a boat with someone who is in command of it, more or less equal to a captain! This gives your crew opportunities to focus on the fun and potentially learn boating from an experienced guide. 

Options exist for per- cabin bookings, too. Regardless, for seven days, you explore convoy-style, visiting picture-perfect destinations like Croatia, Turkey, Tahiti, and the British Virgin Islands. While you have the freedom to follow your own itinerary, you get your skipper’s first-hand knowledge of where to go and what to do. 

You can dine onboard or ashore , soak up the sun on secluded beaches, and of course, swim. Come at nighttime, and join your fellow adventurers at organized parties on the beach and in clubs. Or, simply star gaze on deck before drifting off to sleep.

Yacht Week’s brief history

The Yacht Week got its start nearly two decades ago. Directors and founders Eric Biorklund and William Wenckel worked for the same company as charter-boat captains in Europe when inspiration struck. A two-week period in Greece was so much fun that they became fast friends with their guests. Figuring they could replicate the success, they reserved 10 yachts for traveling together for a subsequent summer in anticipation of attracting 100 guests. It worked. They then added another five yachts to that total, which also filled up. Guests had so much fun, in fact, that they requested Biorklund and Wenckel arrange more trips. Soon the duo had more cruisers than staterooms available. So, they turned it into a dedicated business, and The Yacht Week was born.

With another business partner onboard, Biorklund and Wenckel set their sights on growing The Yacht Week internationally. That, too, worked. The company went from booking 30 boats in 2006 to more than 1,300 within a decade. 

Experiences you’ve never had before 

( Image Source )

The Yacht Week is more than just skippered boats; the goal is to provide you with experiences you’ve never had before! For example, if you’re into techno, house music, and similar styles, the Croatia Ultra Route dates in July coincide with the Ultra Europe EDM festival. Pro Tip: Your yacht package includes VIP tickets. 

While music is a big part of The Yacht Week—and cruising in general—other itineraries are more about the destinations and camaraderie. 

From May through September, for instance, trips depart from Athens, Greece, and head to a number of islands. To ensure you get to know your fellow cruisers, a raft-up (anchoring your boat side by side) kicks off the first day. 

Each day for the rest of the week, you can explore ancient sites and towns with guides on foot or drive an ATV through the countryside. Fun costume parties, White Parties (where you wear all white), and more occur each day, too. 

To cap off the summer in style, book one of two available weeks (at presstime) in Turkey in September. You’ll enjoy the country’s famed Turquoise Coast, along its southwestern shore, starting out in Fethiye. When you go sightseeing, don’t miss the chance to partake in a Turkish bath. You’ll emerge with your skin feeling invigorated and an amazing story to share.

Pro Tip: Speaking of sharing, you’ll be sharing picture after picture on social media with your friends and family back home. The Yacht Week also has professional photographers and videographers on hand during each itinerary to ensure the best moments get captured. 

Get a feel for boating 

If you’re curious about how the boat operates, feel free to ask questions. Captains love sharing their knowledge and passion, so you can take a turn at the wheel as well. Plenty of cruisers become friends, too, with their fellow passengers, planning future cruises upon returning home. That’s what ultimately makes The Yacht Week a week to remember for a lifetime. 

About Boatsetter 

Boatsetter is a unique boat-sharing platform that gives everyone — whether you own a boat or you’re just renting — the chance to experience life on the water. You can list a boat , book a boat , or make money as a captain . 

Put your boat to work— Start earning an avg. of $20K yearly with Boatsetter

Images sourced from Yachtweek.com

A journalist with more than 30 years’ experience, Diane M. Byrne is the owner of MegayachtNews.com, a daily website educating American superyacht owners, buyers, and their circles of influence about the leading builders, designers, cruising destinations, and more. She founded the website in 2007 as the first, and still the only, American-focused online media outlet exclusively covering this market. It features all-original content, for real stories of real interest.

Diane is additionally one of the most-sought-after journalists for expert editorial coverage and commentary about not only superyachts, but also general boating and yachting. Her byline appears in Boatsetter.com, DiscoverBoating.com, and the magazines Luxury Guide, Ocean, Yachting, and Yachts International.

Additionally, Diane is the Chair of the U.S. Superyacht Association, having been on the Board of Directors since 2015. Outside of yachting, she’s a trustee of Sempre Avanti, a non-profit resource supporting Italian and Italian-American individuals, businesses, and organizations in the United States and Italy.

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What is Hip Hop week?

Hip Hop week takes place on the Croatia and Greece route. The route is the same but the vibe of the week is a little different. There will still be the same variety of music but focused more on Hip Hop including artists, RnB, Afrobeats and more!

See here for more information and a video on what you should look forward to! 

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A Day In the Life: Ben Hsieh (MBA 2025)

Want to experience a day in the life of an HBS student who is focused on social enterprise? Join us as we walk through the day with Ben Hsieh, Class of 2025 Section J...

6:30 AM: I wake up – grateful that I’m naturally a morning person and our classes start at 9:30. The morning is my favorite time of day, and I begin my daily routine by reading with my coffee (my current fantasy binge is the Red Rising series), playing the NYT Word Games and sharing scores with my long-distance partner, Shaye, and making myself breakfast (an egg, mushroom, and cheese sandwich on toast). I typically leave one of my cases to read in the morning, since my brain works best at this time.

9:00 AM: I bike to campus and get settled into my seat in Aldrich 107 next to one of my closest friends and seatmates, Fatma. Even though class starts at 9:30, a few of us are typically in the classroom by 9:10 and chit chat to start the morning. Fatma and I have started a ritual of sharing how we’re feeling physically and emotionally, each on a scale of 1 to 10, and it’s so helpful to have a quick pulse check before the day begins.

9:30 AM: Our first class today is Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA), which examines the legal, ethical, and economic responsibilities of corporate leaders. Today’s case was particularly interesting, focused on the potential private equity takeover of Unilever by 3G Capital / Kraft Heinz. Over our 80-minute case, we discuss the strategies of Unilever (long-term value creation with sustainability at the center) and 3G / Kraft Heinz (steep budget cuts and higher operating margins, but not as sustainability or employee friendly). There’s an active debate on whether companies have primary responsibility to their shareholders (as in the U.S.) or a multi-faceted responsibility to employees, customers, the broader community (as written into the law to varying degrees in the UK and France). While I started fully in the “stakeholders” camp, there were several compelling arguments on why companies should only focus on shareholder value. Since many of my close friends’ progressive values mirror mine, I’m grateful to have exposure to differing opinions in the classroom.

11:10 AM: Our second (and last) class today is Business, Governments, and International Economy (BGIE) – and we are discussing Korea’s growth story. Our discussion centers around whether government intervention helps economic growth and on the impact of the Chaebols, or large family conglomerates. While they were central to creating economic growth and power for South Korea, they also concentrated money and power, leading to some serious problems for today’s South Koreans. Once again, there are plenty of competing viewpoints on whether government’s interventions helped or hindered the success story of South Korea’s rise from poverty after the Korean War.

12:30 PM: Lunch time! I am a big meal prepper, so I heat up my food while most of my classmates grab a bite from Spangler. Today I’m grabbing lunch with a few friends that I met on a self-organized social impact retreat the summer before school started. A group of 40 or so students self-selected as fellow “social impact nerds” and went on a weekend retreat in August. This group, alongside the Rising Leaders in Social Impact , has been really grounding. It has been so fruitful to build relationships outside my section with others who are interested in education, government, climate, and workforce development.

2:00 PM: One of the best things about HBS is the sheer volume of amazing guests that are brought onto campus. I’m particularly a fan of the values and identity sessions that the Career and Professional Development (CPD) office hosts. There’s a session called “5 Big Life Decisions,” which features a documentary of 40 HBS alumni from the class of 1992, following them on their personal and professional journeys and how they lived their values (or didn’t) over the past 30 years. A few folks from section are also here and I’m looking forward to hearing their thoughts on today’s session.

4:00 PM: Time to read tomorrow’s cases.While I’m impressed with the social impact angles that are built into our first year’s required curriculum – or “the RC” year – it still is business school and not every class is social impact minded. Tomorrow’s cases are about ideal capital structures (Finance) and Windows and Intel’s strategic partnership/rivalry (Strategy). I try to read my cases in the iLab with a few classmates – we’ve built a strong community in this common space!

6:00 PM: I head backhome to eat dinner and get on a video call with my partner Shaye! One of the most exciting, but overwhelming, parts of business school is all of the lovely people to eat dinner with. There was a dinner event with the Energy & Environment Club happening today, but I need some alone time to recharge, free chicken tenders notwithstanding. Even for an extreme extrovert, business school is tiring!

8:00 PM: My second favorite time of day is when I get to play tennis. I only started during COVID, but it’s one of my favorite things to do and there are so many people at HBS who hit at the 3.5+ level, which is really exciting. The tennis club has indoor courts reserved two nights per week and I’m a regular. I get my sweat on (don’t ask how much I got beat by tonight) and then head home to shower and wind down for the night. Tomorrow is sure to be another (crazy) fun day!

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Police suspect U.S. couple are dead after their boat was hijacked in the Caribbean

The Associated Press

The yacht "Simplicity", that officials say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people aboard, is docked at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard Service Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, on Friday. Kenton X. Chance/AP hide caption

The yacht "Simplicity", that officials say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people aboard, is docked at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard Service Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, on Friday.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A U.S. couple whose catamaran was hijacked last week in the Caribbean by three escaped prisoners were presumed dead and likely had been thrown into the ocean, police said Monday.

The accounts by police in Grenada and in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were a blow to those who were independently helping search for Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel and had hoped they were alive.

Don McKenzie, commissioner of the Royal Grenada Police Force, said at a news conference that the three prisoners escaped on Feb. 18 from the South Saint George Police Station. They hijacked the catamaran Simplicity on the following day and then headed to St. Vincent, where they were arrested last Wednesday, he said.

"Information suggests that while traveling between Grenada and St. Vincent, they disposed of the occupants," McKenzie said.

McKenzie said he had no conclusive proof that the couple was dead but cited a "low probability" they were alive.

Jamaica and the Bahamas are pushing back against U.S. travel warnings

Hours later, the main spokesman for the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force posted a video saying that while no bodies have been found, the couple is presumed dead based on the investigation so far.

Police report signs of violence aboard the abandoned boat

The suspects were being investigated for several criminal acts, including "bodily harm to the couple," spokesman Junior Simmons said in the brief recorded statement. There were signs of violence on the couple's boat found abandoned in St. Vincent, he said.

"Several items were strewn on the deck and in the cabin, and a red substance that resembles blood was seen on board," he said.

The nonprofit Salty Dawg Sailing Association has said that Hendry and Brandel were "veteran cruisers" and longtime members of the association, calling them "warm-hearted and capable."

It said the couple had sailed the yacht in last year's Caribbean Rally from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua, and were spending the winter cruising in the eastern Caribbean.

A son of Hendry and a son of Brandel did not immediately return messages for comment.

A GoFundMe page created to raise money for the couple's family noted that Brandel had recently become a first-time grandmother, and that the sailing community was "shattered" by what happened.

"Kathy and Ralph, experienced adventurers, spent their retirement sailing aboard Simplicity, spending summers in New England and embracing the warmth of Caribbean winters," the page stated.

A massive search for 3 missing American sailors off Mexico coast has been called off

McKenzie, Grenada's police commissioner, said a five-person team was sent to St. Vincent to help with the investigation.

After his brief announcement on Monday, McKenzie and other police officials took questions from local media, including one reporter who asked, "Who is really to be blamed for this massive failure to keep these prisoners under the control of the (Royal Grenada Police Force) which has now resulted in this tragedy?"

The prisoners' escape is being investigated

McKenzie said police have launched an investigation into the escape and are looking into whether it was "a system failure" or a case of a "slip up."

"All aspects of that investigation are on the table," he said, adding that the police holding station where the three men were being held has "sufficient safety to prevent an incident like that (from) occurring."

When the reporter asked why the three men who were arrested remained in a holding cell instead of prison, Vannie Curwen, assistant police commissioner, said the men first had to see a magistrate who would decide whether to grant bail or order them remanded.

The escaped prisoners, Trevon Robertson, a 19-year-old unemployed man; Abita Stanislaus, a 25-year-old farmer; and Ron Mitchell, a 30-year-old sailor; were charged a couple of months ago with one count of robbery with violence. Mitchell also was charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault and causing harm, police in Grenada said.

Simmons said the three men appeared in court in St. Vincent on Monday and pleaded guilty to four counts each of immigration-related charges, including entering the island as a "prohibited immigrant" with no passport. They are scheduled to be sentenced on those charges in March.

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US yacht couple probably thrown into sea by fugitives, Grenada police say

Ralph Hendry, 66, and Kathy Brandel, 71, probably dead after catamaran was seized by escaped prisoners in Caribbean last week

A US couple whose catamaran was hijacked last week in the Caribbean by three escaped prisoners were probably thrown into the ocean and died, according to police in Grenada .

The announcement is a blow to those who were independently helping search for Ralph Hendry, 66, and Kathy Brandel, 71 , and had hoped they were still alive.

Don McKenzie, police commissioner of the Royal Grenada Police Force, said at a news conference on Monday that the three prisoners escaped on 18 February from the South Saint George police station. They hijacked the catamaran Simplicity on 19 February and headed to St Vincent and the Grenadines , where they were arrested last Wednesday, he said.

“Information suggests that while traveling between Grenada and St Vincent, they disposed of the occupants,” McKenzie said.

When pressed for details, he said: “We have nothing conclusive to say that the individuals are dead. We still hold out hope that in spite [of] what might be a low probability, that they would turn up alive somewhere.”

He noted that he was “quite limited” with what he could share with the public regarding the case because the investigation was ongoing, and because Grenadian authorities still do not have much information.

“The information I possess is limited and can be considered second-hand as I have had very limited discussions regarding the details of the investigation with my Vincentian counterpart,” McKenzie said.

St Vincent police could not be immediately reached for comment.

The non-profit Salty Dawg Sailing Association said Hendry and Brandel were “veteran cruisers” and longtime members of the association, calling them “warm-hearted and capable”.

It said the couple had sailed the yacht in last year’s Caribbean Rally from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua , and were spending the winter cruising in the eastern Caribbean.

A son of Hendry and a son of Brandel did not immediately return messages for comment.

A GoFundMe page created to raise money for the couple’s family noted that Brandel had recently become a first-time grandmother, and that the sailing community was “shattered” by what happened.

“Kathy and Ralph, experienced adventurers, spent their retirement sailing aboard Simplicity, spending summers in New England and embracing the warmth of Caribbean winters,” the page stated.

McKenzie, Grenada’s police commissioner, said a five-person team was sent to St Vincent to help with the investigation.

After his brief announcement on Monday, McKenzie and other police officials took questions from local media, including one reporter who asked: “Who is really to be blamed for this massive failure to keep these prisoners under the control of the [Royal Grenada Police Force] which has now resulted in this tragedy?”

McKenzie said police had launched an investigation into the escape and were looking into whether it was “a system failure” or a case of a “slip-up”.

“All aspects of that investigation are on the table,” he said, adding that the police holding station where the three men were being held had “sufficient safety to prevent an incident like that [from] occurring”.

When the reporter asked why the three men who were arrested remained in a holding cell instead of prison, Vannie Curwen, assistant police commissioner, said the men first had to see a magistrate who would decide whether to grant bail or order them remanded.

The escaped prisoners, ages 19, 25 and 30, were charged a couple of months ago with one count of robbery with violence. The eldest inmate was also charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault and causing harm, police in Grenada said.

• St Vincent and the Grenadines

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Inside Yacht Week

How it works

You've heard us say it's the best week of your life, and you've chosen your dream destination. But how does it all come together? How do you select the perfect yacht? And what's the deal with a host? Here's the lowdown on exactly how you book your week at sea.

Your step-by-step guide

Choose from our yacht categories or pick your own!

Choose your crew; sail with a group or join a shared yacht

Pay & sail; secure your spot for just a 10% deposit

Choose a category or pick your own

Our categories.

Choose from two yacht categories, Classic and Premium, in both Monohull and Catamaran types. Select the one that fits with your crew's spirit and budget, and we'll match you with a yacht that fits the bill. Or, if you're crystal clear about your desires, go ahead and pick your own.

Add your extras

Once you've chosen your yacht, it's time to make it uniquely yours. This is where you can add those exciting extras to turn your week into the dream you've always envisioned. How about adding a host to handle your meals while you soak in the adventure?

Choose your crew

Spend an unforgettable week on a yacht with your very own skipper and up to 12 friends. Can't fill a whole yacht? Use our handy Crew Finder to connect with other travellers.

Go to Crew finder

Set sail with like-minded adventurers in a cabin on a shared yacht.

Masters of the ocean, they’ll navigate and sail your crew, show you the hidden gems en route and ensure your safety is the priority. Skippers are also included with every booking.

• + RYA Skipper License (or equivalent)
• + Trained at YW Skipper Academy
• + Will quite literally show you the ropes if you’d like to learn to sail

Elevate your week to a whole new level with a host. They'll whip up fresh meals for you on deck daily and keep your yacht in pristine condition. Add hosts to any yacht, as long as there's a cabin for them.

• + Culinary genius
• + Local know-it-all
• + Trained at YW Host Academy

Pay and sail

Payment plan.

Pay off your booking in 3 instalments.

Instalment 1 · Confirm booking 10 %

Instalment 2 · 30 days after 30 %

Instalment 3 · 60 days before you sail 60 %

You will only need to pay 10% at the time of booking to secure your space.

• 10% deposit
• 30% of the balance, due 30 days after your booked
• 60% of the remaining balance, due 60 days before your trip

As the lead booker, once you have added your crew to your booking they will create their own profiles and can view the booking and pay their share. That way you won’t have to send money back and forth between everyone in the crew.

Ready to go? Choose your route now

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Caribbean officials search for 2 people who were on yacht allegedly hijacked by 3 escaped prisoners

Investigators from Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines stand aboard the yacht “Simplicity”, that they say was hijacked by 3 escaped prisoners with two people aboard, now anchored at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard Service Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean said they were trying to locate two people believed to be U.S. citizens who were aboard the yacht that was hijacked by the three escaped prisoners from Grenada. (AP Photo/Kenton X. Chance)

The yacht “Simplicity”, that officials say was hijacked by three escaped prisoners with two people aboard, is docked at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard Service Calliaqua Base, in Calliaqua, St. Vincent, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean said they were trying to locate two people believed to be U.S. citizens who were aboard the yacht that was hijacked by the three escaped prisoners from Grenada. (AP Photo/Kenton X. Chance)

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the eastern Caribbean said they were trying to locate two people believed to be U.S. citizens who were aboard a yacht that was hijacked by three escaped prisoners from Grenada.

The Royal Grenada Police Force said in a statement released Friday that they were working on leads “that suggest” the two occupants of the yacht might have been killed.

“This investigation is in its infancy stage,” police said.

The nonprofit Salty Dawg Sailing Association identified the owners as Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel. It said they were “veteran cruisers” and longtime members of the association, calling them “warmhearted and capable.” A relative of Hendry didn’t return a message seeking comment Saturday.

The association said a cruising skipper had contacted the association about a member’s yacht, Simplicity, that was found “anchored and abandoned” off a beach on the island of St. Vincent.

“The good Samaritan had boarded the boat and noted that the owners … were not onboard and found evidence of apparent violence,” the association said in a statement Thursday.

The association said Hendry and Brandel had sailed the yacht in last year’s Caribbean Rally from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua, and were spending the winter cruising in the eastern Caribbean.

“This is a very upsetting event and details are still unconfirmed by the authorities, but this does appear to be a tragic event,” said Bob Osborn, the association’s president. “In all my years of cruising the Caribbean, I have never heard of anything like this.”

Family members of those missing met with authorities in St. Vincent on Saturday, where they were seen boarding the yacht that was hijacked. It was being guarded by officials, one of whom was wearing latex gloves.

Hendry’s family issued a statement Saturday thanking police, local coast guards and all those who helped authorities gather information.

“It means so much to us that so many people cared for Ralph and Kathy as friends and fellow cruisers that they are willing to stop and help in whatever way possible,” the family said.

They also asked that all those trying to conduct independent searches to “stand down.”

“The only way we feel this situation could be worse would be if anyone was hurt or endangered trying to conduct searches,” the family said.

Authorities in Grenada said they had dispatched senior investigators and a forensic specialist to the nearby island of St. Vincent, where the escaped prisoners were arrested Wednesday.

The prisoners, ages 19, 25 and 30, were charged a couple of months ago with one count of robbery with violence. The eldest inmate also was charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault and causing harm, police in Grenada said.

The three men escaped from their holding cell Feb. 18, according to police.

Authorities said a preliminary investigation suggested the three men seized the yacht at Grenada’s capital, St. George’s, and traveled to St. Vincent.

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Fact Check: Did US Pay for Zelensky $75 Million Yacht?

The strength of Ukraine's defensive campaign against Russia has been hanging in the balance as $60 billion in U.S. aid to Kyiv remains holed up in Congress.

Congress has failed to approve a $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine, as requested by President Joe Biden . Despite significant bipartisan support for Ukraine aid, the measure has stalled amid a series of partisan disputes over border security and other issues.

Amid the uncertainty, one viral claim suggested that Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky , had misappropriated $75 million worth of U.S. aid to buy a luxury yacht for himself.

A post on X , formerly Twitter , by Gunther Eagleman on February 28, 2024, viewed one million times, said: "We are $34,352,000,000,000.00 in debt.

"Zelensky's yacht is $75,000,000.00 of that.

"No more money to Ukraine."

This claim is inaccurate.

U.S. aid to Kyiv is itemized and audited by the government to ensure spending in Ukraine is allocated appropriately and not misused.

The Office of Inspector General Oversight in the Department of Defense (DOD OIG) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID OIG) both provide audits of the use of funding in Ukraine and investigate complaints and allegations of misuse or attempted misuse of USAID funding and DOD funding.

Part of the USAID OIG 's remit includes examining avenues for fraud and corruption in U.S-funded foreign assistance programs and providing preventive measures.

These include (but are not limited to) verification of cash assistance, using regulated money transfer agents and using security-locked beneficiary lists before they are disseminated.

The notion, therefore, that Zelensky would have managed to expense a $75 million yacht using U.S. funds, that are tightly regulated and monitored, and by doing so risk any opportunity that Ukraine may have to secure future U.S. funding is highly unlikely.

The $75 million yacht story is part of a debunked conspiracy theory based on some of Zelensky's associates.

Multiple social media users shared claims that Zelensky used proxies to buy two yachts, called "Lucky Me" and "My Legacy," The Associated Press reported in December.

However, as has been debunked by multiple fact-checkers , the boats that were listed have not been sold. While a Memorandum of Agreement on the sale of these two boats was shared online and mentioned the names of Zelensky's associates, Boris Shefir and Serhiy Shefir, the company that originally produced the document said it was "no longer endorsed" by them.

The document did not mention Zelensky.

While Zelensky's financial relationship with the Shefir brothers has been scrutinized elsewhere, there was simply no evidence produced from this previous investigation that showed any credible link between the purchase of these yachts and the Ukrainian president.

The user who posted the claim, Gunther Eagleman, has a history of making unfounded, misleading claims, some of which Newsweek has investigated.

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It is also not the first time that President Zelensky has been the subject of false rumors about his expenditures. Newsweek has previously debunked claims that he owned a $20 million mansion in Florida, another multi-million dollar yacht, and that first lady Olena Zelenska spent $1.1 million on Cartier jewelry in New York .

No evidence supports this claim. U.S. aid to Ukraine is strictly audited and regulated. Much of the funding the U.S. provides to Ukraine is based on the allocation of existing resources, not on new spending. In any case, the chances of Zelensky making such a purchase, by doing so risking any future support from the U.S. and Western allies, are pretty much nil.

While two of Zelensky's associates were linked to the purchase of luxury yachts, other investigations found the yachts in question were on sale and no paperwork attached Zelensky to their purchase.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team

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Kyle busch gives wife props for 'inches' roast, 'she played that well', kyle busch gotta hand it to my wife ... 'inches' roast got me good, exclusive 8 3/2/2024 12:40 am pt.

NASCAR star Kyle Busch is giving credit where it's due ... telling TMZ Sports he can only applaud his wife, Samantha , for ruthlessly trolling him over "inches" last week.

In case you missed it -- one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history went down in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday ... with Busch, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney being neck and neck (and neck) right up until the checkered flag.

The 2015 and 2019 Cup Series champion addressed his third-place finish after the race -- going to Instagram and admitting he "Needed a couple inches📏" in order to come out on top ... to which Samantha hit him with a sick burn.

"I’ve been telling you that for almost 20 years 😜" Sam wrote in the comments.

We caught up with Busch this week and asked about his wife's friendly jab ... and even he's admitting she got him good.

"I think I left the door wide open for those sorts of comments with how I scripted my text underneath my post, so she played that well."

As for the actual race, Busch broke down the "chess game" he was trying to execute in the final laps ... and how Suarez was able to use his own strategy against him.

But, all things considered, the driver of the No. 8 car said he was able to keep his composure in the end (per usual) ... and is thrilled they were all able to cross the finish line without crashing.

There's more -- we also asked Busch about the new Netflix series, "Full Speed" ... and there's one big reason why he's hoping to get more airtime in season 2.

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