By Jenn Manes

The Big Boats Are Back!

‘Tis the season my friends! We just had our first megayacht visit St. John marking the beginning of season for some.

So, I happened to be out and about on a News of St. John Island Tour on a sunny late October afternoon when I passed Round Bay out on the East End. The bay was quiet and still with not a boat in site. We cruised to the end of the island, took a few pics at Privateer Bay, and then we headed back toward Round Bay.

To my surprise, a huge megayacht had arrived in the bay in just that short time! It was quite large and very pretty, you know, if you’re into yachts that cost $275 million. Pocket change for many of you, I’m sure – haha.

Wanting to know more, I opened up my Marine Traffic app on my phone and learned that the yacht was named Ulysses. (Check out this app if you want to get info on the boats you’re seeing on the water.)

Motor Vessel Ulysses, I quickly learned, is 380 feet long, it can accommodate 30 guests and has 48 crew members. The yacht was completed last year for New Zealand’s wealthiest resident, billionaire businessman Graeme Hart. However, Hart didn’t keep the yacht long according to superyachtfan.com. Earlier this year, he sold the yacht to Russia’s most influential tech investor, billionaire Yuri Milner. Milner was an early backer of Facebook and Twitter.

This isn’t the first time we have had a Russian megayacht visit St. John. Back in April, the world’s 9th largest yacht spent some time in the waters around the island. It was extremely impressive to see in person. Sailing Yacht A is 468 feet in length and owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, who is number 90 on the Forbes billionaire list. The yacht is referred to as being a “sail-assisted motor yacht” and is the largest boat of its kind in the world.

And then back in January 2015, we had a Russian billionaire and his 370-foot megayacht, Le Grand Bleu visit. This vessel also had a 72-foot sailboat on it as well as a 68-foot powerboat, two helicopter pads and a Landrover so he can explore the places he visits.

I love seeing all of the mega yachts visit St. John during season, which clearly just started.  These people have the money to visit any place in the world, and they choose to come here. That’s pretty cool in my book.

If we have any other cool boats visit us, and I’m sure we will, I will definitely tell you all about it! In the meantime, have a great day everyone!

Publishers Note: All content in this section provided courtesy of one of our favorite St. John Blogs hosted by Jenn Manes – News of St. John. If Jenn likes something or someone, she will write about it. If she doesn’t, she won’t. It’s as simple as that. Please check out News of St. John and become a follower. Jenn welcomes any and all feedback, so please feel free to contact her at any time at jenn@newsofstjohn.com.