Monthly Archives: January 2025

“O God, Thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.”

It’s Sunday morning and we are back in Antigua, aboard Pandora, having arrived on Tuesday. Somehow the first few days were incredibly hectic but today seems a bit more relaxed.

Perhaps it’s the view from Pandora’s cockpit? Well, if you disregard the fact that it is quite windy.

This morning Brenda and I headed ashore for coffee at this lovely waterside café. I had learned about this place, tucked into the head of the harbor, from a friend and it was the first time that Brenda visited with me. Very charming.

The last week before departure from our “land home” was hectic in the extreme but now we are back in Antigua. Getting the house winterized and a last minute decision to have a heat pump installed with the hope of weaning us off of oil deliveries was probably a good example of us, no I should say me “biting off more than we could chew”. I am pretty good at that. Brenda just loves the way that I keep us busy in the extreme 🙁

Now all of that is behind me, at least the home things, but I seem to be plenty good at filling my days here as well. Cleaning the slime of 7 weeks off of the bottom of Pandora, and doing a number of small upgrades and fixes. Cruisers say that spending time aboard a small boat is “fixing boats in exotic places.” Yup. Others say that “everything on a boat is broken but you just don’t know it yet”. Seems that way to me.

However, some owners don’t have to worry about all that. Sure, their boats are being fixed in exotic places but not by them. They just write checks. Well, actually their “family office” writes checks. A good example is Jeff Bezos’s boat Koru, on the dock here in the harbor, is surely having stuff fixed. She’s the big black sailing yacht on the left with the three masts. At least for now, she is the largest sailing yacht in the world. I say “for now” as just about every year a new biggest one is launched. What’s the fun of being a babillionair if you don’t have the biggest yacht?

Of course, what is a photo of Jeff’s boat without a photo of Lauren, his girlfriend/fiancée and chopper pilot, decorating the bow. I wonder what the next owner, and I suppose that he will build a bigger one soon, will think about having Lauren leading the way…

And, what is a mega, mega yacht without a support boat that houses all his toys. They left the harbor yesterday, passing by Pandora. Perhaps they are heading to get stuff fixed. Probably but don’t worry, as both of his boats are less than a year old, and surely under warrantee.

And speaking of big boats, it is interesting how the yachting business has changed over the years as it relates to what was considered “mega”. To the right, Sir Richard Dyson’s 1930s yacht Nahlin, considered large at the time at nearly 300′. He had her fully restored from a sunken 1930s wreck for a reported $70M.

While she is about the same length as today’s mega-mega yachts, she’s peanuts in weight and cost when compared to the huge one to the left (below), Black Pearl, that cost nearly 3x as much. While Sir Richard’s yacht Nahlin isn’t available for charter, you can “rent” Black Pearl for $1,230,000 a week, plus expenses. Don’t despair if that sounds like a lot of money, you can always find some friends and split the cost ten ways. For five for couples it would only be a quarter mil for you and that special someone. Feel the itch? check out her specs here.

And if you are thinking “how can the charter cost be that much?” The estimated operating cost for a year for Black Pearl is upwards of $50,000,000 so they’d have to charter her full time for 10 months just to break even on the expenses and that doesn’t take into account the coat of the build. I doubt that they even come close but, “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” Of course…

To give you a feel for the differences between these two boats, while they are sort of the same length, Black Pearl is massive at 2,964 gross tons and Nahlin, a puny 1,356 gross tons. Do note that Nahlin is farther away in this photo but she’s much more svelte than Black Pearl in spite of her 300′ length. Of course they are both big compared to Pandora at a micro-puny 14 tons.

One thing that’s worth noting is that in spite of having “more money than God”, sometimes they can’t get a spot at the dock. I was told that all slips in Falmouth and English Harbor, when it comes to mega and mega, mega yachts, have been booked for months. Nahlin moved into a slip a few days ago and Black Pearl still sits out on anchor.

The yachts on the dock are jam packed like so many sardines, no make that whales.

And, in English harbor, which is loaded too, it’s hard to make out where one boat ends and the other begins.

I have written about many of these huge yachts in the past but a good roundup of some is in this recent post if you follow this link.

The upward trend in yacht size is pretty much universal in all size ranges but especially at the top mega-mega end of the spectrum. Even Pandora at 47′ is large compared to the average cruising boat back in the 80s when most were under 40′. Now Pandora is smallish compared to others. However, with the amount it costs to keep a boat in good shape going up every year, I am not sure that I’d want a bigger one. No, I take that back. If I “didn’t have to ask how much” I’d totally have a big one.

With the billionaire gang growing by leaps and bounds and surely headed for new highs in the US in particular over the next few years, the average size boat is bound to continue going up as there is no shortage of megagazillionairs that want to have the biggest and best.

Oh well, no mega or even micro-mega yacht charters in our future but one thing that I can cling to is that their view isn’t any better than from the cockpit of little old Pandora. Yesterday we spent the day opening and closing hatches as rain showers passed overhead. And each time, leaving behind a beautiful rainbow.

And, for those yachts, err boats, that don’t have a pastry chef on board, there is always Jean Marie, who delivers fresh pastries every morning in his dink for Isabella and Eric of La Brasserie.

Oh yeah, sometimes I do feel like it would be nice to have a bit more luxury aboard Pandora like AC perhaps when we are on the hook, but I have to remind myself that there are some hearty souls that, for reasons that elude me, row the entire way across the Atlantic to arrive here in Antigua.

One of the biggest races every winter is aptly called “The worlds toughest row”, leaving from the Canary Islands all the way to Antigua, a distance of 3,000 miles. The first team arrived here yesterday, after something like a month and a half of rowing offshore.

They were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd in Nelson’s Dockyard.

Later that evening another group of rowers, and I am unclear as to where they were from and which race they were a part of, arrived in Falmouth Harbor. Brenda and I happened to be heading back to Pandora when they approached out of the darkness.

And passed us as they reached the dock where a very enthusiastic crowd greeted them. It was a full boat and it was hard to imagine having enough food and water for such a large crew on a small boat. It reminds me of the Brenton Fisherman’s prayer, “O God, Thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.”

I guess that applies to just about everyone that heads out to sea in a small boat, rowing, plain vanilla, mega or mega-mega yachts, but some boats are a lot bigger than others so I expect that they need a bit less of help from the Almighty. Well, at least until things go all to s**t and stuff breaks.

I’ll be thinking about that when I head east from Bermuda in June, bound for the Azores.

Until then, perhaps I will have a rum punch while enjoying the same view that the big guys have. However, I’ll be making the drink myself as Jeeves is nowhere to be found.

I will just have to adapt…

Where was your yacht on New Year’s Eve?

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone and it is now 2025.

In a few days Brenda and I will head back to Antigua and Pandora. Brenda can only stay through the beginning of March but I will be aboard for a few weeks before heading back to Antigua with Pandora and home to CT for a bit.

This year will be particularly complicated due to the fact that I am taking Pandora to the Mediterranean where Pandora will be based for the next few seasons of cruising.

Between now and my departure from St Maarten in mid May for Bermuda and the departure for the run to Horta, I will be back and forth to home. I will admit that all the prep and running around is a bit overwhelming with so many unknowns.

Getting appropriate crew is also an issue as there are so many legs.

In addition to a run to Trinidad and back in March to get a few things tidied up following Pandora’s refit, I will also need crew to run to St Maarten and then on to Bermuda. From there to Horta and a month later, on to either Portugal or Spain to put Pandora up until the following spring when Brenda and I will spen time aboard exploring Spain for a few months.

When we return to Pandora next week it will surely be a big change of climate as the temperatures over the last few weeks have whipsawed from mid 30s into the near single digits. I’d certainly prefer warm…

For New year’s eve we had a small group of friends over for a formal dinner and it was great fun and as I put away many of the holiday ornaments a few days after that I will admit that I was happy that the craziness of the holidays were behind us.

Not a white Christmas but a charming view never the less. Pretty cozy home we have.

Pandora is still sitting happily in Falmouth Harbor Antigua all snug and sound. She has been alone, with regular visits from our “boat sitter” Jean Marie, who has been keeping an eye on her since I left just before Thanksgiving.

Here is a screen shot of AIS, that shows where she is on her mooring in Falmouth Antigua. She isn’t alone in the harbor but it’s not terribly crowded.

But as the year wound down, for those who were in the Caribbean, it was a hopping place.

And, speaking of the holidays and New Year’s Eve in particular, in the Caribbean, all roads lead to St Barths where the “beautiful people” whether they arrive by plane or yacht, hang out for the holidays. And while it is busy all season, the absolute highlight of the season is New Year’s Eve. And for the .001% set, it is the place to be seen.

We have visit the island a number of times and have always been struck by how crowded it was, most any time. And, to make matters worse, it has always been rolly in the harbor, as the waves curl in around the point, making everywhere subject to a nasty surge.

The harbor, Gustavia, is very scenic and even when it’s not busy, it’s busy.

The inner harbor can’t really get any busier than the photo above shows and the only way to visit after the harbor is full is to anchor out. And, unlike just about any other place in the Caribbean, you can not book a slip and have to just show up if you want to get on the dock.

I understand that if you want a spot on the dock in the harbor for Christmas and especially New Year’s Eve, you have to show up before Thanksgiving and plan on staying for weeks. Can you say “saved seat?” And, most areas of the docks do not even have a place to plug in so their generators are running full tilt the entire time. I wonder if they need fuel if they have to go away? “Saved seat!” Probably not, so be sure to fill up before you arrive.

At most any point during the season it’s very busy and on New Year’s Eve, downright crazy. This AIS shot on the big night. Hard to imagine that many boats crammed into such a small space.

And ten days later, busy but not nearly so packed.

To look at all the boats anchored off of a very small island on that special day it’s hard to imagine how they can accommodate everyone. With so many of the yachts being “mega” doubt that there are many problems at the dinghy dock. “James, please drop me and Buffy at the quay and head back to the yaaht. I’ll ring when we are done dining. Oh yeah, don’t forget to take Fifi to go pee pee.”

With a need to show up weeks in advance for a spot, many owners fly in to join their boat. So, how to get there?

One way to arrive is to fly into the tiny local airport, one of the trickiest anywhere. A very popular pastime on St Barths with the “mere mortals” is to stand at the top of the hill at the top of the runway and watch the planes come in overhead and quickly drop down to the runway. To be aboard one of those little planes must be terrifying.

Of course, only the “little people” fly commercial and anyone who’s anyone has their own plane. However, who would land in such a dicey place if you have a chopper that can take you to your boat?

And that’s just what they do.

A notable example of “doing what I want, when I want” is the giant yacht Kaos, pronounced, perhaps fittingly “Chaos”. She is huge at over 361′, fresh from a year long refit under her new owner Nancy Walton, daughter of the late Walmart co-founder Bud Walton. Ms Walton paid over $300,000,000 and then commissioned a year long refit. And that was a major upgrade for a yacht that was only launched in 2017.

Unlike most very large yachts, this yacht is classified as a ship which allows here to have more guests, in this case 31 in 16 cabins served by a crew compliment of 45. Those classified as a mere “yacht” can only house about a dozen guests beyond crew, who usually outnumber the guests. This distinction is significant as with a “ship” designation comes a lot more specific requirements and expenses.

This video was produced when the yacht was for sale and gives a remarkable tour of her, information not often unavailable for many private yachts, err ships.


Check out this link to see the specs for Kaos.

Ok, now we know how to get aboard your yacht if the local airport is a bit too scary for you and your guests.

And speaking of megagigantic yachts, how about Koru, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s new boat that reportedly set him back a cool half billion? It is technically the largest “true” sailing yacht in the world.

But wait, still don’t want to land in St Barths and you can’t land a chopper on a sailboat. Too much stuff in the way.

What’s a mega billionaire to do?

No problem, just get a “shadow yacht” and this is Jeff’s Abeona, all 245′ of her. She is all you need to store all of your “toys” and your girlfriend’s chopper. Just fly into St Barths, land on your support boat and take the launch over to your “actual yacht”.

So, a bit of information about Abeona. She’s a huge yacht in her own right and cost a reported $75,000,000.

And, setting aside the combined purchase cost of $575,000,000 purchase price for a “brace” of yachts, they cost approximately $50,000,000 a year to operate. And that doesn’t take into account the cost of land homes, choppers and private jets.

When you just consider crew, 36 on Koru and 45 on Abeona, including medical crew, that’s a lot of mouths to feed.

Perhaps the most expensive guest to take care of might be his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, who is also the or at least one of the helicopter pilots.

Oh yeah, the figurehead on the bow of Koru is Lauren. Yup, just like her, bow fenders and all.

This is an interesting brief history of the use of figureheads, culminating with Lauren herself.

So, if you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve properly, take your yacht to St Barths and arrive in style on your own private chopper. How much will it set you back? Don’t ask…

As the great financier J.P. Morgan once quipped, “if you have to aske how much it costs, you can’t afford it”.

In spite of it all, we had a great time over the holidays, St Barths deprived, though we may be.

And no, I can’t afford it…