FORUM

Every day a new superyacht, or two, nowadays in Port-Vendres. Never in the history of human consumption has so much money been spent so conspicuously by so few (though evidently more of them every year) to give us 99.99 percenters so little cause for envy.

It's evident that they all follow essentially the same template (how could they not?): but each one manages to be ugly and naff in its own way. Which I suppose is distinction of a sort.

Ah yes....but just think how much tax they're paying!!!!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

According to my brother, who is a keen yachtsman (the proper sort, powered by sails), these superyachts rarely stray far from the marina, and even when they do, the work is all done by paid minions while the owners and their entourage sit around sipping G & T's. All seems to have more to do with showing off how rich you are than a genuine interest in being afloat.

Agreed, we used to skipper and hostess on yachts in the 80s and early 90s. Always sailing ones. The crews off the "stinckies" or "gin palace" were nervous wrecks, always had a cloth in their hands or a hosepipe. Once in port/harbour the there there for weeks,with endless hangers on coming and going.

Kate wrote:Ah yes....but just think how much tax they're paying!!!!

And patriotic too: they almost always fly a version of the red duster with a funny bit in the corner that proclaims their allegiance to a dodgy bit of the British Caribbean. No doubt Ms May will sort that all out, in my dreams.

rainbow wrote:Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

True, of course, and very well demonstrated by our current resident, the "Martha Ann". The external view is only averagely bloated and awkward but the interiors are quite extraordinary, eg here

https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxur ... yacht-tabs

But someone, as rainbow says, must have found them worth a humongous amount of money. Well worth 5 minutes of anyone's time.

martyn94 wrote:

rainbow wrote:Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

True, of course, and very well demonstrated by our current resident, the "Martha Ann". The external view is only averagely bloated and awkward but the interiors are quite extraordinary, eg here

https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxur ... yacht-tabs

But someone, as rainbow says, must have found them worth a humongous amount of money. Well worth 5 minutes of anyone's time.

And as soon as you think that the Martha Ann defies competition, the Alfa Nero turns up. They are obviously holding the regional heats of the "World's Gaudiest Superyacht" competition. It's enough (almost) to make you vote for Jeremy Corbin.

I am sure that all the highly-cultured guests can play the baby grand piano exquisitely. But why on earth do they want funny wriggly lines all over it?