By Diane M. Byrne

Wedge Too (#49)  More of this Feature • Top 100: Part 1 • 1-9 • 10-19 • 20-29 • 30-39 • 40-49 • 50-59 • 60-69 • 70-79 • 80-89 • 90-100 • Yacht Spotter
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40. Boadicea 231'3" · 1998
Eighty-year-old Reg Grundy really knows how to enjoy life. Besides cruising aboard this 14-knotter, which has a cinema with 14 seats and a stage, the Australian media baron has a passion for photography. It’s interesting, considering the dark blue of his yacht’s hull and her stylish lines make her a favorite of amateur yacht photographers. When he’s not onboard, Grundy makes Boadicea available for charter for $420,000 per week.
B: Amels, Holland; N: Builder; H: Steel; E: unknown

41. Absinthe 230'4" · 1973/2004
The ex-Claire T sold last year to the proprietor of Sea to Sky Helisports & Megayacht Adventures. A refit began in September 2003 and should wrap up within the next few weeks. Among the work performed: creating a helipad, widening the hull over the last 40 feet aft, and designing a new stern, the latter two of which added 29 feet to her length. Inside, she gained a wine cellar, a fitness center and steam room, plus many other features. Absinthe will serve as a charter yacht, but with a twist: While she’s cruising in the Pacific Northwest, her helicopter will whisk guests off for a skiing adventure in the Canadian West Coast mountain range of British Columbia. Upon their return, they can indulge in a relaxing massage, thanks to an onboard masseuse.
B: Astilleros y Talleres Celaya, Spain; N: Sparkman & Stephens; H: Steel; E: 2/1,125-hp Caterpillars

42. Reverie 229'7" · 2000
Norwegian newspapers broke the news earlier this year that Kjell Inge Røkke, the Norwegian chairman of engineering and construction giant Aker Kvaerner Group and owner of the Class 1 offshore powerboat racing team Team Reverie, sold his yacht to an American. He’d originally listed her for sale in January of last year for $65 million but took her off the market. Obviously he changed his mind, but if the newspaper accounts are right, he took a hit on the sale, settling for $57 million. Reverie was seen stateside in Galveston, Texas, in mid-February getting new furniture.
B: Benetti, Italy; N: Builder; H: Steel; E: 2/2,000-hp Caterpillars

43. Aussie Rules 228'0" · 2003
This spring, a little more than a year after taking delivery of the largest Oceanfast ever built—as well as the largest yacht he’s ever owned—Aussie golfer and entrepreneur Greg Norman sold Aussie Rules to American Wayne Huizinga of Blockbuster Video fame. The yacht is expected to remain in the Med through the summer before heading to a refit yard. Even though the yard hadn’t been selected by the time we went to press, we do know that the plan is to extend the aft deck to encompass a helicopter pad and additional guest accommodations, among other things. Once she emerges from the refit, she’ll carry the name Floridian.
B: Oceanfast, Australia; N: Builder/Sam Sorgiovanni; H: Aluminum; E: 2/1,492-hp Caterpillars

*Twenty-four sets of snorkel gear, 200 rods and reels, and a virtual armada of watertoys from surfboards to a 42-foot sportfisherman are aboard Aussie Rules. She’s spending the remainder of the summer chartering in the Mediterranean.

44. Amazon Express 220'11" · 1966/1984
This yacht straddles the design line between looking like a pleasurecraft and looking like a commercial ship. She was launched as a deep-sea fishing vessel but converted to a yacht in 1984, with additional work performed ten years later. Her bright-yellow radar and light masts and red communications dome make her hard to miss, as does the illustration of an eye on her bow.
B: Arsenale Venezia, Italy/Horten, Norway (conversion); N: Espen Øino Naval Architects (conversion); H: Steel; E: 1/1,710-hp Wickmann

45. Golden Shadow 219'0" · 1995
Golden Shadow pulled into Malta Super Yacht Services in Malta for some engineering work and painting in May, along with her “sister,” Golden Odyssey (see no. 19). Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled owns the two of them, though this sister is rugged-looking and has a blue hull. She’s used mostly as a support vessel and for diving.
B: Campbell Shipyard, USA; N: Francis & Francis; H: Steel; E: 2/2,656-hp Deutz-MWMs

46. Haida G 218'0" · 1929
Talk about fascinating tales. This lady was launched as Haida, but the U.S. Navy acquired her in World War II, when she served as a patrol boat. She returned to yacht service as Sarina, but was best known as Rosenkavalier during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Her current owner, who’s from Europe, bought her four years ago. She’s still powered by her original engines.
B: Friedrich Krupp Germania Werft, Germany; N: Cox & Stevens; H: Steel; E: 2/750-hp Krupps

47. Al Menwar 216'5" · 1987
Al Menwar gained about seven feet overall—and moved up about six places on our list—after a refit that wrapped up a few months ago. Much of the work focused on her transom; she now has an integral teak-lined swim platform that’s flanked by curving stairs to each side.
B: Cantieri Navale Nicolini, Italy; N: Builder; H: Steel; E: 2/4,155-hp MTUs

48. Astarte II 213'9" · 1988
Private cruising among the Greek and Italian islands is typically the order of the day for Astarte II. She belongs to a Greek shipping magnate.
B: Blohm & Voss, Germany; N: Builder/Ross Industries; H: Steel; E: 2/2,992-hp Deutz-MWMs

49. Wedge Too 213'3" · 2002
If the oiled-teak panels lining her superstructure don’t clue you in to the fact that this yacht is just a little out of the ordinary, then the fact that famed designer Philippe Starck is the mastermind behind her eclectic interior sure will. “Eclectic” is an understatement, actually—the Louis XVI writing desk in the owners’ stateroom is fitted with a 52-inch plasma TV, a throne-like seat in the main saloon has armrests in the shape of swans, and various other seats are made of wheelbarrows or in the shape of gnomes.
B: Feadship/De Vries Scheepsbouw, Holland; N: De Voogt Naval Architects/Phillipe Starck; H: Steel; E: 2/2,000-hp Caterpillars

* There’s an astounding 7,530 square feet of hardwood flooring used inside Wedge Too. In addition, Philippe Starck wanted her to feature marble ceiling and doors; thankfully Feadship convinced him they weren’t ideal from a weight standpoint.

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