By Diane M. Byrne

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A Reuters report from this past May's Cannes Film Festival ran under the following headline: "Swanky Yachts the Hot Ticket for Cannes Dealmaking." The writer described how the truly big deals actually go down in the harbor, where a yacht--the bigger, the better, of course--is "the business accessory par excellence...not to mention a great place to have a party."

Well, it's about time the rest of the world caught on to what we've been saying for 17 years.

Since 1985 we've unabashedly celebrated--and, truth be told, occasionally poked fun at--the grandeur of the largest yachts afloat. Whether commissioned for occasional charters or held strictly for the personal use of their owners, they never cease to amaze us with their opulence, their highly personalized style, and of course their sheer size.

Some other facts that continue to amaze us:
· While some of the yachts on our exclusive list date back nearly 100 years, 37 were delivered within the past decade.
· During her extensive restoration in the early 1990's, Savarona, still ranked first, was able to accommodate 60 tons of marble in an authentic Turkish bath and still float properly on her lines.
· Speaking of Savarona, guests will never be able to complain about the wait for the head--there are 39 onboard.
· Atlantis II, ranked fourth, still hardly ever leaves the dock.

Without further ado, here are "The World's 100 Largest Yachts." Note that for several years now, we've restricted the list to yachts not maintained for heads of state. (Arguably, it's more impressive to discover a person spent tens of millions of dollars to commission a yacht versus a government using tax dollars for the purchase and maintenance.) All construction information is included, using the following code: L=length; Y=year launched (where two or more dates are given, the latter ones are refit dates); B=builder, N=naval architect, H=hull material, and E=engines. New launches are highlighted in red.

Now if we can only get Reuters and the rest of the mainstream media to stop referring to these yachts as "gin palaces"...

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