Get out your nautical-themed pashmina afghan

My recent perusals of various travel sections have taken me to the high-seas, where luxury can sometimes literally bathe in a sea of money. I caught my first glimpse of marine excess when I spent that summer in Nice. For anyone that’s travelled to Monaco as a commoner, it’s a must-do to walk around the marina and gawk at people who are sunbathing on outdoor beds next their infinity pool which is flowing gently to the deck below where another boat – flanked by two jet skis – sits for recreational fun. There is something fascinating about the world’s elite, who insist a red carpet be rolled out before they debark at the next port, if they even get off the boat.

The Globe and Mail recently featured a creature of a boat, the interior of which was designed by French fashion house Hermès. The project was a joint venture with Monaco-based yacht builder Wally Construct and it honestly looks like some sort of futuristic, non-Earthling that trolls around the ocean.




At 58-metres, this doozy of a watercraft measures 30,000 square feet of living space, a 25-metre pool and a “beach” (why don’t you just drive to an actual beach?) that stretches for nearly 40 metres across the back. Something about this boat makes me think that if it had a voice, it would sound like Darth Vader. But it’s stunning nonetheless and a friend to the environment, using solar energy and running on a diesel-electric engine.


Another noteworthy cruiser that’s now out there is that of Russian yacht-fanatic and billionaire, Roman Abramovich. Abramovich is so concerned with getting too much attention that he has equipped his subtle yacht, Eclipse, with a lasers that can destroy camera shots and possibly the lives of the photographers whose livelihood depended on getting the shot.


The lasers work by detecting CCDs (charge-coupled devices) which are found in most photoelectric sensors. The idea is that anytime one of Abramovich’s security guys (or gals) spot a possible camera, all they have to do is point and shoot the laser. Any photos on the camera in question will subsequently be destroyed. Seems a little extreme but I guess a 557-foot yacht is too.