Billionaire's Boat

Someone has been talking, extolling the beauty of this paradise island and now we reap the ....what?   We have tried to keep this place a secret, even from the mainlanders on the Big Island to the north. But the fame is spreading and now the rich and super-rich are finding their way here.

Sailing past my Cave just 1000 yards away

It used to be that we would get 70's rockers in their third and 'Final' retirement tour polluting our entertainment venues. Then we had the Gambling Billionaire make the place world famous amongst the arty crowd with his spectacular Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), even ferrying folk up the river from the city in his futuristic catamaran. Now we have a really international flavour and it is attracting the hoity toity from afar.

Perhaps also that Tasmania is the least Multicultural state in Oz. (That means the poor and illiterate coloured refugee folk from overseas that come here find so many other poor and illiterate white folk that they leave damned quick).

We are into the 'tourist ship' season here, with liners disgorging thousands of very welcomed visitors every week ( and taking them away a few days later) but my new binocculars picked out the folk strolling the deck on this super-yacht yesterday. Alex Luttrell explained in the Oz room bar.

Largest carbon composite yacht in the world moored off Sandy Bay

THERE are supermaxi yachts — and then there is German billionaire Otto Happel’s Hetairos, which sailed into Hobart yesterday.

The 67m Hetairos, which moored off Sandy Bay, is the largest all carbon fibre composite-hulled yacht in the world.

Built by Finnish boatbuilder Baltic Yachts in 2011, it is almost 50m high and more than 10m wide, with two big masts.

Mr Happel, who lives in Lucerne, Switzerland, has an estimated fortune of $3 billion.

The Mercury’s sailing writer Peter Campbell estimated his superyacht could be worth up to $10 million.

Campbell said it was truly a sight to behold, sitting at double the length of the reigning Sydney to Hobart champion, the 30m Perpetual Loyal.

“It would be one of the biggest cruising yachts to come into Hobart ever,” he said.

“It made for quite a sight coming up the river.”

Campbell said it was clearly a professionally sailed yacht.

“It’s not unusual for private motorcraft to come to Hobart for the summer,” he said.

Accommodation on board includes eight cabins split between 20 guests and crew, with a separate captain’s cabin.

It is understood the crew is using facilities at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

It was not immediately known if Mr Happel was on board.

Hetairos is a fast performance sailing yacht with the classic appearance and styling of a Bristol Pilot Cutter. This 66.90-meter ketch was built at Baltic Yachts in Finland and refitted by Vitters Shipyard in the Netherlands.

Dykstra Naval Architects (co design R/P), are responsible for the Naval Architecture and exterior styling working in close collaboration with the owner and the owner's project manager Jens Cornelsen. Intensive towing tank and wind tunnel tests have been carried out to increase performance with the largest composite standing rigging to date.

Hetairos won the judges' special award during the the World Superyacht Awards 2012: 'Notable contribution to the technical advancement of sailing superyachts'.

I suppose the owner fellow and his crew will want a pint or two.

We will welcome them in the Tavern.

Pax