Cruise ship name: MSC Melody
Formerly: Atlantic • Atlantic Starship
Length: 672 ft • 205 m
Year: 1982 • Refurbished: 2001
Builder: CNIM (France)
Operator: MSC Cruises
Gross Tonnage: 35,143 GT
Speed: 18-21 knots
Passengers: 1000-1550
Crew: 500

Photos: monacoeye • Monaco • 2006-2008

The cruise ship MSC Melody, run by Italian operator MSC, successfully fought off a pirate attack in the Indian Ocean on Saturday night, 25th April 2009. According to an AP report, onboard Israeli private security forces thwarted the pirates by returning fire after the ship was attacked with automatic weapons as pirates try to board.

The attack took place about 200 miles north of the Seychelles, as Melody was returning to Genoa from a cruise in South Africa. About 1000 passengers were on board, no-one was hurt although the liner was slightly damaged.

Until now it has been unusual for civilian ships to exchange fire with pirates. Perhaps this marks the start of a new trend of preventative action… MSC Melody is a regular visitor to Port Hercule in Monaco, as can be seen in the above photos, and often displays a large sign: "For Security Reasons Do Not Approach Closer Than 50 Metres Unless Authorised."

Airplane: Canadair CL 415
Introduced: 1994
Builder: Canadair (now Bombardier)
Photos: monacoeye • Beaulieu • April 2009

These aerial water bombers, or simply Canadairs, as they are known locally, were practising in Beaulieu today - a sure sign that the weather is starting to heat up.

Canadair flying boats are a familiar sight during the summer along the Côte d'Azur, where mountain fires break out regularly. The heavy drone of their engines can be heard for miles.

The amphibious aircraft scoop up water from the sea while skimming over the water. It takes 12 seconds flying at 70 knots to fill up a full 6000 litre load. In the US the planes are known as Super Scoopers.

The French Sécurité Civile operates 12 of these planes as well as 2 Bombardier Dash 8s and 9 Conair Turbo Firecats (ref Wikipedia).

Yacht name: Ganesha
Formerly: Zulu
Length: 128 ft • 39 m
Year: 2006
Builder: Fitzroy Yachts
Design: Dubois Naval Architects
Interior: Redman Whitely Dixon

Photo: Robert Paylor • St Barths Bucket 2009

length - year: 128 - 2006

Yacht name: Meteor
Length: 169 ft • 52 m
Year: 2007
Builder: Royal Huisman • #382
Architect: Gerard Dykstra
Stylist: John Alden

Photo: Bob Paylor • St Barths Bucket 2009
Photo: HMB • Caribbean • 2007

length - year: 169 - 2007

Mark Webber. Photos: Tatiana Hughes • Monaco May 2008

The sound of beer cans being cracked open must have been deafening … as Australian driver Mark Webber finally came good, pulling off second place in the Shanghai Grand Prix, his highest F1 finish ever, behind Red Bull team-mate Sebastien Vettel.

He will be pleased with his comeback after breaking a leg in November in a cycling accident. The Adrian Newey designed Red Bull Renault performed extremely well in the rain and will be faster still when they add a split level diffuser to the car. Australians are now hoping that Webber will be the first countryman to take the chequered flag since Alan Jones in 1981.

Yacht name: Leo Fun
Length: 177 ft • 54 m
Year: 2009
Builder: Proteksan Turquoise • # 48
Design: Paolo Caliari

Photos: NT & monacoeye • Monaco • April 2008


Leo Fun - a slightly larger, new, grey-hulled sister to Vinydrea - has arrived in Monaco. She was launched in January and is available for charter, priced at about €285 k per week. This style goes by the name of a trawler-explorer or trawler yacht. Larger photos to follow …

length - year: 177 - 2009

Yacht name: P2
Length: 125 ft • 38 m
Year: 2008
Builder: Perini Navi • # 2104
Architect: Philippe Briand

Photo: Robert Paylor • St Barth's Bucket 2009

P2 in the port of Gustavia, before this year's St Barth's Bucket.

length - year: 125 - 2008

Yacht name: Meamina
Length: 194 ft • 59 m
Year: 2009
Builder: Benetti • # 242

Photo: NT • Monaco • April 2009
Photo: monacoeye • Cap D'Ail • January 2009

The new 59 m Benetti Meamina …

length - year: 194 - 2009

Jenson Button got the green light in the Brawn diffuser row on Wednesday… If you haven't been following this year's F1 Grand Prix, here's an armchair recap of what is turning out to be a very exciting season.

Last year the FIA, Formula One's ruling body, changed many of the strict rules defining specs for Formula One cars. The intention was to promote overtaking, the lack of which has long been recognised as a major turn-off for TV audiences. After all, nothing more boring than seeing cars finish in the same order as they started in.

They further capped the power of engines, tyres reverted to slicks, and they changed various regulations which apply to the all-important aerodynamics of cars. The intention was to improve grip on corners, slow the cars down a little, and reduce turbulence, which had made cars difficult to approach and therefore overtake. However the new specifications proved open to interpretation …

Meanwhile, with the credit crunch hitting the car industry, Honda GP was bought out (for one pound!) by its Mancunian team principal Ross Brawn, who had steered Ferrari to victory, as former Technical Director, throughout the great Schumacher era.

Brawn GP, as Honda was now known, developed a powerful split-level diffuser in 2008. The diffuser is the rear stabiliser which increases downward pressure, grip, and, therefore, speed. It is sometimes said that a Formula One car should be able to drive upside down on the ceiling, because at full speed the downforce produced by its aerodynamics is equal to about 2.5 times the weight of the car.

Williams and Toyota produced similar diffusers but the big names that have dominated F1 for many years - Ferrari, McLaren, BMW and Renault - did not, and they duly lodged complaints against Brawn after the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia, which was won by Jenson Button in his fast Brawn car.

However, Brawn's diffuser was deemed legal, so then there was an appeal against the decision, meanwhile Button won a second GP in Malaysia, and finally the appeal was rejected this week, with the result that Button's victories will hold. McLaren, Ferrari and BMW will now be scrambling to develop similar diffusers, but this will take time, and money…

Talented wunderkind Sebastien Vettel is on pole for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix in a first for Red Bull, but Button stands a good chance of quickly moving up the pack from current 5th position, as he has more fuel onboard and thus will only pit later … The Chinese GP will be followed by Bahrain, then Barcelona, then Monaco on the 24th May.

Andy Murray

Photo: monacoeye • Monte Carlo Tennis Masters • 13 April 2009

World number 4 seed, Andy Murray, warming up on the clay courts of the 2009 Monte Carlo Tennis Masters today.

Here's a digest of a few items of news that have caught my eye recently.

Sardinia's luxury tax on yachts may be scrapped. Italy plans to ban yachts from mooring offshore, to protect the marine environment from anchor damage.

Shari Arison, Israel's richest woman, has put My Shanti up for sale, listed at $103 million. My Shanti is in Monaco currently. Thyssen Krupp may be selling Hellenic Shipyards.

The yacht market has taken quite a hit in the credit crunch. Inventories have risen and prices have fallen, but buyers and sellers are still doing business.

Lara was sold by Ardell (BOGOF - buy one get one free). Burgess lopped a whopping $6 million off Multiple's asking price, now $19 m. Gale Winds, a 26m Broward, was sold. Hebridean Spirit, a 90m mini cruiser, was sold by Ocean Independence.

Lone Ranger was donated to a US charitable foundation for oceanographic exploration. There was a $2.5 million price drop for My Issue and 15 more sales in March including Bad Girl, 57m, Casino Royale, 50m and Stanley, the 120 ft Palmer Johnson at IYC.

Armani has dropped the price on Mariu by €4 million to €20 m. The explorer Garfield's price dropped by $4 million to $11 m. Skylge was reduced from €15m to €10. Lady Christina is now for sale at €52 m. All these and many more "bargains" to be found at Malcolm McLean's excellent brokerage news site.

According to Camper & Nicholson's newsletter the number of yachts on sale over 24 metres nearly doubled in 2008, from 1000 to 1750, while yacht prices dropped a fairly modest 15%, those longer on the market moving more in price, with the greatest reductions coming in January 2009.

85m Vibrant Curiosity was launched by Oceanco for German screw manufacturer, Reinhold Würth. Benetti launched 64m Silver Angel and 45m Harmony III. Stabbert is converting 308 ft Sahara.

Royal Huisman has launched Hanuman, the J-class replica of Endeavour II. CMN launched 60m Slipstream. Rodriquez launched Ocean Emerald, the first Yacht Plus fractional ownership yacht, designed by Foster and Partners. Maiora launched 39m Why Worry. Baglietto launched Natori, 41m. Amels launched their fifth LE 171. Feadship launched #667 Hurricane Run, and High Chaparral has been put up for sale.

The world seems to be waking up to the fact that paying multi-million dollar ransoms in the Gulf of Aden is likely to be fuelling piracy by giving pirates the means to buy faster boats and more sophisticated equipment.

On a sad note, 28-year-old Florent Lemacon's dream of sailing around the world with his family ended last week, when he was killed as French forces stormed their 41-foot hijacked sailing yacht Tanit. His wife and child were freed with another couple.

Last September another French couple on board their 48 footer the Carré d'As were freed unharmed in a similar hijack rescue. On that occasion the couple locked themselves into a small room when the boat was stormed - a wise move.

More sad news - in March, a British man Malcolm Robertson was killed in a ghastly attack by pirates off the Thai coast whilst on board with his wife. Their blog details their round the world trip which started in 1998 in Eastbourne.

Meanwhile, things ended well for America's new hero Captain Richard Phillips, who was freed yesterday from his own Somali pirate hostage ordeal. Vice Admiral William Gortney's poignant message to the captain's wife was "Mrs Phillips keep your son away from those Easter eggs, his Dad's headed home."

Yacht name: Baracuda
Length: 164 ft • 50 m
Year: 2008
Builder: Perini Navi • # 2098
Architect: Perini Navi • Ron Holland
Interior: John Pawson

Photo: Robert Paylor • St Barth's Bucket 2009

The taut purple sails of the new 50m Perini Baracuda competing in this year's St Barth's Bucket, which was held last month. More of Bob's great shots from this year's Bucket on the way … !

length - year: 164 - 2008

Yacht name: WY 130 • The Dream
Length: 130 ft • 40 m
Year: 2009
Builder: Wally
Design: Javier Soto Acebal
Interior: Foster & Partners

Photos: CS • Fano • April 2009

Here are the first shots of the launch of the new Wally 130 this week in Fano, Italy. This high performance yacht combines a water ballast with a trim-tab keel, for greater safety and performance. The 11 ton water ballast improves stability of this 84-ton boat while the 6 metre keel (which can be raised to 4 metres for port and bay access) improves lift.

The sloop will now be towed to Ancona to have the keel installed - the stepping of the mast is scheduled for May.

Should be on display at this year's Monaco Yacht Show.

length - year: 130 - 2009

Yacht name: Magic Carpet 2 [Magic Carpet Squared]
Length: 94 ft • 29 m
Year: 2002
Builder: Wally
Design: German Frers

Photo: monacoeye • Voiles de St Tropez 2006

length - year: 94 - 2002

Yacht name: Wallyño
Length: 60 ft • 18 m
Year: 2002
Builder: Carroll Marine for Wally
Design: Farr Design • Wally

Photo: monacoeye • Monaco

Originally built for Wally president Luca Bassani, the fast Wallyño was based on the Farr 60.

length - year: 60 - 2002

Yacht name: Highland Fling X • Wally 80 # 4
Formerly: Shaka
Length: 79 ft • 24 m
Year: 2006
Builder: Wally
Architect: Farr Yacht Design
Styling & Interior: Wally • Lazzarini Pickering Architects
"Terrace on the Sea" deck layout.

Photo: monacoeye • Monaco Yacht Show 2008

length - year: 79 - 2006

Yacht name: Tiketitan
Length: 89 ft • 27 m
Year: 1998
Builder: Green Marine UK for Wally
Design: Wally • German Frers

length - year: 89 - 1998

Yacht name: Tiketitoo • Wally 88
Length: 89 ft • 21 m
Year: 2001
Builder: CNB • Wally
Design: German Frers
Interior: Wally • Serena Anibaldi

Photo: Tatiana Hughes • Fontvieille

length - year: 89 - 2001

Yacht name: Nariida • Fast Cruising Ketch
Formerly: Wallygator
Length: 105 ft • 32 m
Year: 1994
Builder: Concordia Yachts for Wally
Naval Architect: Luca Brenta
Design: Wally

Photos: monacoeye • Voiles de Saint Tropez

length - year: 105 - 1994

Yacht name: Bull
Length: 27 m ?
Builder: Leopard • Arno

Photos: monacoeye • Antibes • 7 April 2009

Bull, the yacht of convicted Ponzi fraudster Bernie Madoff, was seized by bailiffs on the 3rd of April, in Port Gallice, Cap d'Antibes - he also has a small property nearby.

The propellors have been chained and a notice of seizure [is this a boat arrest ?] has been served by bailiffs acting on instruction from a Parisian-based financial company. The letter tells the owner not to move the boat and says the port authority has been informed. Translation of bailiff's notice with larger photo.

Name: Super Servant 4
Length: 556 ft • 169 m
Speed: 14 knots
Operator: Dockwise Yacht Transport
Photo: FB • Mallorca • April 2009

The yachts are back! Here's DYT's mighty yacht carrier Super Servant 4, recently arrived in Mallorca from Port Everglades, with its 120 million dollar cargo, which is returning to the Med for cruising and charter bookings at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

DYT carriers "sink" to manoeuvre yachts on and off - this float on float off system alleviates the need for lifting equipment and reduces strains on hulls. Getting ready to float off we can see Celestial Hope, Il Cigno and Monaco, then Celestial Hope in the water … Thanks to FB for the nice photos !

Slightly smaller at 139 metres, but also semi-submersible, Super Servant 3 recently left Port Everglades, Florida, for Toulon, France, via the Caribbean. It unloaded 18 yachts and loaded 1 in St. Thomas, then moved on to Martinique where it loaded 18 more yachts, totaling 32 power and sailing yachts for a final cargo value of $140 million.