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Boat of the Week: Inside the Gorgeous 280-Foot Superyacht Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Just Made Famous

The couple made global news after reuniting aboard this $130 million superyacht. a look inside their private retreat., howard walker, howard walker's most recent stories.

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The tabloids have been on fire this week with revelations that superstar Jennifer Lopez has been celebrating her 52nd birthday in style, cruising the Mediterranean with on-again beau, actor Ben Affleck, aboard a stunning superyacht. J.Lo’s Instagram photos show the reunited Bennifer in top form.

The power couple has also been snapped hanging out in tony Saint-Tropez, enjoying retail therapy in Monaco and strolling the romantic island of Capri, all from their private getaway, the 280-foot Lürssen-built Valerie .

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Until now, little has been known about the 280-foot superyacht. But after 10 years of being the private retreat of a Ukrainian billionaire, Valerie is now on the market for about $130 million, or €110 million.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo)

Until a buyer is found, it’s available for rent through Monaco-based Dynamiq Sales & Charter–which is also handling the sale–at a whopping $1.12 million a week. J.Lo is believed to have been the first to have booked.

The superyacht’s sleek, timeless lines are from the drawing board of Norwegian naval starchitect Espen Øino. He’s responsible for such superyacht icons as the 426-foot Flying Fox , the late Paul Allen’s 413-foot Octopus , and soon to be the world’s largest superyacht, the 600-foot REV Ocean.

“ Valerie is still considered by many to be one of the most beautiful boats we have done with Lürssen,” Monaco-based Øino told Robb Report.

The upper pool gives a protected–and paparazzi-proof–area for guests to lounge.  Courtesy Dynamiq/YachtShot

With an impressive volume of 2,755 gross tonnes, the yacht has no shortage of interior space, with accommodations for 17 guests in nine cabins, including a truly hedonistic master suite. When Lopez and Affleck were aboard, they were pampered by Valerie’s crew of 27.

One of the multitude of design highlights of the yacht is its huge, private upper deck. Up top, there’s a 20-foot swimming pool, the inevitable hot tub, and a football field of lounge pads.

Steps away, protected from prying eyes and paparazzi lenses by towering sides, is a dining table for 10, complete with musical fountains that light up at night.

Art-deco styling defines Valerie ‘s interior.  Courtesy Dynamiq/YachtShot

For additional sunning and dipping, Valerie’s vast forward deck, with a touch-and-go helipad big enough to land a Eurocopter EC130 or Bell 407, has another pool and a semi-circle of sunpads. The deck can also double as a golf driving range.

The sumptuous interior is the work of London-based designers Pascale Reymond and Andrew Langton, of Reymond Langton Design. They specified 7.5-foot-high ceilings and walls of full-height windows to provide full-on sea views.

The living areas have a formal, Art Deco look and feel, which contrast with the more-relaxed outdoor spaces. The fine detailing inside includes soft leather wall panels—even the elevator is leather-lined—wood flooring incorporating an intricate inlay, and the pièce de résistance: real butterflies set into brass detailing.

Who needs a formal dining room inside when there’s a dining table for 14—with mirrored surface—in a protected area of the cockpit.  Courtesy Dynamiq/YachtShot

An equally jaw-dropping feature of the lounge is the floating Schimmel Pegasus grand piano, originally conceived by the eccentric German industrial designer Luigi Colani. The instrument costs around $100,000.

One other headline feature, especially for the fitness-focused Lopez, is Valerie’s wellness suite. It comes with a steam room and Hamman, and state-of-the-art Italian-made Technogym fitness equipment. After a hard workout, close by is a starlight-ceilinged massage room and beauty salon.

Instead of a stuffy formal dining room inside, the owner specified an alfresco dining area on the main deck just outside the salon. There’s seating for 14 around the inlaid, mirror-varnished oval table, with panoramic views over the aft deck.

The beach club, with stairs that lead into the water.   Courtesy Dynamiq/YachtShot

To make sure the yacht can sprint from Monaco to Capri in time for sunrise, the steel-hulled Valerie is powered by twin 2,700 hp MTU V-16 engines sitting in a cavernous, double-height engine room. They deliver a top speed of 20 mph, though cruising at a more relaxed 14 mph, she has an easy transatlantic range of 6,000 nautical miles.

With a major refit in 2019 that saw fresh, bright-white hull paint and a comprehensive systems overhaul, plus a 10-year Lloyds survey completed in May this year, Valerie is reckoned to be as good as new.

“This is a rare opportunity for someone to acquire one of the most impressive and impeccably maintained superyachts on the market, without waiting years for a new construction,” Maria Dobroserdova, Dynamiq Sales & Charter broker tells Robb Report .

A massage room in the yacht’s wellness center.  Courtesy Dynamiq/YachtShot

By the end of this week, maybe J.Lo and Ben might end-up loving the yacht so much they’ll write a check.

Check out more images of the beautiful Valerie below:

Courtesy Dynamiq/YachtShot

Courtesy Courtesy Dynamiq/YachtShot

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Charter fleet welcomes 85m Lurssen yacht VALERIE to its ranks

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By Nina Done   27 July 2021

Fresh from her impromptu charter playing host to Hollywood stars J Lo and Ben Affleck, the 85/279ft motor yacht VALERIE has marked her debut onto the charter market in spectacular fashion. She currently has an opening from 3-17 August for a luxury yacht charter around the Mediterranean, which given the current high demand is sure to be snapped up.

This impressive yacht's stunning Reymond Langton interiors with Art Deco-inspired touches showcase a luxurious yet modern feel. This is accentuated by the high ceilings and full-height windows that allow natural light to flood her interior spaces, creating a warm and inviting ambience to welcome guests as they step on board. 

She can easily accommodate 12 charter guests in her beautifully-styled suites, including an on-deck Master suite with private terrace and Jacuzzi, as well as 2 further VIP cabins. She also has an additional nursery and upper deck staff cabin, perfect for guests travelling with nannies or their security detail.

Onboard highlights include a vast top deck area, complete with a Jacuzzi, 6-metre swimming pool surrounded by an array of sumptuous sunpads, alfresco dining and shaded bar with TV screen, along with an exquisite musical fountain located a few steps down on her upper deck aft which can be illuminated at night for cosy gatherings. 

She also boasts a range of fabulous wellness facilities, including Hammam, massage, beauty salon and fully-equipped gym, as well as a comfortable waterside beach club with loungers and parasols, and convenient steps directly into the sea.

She also offers a range of luxurious travel options to ensure you arrive in true superyacht style, whether that's touching down on her commercially-certified helipad or being whisked over the waves in her fully-custom Limo tender, as you sip chilled champagne in the comfort of a luxurious sound-proofed interior cabin with state-of-the-art speakers.

Interested in booking a luxury yacht charter around the Mediterranean?

This region has played host to Hollywood glitterati for decades and it's clear to see why, from Michelin-starred restaurants, idyllic hilltop villages, lush secluded islands and miles of golden sand beaches, not to mention the centuries of history and culture that has shaped these destinations to create truly individual magical experiences for the senses wherever you go. 

To find out more about chartering in the region, check out our in-depth Mediterranean yacht charter guide for more information.

If you’d like to learn more about chartering M/Y VALERIE, please contact your yacht charter broker .

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Motor yacht Valerie (ex project Firebird) launched – A Lürssen Werft Superyacht

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Written by Chelsea Smith

The 84m motor yacht Valerie has been launched at the Lürssen Werft yard in Rendsburg, Germany. Yacht Valerie was known under the project name Firebird (hull 13660). Superyacht Valerie is the first yacht to be launched by the Lürssen yard this year.

Motor yacht Valerie   is an impressive 84m (275 ft) in length, spans 4 decks and was built in steel and aluminium. The Lurssen  built superyacht was designed by the well-regarded yacht designer  Espen Oeino  of Monaco. Her interior design has been created by Reymond Langton Design  Limited of the United Kingdom. This is the same the team behind another successful Lürssen superyacht Kismet .

The Lurssen Valerie yacht (ex Firebird) is flagged in the Cayman Islands and she has twin Caterpillar diesel engines. Further yacht details, information, specifications, and images of the Lurssen M/Y Valerie are yet to be published. CharterWorld will update you with further information on this important launch as soon as further information becomes available.

Lurssen’s yacht Valerie is expected to be delivered to her owners this summer.

Yacht Valerie (ex project Firebird) built by Lurssen

Contrary to the rendering of above, superyacht Valerie features a white hull and superstructure.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Motor yacht Valerie (ex project Firebird) launched – A Lürssen Werft Superyacht ".

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Valerie's Interior Revealed for the First Time Ever

By Anna Solomon

Enigmatic 85.10m superyacht Valerie has been shrouded in mystery since her announcement for sale earlier this year. In a brand new video from Central Agents IYC , however, the public are able to get a glimpse into the world of this luxury Top 100 superyacht. Even more excitingly, the iconic boat is rumoured to be on show in the flesh at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show.

Valerie represents the apex of the industry, featuring stunning exterior styling by Espen Øino and the uncompromising quality of build that Lurssen is famous for. Up until now, we could only assume that her interiors match the caliber of her silhouette; now, we can know for sure.

Often, the difference between a good yacht and a great one is in the details, and Valerie’s intricacies are exquisite, reports Sales Agent Richard Gray:  “Spending time onboard, you begin to realize the time, effort and detail that has gone into building such a timeless masterpiece. Both the interior and exterior are full of details that continue to surprise you.”

The newly released video shows a stunning art deco-inspired interior designed by Reymond Langton. However, it doesn't quite reveal the interior in all of its glory... Only snippets showing decadent details and complex textures are exposed in the minute-long piece, which makes this video just a teaser for the real thing: saved only for the eyes of those lucky enough to see her in person.

But what is known is that each of Valerie’s six decks tells its own unique story. 14 guests are accommodated across seven cabins with an additional nursery and staff cabin on the upper and lower decks, whilst a huge sundeck harbours a 20-foot swimming pool and hot tub. Elsewhere, a helicopter deck houses a commercially compliant aircraft, and a garage bursts at the seams with tenders and toys including a Royal Limo Tender and a Royal Beach Landing Tender. Finally, the beach club and swimming platform bridge the gap between this floating mansion and the ocean.

Helicopters and hammams aside, one of the most remarkable things about Valerie is the feeling of togetherness and family at its heart - difficult to achieve on a vessel of this size. IYC are considering all serious offers for this truly special yacht, which is newly located and available for inspection in Vilanova Grand Marina, and perhaps too, the Monco Yacht Show. Watch this space!

"Spending time onboard, you begin to realize the time, effort and detail that has gone into building such a timeless masterpiece." Richard Gray, Valerie Sales Agent

"Spending time onboard, you begin to realize the time, effort and detail that has gone into building such a timeless masterpiece."

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VALERIE Yacht – Incredible €110M Superyacht

VALERIE yacht is an incredible 85m(278,9 ft) Superyacht currently for sale at €110,000,000. She was launched in 2011 by renowned shipbuilders Lürssen from their shipyard in Germany.

Her exterior design is from Espen Oeino and has an interior design from Reymond Langton Design.

She can accommodate 17 guests in nine cabins and 27 crew members. She was a landmark build for Lürssen at the time of her construction.

VALERIE yacht interior

The interior of VALERIE is detail orientated as if walking through a jewelry box, with something new to discover on every deck.

There is accommodation for 17 guests in nine cabins and 27 crew members across the six decks.

The designer, Reymond Langton Design in Bath, England, executed the yacht’s design to reflect an overall light and sunny feel with the use of walnut Macassar ebony, honey sycamore wood, and metal inlays.

There is a cozy room for massage and beauty treatments, an outdoor dining area with a lit-up fountain, and a panoramic gym with techno equipment.

The yacht’s interior reflects an excellent balance between the space for the owners, guests, and crew circulation. VALERIE also boasts a jacuzzi, a six-meter pool, and a multifunction sundeck.

The VALERIE yacht’s flowing exterior design allows for discretion and privacy for the guests, hiding the technical areas and the impressive volume of the yacht.

She has been called one of the most beautiful boats built by Lürssen . She is contracted with a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure.

The steel hull is lit up with 39 underwater lights at night. The bow and mast of the yacht give her a powerful look and feel.

Espen Oeino is the impressive designer of the exterior that was a trendsetter at the time of its build with the glass side paneling.

Specifications

The VALERIE yacht is outfitted with two 2000kW MTU 16V4000 engines that provide a cruising speed of 12,5kn and a top speed of 17kn.

She can cover 6000nm and displaces 2755GT. She has a length of 85m(278,9 ft), a draft of 3.8m(12.5 ft). She has two Quantum fin stabilizers that provide the ultimate comfort while on the water for guests.

Her engine room is in the heart of the deck and occupies two levels. She follows a Lloyds LY2 specification. VALERIE is ranked at number 134 and is the 36th largest globally.

She carries several recreational toys, including 2 10m(32.8 ft) custom Royal Denship tenders, a limo, and other landing craft.

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By SuperyachtNews 25 Oct 2022

Failed payments led to authorities moving frozen 85m superyacht

Meridian a, formerly known as valerie, was moved to a new location in barcelona for failing to make payments…….

Spanish authorities have moved the frozen 85m superyacht Meridian A from MB92 shipyard to Marina Vela after the vessel failed to make payments for repair work. For reasons unknown, the lürssen built superyacht has also changed its name from Valerie to Meridian A. The ultimate beneficial owner of the vessel is the sanctioned Sergey Chemezov, the CEO of Rostec, the largest tech and defence conglomerate in Russia.

The ship was technically frozen in March while it was still in Spain, however, it wasn’t moved until just over a month ago. Speaking to Reuters , a transport ministry source confirmed that payments for the ship's repairs at Barcelona's MB92 shipyard stopped soon after the freezing order. The source also revealed that MB92 asked authorities to relocate the ship so that its berth could be used.

Here’s a pic of MERIDIAN A (previously VALERIE) in Marina Vela in Barcelona. You can see on the side of the boat where the name VALERIE was taken off. #YachtWatch pic.twitter.com/tSVJ1eMzjU — Alex Finley "La Guetteuse de Yachts" (@alexzfinley) October 1, 2022

Sergey Chemezov has been on the US and EU sanctions list since 2014 after supporting Russia’s annexation of Crimea. However, the European Union's sanctions list has revealed that the yacht is technically owned by his stepdaughter, Anastasia Ignatova. Chemezov was also named in the Pandora Papers last year.

It is not yet entirely clear who is paying for the maintenance and operational costs of frozen vessels in Europe. Some news outlets are reporting that a little-known 2014 law allows the UBO to make payments for the essential upkeep of assets in Spain and France. The significance of the vessel's name change and failed payments remain a mystery and it has not been confirmed how the payments will be made for its new berth in the marina.

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Spain says it seized a $153 million super-yacht linked to Russian oligarch Sergei Chemezov, an arms tycoon who worked with Putin as a KGB spy

• Spain said it seized a $153 million super-yacht owned by a prominent Russian oligarch.
• Reuters named the oligarch as Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec.
• Western nations have targeted the prized assets of Russian oligarchs as part of sweeping sanctions.

Spain said it seized a $153 million super-yacht that was later linked to Russian oligarch Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.

"Today we have temporarily immobilized a yacht of one of Russia's most prominent oligarchs, and there will be more to come," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the LaSexta television channel in an inteview, according to the Associated Press.

Sanchez didn't name the owner of the yacht, Valerie . However, Reuters , citing two sources, reported that it belonged to Chemezov, who once worked with Putin as a KGB spy .

The 85-meter (279-foot) Valerie was sailing under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is registered to Chemezov's stepdaughter, Anastasia Ignatova, through a British Virgin Islands company, according to a 2021 report on the Pandora Papers  leak.

Valerie has been in Barcelona since February 9, according to Marine Traffic , which tracks ship movements globally.

The yacht will be detained while Spanish authorities confirm its ownership and check if it falls under Western sanctions, Reuters reported, citing a government source.

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Chemezov did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, which was sent via Rostec.

Chemezov said last week that Russia would emerge victorious from Western sanctions. "If you glance at Russia's history, almost all of that history Russia has battled with different sanctions, with enemies which encircled her, and she always came out as the victor," he told Rostec staff, according to  Reuters .

Chemezov was sanctioned by the US and the EU in 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea, and by the UK in 2020 . He was named in US sanctions in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. The most recent US sanctions also target Chemezov's wife, son, and stepdaughter.

Russian oligarchs have been a focus of Western sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine. Last week, President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address that the US would seize luxury assets from Russian oligarchs, including yachts, apartments, and private jets.

In recent weeks, big yachts belonging to Russian billionaires have been seized by France and Italy.

Some oligarchs appear to be trying to evade sanctions by sending their yachts and jets to places like Dubai and the Maldives , which do not have extradition treaties with the US.

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Targeting super yachts owned by Russian oligarchs could hit a nerve in Moscow

Poor transparency around ownership of assets can cause challenges, experts say.

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With sanctions levied and financial assets seized, Russian oligarchs have been scrambling to get their super yachts out of Western ports in search of safer harbours. 

One yacht, said to belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, abruptly left port in Hamburg, Germany, just weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted wide-reaching sanctions. Others were not so quick to leave European ports. 

Authorities in La Ciotat, on France's Mediterranean coast, seized a yacht they say is linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Igor Sechin, the CEO of state oil company Rosneft. He was Russia's deputy prime minister from 2008 to 2012.

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Industry watchers say oligarchs everywhere are trying to keep their yachts from being taken.

​​"There's a few yachts that we are watching at the moment in the Atlantic," said Sam Tucker, head of super yachts at the firm VesselsValue, which tracks and estimates the value of these giant luxury yachts. 

"I'm expecting some of them to start doing U-turns in the middle of the ocean," he told CBC Radio's Day 6 .

Western countries have imposed a punishing package of sanctions and export control restrictions on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Russia's biggest banks were hit, as was the country's central bank. Major state-owned companies and some of the country's wealthiest individuals have seen overseas assets frozen.

The investment bank JP Morgan Chase believes Russia's economy will shrink 35 per cent in the second quarter of 2022 and seven per cent for the entire year.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki says the suite of sanctions is meant to make every aspect of life difficult on Putin and the oligarchs who protect him.

"What we're talking about here is seizing their assets, seizing their yachts and making it harder for them to send their children to go to colleges and universities in the West," Psaki said in a briefing this week. "These are significant steps that will impact the people who are closely around President Putin."

<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Putin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Putin</a>´s Yacht "The Gracefull" inbound Kaliningrad from Hamburg in anticipation of future sanctions due to the conflict in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ukraine</a>. <a href="https://t.co/qdhAUhCH1m">pic.twitter.com/qdhAUhCH1m</a> &mdash; @GDarkconrad

Symbolic target

The yachts themselves are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but experts in Russian sanctions say this isn't just about the dollar value.

"They don't have much value compared to the total net worth of an oligarch," said Bill Browder, a long-time advocate for stiff sanctions against Russian oligarchs, in an email to CBC Radio. 

But they are "a highly symbolic attack on something coveted by the oligarchs."

These ultra-luxurious ships became a status symbol for the oligarchs as they amassed fortunes in the 1990s and early 2000s.

"There is a bit of oneupmanship," Tucker told Day 6 . He says the biggest and most expensive ships are cloaked in secrecy. They have extreme privacy and security features, including bulletproof glass, and some require crew to sign non-disclosure agreements.

But Tucker says the biggest security and privacy feature of all is the opaque ownership structure of the yachts. He says precious little information about who actually owns these ships is available.

"[Only] basic information is disclosed — for example, the registered owner — which is often a shell company or a 'special interest vehicle' registered in Monaco, Malta, [or the] Cayman Islands," he said.

Untying those knots is a notorious problem, but one usually confined to taxation issues.

"One thing that I think may come out of this whole situation is the increased call for transparency and transparent ownership," said Tucker.

Yachts on the move

So far, only four super yachts have been seized, including a 213-foot yacht owned by Alexei Mordashov in Imperia, Italy.

While authorities sift through the byzantine paper trail of ownership, other oligarchs have scrambled their crews to get the yachts to somewhere safe.

"One of the things I've been trying to figure out is, where do they go [next]?" asked Alex Finley, a former CIA officer living in Barcelona, in an interview with  As It Happens host Gillian Findlay .

This week, Finley tweeted photos tracking a ship said to be owned by Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who owns the Chelsea Football Club.

• Anxious Russians flee by the hundreds each day into neighbouring Finland

"A lot of these yachts that we've been looking at are heading towards the Maldives or the Seychelles. A few are in Montenegro, but they look like they're probably going to be on the move," Finley said in the interview .

Here you can see the sterns of both Aurora and Valerie, and in the other pic, the empty slip where Solaris used to be (which is the size of the empty hole in my heart). 7/ <a href="https://t.co/Luvj5vyWXp">pic.twitter.com/Luvj5vyWXp</a> &mdash; @alexzfinley

Neither the Maldives nor the Seychelles signed onto the sanctions, so the ships are probably safe from seizure there. Another major hub is Dubai.

"I think we're going to see Dubai as a big hotspot for these yachts," said Tucker. "It has hot weather all year round and … Russians can fly to Dubai without going through the EU airspace."

Tucker agrees that targeting the yachts is a symbolic move.

"It's really sending the message that they aren't untouchable. We've closed the skies on both sides of the Atlantic so their private jets can't operate, and now we're going after their super yachts," he said.

"I'd be feeling quite vulnerable if I was an oligarch right now."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Senior Business Reporter

Peter Armstrong is a senior business reporter for CBC News. A former host of On the Money and World Report on CBC Radio, he was previously a foreign correspondent and parliamentary reporter for CBC. Subscribe to Peter's newsletter here: cbc.ca/mindyourbusiness Twitter: @armstrongcbc

Interview with Sam Tucker produced by Rachel Levy-Mclaughlin

16 superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs

Western sanctions over moscow's invasion of ukraine led to many luxury vessels being detained in europe.

March 23, 2022

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My life in boats: Why boats are a big part of this owner's precious time as he approaches retirement

After moving on board full-time for an extended period, the owner of the 25.8-metre Horizon yacht Valiant tells Kate Lardy how he loves captaining his own yacht, figuring out maintenance tasks on board and how he and his wife learned to live with a lot less "stuff".

I grew up on boats. My parents always had a fishing boat out of Atlantic City and I was kind of like their deckhand. My wife, Val, started boating when she met me. After college and medical school, we looked for a practice near the water and moved to the North Shore of Long Island.

My dad bought us our first boat, a 3.7-metre jet boat, but we soon realised that we needed something safer for our small children and moved on to a series of Sea Rays, from 10 metres to 15 metres. On our next boat, a 17-metre Neptunus , which we had for 12 years, I did a lot of the work, including rebuilding both helm stations. 

That was what got me started doing mechanical work. We sold that and custom-built a 20-metre Marlow . When I retired from my practice as an ophthalmologist, I told Val I wanted to move on board full-time, and she said, “OK, but we need a bigger boat.”

 In Annapolis on our Marlow, I stalked a guy sitting on the back of his Horizon drinking coffee. Finally, I said, “Excuse me, can I talk to you about your boat?” He’s now a good friend of ours. He has a Horizon E88 and loves it. 

He took me on, we crawled around and we ended up building this E81 with Horizon. I appreciate how they prioritise accessibility for service and maintenance, and they’ve been nothing but terrific. If I were to build another boat, I’d have a hard time looking at another company.

Right now, we have a really good situation because Val and I run the boat, which is 25.8 metres overall, with just one crew for cleaning. I’m the captain and I do most of the maintenance. I love projects. The boat provides me with an endless source of stimulation and entertainment. A job might pop up that I have no idea how to do, but then I get to figure it out. If I can’t do it, I’ll find the right guy who’ll teach me. I’ve learned how to do so many things.

When we took delivery three years ago, we moved on board full-time for a year and a half, then I started a new business; now we are here about 70 percent of the time. After a day or two at the house, we can’t wait to get back on the boat. We’ve learned to live with a lot less stuff.

I did have to give up my pinball machines — they’re still in the house, I just don’t get to see them as much — but I’m happiest on the water. Waking up on the boat is great; the view is always spectacular and the dogs like it.

We’ve been all over the place: Key West, the Exumas, Charleston, Nantucket, Boston... We bought a dock — which incidentally came with a house — on the North Fork of Long Island. After November 1, Sunset Harbor Yacht Club in Miami Beach is our home port. It’s really a special place with like-minded people.

Next month I’m selling my business, merging with a company that’s planning national franchises. They wanted me to be the national medical director, but I said no; that would take me away from my boat too much. I’m getting back to being retired and my QTR — quality time remaining.

First published in the September 2024 issue of BOAT International US Edition. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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