I was cycling along the Wellington waterfront this afternoon when this superyacht, La Masquerade, berthed right beside me at Queen’s Wharf. A little crowd was gathering to watch the process.
Unfortunately I never have my good camera with me while I’m cycling (not yet, anyway) but my iPhone did a not bad job of capturing some images.
Click the thumbnails to see larger versions.
It was all white with masses of shiny chrome, clean and exuding wealth. Half a dozen or more crew were supervising moving the boat into exactly the right spot alongside the wharf.
Many of us lowly cyclists and pedestrians gawked for a while — we don’t see such boats in Wellington very often. Apparently:
The 55m motor yacht is owned by English industrialist Sir Robert Ogden, 72.
It was built in 2003 and has a draft of 3.10m and beam of 9.6m. Australian media reported the yacht was worth $A94 ($NZ119) million.
…Sir Robert, the son of a builder from Bradford, is the eldest of six children and was sent off at 15 to work on a farm, according to a profile in The Guardian newspaper in 2002. He is described as a proud Yorkshireman.
[Via : Superyacht In Wellington | Business | Guide2.co.nz.]
Point of comparison: that one superyacht is worth around 30 times the annual budget of the NZ Ministry of Women’s Affairs:
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs is a government agency that provides policy advice on issues specific to New Zealand women. It is the smallest core government department in New Zealand with a staff of less than 40 people and an annual budget of approximately $4 million.
[Via : About the Ministry — Ministry of Women's Affairs.]
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I saw this boat in Tahiti when she was flyin a British Flag complete with Fleur de Lys ( spelling ?) and her own Coat of Arms….having spent many years living in and around bradfor i was a loss to understand the coat of arms or why the ship should be flying such a flag,……any one out there know anything more ?????????
Looking at it right now. Wow~! It’s currently docked in Kapolei, HI.
Currently docked at Aloha Tower, Honolulu, Hi. as of Friday 19 Dec. 2009.
Good looking yacht. The crest is a bit strange.
Currently looking at it off of Waikiki with it’s swim deck down. Just curious, could Obama be on board?
I saw her off of West Maui today. At first I thought it was Tiger Woods hiding out then saw the name. Maybe here for the PGA golf tour?? Hope they are enjoying our beautiful Maui and the awesome humpback whales that are jumping everywhere.
Nice picture @ http://www.mauisurfreport.blogspot.com. North shore of Maui, just north east of Ho’okipa…and a few miles off shore.
Saw this gorgeous yacht in Oahu on Dec 26, 2009 at the Clock Tower. Talked with one of the mates who told us that they had come from Australia. There was a crew of 10 and 4 people enjoying the cruise. Absolutely breathtaking….as was the crew mate! Someone told us that a yacht of this size visits this port maybe once or twice a year…so I guess this was our lucky day. I have some pictures if you can send me info on how to post them or send them.
This boat is owned by Sir Robert Ogden, a businessman from Yorkshire, England. The coat of arms would be his as he is a Knight (Sir), and he has the same arms on his Dassault Falcon 900 jet (google G-SIRO).
We have cleaned La Masquerade carpet when it was at Aloha Tower in Honolulu, HI on Christmas Eve. We have posted some pictures on facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ewa-Beach-HI/DAJ-Cleaning-Professional-Carpet-Cleaning-and-Emergency-Water-Removal/90828854733?ref=ts.
La Masquerade is now cruising in Glorietta Bay, near Coronado, CA.
The yacht came in this morning and is now moored at Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico
La Masquerade is now in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
She is just off the beach of Nuevo Vallarta on Feb 23 2010.
LA MASQUERADE IS MOORED AT PARADISE VILLAGE TONIGHT FEB 25
just saw it this AM in Nuevo Vallarta… docked…
Hey folks, it’s fascinating to see just how much interest there is in this boat. :-)
Waved at the gentleman sunning himself on the upper deck as we took off on a fishing / whale watching excursion in Puerto Vallarta…. What a life!!!
Googled the name ” LaMasquerade” to find out who owned the superyacht, as the boat people at the marina were “tight lipped” as to who owned it !
Moored in Bahia de Zihuatanejo
Today the ship is anchored in the bay at Playas del Coco, Costa Rica
11:47 a.m. in the bay of playa Hermosa i’m looking at it from my house
this beauty is right now sitting in the Harbour of Curacao, part of the Netherlands Antilles. Been here at least a week, hope to get a snapshot of it tomorrow, it really is an impressive yacht.