freedom benetti yacht owner

2001   Benetti    230ft  /  70.1m

Unavailable

FREEDOM private yacht

The luxury motor yacht FREEDOM is a private yacht and is not available to charter.

FREEDOM, previously named REVERIE, was built by Benetti and delivered to her owner in 2001, she later underwent a refit in 2019.

FREEDOM can accommodate 12 guests in 6 cabins consisting of a primary suite with a king size bed and en-suite bathroom facilities and 5 cabins with a king size bed and en-suite bathroom facilities.

Amenities on board include Air Conditioning, Elevator, Exercise equipment, Gym, Helipad, Jacuzzi on deck, Satellite TV, Stabilizers At Anchor and Wi-Fi.

An extensive list of further amenities and water toys can be seen under the features and amenities section.

You can view alternative similar motor yachts for charter , or alternatively contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting an alternative luxury charter yacht.

East Mediterranean

• Middle East

West Mediterranean

• French Riviera
• South of France
• Air Conditioning
• Exercise equipment
• Jacuzzi on deck
• Satellite TV
• Stabilizers At Anchor
• Inflatable Watertoys
• Banana boat - towable
• Beach games
• Inflatable Trampoline
• Kite board equipment
• Sailing dinghy
• Tube - towable
• Water skis - adult
• Waverunners (Sit Down)
• Windsurfer - Adult
• Snorkeling Gear
• Underwater scooter
• 24ft/7.6m RIB
• 33ft/10.1m RIB
• 33ft/10.1m Custom Tender

Destinations

Frequently Asked Questions

How much to charter freedom.

FREEDOM has a weekly charter price starting at $500,000 and an estimated daily charter price of $83,300.

How many guests on board FREEDOM?

FREEDOM can accommodate 12 sleeping guests on board in 6 cabins.

Legal Disclaimer

Motor Yacht FREEDOM is displayed on this page for informational purposes and may not necessarily be available for charter. The yacht details are displayed in good faith and whilst believed to be correct are not guaranteed, please check with your charter broker. Charter Index does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information or images displayed as they may not be current. All yacht details and charter pricing are subject to change without prior notice and are without warranty.

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The yachting industry has no global listing service to which all charter yachts must subscribe to, making it impossible to ascertain a truly up-to-date view of the market. Charter Index is a news and information service and not always informed when yachts leave the charter market, or when they are recently sold and renamed, it is not always clear if they are still for charter. Whilst we endeavour to maintain accurate information, the existence of a listing on Charter Index should in no way supersede official documentation supplied by the representatives of a yacht.

Specification

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FREEDOM Benetti | From US$ 500,000/wk

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FREEDOM Benetti | From US$ 500,000 /wk

Luxury motor yacht FREEDOM (Ex Reverie) is one of the largest yachts built in Italy. Built by Benetti, she is 70m long with a 12,5m beam, has main seven decks and offers almost every conceivable luxury. She boasts interior design and decor by the famous English designer John Munford. Her exterior profile is a work of Stefano Natucci. FREEDOM is a very impressive, exclusive and unique charter yacht, offering accommodation for up to 12 guests in 8 cabins.

NOTABLE FEATURES: ~ Voluminous living spaces ~ Grand piano in the salon ~ Fantastic master cabin with panoramic views ~ Several dining options ~ Spa centre ~ Gymnazium ~ Touch & Go helipad ~ Elevator

The interior designer has utilized classic furnishing in dark mahogany and walnut. This has been complemented with Regency and Imperial English style furniture and vaulted ceilings which reveal fresco paintings. Columns, pilasters, and capitals with floral design have been widely used, along with an abundance of rare marble.

Guests can enjoy family dinners or social gathering with friends at the formal dining area. For more casual events there is Bistro dining area with Pizza Oven. There is a large conference room for some urgent matters or corporate meeting onboard.

After a long day of exploring the best yachting destinations, guests will enjoy the Turkish bath, massage and can get pampered at the beauty salon.

The owner's deck features a massive master cabin with 180-degrees views, private terrace and walk-in dressing room. The ensuite's decor was finished using opulent materials and features his and hers areas. On this deck, there are also dedicated salon, dining area and study, as well as two further family cabins.

The luxury yacht’s sun deck is designed for the landing of a large helicopter and boasts a wide pool which faces a wet bar and a panoramic lounge as covered by the sky deck. On a yacht with seven decks, a lift is important. FREEDOM has an elevator for up to 4 people through the six lower decks.

FREEDOM Specifications

FREEDOM is a steel displacement hull with aluminium superstructure; technically speaking she is more similar to a ship because of her retractable fin stabilizers of 2.5m, variable pitch propellers, bulbous bow, elastically mounted bow-thruster, local treatment units for air conditioning. FREEDOM has a two tender garage for large tenders and a huge transom door which transforms into a fantastic bathing platform, when open.

Featuring under-way and at-anchor stabilisers, this superyacht offers stable and comfortable cruising experience. Powered by a pair of 2,000hp Caterpillar engines, she can reach a top speed of 14 knots and cruises at 12 knots. At 14 knots this luxury vessel has a range of 6,000 nm with her 177,502-litre fuel tanks.

Yacht Charter Accommodation

Luxury motor yacht FREEDOM provides sumptuous accommodation for 12 charter guests in 8 cabins. The owner can use an entire deck for his family, with magnificent panoramic cabin and private terrace forward on the upper deck. On the same deck there are two large cabins for children, a studio, a large lounge with games area and conversation area. Each cabin has private bathroom and dressing room. The guests are lodged in 4 big cabins on the lower deck, plus an immense, full beam, VIP suite. In the lower deck and in the under lower deck there is separate accommodation for 28 crew members.

Charter Amenities and Extras

Tenders & Toys: 25' Chapman Transition Jet Landing Craft 33’ Classic Wooden Predator Tender 33’ Custom Limo Tender in Mediterranean 2 x Sea-Doos Spark Personal Water Craft 2 x Seabobs 5FS Underwater Scooters 2 x Kayaks (inflatable) 6 x Paddle Boards Various Size Wakeboards Single and Multi-person Tubes Fishing Gear with 2 Fighting Chairs Snorkeling Gear Water Skis Rendezvous Diving Only Audio Visual Equipment and Deck Facilities: Audio visual - Kaleidoscope Sat TV Sky TV Day head with shower on sun deck Shower on swim platform

Charter Yacht Disclaimer

This document is not contractual. The yacht charters and their particulars displayed in the results above are displayed in good faith and whilst believed to be correct are not guaranteed. CharterWorld Limited does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information and/or images displayed. All information is subject to change without notice and is without warrantee. A professional CharterWorld yacht charter consultant will discuss each charter during your charter selection process. Starting prices are shown in a range of currencies for a one-week charter, unless otherwise marked. Exact pricing and other details will be confirmed on the particular charter contract. Just follow the "reserve this yacht charter" link for your chosen yacht charter or contact us and someone from the CharterWorld team will be in touch shortly.

FREEDOM Enquiry

Positive Customer Review: "One of the most memorable parts for me was the launch. I went with my wife, and Benetti had a Roman Catholic priest bless the yacht. It was very beautiful with all the Italian music and then the British national anthem, and it was all very unexpected. I thought I was just going to be putting the boat in the water, but in fact it turned into a very emotional day!" - Owner of a Benetti called motor yacht 11:11

NERO | From EUR€ 497,000/wk

CHAKRA | From EUR€ 495,000/wk

BLEU DE NIMES | From EUR€ 490,000/wk

Yacht Charter

Description.

Luxury motor yacht FREEDOM (Ex Reverie) is one of the largest yachts built in Italy. Built by Benetti , she is 70m long with a 12,5m beam, has main seven decks and offers almost every conceivable luxury. She boasts interior design and decor by the famous English designer John Munford. Her exterior profile is a work of Stefano Natucci. FREEDOM is a very impressive, exclusive and unique charter yacht, offering accommodation for up to 12 guests in 8 cabins.

Tender & Toys

25’ Chapman Transition Jet Landing Craft 33’ Classic Wooden Predator Tender 33’ Custom Limo Tender in Mediterranean 2 x SeaDoos Spark Personal Water Craft 2 x Seabobs 5FS Underwater Scooters 2 x Kayaks (inflatable) 6 x SUP Paddle boards Various Size Wakeboards Single and Multi-person Tubes Fishing Gear with 2 Fighting Chairs Snorkeling Gear Waterskis Rendezvous Diving Only

Characteristics

Spacious Owner’s deck with private dining area and 2 additional staterooms for kids/nanny/security

Italian bistro with pizza oven for casual dining

Elevator to all interior guest decks

Stunning 33’ classic wooden Predator tender

Sky deck with separate bar, BBQ, and lounge area for entertaining with incredible views

Wellness Deck with large Turkish spa, massage room, gym, and beauty salon

Expansive jacuzzi deck with ten sun loungers and observation room

Audio visual - Kaleidoscope Sat TV Sky TV Day head with shower on sun deck Shower on swim platform

Elevator services all internal guest decks

Accommodation

Main deck: 1 x VIP staterooms (full beam), with king bed, private office, his and her bathrooms Aft is alfresco dining Main salon Library and piano Formal dining room on port side Italian Bistro, casual dining with pizza oven on starboard side Owner’s deck: 1 x Master stateroom (full beam): Over sized king bed, panoramic views, separate his and hers bathrooms- over sized shower with head; make-up area with bathtub and head Private dining area w/large circular dining table Elegant salon and office Private deck with Jacuzzi, perfect breakfast area for two 2 x Children / guest staterooms: Starboard is 1 double and 1 single w/Pullman, en suite bathroom Port is 1 single w/Pullman, en suite bathroom Aft dining alfresco Bridge deck: Conference room Wellness center Gymnasium, separate massage room, beauty salon Large Turkish spa with shower and head Observation deck / sundeck: Lounge area Inside is a salon and game table Jacuzzi with ten sun loungers Sky deck: BBQ grill, buffet table, lounging area Sunbeds, outdoor seating w/tables Below deck: 4 x Spacious guest staterooms, each with queen bed, sofa and en suite bathroom The 2 forward guest queens have tub & shower; the 2 aft queens have shower

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About Freedom

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Yacht Name: Freedom

The stunning Freedom is one of the largest and most luxurious  yachts on the charter market . Built in 2001, she was extensively refit in 2016 and is in excellent condition. She stands out for her countless amenities including a large gym, spa with beauty parlor and hammam, two Jacuzzis, several dining options including a private dining room and bistro as well as a large toy collection.

She is a particularly spacious yacht with six deck levels accommodating twelve guests in eight opulent staterooms. All deck levels are linked by an elevator, and offer a wide range of outdoor and indoor areas ideal for lounging, entertaining and relaxation. Freedom includes an large owner’s suite located on its own private deck. Her  professional crew of 25 will offer world-class service and cuisine, making this an unforgettable yachting experience.

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FREEDOM Yacht Layout & GA Plans

70m  /  229'8   benetti   2000 / 2016.

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Freedom yacht for charter.

Not for sale or charter to U.S. residents while in U.S. waters.

FREEDOM is the epitome of opulence on the water. Across her six-levels, this superyacht showcases sumptuous amenities and rich furnishings, providing an elevated sense of luxury aboard. Ensuring a relaxed experience aboard, her outstanding crewmembers will provide bespoke service that is above and beyond.

The Benetti superyacht FREEDOM’s awe-inspiring, palatial interior was designed by John Munford. Opulent and luxurious the space is adorned with Imperial English style furniture as well as the finest marbles, woods and onyx. A 1920s Bechstein grand piano stands as a focal point in the main salon. The luxury yacht stands out with her countless interior spaces that offer a variety of uses, from lounging and entertaining to hosting conference meetings. An all-levels elevator allows for easy access throughout the yacht.

This superyacht accommodates 12 guests in the superior comfort of eight sumptuous staterooms. Located on its own deck, the master suite is the ultimate haven. The suite features sweeping 180-degree views of the destination as well a private outdoor area with an on-deck Jacuzzi. Expansive closets with dressing room areas and his-and-her en-suite bathrooms complete the master suite. FREEDOM’s additional staterooms include a VIP suite, four double-bed staterooms, two triple-bed staterooms and one twin-bed stateroom.

Dining is a highlight aboard as the yacht’s chef will create bespoke degustation that will delight your palette. The Benetti charter yacht FREEDOM offers a variety of dining options, including alfresco, formal and an Italian-styled bistro with a pizza oven.

FREEDOM’s outdoor living areas are just as spacious as her interior and provide an abundance of options for enjoying the alfresco lifestyle. The sundeck features a helipad as well as a pool and ample space for sunbathing.

If staying fit is on the agenda, then guests will love the well-equipped gym. The superyacht yacht also showcases a beauty salon, spa and hammam to provide the ultimate pampering for charter guests.

*Not available for charter to U.S. Residents while in U.S. waters.

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FREEDOM YACHT VIDEO

More About FREEDOM

About The FREEDOM Yacht Video

Status: This yacht is only on our website as a sold yacht.

Discover the FREEDOM yacht video below , and catch a glimpse of her finely crafted details. Constructed by Benetti, and delivered in  build in 2000 and retrofit in 2015, the FREEDOM accommodates 12 guests in 8/10 staterooms, who are serviced by 25 crew. Her majestic exterior lines were designed by , and impressive interior styling is by , creating a yacht that gleams both inside and out.

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Contact: Merle Wood & Associates | web(Contact us at)merlewood.com | +1.954.525.5111

* Not offered for sale or charter to U.S. residents while in U.S. waters unless under a boat show bond or in an FTZ.

Interior & Exterior FREEDOM Yacht Video

The FREEDOM yacht video reveals the designers’ vision of elegance at sea. From her detailed wood-laden interior, to the warm styling of the staterooms, each aspect of FREEDOM was designed to reveal the highest in luxury standards. With accommodations for 12 guests in 8/10 staterooms, the yacht’s layout was purposely designed to make those on board feel at home. The FREEDOM embodies the ideal mode of luxury travel for the most discerning yachtsmen.

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For additional information, select one of the options above. Here you will find detailed information about the FREEDOM yacht. To learn if the FREEDOM yacht is currently offered for charter and the weekly rate, view the  FREEDOM yacht charter price .

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In the event there is not a FREEDOM yacht video, or to request additional media, please inquire. The experts at Merle Wood & Associates have relationships with yacht owners and captains of the most notable luxury yachts on the water, including those not publicly advertised. For further information, including a custom yacht report with additional FREEDOM yacht photos , simply contact a yacht broker at Merle Wood & Associates. Our expert team of yacht specialists are known for their experience and knowledge about yachts for sale, both luxury motor yachts and sailing yachts, worldwide.

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ST Pete's Business Daily

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Vintage St. Pete: MGM’s Bounty

Her father was ship’s carpenter – he repaired, repainted and replaced every wooden inch of the 180-foot, three-masted sailing vessel, which in those days rarely sailed anywhere more exotic than Tampa, for the Gasparilla Festival “pirate invasion.”

Regan Garnett was 12 years old when she and brother spent that final summer at the Bounty exhibit. “It’s funny,” she says, “even going into Home Depot now, I smell the Bounty. That wood smell. And it was so hot! They had these big fans in there. All I wanted to do was walk down to the beach and get in the water.”

Captain/general manager Hugh Boyd and his son Tom. Boyd family photo.

The memories are even more visceral for Tom Boyd, whose own father was captain of the ship and general manager of the exhibit. The Bounty was Tom’s second home.

From memory, he can recite the narration that greeted visitors once they’d purchased their tickets, a recording of his dad’s voice giving a simple, easy-to-understand history lesson:

Well, ha-ha, hello there mates. Welcome to the Bounty. Say, have you noticed a special kind of flavor in the air since you came? Why it’s oakum, tar, black spruce, oak, pine and manila … yes, and even old sweat. That’s one way of knowin’ that you’ve not come aboard a phony, but a real wind-battlin’ timber-shakin’ swell-bustin’ windjammer. Ah, you could drop a sea-bag in any port in the world, and not see the likes of the ship you’re aboard right now. Say, if you’ve got a minute to spare and are partial to a little yarnin,’ I’ll tell you why that is. My name’s Hugh Boyd, I’m bosun on the Bounty and I’ve been with this barnacle-bottomed old wind harpy ever since she came down the ways in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia in 1960 and kissed into the Atlantic.

When Tom Boyd was 10, in 1979, his father put him to work. “They had me cleaning the toilets so that nobody thought I was a captain’s son,” Boyd laughs. “He said ‘Well, you can always say you worked your way up from the bottom.’”

The ending first

In 2012, the ship known as Bounty sank off the Coast of North Carolina during Hurricane Sandy. The then 62-year-old vessel was in the possession of the HMS Bounty Organization LLC, out of Fall River, Massachusetts, which sent her around the world on educational missions, film shoots and promotional tours.

The tragedy, in which Captain Robin Walbridge and crew member Claudene Christian died, marked the final leg of a remarkable journey.

Bounty was conceived in England, midwifed in Hollywood and birthed in Nova Scotia – but the square-rigger’s formative years were spent in St. Pete, where up to 250,000 visitors annually took above- and below-decks tours.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer commissioned the construction of Bounty in 1960, for use in the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty, the second American cinematic treatment of an actual 1789 rebellion aboard a British military vessel in the South Seas.

In MGM’s $19 million adventure, Marlon Brando played chief mutineer Fletcher Christian, driven to near-madness by the sadistic captain William Bligh (Trevor Howard).

In 1938, California’s Catalina Island stood in for Tahiti and Pitcairn, where the actual events took place. For its Ultra Panavision 70mm Technicolor spectacular, MGM sent actors and crew halfway around the world, to the original locations.

Using the original Bounty plans located in the British Admiralty Archives, a replica – slightly larger, to accommodate cameras, crew and equipment, and with twin diesel engines tucked away – was built in a shipyard in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia at a cost of $1 million. The faux Bounty set sail for the South Seas in August, 1960.

Aboard as an able-bodied seaman was Hugh Boyd, from nearby Dartmouth. Like most of the young crew, he’d signed on because the adventure – a voyage to Tahiti to make a movie with Marlon Brando? – sounded like heaven.

Upon arrival in Tahiti, as a rite of passage Boyd received his first earring. A fellow sailor punched a nail through his earlobe, and sterilized the wound with urine.

As Mutiny on the Bounty opened around the country in 1962, MGM sent its million dollar baby to coastal cities, as promotion. (The film, however, turned out to be a costly flop, and nearly bankrupted the studio).

While Bounty was berthed at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, MGM’s marketing chief closed a deal with the St. Petersburg City Council to give the ship a permanent home in the Vinoy Basin, where it would remain tied up near the entrance to the pier as a tourist attraction.

Creating the bayfront

The attraction – officially called MGM’s Bounty Exhibit – opened on Friday, July 2. St. Petersburg mayor Herman Goldner gave a speech, and the ribbon was cut by former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley, flown in by the studio for the occasion.

Admission was 90 cents for adults, 50 cents for children.

Hugh Boyd was soon promoted to captain. His assistant exhibit manager, Jeff Frank, had also been on that voyage from New York to Florida, as an engineer.

Frank reported 85,000 visitors during Bounty’s first six months.

“We were never that sophisticated in our marketing to see how Disney drew our customers away from us.”

Anonymous visitors, date unknown.

Through she rarely left the dock, Bounty was maintained as a fully operational tall ship. “Gasparilla was a yearly trip, and everybody got so excited because we were actually moving her,” Tom Boyd reflects. “We didn’t put much sail up in those days, but we had good engines, and Dad was always an expert at picking out good engineers.”

Sometimes the crew would get hired out to raise the sails and visit Pensacola, or Fort Lauderdale, as a sort of mobile historical artifact.

Painter Don Fournier as the Bounty Santa. With Regan Garnett and her brother Paul. Garnett family photo

Hugh Boyd did a little bit of everything, although he wasn’t much for public speaking and conducting tours. He hired more gregarious people to talk to the customers.

“It was a surprising assemblage of skills,” his son says. “He’s immensely patient, and extraordinary generous, and really committed to the ship.

“I don’t know that he ever realized, but he took his role as steward of this ship in such high regard. And he was always one for restoring it, and bringing it back to its original grandeur.”

Recalls carpenter Paul Garnett: “Hughey knew everything about that ship inside out and backwards and forwards. I learned a lot about the way she was constructed in Canada. He was always our link to the past.”

Garnett was invited to join the team in 1979, after he’d hand-delivered a stunning 14-foot replica Bounty he’d created in his Boston workshop.

As planking, mast sections or trim cracked or rotted out, Garnett would replace them using – when it was available – the original lumber, and working from the original British blueprints.

Like Hugh Boyd, Jeff Frank, rigger Royd Wheedon and the others constituting the fulltime crew, Garnett took tremendous pride in his ship.

“After she went down in the hurricane,” Garnett says, “people were saying ‘Oh, well, it wasn’t a real ship – it was a movie prop.’ I saw red when I heard that. Because she was never, ever intended as a movie prop. The studio had built a ship made to go all the way to Tahiti under her own sail power. And then go around the world on a publicity tour.

“Now, you can’t do that on a ship that’s just a floating platform. How the hell do you send something like that across an ocean?”

She was, indeed, a  real wind-battlin’ timber-shakin’ swell-bustin’ windjammer.

Pirate ships

Garnett wasn’t able to go on Bounty’s biggest adventure, in 1982. Hired out to “play” a pirate vessel in the British/American comedy Yellowbeard, the ship motored across the Gulf of Mexico and through the Panama Canal to the shooting locations in Mexico.

His daughter, 9-year-old Regan, had been ill. She wrote him a letter – which he still has – imploring him not to take the trip, and, she admits today, guilt-tripping him.

Tom Boyd went along, however. At 13, he helped out in the kitchen and stood night watch.

Assistant manager Jeff Frank was on the voyage, too, but flew home to St. Petersburg before actual work on the movie began. Although the ship was gone, the Tahitian village and the gift shop remained open, and he had to get back to work.

Headed into Tampa for Gasparilla, from left: Jeff Frank Jr., unknown, Tom Boyd, Paul Garnett Jr. and Regan Garnett. Garnett family photo

Upon Bounty’s return, six months later, things quickly got back to normal.

The Bounty kids resumed their regular weekend routines of hanging around, getting sodas and chips from the vending machines and eating “lunch” with their feet up in the 18-foot longboat display.

An outdoor cage was added to the village, with a quartet of tiny squirrel monkeys inside. “And I had to clean up after the little buggers,” Tom Boyd says. “Occasionally, they would get loose – and they were just dying to get over to that ship. They hauled ass and would not be caught.”

Anonymous visitor, date unknown.

Regan Garnett: “My dad would be like, ‘You guys go sit and do something.’ He’d be in the back, carving and painting, and doing other stuff back there. And we’d terrorize the squirrel monkeys. I’d pitch rocks in the longboat. My shoe got stuck in one of the drain holes on the ship and went halfway down.”

“Kids would run around. The parents would try to get the real tour, with Mr. Boyd or whoever was giving the tour, so I’d take the kids and walk around. I’d try to do the same tour. It was like one of my first acting jobs.”

In 1985, cable TV magnate Ted Turner purchased MGM, including its legendary film library. He was surprised, the story goes, to find he was also the owner of a fully-operational sailing ship.

The exhibit at the St. Pete Pier was dismantled, and Bounty – still captained by Hugh Boyd – was completely refurbished, including a full set of sails, using Turner money. On Independence Day weekend 1986, it participated in the massive Parade of Tall Ships in New York harbor.

After a trip up and down the Eastern Seaboard, where Turner used the ship to entertain affiliates, he sent it south, where it was moored for three years at a Miami development called Bayside Marketplace.

Hugh Boyd stuck it out for a while, but resigned after the Bayside venture. Frank, Garnett and Wheedon had already bailed by that point.

Turner ultimately donated the vessel to the Fall River Chamber Foundation, which continued to bring Bounty to the Vinoy Basin for the winter months for much of the 1990s. There, without the Tahitian village, the squirrel monkeys or any mention of Marlon Brando, it would be available – a working historical artifact – for visitors to tour.

HMS Bounty Organization LLC bought the ship in 2001, and continued to lease her for film and TV work. Bounty appeared in the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and in the 2005 big-budget pornographic film Pirates (the filmmakers reportedly lied to the ship’s owners about the sort of movie they were making).

Then came Oct. 29, 2012. The last photos of Bounty show her foundering and sinking, 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C.

For Paul Garnett, it was like losing a member of the family. “They had done so much to her,” he says. “To my way of thinking, she wasn’t even the Bounty any more. They had changed so much.

“All you have to do is look at pictures or her from the early years, and look at her later – right up to the time they took her out and lost her.”

Tom Boyd has a unique way of thinking about Bounty’s demise. “One of the more rebellious sailors on the ship decided to paint the bell orange with black polka dots,’ he remembers. “And I think about that bell resting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, with a big ol’ octopus using it as a carapace.

“That’s where I’ve put her in my mind.”

This story appears in the book Vintage St. Pete: The Golden Age of Tourism – and More .

Rest in peace Hugh Boyd and Paul Garnet t.

William James

April 17, 2023at2:41 am

Watching the movie again, and decided to explore the ship’s history. Having been born in St. Pete (Mound Park), drove cab there, payroll clerk during building of Bayshore Towers, I’ve always regretted not touring the Bounty. So sorry to learn of her demise, and the loss of life.

Walter Circle

April 11, 2022at8:27 am

I was born & raised in St.Pete.,Fl(aka: DaBurg by locals). When The Bounty was docked at the end of the inverted Pier in the 1960’s my Mother used to take me to tour The Bounty very often. I just wanted to walk around The Bounty & the village as often as Mom was willing to take me there. We went so often that Mom decided it would be cheaper at one point to purchase a pass good for one year of tours & I still have that Bounty pass. I’ll never forget walking around on the Bounty & was so sad to hear that she had sunk during hurricane Sandy. When I was in my 30’s I drove the trolley at the St.Pete. Pier for a couple years. I’ve bought a home & lived in Hudson,Fl for the past 12 years. 😎

Linda Schneegold

January 27, 2022at8:49 pm

Back in the mid 70s I was a sunken Gardens model and a model for the city of Saint Petersburg and I did several shots on the bounty ship. and I’m still alive and well and kicking and wished I could’ve been there in your archives, for this boat brings back a lot of memories. I climbed the mast and sat on the plank and it was wonderful

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Yacht race to Havana resumes after 58 years, complete with Cuban crew

• Paul Guzzo Times staff

ST. PETERSBURG

There is a race within the race that marks the return this week of the St. Petersburg-Habana regatta.

It will determine who makes history by becoming the first Cuban-born captain in more than five decades to lead a boat from the United States to the island nation.

"We all want to be the first with a Cuban leader to finish," said Anthony Scaglione, 32, a Tampa native who serves on the crew of the 37-foot cruising yacht LaVie . "Hopefully, it is us."

The LaVie is captained by Martin Saavedra, 68, of Tampa, a native of Cuba who came to the United States at 12.

At least two other yachts are captained by Cuban natives — one living in Toronto and the other a Cuban citizen.

For this regatta and for the first time since the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban government is allowing a yacht from the island to participate in a U.S. sailing competition.

And a longtime Cuban law banning Cuban-born people from returning to the island by sea was recently loosened to accommodate U.S.-based commercial cruises to the island with passengers who include Cuban-born Americans.

"We are very excited," said Mario Perez, 55, the Cuban-born captain of the 40-foot cruising yacht The Tiger , who has lived in Toronto since 1992. "We can't believe we finally can do this."

The crew of the boat from Cuba, the Micara , didn't receive permission from its government to participate until Monday morning so it was not able to make it to St. Petersburg in time for the start of the race at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

They planned to join the regatta in Key West.

This means the Micara is not part of the official race, but it doesn't stop the boat from competing for bragging rights against The Tiger and LaVie.

The St. Petersburg-Habana Yacht Race ran from 1930 through 1959. It was canceled in 1960 with the deterioration of United States-Cuban relations.

Inspired by the move by President Barack Obama to reach out to Cuba, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club revived the race after a hiatus of 58 years.

It has returned bigger than ever.

At its peak, the original regatta had more than 30 competitors. This year's drew 81 yachts, 75 of them in the competition.

"It is amazing how much good can be accomplished when people work together," said Albert A. Fox Jr., founder of Tampa's Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy Foundation, who for a year worked as a liaison between the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and the Cuban government.

The size of the competing boats is 30 to 120 feet, said Richard Winning, commodore of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. There will be an overall champion plus trophies presented to the first to finish in each class: spinnaker, non-spinnaker, multi-hull and cruising.

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Some crews number as many as a dozen. Others are as small as three.

All but six boats have home ports in Florida, but the crews are made up of an estimated 550 sailors from all over the world — Canada, England, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and South Africa among them.

"To be part of the revival of this race is pretty cool," said England's Henry Bomby, 26, who is part of the crew for the Fomo , a 40-foot spinnaker captained by St. Petersburg's Lloyd Thornburg. "I'm excited to be a part of history."

Seeing the island that was long difficult to visit for Americans was a primary reason others are participating in the regatta.

"This is a great opportunity to visit a nation I've never seen," said Tampa's Art Cupps, 50, captain of the 44-foot cruising yacht First Wind .

The yachts should all reach the finish at Marina Hemingway by Thursday.

Then on Saturday, most will take part in a 15-mile race to the historic Morro Castle that will include more Cuban boats.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman is leading a delegation flying to Havana to watch the second race and enjoy other regatta-related festivities.

Vicente Amor of Tampa travel agency Asc International booked airline tickets for 88 locals plus 136 rooms for them and sailors.

"Cubans from outside Cuba are reuniting with Cuba," said Commodore José Miguel Díaz Escrich of Marina Hemingway in Havana. "All the participants are part of an expression of love between the two countries."

Contact Paul Guzzo at [email protected]. Follow @PGuzzoTimes.

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On board 56m Benetti Galaxy with owner Dave Hagewood

This first-time yacht owner built his career in gaming before setting his sights on something out of this world. He tells Rachel Ingram how he has built his perfect universe on board 56-metre Galaxy .

“I always wanted a spaceship,” says Dave Hagewood, owner of Galaxy , a recently refitted 56-metre Benetti superyacht. “My dad was in the space programme – he worked on the Saturn V rocket – and I always dreamed of experiencing the freedom of space travel. The more time I spent on boats, the more I felt like this was closest thing to having that feeling on Earth.”

For first-time owner Hagewood, a lifelong pursuit of freedom has been the key driver behind many of his decisions. “When I was younger, I manifested a future where I could have the freedom to do what I wanted and go where I wanted, but I also knew that I needed to be very successful and have the funding to be able to live that lifestyle,” he says.

Hagewood, who grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, dedicated the first half of his life to business and carved out a successful career in the video game industry. “I dropped out of college because I was excited about the internet,” he says. “I was passionate about gaming and I funded myself to learn the ropes of game design and development. This was the beginning of me building my philosophy of creating the kind of life you want for yourself.”

In 2001, he founded video game developer Psyonix, based in San Diego. “We built a culture around enjoying yourself at work, because if we we’re not enjoying ourselves, how can we make a product that makes people enjoy themselves?”  he says. “That ended up being one of the most successful parts of my approach. Very few people ever left the company because it was such a great place to work and people were invested.”

In 2015, the company had its big break with Rocket League, a football game in which players drive jet-powered cars. Gamers took to it immediately. It enjoyed great success initially on Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 and was later released for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, among other consoles.

With Rocket League securing his legacy in the gaming world, Hagewood felt like he “wanted a change” and in 2019, he sold Psyonix, which was acquired by Epic Games. “When I sold the company, the first thing I started thinking about was this dream of being on the ocean,” he says.

It was at this time that he met his partner, Danielle, a Fort Lauderdale native who grew up on the sea, sailing on her family’s boats and going tubing or snorkelling with her friends after school. Hagewood was inspired by Danielle’s sense of freedom and passion for travel and the pair  began exploring the globe by boat, starting with a catamaran trip in Puerto Rico. “That time was like a rebirth,” he reflects. “Danielle was part of it, travel was part of it, selling the company was part of it – everything happened at once like a Big Bang.”

During the pandemic, the pair spent three months chartering two yachts – 27-metre Maxi Beer and 28-metre Yvonne – across Europe and found themselves some of the only Americans on the continent. “During this time, we determined that we loved yachting and we wanted to  make it a lifestyle,” Hagewood says.

Back on dry land, they started shopping and found Galaxy , a 56-metre Benetti that had been delivered in 2005 and proved to be a popular charter yacht. “It was older than some of the others we were looking at, but it was so well-maintained that it looked more immaculate than some of the newer boats,” Hagewood says. “We also liked the idea of going a little bit lower than our budget and then having a base from which we could really create something very uniquely ‘us’. We had some pretty radical ideas about what we want a boat to look and feel like, as opposed to what the average yacht owner wants, so it was the perfect scenario for us to build our own dream.”

The vision for the yacht is inspired by the lifestyle of Hagewood and his partner. When they’re not sailing, the owners spend a lot of time at music festivals and they’re regulars at Burning Man (an annual gathering that takes place in  Nevada’s Black Rock Desert). The festival encourages free expression and individuality, and this can be felt throughout the yacht, from the ambience to the design.

“Many yacht owners want privacy but we’re much more open. Our lifestyle is heavy on socialising, so we wanted the yacht to be a platform for our friends to come together and have fun,” Hagewood says. “Boats are amazing things to build a community around – these floating platforms are literally built to entertain.”

For the refit, Hagewood worked with London-based design firm Njord by Bergman Design House , founded by Marie Soliman, Albin Berglund and Sarah Colbon. “I wanted it to be my spaceship, hence the name Galaxy , and design wise, I wanted to steer everything back to that theme,” Hagewood says. “The designers have been amazing at understanding what we’re going for. When we said we wanted it to feel like a galaxy, they had so many ideas of things I hadn’t even thought of. They just nailed it.”

The yacht combines the ethereal magic of outer space with the mystery and creativity of Burning Man and the practicalities of a “floating venue”. The main deck has been transformed into a giant nightclub-style lounge with high-tech DJ equipment and bespoke decor and colourful artwork, including paintings by Camille Hannah and wall coverings by digital artist Dylan Cole, known for Disney’s Avatar and Maleficent .  A closer look will reveal magical creatures and ET aliens hidden in the mystical scenes Cole has created. Taking centre stage  in the lounge is The Thinker ,  an astronaut piece by contemporary artist Joseph Klibansky, inspired by Rodin’s classic sculpture.

The upper deck takes on a different aesthetic and is designed for relaxation, with a lounge and dining space for 12 people. The yacht also features guest suites, named and styled after other planets, and a highly bespoke master suite. The bed’s headboard is transformed into a star-gazing platform highlighting the star signs of the owners and their friends, while the ceiling showcases the owners’ favourite constellation.

Conscious of Hagewood’s eagerness to sail into the next chapter of his life, Njord by Bergman Design House carried out the project in just five months. The refit was completed at Monaco Marine’s La Ciotat yard in France.

Unlike most superyachts, Galaxy will be Hagewood’s primary residence. “When you charter a yacht, you try to squeeze every moment out of every day. We’re taking a more relaxed approach and trying to make it more of a day-to-day reality,” Hagewood says. “With the size and stability of a boat, it feels better than a home. And when you’ve got a whole crew taking care of your every need, it’s so comforting. It’s also more convenient because we like to travel so much – when we are at home, we’re always packing and unpacking, so the travelling lifestyle is actually easier on a boat.”

Naturally, Hagewood still has his sights set on space. “Every day I look at opportunities to get involved in or invest in,” he says. “It’d be amazing to help space travel become a tourism industry – not just for astronauts and people who have  $20 million to spare. I’d love to go into orbit, experience zero gravity and visit a space station.”

In the meantime, he’s quite content in his own bespoke universe on board Galaxy . “I like that Galaxy is a self-contained world, filled with a group of people working to make that world the most comfortable, perfect place for us at all times. It’s really the pinnacle of living. And the fact that I wake up every morning in a different place – that’s the most beautiful thing ever.”

First published in the June 2022 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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