100 million yacht vancouver

Massive superyacht with helicopter pad docks in Victoria

A 62-metre superyacht has made B.C.'s capital its latest port of call.

The three-year-old Anawa yacht, built by Netherlands-based Damen Yachting, arrived at the Van Isle Marina in Sidney on Sunday, before travelling down to Ship Point in Victoria on Monday.

The superyacht, estimated to be worth $100 million by website superyacht.com , could still be seen docked in Victoria's Inner Harbour on Tuesday.

"Key features of the Polar Class yacht include a fully certified helideck and hangar, two tender garages, a dive store and plentiful storage facilities to ensure 30 days autonomy on the water," said superyacht magazine Boat International in August 2020, when the vessel was first unveiled.

According to Boat International , the Anawa is just one of 190 motor yachts in the world that measures between 60 to 70 metres, and is in the top five per cent of vessels in terms of length overall.

Website superyachtfan.com reports that the Anawa is owned by Brazilian billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann, who has an estimated net worth of 15.2 billion USD, according to Forbes Magazine's list of the world's richest billionaires in 2023 .

The 83-year-old started his career in investment banking before becoming a controlling shareholder of Anheuser-Busch InBev, a brewing company that makes more than 500 brands, including Budweiser, Stella Artois and Modelo.

Lemann also has stakes in Restaurant Brands International, which is the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, according to Forbes.

The Anawa has an annual operating cost of about $10 million, according to superyachtfans.com.

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) says it has hosted superyachts before, but this one is particularly large.

"It is most likely the largest ship we've had moored at Ship Point," said Stella Garcia, manager of communications for the GVHA.

Anyone interested in looking at the vessel should make their way down to the harbour soon.

"We can't tell you how long it's going to be here for, but we do hope to see it again," said Garcia.

"It's a rare thing and I think that's what makes living in a port city so exciting."

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B.C. welcomes high rollers: A peek into the world of superyacht tourism

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Greg Norris walks along the docks at Victoria International Marina on a sunny Friday afternoon, fielding phone calls and making sure everything is flowing well. 

On any given day, the marina welcomes many yachts that choose to stop in B.C.’s capital. Most recently, a US$35-million sailing yacht by the name of Athos docked. On July 14, crew members could be seen getting the 62-metre long vessel ready for its next sailing. 

Athos isn’t the only superyacht to enter B.C. waters; not far away off Cattle Point is a $100-million superyacht called Anawa. The Anawa is owned by a Brazilian billionaire and has been near Victoria since May 2023. 

Over on the mainland, a $200-million vessel called Attessa V (AV) has been  drawing attention in North Vancouver . Dennis Washington is listed as owning AV and his network of companies includes Washington Marine Group and Seaspan Shipyards in North Vancouver, where Kyle Washington, Dennis Washington’s son, is executive chairman.

For Norris, the CEO of Victoria International Marine, B.C. is starting to put itself on the map when it comes to attracting superyachts. For a long time, many international travellers would bypass the province altogether and head for Alaska, he says.

“Those yachts down in San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Tacoma that used to come up and just bypass us because they didn't know there was anything to do and now they're turning in and stopping and spending some time,” says Norris.

Superyacht owners are spending locally 

As part of his job, Norris spends time arranging for superyacht owners to visit Victoria businesses. That includes connecting them with local jewellers. 

“When they are visiting here, they're looking to spend money on art, and in the community, on all kinds of things: food and real estate and buying from retailers,” explains Norris. “They're just like any one of us: they go into a store, they like something, they buy it. It's just that they might buy a lot more.”

Sometimes superyacht owners will fly their friends in, and will put them up in nearby hotels, he adds. Crew members will often stay in hotels, too.

"They're all spending [money] locally.”

Unfriendly Canadians? 

However, Canadians’ friendly demeanour and politeness appear to not have transferred to the superyacht community, Norris tells Glacier Media.

During his time marketing B.C. internationally, he says that specific boating community has been ‘grumpy’ towards him after learning he’s from Victoria. 

"They basically said B.C. and Victoria, in particular, is one of the most unfriendly boating places in the world that they've seen,” said Norris. "I would say barring pirates."

He questions if the animosity is because the public does not get to interact or be ‘welcomed into the community’ of superyachting. 

“They don't get a chance to meet these people and see them so they don't know who they are,” he says. "It’s this mystery."

The public can come down to the dock and walk around to see the boats, something Norris welcomes. 

‘Exciting way to see the world’

According to Norris, the superyacht industry creates job opportunities for young people.

He tells Glacier Media that the marina has a high staff turnover as employees end up working on the bigger yachts.

“We're open to it. We don't think that that's a bad thing if they come on, and that's their career,” he says. “If they're hard-working, the yachts pick them up. There’s not a lot of them being trained in the region purposefully for that."

Norris adds yachting is an exciting way to see the world.

“You come down, you work here for a little bit and you have a really good chance of getting on one of those boats and just seeing stuff you would never see.”

The marina, he says, is actively hiring and looking for people interested in the marine industry. 

Superyacht repairs being done in B.C. shipyards 

Superyachts need an incredible amount of work to keep them running, and much of that work is being done locally when they arrive, says the CEO. 

"There are well over 100 industries that it touches: everything from fuel, to ship repair to almost anything you would have in a house you would have in a yacht,” says Norris. 

He believes more yachts will start coming to Victoria and having their work done in the shipyard.

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What the US$600M 'world's biggest yacht' will look like inside

It's set to be one of the largest private residence yachts in the world when it launches in 2024, but what does a luxury apartment on board the 728 foot (221 metres) Somnio actually look like?

Interior renderings of the US$600 million vessel have just been unveiled, offering a glimpse inside what's being described as the world's first "yacht liner."

While all 39 of the floating apartments, which come with a private balcony or terrace, are said to be "fully customizable," some of the options showcased include huge shell-shaped beds, expansive living areas with ocean views, and wall-length mirrors.

FLOATING HOMES

Prices start from around $11 million, with sizes ranging from 1,600 to 6,500 square feet -- the largest condo takes up most of the top deck.

Somnio, which means "to dream '' in Latin, was designed by Winch Design and Tillberg Design of Sweden, and will be built by Norwegian ship designer and builder VARD.

The interior renderings were devised by Winch Design, Tillberg Design of Sweden along with Luttenberger Design.

Those who snap up a condo on "the most exclusive address in the world" will get to work with one of the design teams for up to three months in order to "decide the room configurations and select the materials, furniture, lighting and artwork."

EXCLUSIVE ADDRESS

A gym, a library, inside and outside dining spaces, "distinct" dressing areas and a "vast living room space with 270-degree forward views" are among the options available, although the layout is to be based on the buyer's preferences.

The identity of the owners will be kept secret, but all residents will have access to full concierge services "for both onboard and land-based needs."

"As the only residential superyacht in the world, we are delighted to work with designers that complement our exacting standards," Captain Erik Bredhe, co-founder of Somnio, said in a statement.

"Our owners will experience only the best, as is befitting of a yacht of this nature."

SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS

According to its designers, sustainability will be a key focus for Somnio, which is to be constructed with the "latest clean engine technology" along with materials and products to "create environmentally responsible interior design with a reduced impact" where possible.

Among the shared on board amenities onboard available include a 10,000-bottle capacity wine cellar and tasting room along with a lounge located in the ship's bow, a spa, a movie theater, restaurants and a beach club.

Residents will be charged an annual fee to cover expenses like maintenance and repairs, along with fuel and food.

A spokesperson for the project tells CNN Travel that Somnio has attracted exceptional interest since it was unveiled earlier this year, with some apartments already sold.

At present, The World, which measures 643 feet, is the largest private residential yacht on the globe, with a combination of studios as well as one to three-bedroom apartments on board.

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Ferries and freighters and yachts, oh my: Vancouver had a lot of ship news in 2023

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Some years one subject has a big year, with lots of stories in the news cycle on the topic.

In Vancouver, for some reason, 2022 was the year of radio announcements, with several stations rebranding (including one going viral worldwide ), beloved retiring anchors, and more.

This year it was anchors of a different sort as there seemed to be an inordinate amount of ship news  in Vancouver in 2023. While the English Bay Barge was very much a 2022 thing, yachts, ferries, and boats of all sorts were often in the headlines this year. And a barge, again.

Vancouver nearly got a new English Bay Barge

After the year-long visit by the English Bay Barge in 2021 and 2022, many who walked to seawall were happy with the restored view.

And then, almost exactly two years after the original arrived (and almost exactly a year since the last piece was hauled away), a second barge nearly ran aground at nearly the exact same place.

Luckily coast guard and tugboat crews on the water were able to drag it away just moments before it touched sand.

Vancouver nets visiting mega yachts

While it's not unusual to see multi-million dollar yachts on the waters around Vancouver, there were a few absolutely massive ones that caught the attention of anyone down by the sea.

One was a humongous $200 million, 95-metre superyacht  owned by an American billionaire. Another, worth an estimated $100 million, floated into Vancouver waters a couple of weeks later (along with a helicopter hidden below decks). Each costs millions to run each year.

Old BC Ferries ships for sale

Old BC Ferries popped up in the news a lot recently, including one that went down.

In November, a decommissioned BC Ferries vessel known at one time as the  R.J. Breadner  sank near Sechelt .

Meanwhile, two others were up for sale, and, given their prices, could have made decent homes in Metro Vancouver. One was the Bowen Queen , which was retired in 2022. and hit the market with bids of around $125,000.

The other was a piece of Pacific maritime history. The Queen of Tsawwassen , as it was known for most of its life, was for sale a couple of times. It was one of BC Ferries' original two ferries and was built locally. Now it's a barge (and seems to have sold again earlier this year).

New BC Ferries ships can't sail

A regular issue this year was BC Ferries' current fleet. Both staffing issues and mechanical issues caused travel havoc and delays for those wanting to go between the mainland to the nearby islands.

One delay BC Ferries wasn't responsible for happened in May when someone drove their vehicle onto the Queen of Surrey  and then walked off on the other side, catching a bus. Staff spent an hour searching the ship for the missing driver.

Hullo there

Hullo Ferries launched this year, offering an alternative to the beleaguered BC Ferries. While there have been several attempts to create a new passenger ferry service between the Canadian mainland and neighbouring islands (there was even a hovercraft at one point) none have stuck around for too long.

Hullo is looking to break that streak, and while things got off to a rough start , they've continued the service between downtown Vancouver and downtown Nanaimo consistently since. 

Unusual freighters in Vancouver waters

There were a few curious ships in Vancouver's waters this year.

The Shofu Maru   is a unique ship in the world for one very obvious reason. It's the only freighter in the world that has a massive, telescopic hard sail.

The hard sail is a new system that aims to reduce the carbon footprint of transoceanic shipping.

Vehicle freighters caught the eyes of people near English Bay a couple of times. While the more common, low-slung cargo freighters are a constant in the area as they travel to and from the Port of Vancouver, less common (although they do show up a fair amount).

They're very tall compared to other freighters, and work sort of like a massive roll-on-roll-off ferry (like BC Ferries).

Cruise news

Some industries are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it seems visiting cruise ships are back in full. In fact, beyond that. It was the busiest year ever , with a solidly surpassing the old record number of passengers in 2019.

This cruise season saw 1.25 million passengers, according to the port authority .

With growth like that it's not surprising there's discussion around a terminal in Delta .

An electric tugboat  is at work in the harbour

Vancouver's getting electrified, literally. While electric cars and trucks are becoming commonplace, other vehicles are just turning over to renewable sources of power.

While there was much pomp and circumstance around Canada's first electric firetruck recently, Seaspan put a 7,000 horsepower fully electric tugboat in Vancouver Harbour this summer.

Outside the Salish Sea

Not far away there was the story of a Victoria man who got locked up in Oregon after leaving dead fish at the house from the Goonies  and then getting rescued by the US Coast Guard when the stolen yacht he was on started going under near the mouth of the Columbia River. Video from the rescue shows the yacht being rolled by a wave.

There is also the team of rowers on an incredibly demanding trip across the Atlantic, including two women from Metro Vancouver.

With files from Alanna Kelly, Glen Korstrom, Les Leyne, Graeme Wood, Maria Diment, Sandor Gyarmati, Keili Bartlett, Canadian Press, Brent Richter and Louise Dickson

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