Super Yachts   « | 1 | 2

With an estimated 120 scheduled arrivals, this is thought to be the largest gathering of super yachts in a place at any one time, these luxurious craft will be an impressive sight. Usually more than 90 feet in length and ranging in value from NZ$4million to over NZ$40 million, their traditional cruising grounds are the Mediterranean, Caribbean and United States.

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Billionaires Chase Cup Dream

In the race for the America's Cup 2003, Team New Zealand has lured some pretty big fish into their pond. Nicknamed by Dennis Conner as 'The Bees' (aka The Billionaires), this new breed of cup players are bringing their cheque books and their superyachts to Auckland, putting a smile on the face of New Zealanders and adding a few billion dollars to the local economy.

Their names are Ellison, Bertarelli, Bertelli, McCaw, Allen, Onorato, Stenbeck and Harrison. Only Patrizio Bertelli, husband of celebrated Prada designer Miuccia Prada, has played the game before - losing the battle for the cup to Team New Zealand in 2000.

Passion and the thrill of the race is what drives the latest America's Cup assault by Larry Ellison, the world's fifth richest man. The billionaire thrives on competition and is not afraid of getting his hands dirty. He's broken his neck surfing, broken an arm cycling and put his life on the line in the horrific 1998 Sydney-Hobart yacht race, where six sailors lost their lives. He even wants to drive his Oracle Racing yacht in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series starting 1 October 2002. How could you argue with the man who's footing the $US85 million bill?

	The Ellison vessel Katana tied up near downtown Auckland
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In fact most of the Bees will bring their own floating palaces to flaunt within the American Express Viaduct Harbour this summer.

Paul Allen, No. 3 on the Forbes 200 rich list, has come to the aid of his old buddy, fellow billionaire Craig McCaw, to bail the OneWorld syndicate out of financial trouble. Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, is a keen sailor and avid sports fan - he owns the Portland Trail Blazers NBA team and the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise.

McCaw, who made his billions as a cellphone pioneer, asked for help when his tech shares plummeted. As reward for his $US10 million aid package, Allen will share the 17th man spot (a silent sailing role) on the OneWorld racing yacht with McCaw.

Other techno-tycoons who have entered the battle for the Louis Vuitton Cup are Peter Harrison and Jan Stenbeck. Harrison, the Englishman behind the GBR Challenge, made his money selling his computer systems company, Chernikeeff. Victory Challenge head Stenbeck, one of Sweden's most daring executives, is a media and telecommunications entrepreneur.

Ernesto Bertarelli, head of the Alinghi challenge and known worldwide as the 'baby billionaire', transformed his family's pharmaceutical business, Serono, into one of the world's largest biotech companies. The suave Swiss billionaire, one of Europe's youngest CEOs, has a real passion for sailing.

Vincenzo Onorato, owner and skipper of the Italian Mascalzone Latino syndicate, has won a handful of world titles, including the Mumm 30 world championships and the Rolex IMS worlds. Onorato also owns shipping company Moby Lines.