A fleet of some of the finest, most luxurious and expensive yachts have docked on English waters to bear witness to the athletic competition phenomena that is the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Seven colossal vessels, the largest of which is 413 feet, are temporarily residing—or taking over— the exclusive South Quay on East London’s West India Docks, where daily docking costs can top up to 9,000 pounds per day (to give you some perspective, that’s a third of the average U.K. resident’s annual salary).
The peak of activity is still to come as boats continue to arrive on the Thames.
Docked at the Dollar Bay, just about a 30-minute walk to the Olympic stadium, floats Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s Octopus, which is famous for its two helicopters, 10-man submarine, two swimming pools, $200 million price tag and a plethora of amentities and special additions. Allen is ranked by Forbes as the 48th richest person in the world with a net worth of $14.2 billion. Octopus is the 12th-largest superyacht in the world.
Marcel Boekhoorn, the Dutch billionaire who is a frequent sight at the Grand Prix of Monaco, moored his 52-meter Deniki with luxury interior in a docking site that was once a destination of silks and spices from all corners of the British empire, while Frank Lowry’s 74-meter Ilona with fold-away beaches sits opposite it.
The arrival of the uber wealthy and their yachts to English waters most likely will strengthen London’s image despite Great Britain experiencing its worst economic crisis in close to 100 years.
Source: CNBC
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