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Inside the Arctic P — Business Tycoon James Packer’s Million Dollar Superyacht

Titled one of the largest superyachts in the world, the Arctic P, owned by billionaire James Packer, is currently making headlines after he offered it to his fiancée Mariah Carey. The business tycoon, who vacationed in Europe all through summer with Mariah, has often been spotted travelling across the globe on this yacht. 

From having a private helipad to well-decorated interiors, this yacht is nothing less than a luxurious floating mansion. Read on to know more about this celebrity-owned luxe vessel.

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Built by German company Schichau Seebeckwerft back in 1970, the Arctic P can cover a maximum distance of 18,000 nautical miles at 20 knots speed. The vessel measures 287 feet and can comfortably accommodate 12 guests, a total of 25 people including crew members. Rumoured to be Packer’s most prized possession, the superyacht was inherited by the business tycoon from his father Kerry Packer.

Refitted in 2014, the superyacht boasts of a new super-steel structure which makes the yacht strong enough to dribble through ice floes in the southern ocean. With white exteriors and an electric blue hull, the superyacht looks visually stunning, and stands out amidst the other white-dyed vessels.

The vessel features a stunning master suite with six separate accommodations spread over two levels on the deck. Designed by renowned interior decorator duo C. Kidston and A. Sassoon, the handcrafted furniture on the superyacht is furbished in rich upholstery. The wooden floors are adorned with fine rugs, while the floor-to-ceiling glass doors offer guests an unparalleled view of the ocean.

While many superyachts own motor boats and sea bikes, the Arctic P is well-equipped to hold a private helicopter as it has a helipad on its deck. 

Apart from stunning suites and the private helipad, the yacht also features an observation tower, amphitheatre, Jacuzzi and swimming pool. In fact, Packer is known to have hosted many celebrity parties on this yacht.

Talking of celebrities, this yacht has also hosted personalities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Miranda Kerr, Kelly Rohrbach, Alan Jones and more. 

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James Packer's luxury superyacht listed for sale for more than $282 million

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A Converted Classic: Explorer M/Y Arctic P

Jeff Hubrig Jr. | November 14, 2016

The 88m (287′) M/Y Arctic P began its life in 1969 as an ocean going salvage tug built by Schichau Unterwesser. The ship was later purchased by prominent Australian businessman Kerry Packer and converted into a private super-yacht with the ability to go where few other vessels are capable. With a steel superstructure and hull that includes plating as thick as 50mm in certain spots Arctic P is capable of and has successfully undertaken some of the most far-out expeditions of any modern yacht including setting the world record for furthest voyage south. On its southern expedition Arctic P and crew reached a distance of just 677 miles from the south pole.

Photo by Jarrad @ superyachts_gibraltar

Following the successful conversion from ocean-going salvage tug to private super-yacht Arctic P’s interior layout includes accommodations for 12 guests and 25 crew members. With a colossal fuel capacity of 1.4 million liters Arctic P has an incredible reported range of nearly 20,000 nautical miles with a cruising speed of 20 knots with a max speed of 22 knots. As a former ocean-going tug Arctic P draws an impressive 23′ which creates room for such massive tank storage within the hull.

In 2015 the super-yacht underwent an extensive refit at the Navantia Shipyard in Spain that included a completely redesigned beach club and the successful installation of a jacuzzi, swimming pool and dining area. In addition to the luxury amenities the galley, engine room and pilothouse were all renovated as well.

In 2015 Arctic P won the world super-yacht “voyaging” award for its successful record setting southern expedition.

Kerry Packer's famous $100million luxury yacht Arctic P is now available for public hire

• Yacht owned by late tycoon is available to hire
• The $100million boat is moored in France
• Now owned by his daughter, Gretel 

Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer's modified $100million icebreaker yacht, the Arctic P, will be hired out to the ultra-rich for this European summer. 

Packer, who was Australia's richest man at the time of his death in late 2005, commissioned the specialised German-built yacht in 1969 and passed it down to his son, James.

However, Packer's daughter Gretel bought it from James in 2017 after the billionaire decided he wanted to upgrade to a $200million superyacht, the  Daily Telegraph reports.

It was said the Arctic P held a lot of sentimental value to Gretel but it seems the boat's $10million annual maintenance, crew and mooring bill has seen her decide to rent it out.

The boat has been put up for hire on luxury rental website CharterWorld and is currently moored in Antibes, France.

Arctic P is a whopping 88m long and can carry 12 passengers as well as a 25-strong crew.

The 1,444-tonne yacht's hefty build was specially designed to help Kerry Packer's sea-sickness, which did not affect his boating-mad father Sir Frank or his son James.

The Arctic P is actually designed to carry heavy cargo through the icy seas of Antarctica, resulting in less roll on the deck.

In the 1990s Packer told a shipyard crew in Malta to rig the unique yacht for maximum satellite TV coverage.

It was refitted again in 2008 in the years after Packer's death. 

The Arctic P can reach a maximum speed of 22 knots thanks to two Deutz-MWM diesel engines and features a swimming pool.

Sources told the Telegraph last week that Gretel renting out the boat could be a sign she's looking to sell and downsize in the future.

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If you have any questions about the ARCTIC P information page below please contact us .

A General Description of Motor Yacht ARCTIC P

This motor yacht ARCTIC P is a 88 metre 287 (foot) important steel ship which was created at Schichau-Unterweser and devised by Schichau-Unterweser. A considerable converted private yacht ARCTIC P is a particularily high quality German built superyacht which was launched to accolade in 1969. Accommodating 12 guests and 25 qualified crew, motor yacht ARCTIC P used to be called Arctic Research; Arctic as her shipyard project name and/or actual name. She could be considered a classic converted private yacht.

Arctic P was converted and owned by Australian businessman Kerry Packer, who died in 2005. At the time of his death, Packer was reported to be the richest and one of the most influential men in Australia.

The Construction & Designing relating to Luxury Yacht ARCTIC P

Schichau-Unterweser was the naval architecture company involved in the professional vessel composition for ARCTIC P. Schichau-Unterweser is also associated with the yacht wider design collaboration for this yacht. Germany is the country that Schichau-Unterweser constructed their new build motor yacht in. After her official launch in 1969 in Bremerhaven the boat was then delivered on to the happy owner after sea trials. A impressive area is manifested with a maximum beam (width) of 14.78 metres / 48.5 feet. With a 7.4m (24.3ft) draught (maximum depth) she is reasonably 7.4 (24.3 ft). The material steel was used in the building of the hull of the motor yacht. Her superstructure over the hull is created from steel. In 2008 extra refitting and updating was also finished.

M/Y ARCTIC P Engineering Figures / Propulsion:

Fitted with two DEUTZ-MWM diesel engines, ARCTIC P can reach a maximum speed of 22 knots. For propulsion ARCTIC P has a single screw propeller. She also has an efficient range of 18000 nautical miles when underway at her cruise speed of 20 knots. Her total HP is 13190 HP and her total Kilowatts are 9706. Regarding thrusters she utilises Tornado.

Accommodation Capacity Offered On Superyacht ARCTIC P:

The important luxury yacht motor yacht ARCTIC P can sleep up to 12 people and 25 crew members.

A List of the Specifications of the ARCTIC P:

Further information on the yacht.

Her deck material is predominantly a steel-teak deck.

ARCTIC P Disclaimer:

The luxury yacht ARCTIC P displayed on this page is merely informational and she is not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor is she represented or marketed in anyway by CharterWorld. This web page and the superyacht information contained herein is not contractual. All yacht specifications and informations are displayed in good faith but CharterWorld does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the current accuracy, completeness, validity, or usefulness of any superyacht information and/or images displayed. All boat information is subject to change without prior notice and may not be current.

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The Crown hearings: how did it all go so spectacularly wrong for James Packer?

The subdued and ill-at-ease billionaire now faces relinquishing any involvement in Crown Resorts, the business he built

Rarely are billionaires subjected to the kind of scrutiny James Packer faced this week.

And rarely is the public afforded a glimpse behind the glitzy facades of casinos to the far more unsavoury reality of their role in the machinery of organised crime and money laundering.

But both these happened at what can only be described as extraordinary hearings before the New South Wales Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority. And as they drew to a close, Packer’s future in Crown Resorts, the business he built, is in doubt.

Crown, a listed company, in which Packer holds a 36% stake, faces a serious risk of losing its Sydney casino licence for failing to be fit and proper. At the very least it will be slapped with stringent conditions.

Packer acknowledged that the active involvement with Crown is over for him.

“I think caps on shareholdings may be something that you will think about,” he told the inquiry on Thursday.

“I think this has been a terribly painful and terribly shocking experience for the board, as it has been for me. I won’t be going on the board again. I think the board will be more independent than it was in the past.”

For Crown it will probably mean a future without the clout that the Packer name brings with Australian governments and the business world.

Packer’s appearance in a dark suit from his luxury super yacht IJE somewhere in the Pacific was both a Shakespearean tragedy and a sombre lesson in the fact that money can’t buy happiness.

Looking subdued and at times uncomfortable, he has been painfully stepped through how his unfolding mental illness, a Chinese crackdown on foreign gambling, and a culture of trying to please the boss wreaked havoc on his gambling empire.

The inquiry has heard evidence that appears to suggest that Crown turned a blind eye to money laundering. Executives have admitted to $5.6m in cash found in a cupboard in the high-roller room of Crown Melbourne and arrangements that allowed VIP gamblers to deposit cash without having to put it through “the cage” – the official chip-issuing facility at Crown’s Melbourne and Perth casinos.

Under heavy questioning, Packer eventually conceded that he was “on notice” of the alleged crime connections of no fewer than six junkets – companies that bring high rollers from overseas to gamble at Crown casinos and often partner in operating high-roller rooms. The inquiry heard that Packer had even met the boss of one, Suncity, in the gambling mecca Macau.

And there has been evidence of a lack of board oversight of Crown’s operations, including the high risk behaviour that led to arrests of 19 staff in China in 2016.

Then there is Packer’s apparent disregard last year of conditions that the NSW authorities put into the Sydney licence in a bid to keep the late Stanley Ho, the father of James’ one-time business partner, Lawrence, from gaining a foothold in the casino.

The father of gambling in Macau, Ho senior had been named in other jurisdictions as having organised crime links, and NSW authorities specifically listed him in the Barangaroo licence as banned as a close associate.

But Packer gave evidence that he “gave no thought” to the Stanley Ho prohibitions when he agreed in 2019 to sell 19.9% of Crown to Lawrence and his Macau-based company Melco.

How could it have gone so spectacularly wrong?

The failings of Crown are inextricably caught up with both the ambitions and the frailties of its key shareholder, Packer.

In 2013 the billionaire split from his wife Erica, just two months after he had secured what seemed to be the biggest triumph of his life.

After a campaign that included a tear-filled TV interview on Seven’s Sunday Night program, Packer convinced the NSW government to give him the second casino licence and a prime site smack bang on the Sydney waterfront of the emerging precinct of Barangaroo, to build a 271-metre “iconic“ building housing a high-roller casino, a six-star hotel and 82 luxury units attracting prices over $40m.

The Packer spin had been total and the NSW government, then led by premier Barry O’Farrell, were won over by his vision.

The project was so “unique” and “visionary” that O’Farrell bypassed any tender to award the licence under the unsolicited bids process available where a project is deemed unique.

Packer, it seemed, was at the height of his powers.

But within two years of that triumph, Crown was groaning under a mountain of debt.

The cost of Crown’s expansions into Macau and Las Vegas were weighing on its balance sheet. The Barangaroo project was becoming eye-wateringly expensive.

By the end of 2015, Consolidated Press International Holdings, the Bahamas-registered family company Packer inherited from his father, Kerry, was also swimming in debt after he struck a $1.525bn deal with his sister, Gretel, to split up the clan’s fortune.

Packer’s personal life was also upended.

Much of the detail of those times is revealed in Damon Kitney’s book The Price of Fortune, which was written with Packer’s cooperation.

According to Kitney, Packer hit rock-bottom in October 2016, a time when he and Crown were mired in multiple controversies.

He was drinking a bottle of vodka “and more” a day. He was also on powerful psychiatric drugs and, after fleeing to his Argentinean polo estate, Ellerstina, suffered from weight gain that he told Kitney saw him blow out to 130kg.

Packer’s personal problems intersected with the business of Crown.

The opening hours of Packer’s testimony included extraordinary revelations about his mental health.

Packer moved to Israel, and became friends with Israeli billionaire Arnon Milchan, whose colourful career has spanned professional soccer, a stint as an arms dealer and intelligence agent, and head of Hollywood studio Regency Films. In Kitney’s book Packer describes Milchan as “the most charming and deadly person” he knows.

In March 2015 investment banker Rob Rankin, a man with a long experience of working in Asia, had joined CPH.

One option was to take Crown private again and restructure its assets through a possible buyout of the 47% of shares Packer did not own.

The inquiry heard CPH was talking to private equity firms, including one referred to in evidence as Z Co. X, an executive of Z Co, had been asked to stump up $1.5bn but had offered only $400m, subject to due diligence.

Packer was taken to a string of emails sent to X that recorded Packer’s displeasure. The emails have been kept confidential but are believed to have involved sending an agent connected to Mossad to visit X.

Packer acknowledged to the inquiry he had made a threat but said it was “a surprise to him” that X had been put in fear of his life.

Over an excruciating half hour Packer agreed that his conduct was “shameful” and “disgraceful” and brought discredit on Crown.

“How can the NSW regulator have confidence in your character?” counsel assisting, Adam Bell SC, asked. “Because I am now being treated for my bipolar,” Packer responded.

The privatisation did not proceed and Rankin took over from Packer as chairman of Crown soon after.

Packer remained on the board briefly but in July shareholders were told he would be focusing on a new executive role of president international strategy.

The real reason, as Packer told the inquiry, was he was very ill.

Packer largely disappeared from public view during this time, dividing his time between Israel, where he was officially living, his old yacht, Arctic P – also an inheritance from his father – and Ellerstina.

Meanwhile Rankin was trying to sort out the mounting debt crisis. In 2016 Crown began selling down its share in Crown’s joint venture in Macau with Lawrence Ho’s Melco International, which helped take pressure off the company – and Packer’s personal finances.

Then a new disaster struck. In October 2016, 19 Crown staff were arrested in China and charged with breaking Chinese gambling laws that prevent foreign casinos luring Chinese high rollers to gamble overseas.

The seeds of the China disaster, which led to some staff spending more than a year in Chinese jails, had been sown as early as 2013 and the inquiry was at pains to find out how the culture of Crown had contributed.

The inquiry heard that Crown executives involved in the VIP business had set up arrangements to try to keep their China activities below the radar, including working from their homes. Executives sought legal advice on how to stay within the letter of the law.

When China announced a crackdown on international gambling in 2015, leading to the imprisonment of staff from a Korean casino, Crown decided, unlike others, to leave its staff in place. The following year they were rounded up.

But these arrangements have come as revelations to most Crown board members, including Packer, and to the former CEO, Rowen Craigie.

Rankin left Crown in 2017, and there have long been rumours the parting was acrimonious.

“Did you part as friends?” Patricia Bergin SC, the commissioner chairing the inquiry, asked Packer on Thursday.

“I’d say as associates, not as friends,” Packer replied.

Bergin has repeatedly explored with witnesses what it is within Crown’s culture that led to this spectacular failure to identify risk and communicate it up to the CEO and the board.

Were “people in managerial positions wanting to please you?” Bergin asked, wondering aloud why executives did not tell him of the risks.

“I had never thought about it before, Madam Commissioner, until two days ago,” Packer said.

Counsel assisting asked Packer whether he thought “a culture that focused obsessively on profit” was to blame. “No, I do not,” Packer said.

One immediate threat from the China arrests – an adverse finding from the Victorian regulator which was about to conduct the sixth review of Crown’s Melbourne licence – was avoided.

The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation instead found Crown Melbourne “is a successful and capable casino company, now with decades of experience of conducting a large and complex operation.”.

Its investigations of the Chinese arrests and other allegations made about the operation of the Melbourne casino are ongoing.

But there have been consequences. Crown’s VIP business was hammered.

Meanwhile Packer was in a very dark place. In March 2018 he was photographed checking into a $5,000-a-night rehabilitation clinic in Boston.

Crown issued a statement to the ASX a day later at last revealing the real story about why Packer was no longer attending the annual general meetings and was rarely seen in Australia. He was being treated for depression.

In early 2019 rumours began to circulate that Crown was up for sale.

But the China arrests were still a major problem. The inquiry heard this week that Packer had sent emails in April to his friend, Lawrence Ho in Macau, asking him to “work his magic” with the regulators there.

“I don’t think I should be banned with just 10% and no seat on the board,” Packer wrote.

Packer explained to the inquiry that he had been trying to merge Crown with Wynn, and would have emerged with a 10% stake in the new company. But clearly there were issues with Macau regulators, where Wynn had a licence. Macau, as a territory of China, would be acutely sensitive to Beijing’s views.

Wynn eventually pulled out of the deal, publicly blaming “the premature disclosure of preliminary discussions” in media reports.

Then came plan B in May 2019: a sale to Lawrence Ho. They briefly discussed a full merger, but soon came to a different deal: Ho would buy 19.9% of Packer’s then 46% holding, the inquiry heard.

Packer says he left it to his executives to negotiate on price – “Lawrence and I never discussed price” though Packer believed Crown was worth about $13 a share. (It’s currently trading at about $9 a share.)

Events around this sale have also been a focus of the inquiry, because of the Stanley Ho clause in the Barangaroo licence and because of Packer’s email interactions with Crown staff, that again raise questions about the governance of the company – and just who is calling the shots.

The inquiry has heard that in May 2019 Packer contacted then chief financial officer, Ken Barton, and Crown board member Michael Johnston (who also works for Packer’s private company CPH) to discuss Crown’s forecasts in its coming results.

By this stage Packer was only a shareholder – albeit the major one – but arguably not entitled to information above and beyond what any other shareholder receive.

Yet the company had entered a controlling shareholder protocol under which Packer was continuing to receive almost daily briefings.

A stream of emails reveal him asking them to give him a budget “he could believe in”. Johnston gave evidence that he had acted on requests from Packer and had attempted to get Barton to alter forecasts.

Packer insisted to the inquiry he considered the emails he sent to Barton were a “continuation of the budget process we do every year. I wasn’t relying on Mr Barton to determine the price of Crown shares in my mind.”

But coming at such a sensitive time midway through a proposed sale by CPH, which the Crown board was not aware of, the interactions raise serious questions about whose interests were being served.

“His job was not to work for you. His job was to work for Crown, wasn’t it?” Bergin asked.

By the end of his three days in the witness box, Packer seemed almost defeated.

His casino empire is crippled by shutdowns due to Covid-19, the Chinese government appears to have clamped down on high rollers taking money out of the country, and now there are real questions, both financial and regulatory, about Barangaroo.

Yet the gleaming tower on Sydney’s waterfront is almost complete and the high-roller casino is now scheduled to open early in December.

Whether Packer will be there to cut the red ribbon is an open question.

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James Packer and Miranda Kerr holiday on his luxury yacht in Spain

NO more pussyfooting around. Miranda Kerr and James Packer have a sizzling date on board his luxury yacht moored off the Spanish coast.

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AFTER denying rumours of a relationship for months, supermodel Miranda Kerr and billionaire James Packer have been spotted on a romantic holiday together.

The 31-year-old former Victoria’s Secret beauty and the son of media legend Kerry Packer were photographed together in Spain earlier this month.

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It comes as the model’s representatives were last week forced to deny growing speculation that she might be pregnant with the casino mogul’s baby.

In pictures just released, a glamorous Kerr was seen arriving at a dock in the seaside town of Sotogrande where Crown Casinos boss Packer, 46, was waiting casually in a tender boat.

The glamorous model was dressed all in black and greeted Packer with a smile, before he whisked her off to his waiting mega yacht.

The pair then enjoyed some fun in the sun on board Arctic P, Packer’s super yacht that resembles a luxury floating hotel.

The 88-metre vessel was once an ice breaker but those days are over. The converted yacht has a host of plush features, from sprawling suites to a helipad.

Despite denying rumours of a relationship and going to great lengths to sneak around together in New York recently, the pair weren’t hiding anything last week.

Their Spanish rendezvous comes just weeks after their respective ex-spouses Orlando Bloom and Erica Packer were photographed together in the same country.

It was a whirlwind week for Bloom and model Packer, who partied together in Ibiza and lapped up the rays on a boat.

SPANISH HOLIDAY: Bloom and Packer hang out in Formentera

BIEBER BUST-UP: DiCaprio cheers as Bloom leaps over couch to hit Bieber

That same week, Bloom and troubled pop star Justin Bieber were involved in a scuffle in a restaurant on the Spanish party island.

The spat was reportedly sparked by a comment Bieber made about Kerr. Those two are rumoured to have had a brief fling of their own.

Oddly enough, Packer was involved in his own very public punch-up in June with long-time friend, Channel Nine boss David Gyngell.

The men were photographed in a dust up on the lawn outside Packer’s Bondi apartment — a confrontation that was said to be over Packer’s relationship with Kerr.

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Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay has dropped a massive hint about the identity of the high-profile star she once went to an orgy with.

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Fitness mogul Kayla Itsines has taken to a podcast to bare all and reveal the reason for her former break-up, admitting ‘we have different morals’.

James Packer, the ex-fiance of Mariah Carey, has a $200 million superyacht with so many water toys that its tender garage has a 1,500-litre refueling station. The billionaire’s 340-foot-long vessel features a nightclub with a virtual aquarium, a cinema and an open-air gym.

IJE, an extraordinary explorer yacht that’s elegantly designed –

At 354 feet, the $200 million Ije Yacht is impressive and packs quite a punch. The boat comes with space for 22 guests in 11 cabins and is serviced by a crew of 28. Commissioned by seasoned yacht owner Packer, who had given a brief for an elegant yacht that could also carry three large tenders. In the past, Packer has owned several impressive boats like a 180-foot Amels superyacht purchased for $47 million and a 170-foot Amels, the Seahorse, which were both sold later. He also owned a 288-foot ice-breaker, the Arctic P, that he gifted to his sister in 2017. His fleet once included the 165-footer Mangusta named Z Ellerston, and a 150-foot Leopard called Z Sydney. Done with smaller ships, he makes the most of the boat he is left with, his gigantic 354-feet luxury vessel Ije.

Who is James Packer?

Worth $2.8 billion per Forbes, Packer owes much of his wealth to the casino business that he stepped down from in March 2018, the Crown Resorts. The 56-year-old is one of the richest persons in Australia who comes from wealth as he was the son of Kerry Packer AC, a media mogul. He inherited the family wealth and companies like the Consolidated Press Holdings Limited, as well as investments in Crown Resorts and others. More interesting than how he acquired his wealth is how he splurges it.

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On board Slipstream with owner Jack Cowin

The Canadian businessman has built a fast-food empire, but has grown to love the slower pace of superyacht life, as he tells Charlotte Hogarth-Jones 

Jack Cowin clearly has a keen nose for business. Born in Windsor, Ontario, he left Canada for Australia in 1969, aged 26, with profit in mind, having convinced 30 investors to lend him $10,000 each so that he could establish a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise down under. The original investor got his money back within ten years, and the equity at net book value would be around $25 million today. Cowin now owns Hungry Jack’s, the Burger King franchise in Australia, along with Competitive Foods Australia, a business that includes more than 450 stores along with a food-processing division. He’s also an investor in the Lone Star restaurant chain in Canada and the chairman and largest shareholder in Dominos Pizza Enterprises, an A$7.5 billion market cap company operating 2,700 units across Australia, Japan, and Europe. At the time of going to press, Forbes estimated his net worth as $2.5 billion. It should come as no surprise, then, that Cowin’s first yacht was conceived purely as a great business opportunity, rather than a hobbyist’s fantasy.

“It was in the late 1990s, and I’d become friends with Olympic sailor Denis O’Neil,” Cowin explains. “The Australian dollar had fallen to an all-time low of 49 cents at that time, and so he came to me with a business proposition – he would build a boat in Australia, and then sell it elsewhere in either US dollars or euros, and with the currency exchange we’d make a fortune,” he says. “I didn’t have anything to do with it [the build]. I was just the financier.”

Alas, the golden opportunity wasn’t quite as it had seemed. Most of the parts for the yacht had to be imported from the US, including the engine, and as costs mounted the potential profit shrank. Three years later, in 2001, the yacht – a 43.6-metre beauty named Silver Dream – was finished and freighted to Europe. It attracted an offer within the week. “We weren’t going to get rich from it, but it was a relatively attractive offer,” Cowin admits. “I’d had this  idea that we’d spend a year or two floating around the Mediterranean before we’d find a buyer, but O’Neil said: ‘No. It’s a decent price. Let’s accept it now.’” Cowin, however, couldn’t bear to part with the yacht so soon, and so had no choice but to buy O’Neil out.

“Suddenly, I owned a boat!” he laughs, “with no experience, no nautical culture that some people grow up with, nothing.” His family lived near Lake Erie when he was a young child, but the water was always just “in the background”, he says, and while his father had once bought a small “20-foot runaround”, Cowin had long since left home by then.

What was it, then, that caused this savvy businessman to allow his heart to get  the better of his head? He blames the America’s Cup.

Cowin knew businessman Alan Bond, who owned Australia II , the yacht that won the 1983 cup for the Royal Perth Yacht Club. “We were one of the sponsors and so I got invited to spend a week in the South of France on his boat. That was a whole new experience for me, and I loved it. It was a magnificent boat and I just thought it [the trip] was fantastic. I had that memory until here we are, 15 years later, sitting on a boat in Europe that I’ve just bought and don’t know what to do with.”

Thankfully for Cowin, help was at hand in the form of Phil Stevens, who was working on Kerry Packer’s yacht in Sydney at the time. Today, Stevens captains Cowin’s larger 60-metre yacht Slipstream , while Steve Smith now helms his first boat, but at the time Stevens was the guiding hand that led Silver Dream around the Maldives, the Caribbean and Thailand. “I fell in love with this terrific way of seeing the world and doing it with friends too,” says Cowin.

A sense of freedom obviously appeals to him – in fact, it’s a large part of why business has always appealed. “From aged about 10 I always had little things going… the conventional paper routes, cutting lawns, shovelling snow, that kind of thing. I wanted to have control over my own affairs,” he says.

“My father worked for a big company – Ford – all his life, and what I saw was that when you work for a big corporation, you don’t really have any control. I think that stayed with me.”

Cowin went on to work as a door-to-door salesman selling plants to farms (“the greatest education I ever had”) to go to university, and then did a stint in insurance, before packing up his home and taking his wife and six-month-old baby to Australia to start his new KFC enterprise from scratch.

Today, even in the choppy waters of Covid-19, business is doing well. “We’ve been very fortunate in that the two things that have boomed during this time have been home delivery and drive-through,” he says. It’s a good time to be in fast food, and Cowin has a vision for the future too.

With the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia, he’s set up a company that has raised over A$100 million to build a factory to produce a plant-based meat substitute – called V2 – made from grain legumes. “Our view is that the meat industry is not going to go away,” says Cowin. “But the cow is a very inefficient producer of protein – there will be an estimated 10 billion people in the world by 2050, and we just won’t have the space to be able to operate the existing agricultural system and produce the food required. This will be a lower-cost way of feeding people, and it tastes good too.” In a blind test between the v2 product, made by the company v2food, and real meat, Cowin says he wasn’t able to identify which was which.

“There are companies in the US called Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, and their values are eye-watering,” says Cowin. “We’re kind of in the beginner stage, but we’ve got products that we think are quite competitive. The initial results show that this is a strong growth area that we’re backing, and hopefully it will continue.”

Clearly, Cowin is a man who knows how to launch and oversee a successful project – be it a burger or a boat – and his businesses span the globe, too. Was building yacht number two as painless as it seems? His answer is  yes – not that he didn’t have his reservations going into it. “ Slipstream was built by a French company called CMN, and they were new to the yacht business. Prior to this they’d only built larger, military vessels.” Cowin was understandably wary of the risk. “I was nervous. Very nervous. Particularly when people said: ‘French? You’re not going to be able to communicate.’ But I can tell you, it was a very pleasant experience.”

More involved with the project than he had been with Silver Dream , Cowin had enjoyed “five years of romance” with yacht number one, and took an active interest in his new project, helped by the fact that the yard was also building the 60-metre Cloud 9 (now Ice Angel ) for  his friend, businessman Brett Blundy, at the same time.

Cowin and his wife Sharon were particularly involved with the interior of Slipstream , incorporating elements such as a 4.5-metre totem pole, a nod to the couple’s Canadian heritage that was carved in British Columbia by a Native American who Sharon had visited. The artist has also designed a totem pole for Buckingham Palace. There’s Aboriginal artwork throughout the yacht too, a nod to Australia, and the design process was “more about fun than practicality”. In the end “it all came together”, says Cowin, “and every time we go on the boat, we’re quite proud of it”.

Not that the couple have spent much time on board alone. “In 20 years, we’ve probably only had the boat to ourselves for a couple of nights,” he says. “Some people probably like the peace and quiet of their own company. But I get off on being around people that I like.” And so, when she’s not being chartered, Slipstream plays host to a whirling carousel of guests, including Cowin’s four children and their 12 grandchildren.

Coronavirus, however, has made them realise that they can’t use the yachts, currently based in Europe, in the same way as if they were based in Australia – it’s too expensive to keep travelling over, and at present, restrictions mean Australians can’t leave the country without special permission anyway. It’s prompted them to bring Silver Dream back to Australia, and Cowin is hopeful that she’ll still host plenty of charter guests too, as the market slowly grows.

Certainly, this once-hesitant owner is now a convert to the yachting lifestyle himself, with two beautiful vessels in his possession and a potential third on the way. “We had a close call at a boat show in the past 12 months,” he says elusively, “but as we progressed closer to getting the contract, coronavirus had just come in, so we just kind of put that on hold. I’m not sure whether I have a new boat left in me, but I may…”

Slipstream is managed for charter by Burgess

First published in the December 2020 edition of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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James Packer Is Already Selling His 108m Benetti Superyacht For Nearly $300 Million

Billionaire casino king James Packer has listed his 108-metre (354 foot) Benetti superyacht IJE for sale after just three years of ownership. The listing popped up on the website of superyacht brokers Burgess yesterday with an asking price of €175 million (roughly AU$282 million).

IJE is the longest motor yacht ever built by the Italian shipyard and takes its name from Packer’s three children – Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle. It was delivered to the casino magnate in late 2019.

You’d suspect, however, for these transactions to occur in private, which isn’t what we’ve seen overnight with Burgess and the listing of IJE .

The yacht can accommodate up to 22 guests across her 3,600 GT interior and features a gym, cinema, day club, salon and spa. The owner’s quarters include a massive freestanding bathtub and an office.

Two custom 14-metre tenders are stored on her foredeck along with eight jet skis, and two fold-out terraces sit above the waterline to allow for a full-beam beach club from port to starboard. Twin MTU engines can send her to a top speed of 18.5 knots across a range of 6500 nautical miles. Interestingly, while cruising, IJE is powered by an entirely electric propulsion system.

IJE will be on display at the Monaco Yacht Show, which will run from September 22nd-25th.

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Below Deck Loses 2 Crewmembers After a Firing and a Dramatic Season 11 Departure

Below deck 's capt. kerry titheradge fired the first season 11 yachtie during the bravo series' march 18 episode, but that wasn't the only shocking departure. find out who else left the yacht..

The  St. David  is down not one, but two crewmembers.

During Below Deck 's March 18 episode, Captain Kerry Titheradge  fired the first season 11 yachtie when he let Bosun Jared Woodin go for unprofessional behavior, the last straw being an inebriated Jared barging into Stew Barbie Pascual 's cabin the night prior and yelling at Deckhand Kyle Stillie for leaving a mess of loose tobacco on the deck after a night of partying. 

"This is the second time you've gone on the piss and you've had bad behavior," Kerry told his subordinate. "You're in a leadership role. You can't be acting like that. You gotta be above the fray. The way that you're treating these guy is not acceptable."

But it wasn't just the alcohol that was the problem, as Kerry noted Jared's mental state wasn't where it needed to be. "You've got s--t going on, man," he shared. "You're your own worst enemy right now. You need to depart the vessel."

However, Jared agreed his head wasn't in the right place and accepted his termination graciously.

"This ain't the right place for me at the right time," Jared replied, to which Kerry responded, "I don't blame you for that. Take this time and work on yourself. Me keeping you here is a disservice to you."

Before departing the super-yacht, Jared reflected in a confessional, "I thought I was in a good headspace coming into this. I'm really not. And as much as I'd like to be I'm just lying to myself."

But Jared wasn't the only teammate to set sail during the latest episode. Stew Cat Baugh willingly left the ship after admittedly struggling with the job all season long.

"I really wanna push through for you guys," Cat, in tears, told Chief Stew Fraser Olender after receiving a very distressing call from a friend back home in America. "I'm just losing my mind right now."

And Fraser totally understood his crewmember's needs.

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"If you're in a very unhappy place," he told her, "I'd rather you put your health and your mental health before that and we get you the help you need as soon as we can."

In a confessional, Fraser elaborated, "I don't know what is going on, but you can look into someone's eyes sometimes and see that there is no more that they can give. They are going through enough to be incapable and I need to do what's right for her. "

See how the crew copes with the unexpected departures when Below Deck airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Bravo. And keep reading to look back at the most shocking Below Deck firings ever.

If there's one thing to learn from Camille Lamb 's Below Deck firing, it's to not slack off on the job. That's exactly why the season 10 stew was let go by substitute Captain Sandy Yawn , as Chief Stew Fraser Olender continued to criticize Camille's behavior on board.

From being caught drinking while preparing for a new charter to partying at late hours and more, Fraser informed Captain Sandy that he had reached his "last straw."

"She's the common denominator in all of this," said Captain Sandy. "Great girl, great personality, but at the same time, we have to do what's best for the boat."

Below Deck Adventure 's Kyle Dickard was let go just three episodes into the reality franchise's latest series—which premiered in November 2022. After picking fights with his fellow deckhand Nathan Morley —as well as kissing crew mates in front of guests—Kyle was offered by Captain Kerry Titheradge the opportunity to resign so that his firing would not end up on his personal record.

Kyle took the Captain up on his offer and left the boat after just one charter.

Captain Sandy let bosun Raygan Tyler go during season seven of Below Deck Mediterranean ,  not only for causing the boat to  take a small hit while docking, but also for not stepping up to the plate as a leader.

But Captain Sandy didn't want her firing to discourage the bosun, as she told Raygan, "If I had the time and I wasn't running a boat this size, I would train you. I would teach you."

In addition to onboard romances and failing to follow directions , one of the biggest reasons behind stew Elizabeth Frankini 's Below Deck firing was her infamous laundry room accident , during which made a toxic mess when combining bleach and laundry soap.

"Unfortunately, I didn't know that was so toxic and I feel so bad about it," she told E! News of the incident in December 2020 . "You know, I do feel really bad, especially 'cause Francesca [ Rubi ] did say, 'Take it outside.'"

The bosun and stew were both fired by Captain Jason Chambers for inappropriate behavior after a night of partying with their fellow yachties.

Luke Jones was let go after getting into Stew Margot Sisson 's bed naked while she was drunk and unconscious. Laura Bileskaine also made unwanted advances on Deckhand Adam Kodra despite him telling her he was not interested in hooking up.

Jason made it known that consent was a must, and sent both crewmembers packing.

Tensions between stew Lexi Wilson and Chef Mathew Shea came to a head during an explosive dinner fight on season six of Below Deck Mediterranean , during which Lexi told Matt that his parents "should've aborted you." That was the last straw for Captain Sandy, who fired her not long after the incident.

Deckhand Tom Pearson said "bon voyage" to Below Deck Sailing Yacht after getting let go by Captain Glenn Shephard . Tom hit his last strike with the Captain after failing to report that the boat's anchor was dragging during heavy winds one night, causing a potential safety risk for everyone on board.

"It had to be done. It was such a grievous thing that he dropped the ball there, he had to go, and we had to just be man down and live with it, you know?" Captain Glenn said of the decision  on Watch What Happens Live. "So, obviously, you don't want to do that, but yeah, it had to happen."

Some people are picky eaters, but Below Deck Down Under' s Ryan McKeown was quite the picky chef, as he would judge guests'  food requests  and fail to take  criticism from Captain Jason Chambers , as well.

Perhaps Ryan's Below Deck exit is one of the franchise's most memorable, as he mooned Jason and viewers on his way off the boat.

Below Deck Down Under stew Magda Ziomek 's firing was another case of slacking on the job. After constantly being on her phone texting or video chatting with her boyfriend, Chief Stew Aesha Scott decided to replace Magda before the end of the charter season.

Below Deck Mediterranean 's Peter Hunziker was fired from the series in June 2020 after he shared an offensive post on social media.

"Peter Hunziker of Below Deck Mediterranean has been terminated for his racist post," Bravo wrote in a statement at the time. "Bravo and 51 Minds are editing the show to minimize his appearance for subsequent episodes."

Chief Stew Hannah Ferrier was let go by Captain Sandy on Below Deck Mediterranean after boson Malia White discovered her co-star possessed undeclared Valium and a vape pen, the former of which Hannah claimed was for her anxiety.

"If I could do it all over again, I would've just declared them as soon as I came on board," Hannah stated in an August 2020 interview with E! News. "It was definitely not something that was intentional. I wasn't trying to hide anything.

Below Deck Mediterranean 's Delaney Evans left just as quickly as she arrived. After initially being brought on during season six to help out Chief Stew Katie Flood , Katie determined that Delaney was doing more harm than good, choosing to let her go after just one charter.

"I think she was overwhelmed with the situation, and I think that, you know, in her mind, the best solution to the situation was just to go back to what they had before," Delaney told Bravo Insider of Katie's decision. "I think she was just overwhelmed with everything that was going on and all the feedback she was getting."

Deckhand Shane Coopersmith was a bit in over his head on season eight of Below Deck , as he was let go for failing to know basic skills, reporting late for duty and taking naps on the job.

Chaos in the kitchen led to Captain Lee Rosbach letting Chef Leon Walker go on season three of Below Deck . After an oven fire broke out , Lee placed the blame on Chief Stew Kate Chastain but was ultimately the one sent home.

Like several of the franchise's stars, Below Deck 's Chris Brown  was fired  during season five for failing to fully perform his duties. After being let go by Captain Lee, Chris shared some parting words as he left the boat, stating , "Who gives a s--t?"

Chef Mila Kolomeitseva was fired by Captain Sandy on season four of Below Deck Mediterranean after failing to use her cooking skills to produce top-quality food for guests—including some not-so-nice nachos .

"Of course it makes me feel awful," Mila said of her departure . "People like me who have big egos sometimes have to be put down to earth a little bit. But it makes me feel like I want to work even harder."

Sometimes people just don't work well together. That's exactly why Captain Lee fired Chandler Brooks during season six of Below Deck , telling the boson, "I don't think it's a good fit."

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

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