5 Biggest Yacht News Stories of the Year

The tales everybody was speaking about in 2025 touched on triumph and tragedy. They additional touched on popular culture. From an accident involving the crew of one of many highest-profile constitution yachts to the bizarre concepts an proprietor has for the way his superyacht ought to function, these are the 5 largest yacht information tales of the 12 months.

Throughout Christmastime 2024, the crew of the yacht Loon was concerned in an accident with one of many yacht’s tenders, Reel Wild. (Information broke after Christmas, with the vast majority of the web page views occurring in 2025.) The tender ran up on rocks in St. Barths, with native media reporting a number of crewmembers going to the hospital. The Patreon account (since deleted) belonging to Loon said that “the state of affairs isn’t as extreme as some media retailers might have portrayed.” Nevertheless, a few of the crew later confirmed on their social media accounts that severe accidents resulted. Moreover, three former crewmembers are suing the captain because of their accidents.

Over time, a number of luxurious yachts have appeared in movies and TV reveals. Though the yachts of Under Deck are perennially a part of conversations, one yacht (above and high) overshadowed all of them this 12 months. The superyacht Savannah starred within the Netflix movie The Girl in Cabin 10. Plentiful scenes happen on deck and all through her decks, in actual fact. Based mostly on critics’ and Netflix subscribers’ critiques, she was the perfect half concerning the film. Filming circumstances have been difficult, to say the least, in response to co-star Keira Knightley. It was chilly, and the forged have been warned to keep away from damaging something. Referring to her expertise with the Pirates of the Caribbean collection, she says, “Filming on the pirate ship is simpler, as a result of you’ll be able to break the pirate ship.”

Onlookers looking for details about Valor made her one of many largest yacht information tales of the 12 months. It’s no surprise they have been curious. Between her gray exterior paint coloration and a big “97” on her bow, the 261-footer (practically 81-meter) doesn’t look typical. She’s definitely not typical, both. Her American proprietor desires to traverse distant, icy areas together with his canines—three golden retrievers, to be precise. In fact, family and friends additionally will likely be in tow. To this point, the yacht has been to locations like Monaco, London, and St. Maarten.

His sudden dying at age 60 and his profoundly optimistic impression on yachting made Capt. Mark Drewelow one of many saddest yacht information tales of the 12 months. He based the non-profit YachtAid International after spending a decade circumnavigating on the helm of a personal yacht. Visiting practically six dozen international locations throughout that point taught him that native communities repeatedly loved interacting with captains, crews, house owners, and company. From offering college provides to medical support and primary wants following pure disasters, YachtAid International coordinated greater than 300 yachts in additional than 25 international locations. Its work continues with Drewelow’s spouse, two youngsters, and colleagues all nonetheless closely concerned in, as its tagline says, “Altering the World With out Altering Course.”

At 364 toes (111 meters), with lodging for 26 company and 37 among the many captain and crew, the yacht Leviathan is, properly, a leviathan. What makes her among the many largest information tales of the 12 months, although, is the truth that “We knew we have been asking for uncommon issues, and Oceanco embraced it with open arms,” says Gabe Newell, her proprietor. For example, each yacht separates crew and visitor leisure areas—each yacht besides Leviathan, that’s. One particularly good instance is the bridge-deck saloon, the place Newell’s buddies and crew can play video video games aspect by aspect. “We adopted a crew-centric method that basically digs into how Leviathan is operated and maintained,” Newell explains. Particularly, he says, “We are able to allow them to focus extra on participating with company and creating significant experiences for everybody.”