Investigation in Megayacht Mishap

The bigger the boat, the bigger the ground tackle, and the bigger the ground tackle the bigger the potential for environmental damage. At least that seems to have been the case on January 14 when billionaire Paul Allen’s 303-ft yacht Tatoosh reportedly destroyed 14,000 square feet of "protected" coral reef in the Cayman Islands — an area a third the size of a football field. 

A statement from Allen’s Seattle-based company, Vulcan, explained that the yacht’s anchoring position was "explicitly directed" by local port personnel. His crew claims that they relocated the yacht immediately when alerted by a diver that Tatoosh’s chain was damaging coral. Allen’s people are said to be cooperating with local authorities as an investigation into the incident continues. One report claims that 80% of the coral in that section of the environmental preserve was damaged. 

The sad irony to this report is that just last year Allen pledged ongoing support to "stabilize and restore coral reefs" through Vulcan’s philanthropic efforts. It is unclear whether Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, was aboard at the time of the incident. Like many of the world’s most expensive yachts, Tatoosh is registered in the Cayman Islands.