Was That an Oligarch, Cruise Ship, or Megayacht Heading Out of the Bay?
We’re not sure what it is, but Saturday evening after SailGP we were amongst many who couldn’t miss this large yacht(?) heading out of San Francisco Bay. As they approached the Golden Gate, they launched their helicopter off the bow, we assumed to go capture the sunset shot of the yacht heading out beneath the bridge. Did anyone catch the name?
We assume it’s not a Russian oligarch as they’ve had trouble moving freely lately, but we know not all oligarchs are from Russia. This is the time of year we see the occasional megayacht heading north to get the iconic, must-have photo of their yacht in front of glaciers. They have their captains burn hundreds of thousands of gallons of fossil fuels driving them up there so they can get the photo before climate change eliminates the glaciers.
The “small” sailboat to the left is the 65-ft Derek M. Baylis, designed and built by Tom Wylie, one of the most dedicated, environmentally conscious citizens we know. The Derek M. Baylis has brought hundreds of kids out on the Bay through Wylie Charters to teach them about sustainability and protecting the ocean ecosystem. We wish they could take a few oligarchs sailing.
Saw this boat in Puerto Vallarta in April.
The Marine Traffic app is always useful to help ID vessels on the bay… this was the Scenic Explorer. https://www.scenicusa.com/ocean-cruises?infinity=ict2~net~gaw~cmp~10044741545~ag~101180655356~ar~435093426461~kw~scenic%20eclipse~mt~e~acr~8748668653&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu-KiBhCsARIsAPztUF2KvPN8DRymTC0kGVuUX44yYNs8w_6eG2O6Cr8w3z2djdoipj-K35waAnpqEALw_wcB
I caught it on Marine Traffic. Scenic Eclipse. Heading north.
I will add my usual standard observation of all such crafts operated by and for the 1% class:
WRETCHED EXCESS!! I expect reply comments will include how many of the working class is employed during construction and in operation. A recent in depth report published in the New Yorker detailed how they are operated and how crew are treated. (Poorly.) In this age of working toward a sustainable environment for all, mega yachts are not an answer. This is not to say that I do not appreciate the efforts of owners like Beau Vroylic, Commodore of StFYC, in restoring and sharing Mayan with sailors of all ages. Just saying.
There was a 250 passenger cruise ship that entered Humboldt Bay over the weekend according to the red headed blackbelt. AKA Kymkemp.com
https://kymkemp.com/2023/05/07/eclipse-cruises-into-humboldt-bay/
Here is the AIS info: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:5895657/mmsi:311000995/imo:9797371/vessel:SCENIC_ECLIPSE
Depends on where one is standing. A person without a boat thinks a Potter 15 is as much indulgence as a mega yacht to others.
I assume their ports of call see a net benefit to the industries required to maintain and reprovision these vessels. Makes more sense to me than politicians flying around on private jets to get on a stage, lie, wave, and fly back to DC.
If you really want to drill down to excess, anyone who doesn’t feed their family or make their living on a boat doesn’t really ‘need’ one.
Google image search is a useful tool for finding out info like this. Here’s an example.
https://lens.google.com/search?p=ATHekxdZP37Y2zKFPpL4jo0Klpy8gFrXkVyDKeSEu3NOSstsMP57gGjSEOLBMCElZ3By_uCygnC3n9pcBmep9QHigAF9hzJJPaNG81xs6q3v_omKT0vVoc3micyjvu0Msrll_wgDZNqHIL5hyvWQYWV1X4IR88dOdhUnXNBS1OmIZrjsNH2MBNfPamfW-6k-MX9fIVfWAiNcemEW1tmjkpv0_70P56KKh5okiIKJUax7Y-oMSPVI8wDfL-5Ns4SR5d7O5dBvdv30ziJ0gkoBHRrE_ImEdlo758Xx-mMdHliIAU8%3D&ep=gsbubu&hl=en&re=df#lns
We’ve always thought we have a lot to learn but the idea of ‘keeping up’ with all the possible tools makes us increasingly uneasy. The technology is both awesome and creepy at the same time. Does it tell you who’s in cabin 25D and what they had for dinner last night?