Here’s where the ultra rich flock with their yachts to ring in the New Year
The island of St Barths has long been the go-to for owners looking to celebrate the New Year in style, and, after a lull in 2020/21, the superyacht fleet returned in force as the clock ticked over into 2022.
According to data provided by BOAT Pro‘s Global Fleet Tracker, there were 93 yachts over 24 metres in length that celebrated the start of 2022 moored off the Western coastline of St Barths – an increase of 15 from the previous year.
With numbers bouncing back to pre-pandemic figures, some of the biggest vessels to drop anchor this year include the 165 metre Blohm + Voss superyacht Eclipse, Feadship’s 99 metre Moonrise, and the Bremer Vulkan superyacht Le Grand Bleu.
Elsewhere, the 80 metre Abeking and Rasmussen superyacht Excellence, owned by Herb Chambers, and the Ulstein Verft-built Olivia O, stood out among the rest for the unique design of their bows.
As well as some classic yachts, such as the newly refitted Nero and Christina O, the island also welcomed a number of newcomers. The 38.15 metre Emocean was delivered in 2021 and is the first fruit of the Italian shipyard Rosetti Superyachts. Resilence, another newcomer, was delivered in 2021 by ISA Yachts and has remained relatively secretive since hitting the water.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Bezos and partner Lauren Sanchez, plus Drake were just a few of the A-list names who partied at club king Richie Akiva, Ernesto Bertarelli, and Darren Dzienciol’s New Year’s Eve bash on the ritzy island.
We hear the night started with a dinner at Akiva’s, but then moved to Swiss billionaire Bertarelli’s $150 million, 315-foot yacht, Vava II, at around 1:30 a.m.
“Going Bad” rapper Meek Mill performed, while Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul got into the DJ booth to party while he played.
Mill, according to News Zoom Click, is staying on Rubin’s yacht while in town.