Giant yacht docked in St. John’s harbour
Aquijo's 90-metre-high masts tower above nearby buildings
Rumours about what celebrity might be in town are circulating around the St. John's waterfront as onlookers tried to get a glimpse of a large yacht moored in the harbour Thursday.
Some are speculating that Mel Gibson might be aboard the Aquijo, but no one Saltwire spoke with on Thursday, June 13, has been able to confirm or deny that.
The vessel, built in 2016, is an 87-metre-long and 15-metre-wide ship that carries the Cayman Islands flag.
The ship's masts tower above nearby buildings downtown and are 90 metres tall – tall enough that this worldtravelling yacht needs to go around the Panama Canal.
According to the Marine Traffic app, it spent the last four days travelling to St. John's from its last port of call in Burgeo.
Other recent ports of call included Halifax in late June, where it spent two days in port; Boston, where it was docked from June 14 to June 20; and Newport, Rhode Island, where it departed from on June 13.
An August 2021 story on the Aquijo by International Boat said the vessel was built as a collaboration between Tripp Designs and two Dutch shipyards – Vitters, which is well-known for its experience in high-performance sailing yachts but had never built anything to that scale before – and Oceanco, which has experience in the engineering and construction of 80-metre-plus motor yachts.
Images of the inside of the ship show a raised owner's cabin with a rear-facing bedroom offering 270-degree views; a beach club and spa that can be used while sailing, including the Jacuzzi; and multiple bars and seating areas. The inside is designed using teak and teal themes throughout.
The ship can reach maximum speeds of 16 knots and maintains a cruising speed of 12 knots.
According to Yachtcharterfleet.com, the ship offers accommodation for up to 12 guests in seven suites comprising a master suite, three VIP cabins, one double cabin, one twin cabin and one cabin that can operate as a twin or double. There are 14 crew members.
The ship is rented out, and rates start in the summer at CA$661,000 per week in the low season and soar to CA$808,000 per week in the high season.
The Aquijo is reportedly currently owned by German billionaire Juergen Grossman, founder of the GMH Gruppe.
It's reportedly worth $100 million and costs $10 million to run annually.