Maltese Falcon changes hands

Built by venture capitalist Tom Perkins, the Maltese Falcon is the largest private sailing yacht in the world, so rumours of its sale were bound to send the luxury yacht market into paroxysms of speculation.

Now it can be revealed that this fabulous yacht’s purchaser is Elena Ambrosiadou, founder of the hedge fund, Ikos Partners. Having paid $120 million for the Maltese Falcon, Ms. Ambrosiadou could be forgiven for adopting a proprietary attitude towards her new purchase, but she seems content to regard herself as merely its caretaker.

Those who, like Ratty in Wind in the Willows, enjoy messing about in boats but lack the inclination to own one can charter the Maltese Falcon from Burgess for a mere $580,000 (roughly 378,000€) per week.

Since August, when the yacht changed hands, speculation about Elena Ambrosiadou has been rife, most notably the origin of her vast fortune. Media reports dating from 2008 claim that the Greek hedge fund manager was the highest paid woman and wealthiest entrepreneur in Britain. The British press estimated her net worth last year at £200 million, although sceptics claim that she must be considerably wealthier than that to be able to part with $120 million for her floating toy.

Financial experts claim that Ms. Ambrosiadou, whose fund strategy is based on computer trading models, has since moved her fund to Cyprus to avoid Britain’s tax increases and more stringent rules for non-domiciled residents.

Reports allege that the Maltese Falcon’s new owner has no experience of sailing, although the yacht incorporates a computer capable of controlling the craft, so this should pose no problem.

And, with her large fortune, affording a few lessons shouldn’t pose a problem either.

Some high-end properties near the Costa Blanca marinas in Spain:

- Stylish luxury property in Altea, Alicante, Spain.

- Exceptional modern luxury home in Denia, Alicante, Spain.

- Luxury estate with stunning sea views in Javea, Alicante, Spain.

New post on at Tuesday, 1 December, 2009, 10:19 am and is archived in Lifestyle, Luxury, People. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or make a trackback from your web.