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Bayesian Yacht Sinking: Climate Change Created Perfect Storm for Waterspouts

Image may contain Nature Outdoors Storm Tornado Boat Transportation and Vehicle

The waterspout blamed for the deadly sinking of a luxury superyacht carrying the British tech billionaire Mike Lynch in Italy has been called a freak “black swan” event. But scientists believe this kind of marine tornado is becoming more common with global warming.

While the cause of the sinking of the Bayesian hasn’t officially been determined, weather conditions and witness reports from Sicily, where the yacht was anchored off the coast, have led experts to suspect a waterspout, a whirling column of air and water mist. The key factor for waterspout formation is warm water—and the past year has seen the ocean surface heat up to record-breaking temperatures , in part due to climate change.

“If this rate of warming is going to be continuing in the future, it’s very possible these phenomena will be common and not rare,” says Michalis Sioutas, a meteorology PhD who studies waterspouts in Greece and is a board member of the Hellenic Meteorological Society. “It’s very possible to talk about waterspouts or even tornadoes and extreme storms becoming common.”

The 180-foot Bayesian sank in a matter of minutes after being caught in a sudden storm with strong winds and intense lightning at around 4 am on Monday. Fifteen people who had been aboard were rescued, and one person was found dead. Six people are missing, including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, who was recently cleared of fraud charges over the sale of his company to Hewlett-Packard. On Wednesday, the bodies of five people were recovered from the sunken ship but have yet to be identified.

Fishermen saw a waterspout near the yacht shortly before it sank, and a nearby schooner was tossed about by what its captain, Karsten Borner, called a “hurricane gust,” which he believes capsized the Bayesian . Experts have said the conditions were ripe for a waterspout.

This extreme weather phenomenon occurs when warm, moist air rises rapidly over water, spinning as winds change direction at different heights. The result is a long, bending funnel of spray between the water and the clouds, tapering off as it rises as much as 10,000 feet into the heavens.

It comes in two flavors. The more vanilla kind is a fair weather waterspout , which forms in relatively calm and even sunny conditions, often under a billowy cumulus cloud. It happens more often in places like the Great Lakes and the Florida Keys, reaches wind speeds of 50 miles per hour, and usually breaks up before it can cause significant damage.

Then there are severe waterspouts, essentially tornadoes over water, which “are another beast” entirely, according to Wade Szilagyi, a retired forecaster at the Meteorological Service of Canada who now directs the International Center for Waterspout Research. These tornadic waterspouts can move from land to water, or vice versa, and twist at 125 miles per hour or more. They’ve been known to throw debris, rip apart buildings, and overturn boats.

A waterspout documented by Sioutas in Methoni, Greece, in 2004 picked up a boat and sent it sailing through the air, striking and killing a 10-year-old boy. Last year, a sudden storm and waterspout with winds of over 40 miles per hour overturned a tourist boat carrying off-duty intelligence agents on Italy’s Lake Maggiore, killing four. Sioutas says waterspouts can even generate “massive water displacements similar to tsunamis,” citing the gigantic waves that struck the coast of the Greek island of Samos during a 2004 cyclone, tossing boulders like toys.

Tornadic waterspouts spring up only in stormy weather with strong winds, lightning, and sometimes hail, and are the product of two main ingredients: wind shear and rising, unstable air. The process begins when masses of cold and warm air collide. This brings together winds from different directions that start to spin around each other, creating vortices. If a thunderstorm also converges in the area, it can provide the instability, sucking warm air up into itself at dizzying speeds. Over water, it starts carrying moisture up as well. Szilagyi compares the waterspout’s development to a twirling figure skater.

“You can think of the skater, if she just spins around normally, that’s like the little vortex that’s already started,” he says. “But if she brings her arms in, then that’s like the column of that unstable warm air, pulling, stretching that vortex upward. She starts to spin faster.”

Waterspouts have been known and feared since ancient times. In the 1550s in Malta, a waterspout plowed through the harbor of Valletta, reportedly destroying an armada of warships and killing hundreds of people. It’s even thought that old stories of fish or frogs raining down on land may be the product of waterspouts sweeping the creatures up into the clouds.

Now global warming may be supercharging the phenomenon. The International Panel on Climate Change has not found a definite link—there hasn’t been much research into how climate change may be affecting waterspouts—but experts say that the conditions for waterspouts to form are happening more often. A 2022 study of 234 waterspouts in the Spanish Mediterranean over the past three decades found that they were more likely to break out when the sea surface was warmer, especially above 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit). And water temperatures are now at unprecedented levels.

Last year was the warmest on record for the ocean. The heat content of the upper 6,500 feet of the seas was the highest ever seen. The seas broke temperature records every single day between May 2023 and May 2024. Marine heat waves struck areas from Antarctica to the Mediterranean.

“Warmer oceans have more energy and more humidity to transfer to the atmosphere, the most important fuels for storms,” says Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society. “The contrast of warm sea and colder air that flows over energizes vertical winds that could result in downbursts or waterspouts.” (A downburst is a powerful cascade of wind and rain from a thundercloud.)

That perfect storm of waterspout conditions hit Italy around the time the Bayesian sank. In recent days, a mass of high-level cold air has swept down from the Alps and over the country’s western coast, meeting the exceptionally warm air just above the sea surface. Four days before the Bayesian went down, sea surface temperatures were the hottest ever recorded across the Mediterranean Sea, with a daily median of 28.71 degrees Celsius. The ocean near where the Bayesian was anchored has reached almost 30 degrees Celsius this week, four degrees higher than the 20-year summer average, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Cold and warm air clashed. Winds started spinning, and overheated water provided the ingredient of instability needed for a waterspout outbreak. As a result, a total of 28 waterspouts were documented off the western coast of Italy from August 17 to August 20, according to the International Center for Waterspout Research.

The total number of waterspouts reported has been increasing in recent years, although a major factor has been that more people are able to capture them with phone cameras and post them on social media, Szilagyi says. But he says that warming waters and a longer waterspout season due to climate change are also contributing. In particular, he believes the number of severe waterspouts are on the rise.

“With the increased water temperatures, that’s probably resulting in more frequent tornadic waterspouts,” Szilagyi says. “There’s no scientific evidence yet that they’re getting even stronger. It’s just that they’re becoming more frequent.”

Warming sea waters are also expected to boost other extreme weather events like Mediterranean hurricanes, or “medicanes,” one of which contributed to the flash flood that killed thousands of people in Libya last year .

In this brave new world, countries need to improve early-warning systems and invest more in research to forecast and observe trends in waterspouts, scientists say. “We have to prepared for more dangerous waterspouts possibly in the future,” Sioutas says. “Significantly warmer waters contribute very significantly to the creation of waterspouts, especially the violent ones.”

Updated 8-22-2024 1:15 pm BST: A previous version of the story stated that the ship’s mast had snapped; this detail has been removed as damage to the mast has not been confirmed.

3 speed records smashed by Comanche

Comanche breaks the transatlantic speed record.

Sailing superyacht Comanche has set a new record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean after completing her latest Transat on July 28.

The 30.45 metre carbon-fibre yacht sailed from New York’s Ambrose Lighthouse to the UK’s Lizard Point in 5 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds. This new speed record for a sailing monohull, which is subject to ratification, shaves 27 hours off the previous fastest time previously set in 2003 by Mari Cha IV (which has since been refitted and renamed Samurai ).

Prior to Comanche ’s departure from New York on July 22, skipper Ken Read, president of North Sails, said: “We have been on standby for a few weeks now and have almost left on three separate occasions since the end of June. But now the right conditions have presented themselves.”

Read’s media commitments at the 2016 America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth meant he could not be on board for the record-breaking crossing. In his absence, Comanche ’s crew was led by Casey Smith.

The success of Comanche – the sailing yacht built to win – follows her second place finish at the 2014 Sydney Hobart race .

This Transatlantic speed record is just the latest in a remarkable series of records broken by Comanche .

Comanche sets a new 24-hour distance record

The Transatlantic speed record comes 12 months after Comanche set a new 24-hour distance record for monohulls. The record was broken during the 2015 Transatlantic Race after Comanche covered 618.01 nautical miles in 24 hours.

Her average speed was recorded as 25.75 knots, on the cusp of some strong southwesterly winds in the North Atlantic. The 24-hour distance record has since been ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

Comanche sets a speed record at Les Voiles de St Barth

After she failed to win the 2014 Sydney Hobart race on her maiden regatta, the first half of 2015 saw Comanche come into her own and deliver in every conceivable way.

In an April showdown with a fleet of some of the world’s finest sailing yachts at Les Voiles de St Barth 2015 , Comanche established a speed record in the Maxi I class with a time of 2 hours, 33 minutes and 4 seconds, taking all line honours in her division.

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Comanche sets new trans-Atlantic Record - Video of the Finish

Mission complete - Comanche - Trans-Atlantic record - July 24-28, 2016 © Yann Riou

Yachting World

Digital Edition

100ft supermaxi Comanche looks set to confirm a new monohull 24 hour distance record

Harriett Ferris
July 14, 2015

Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark's 'speed-monster' Comanche sailed 620nm over a 24-hour period to scoop the record

The new world sailing speed record for the greatest distance covered by a monohull in a single 24 hour period is now 620nm (subject to ratification by the World Speed Sailing Council). The previous mark was set seven years ago in the Volvo Ocean Race.

The 100ft supermaxi, built for no other purpose than record breaking , looks set to be called the fastest monohull in the world after an incredible perfomance in the Transatlantic Race .

Conditions lent themselves to a record-attempt with a long stretch of strong wind and reasonably flat sea, following a frustrating period of light airs.

Designed by Guillaume Verdier and VPLP Architects and launched in late 2014, the yacht put in an impressive perfomance in the Sydney Hobart Race but narrowly missed out on the top spot, taking 2nd place in her first appearance on the racecourse.

Comanche finished the 2,800 mile race at 01:49 GMT on Monday 13th July, sailing from Newport to Plymouth in a startling 7d 11h 35m 11s .

(The only boat to complete the course in an even shorter time was the MOD 70 trimaran Phaedo3, with an elapsed time of 7 days, 2 hours, 4 minutes, 9 seconds. Watch their incredible video here )

Comanche’s skipper Ken Read sent in this report from onboard:

“What started off as a very frustrating light air Transatlantic Race 2015 has turned to gold for all of us aboard Hodgdon’s 100 foot super-maxi Comanche. Approximately 1300 miles out of Newport, Rhode Island in the North Atlantic we set up underneath an approaching low pressure. We’ve had a phenomenal stretch of strong wind and reasonably flat sea which has propelled us to what we believe is a new record for the greatest distance covered by a monohull in a single 24-hour period.”

COMMENT: Launched: the fastest monohull ever?

GALLERY: Super-maxi Comanche, a yacht so beamy she’s christened the Aircraft Carrier

After jibing to starboard about midnight EST on July 9th navigator Stan Honey and I had a long talk about the chance that we had a possible weather and race course window that may give us a run at the 24 hour record. The previous 24-hour monohull distance record was set by Ericsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 race. They covered 596.6 nautical miles (1104.9 km) during Leg 1 between Alicante, Spain and Cape Town, South Africa with an average speed of 24.85 knots (46.02 kilometres per hour)

Comanche was built with the ability to sail the boat using only human power, allowing the boat to qualify for record attempts like this. Stan and I decided at that time to sail the boat during the entire time period surrounding any possible 24 hour record in the manual power configuration that the WSSRC requires. Turns out this was probably our best decision of the race so far!

The 20 person crew aboard couldn’t be more proud of this achievement. A special thanks to Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark, the designers, the builder – Hodgdon Yachts – that helps manage this amazing campaign. And of course thanks to Comanche for seriously having some jets.”

Follow the tracker for the Transatlantic Race and see the rest of the fleet’s progress here

Watch Comanche in action below:

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Comanche Crushes Atlantic Record

Just a week after Rio100 broke Mari Cha IV ‘s Hawaii race record in the Pacific Cup race, another record formerly held by the famous 139-foot yacht has also fallen — this time in the Atlantic Ocean. Jim and Kristy Clarke’s 100-foot VPLP-designed super-maxi Comanche has knocked more than 1 day and 3 hours off of Mari Cha IV ‘s west-to-east transatlantic record for monohulls, dropping the reference time to an astounding 5 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes 25 seconds. As has become the norm for the all-conquering American-owned and American-built racing yacht, Bay Area native Stan Honey was calling the shots as navigator. He put the boat in the right place at the right time to benefit from the best possible conditions on the leading edge of a low-pressure system.

Having been on standby for much of the summer, and nearly leaving on three separate occasions, the team decided to pull the trigger and depart New York in the late afternoon on July 22 to make the most of the promising weather window. Once they got out to sea, conditions did prove ideal, with strong breeze from a good angle and flat seas: perfect record breaking conditions. The world-class crew of 17 sailors had several fill-ins, as key crew members, including skipper Ken Read and helmsman Jimmy Spithill, were in England for an America’s Cup obligation. Even without them, the crew sailed the boat flawlessly and reportedly encountered no equipment failures and very little drama along the way. At 12:19:41 UTC on July 28, Comanche passed Lizard Point (UK) to complete the 2,880-nautical-mile route and claim the record. (To become official, the new benchmark must be ratified by World Sailing Speed Record Council.)

Navigator Stan Honey explains the magic of the weather window that allowed them to smash the record by not just hours, but more than a day, "There are only about two weather windows a year where a monohull can make it all the way across the Atlantic in one system, and we found one of them. Beating this record by more than a day is above my expectations and I am delighted."

The power-reaching conditions and transatlantic record-setting scenario are almost exactly what Comanche was built for. With this record, she has now taken line honors in every race entered but one: her first Sydney Hobart. But she now holds a Sydney Hobart line-honors victory (2015), the 24-hour monohull speed record and four ocean records.

Just under eight days: Comanche sets record for RORC Transatlantic Race

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Jul 27, 2016

100-FOOT COMANCHE ON ITS WAY TO BREAKING TRANSATLANTIC SAILING RECORD

Comanche, the 100-foot supermaxi owned by Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark and built at Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine is well on the way to breaking the current West to East transatlantic monohull sailing record. It is being estimated that the boat and crew of 17 will arrive at the finish line on Thursday, July 28 just before 1100 EST. Comanche has been sailing at an average speed of over 21 knots.

"A fantastic weather window has opened up for Comanche to take on the Atlantic," said Ken Read, prior to departure. Ken is Comanche's normal skipper who is not currently on board due to prior commitments. "We have been on standby for a few weeks now and have almost left on three separate occasions since the end of June, and each time we have had to piece together a different team based on who is available, before the weather fizzled out and shut down those attempts. But now the right conditions have presented themselves."

"Since being launched from Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine, USA at the end of 2014, Comanche has been such a success thanks largely to her talented sailors, passionate owners, and of course a tremendous design by Guillaume Verdier / VPLP Design and build by Hodgdon Yachts in collaboration with the owner's build team," said Timothy Hodgdon, President of Hodgdon Yachts. "In 2015 she set the 24-hour monohull speed record and won line honors at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. This year she set the Newport Bermuda race record , breaking the previous record by almost 5 hours. Comanche is currently on track to break the transatlantic monohull record, which will be an amazing additional accomplishment."

The current monohull transatlantic West to East Record is 6 days, 17 hours, 52 minutes, and 39 seconds and was set in 2003 by Mari-Cha IV. It is being estimated that Comanche will finish in 5 days, 14 hours. The route is around 2,880 nautical miles and goes from Ambrose Lighthouse (New York) to Lizard Point (UK).

To follow the progress of Comanche, please visit the Yellow Brick tracker .

Comanche on Transatlantic Record Setting Pace

Published on July 27th, 2016 by Assoc Editor -->

(July 27, 2016) – Comanche, the record-breaking 100ft yacht owned by Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark, looks set to conclude their transatlantic record bid at Lizard Point (UK) on Thursday July 28. The latest ETA puts the Supermaxi at the finish point around 12 PM UTC (1 PM BST), which would see the experienced crew secure another major ocean record.

As of 21:20 UTC, Comanche was 458 nm ahead of the record pace.

In 2015, Comanche set the 24 hour monohull distance record of 618 miles as they raced across the Atlantic (at an average speed of 25.75 knots).

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The boat is sailing with only 17 crew and with all manual powered winches and hydraulics for this record attempt:

Casey Smith (AUS), Boat Captain Stan Honey (USA), Navigator Tony Mutter (NZL), Trimmer Dirk de Ridder (NED), Main Trim Chris Maxted (AUS), Boat Crew Jon von Schwarz (USA), Grinder Juggy Clougher (AUS), Bow Julien Cressant (FRA), Pit Nick Dana (USA), Bow Pablo Arrarte (ESP), Runners Pepe Ribes (ESP), Bow Peter van Niekerk (NED), Trimmer Phil Harmer (AUS), Grinder Richard Clarke (CAN), Runners Robert Greenhalgh (GBR), Main Trim Shannon Falcone (ATG), Grinder Yann Riou (FRA), Media

Note : With Comanche skipper Ken Read committed to TV commentating at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth, England, over the weekend, the world class crew is led by experienced sailors Casey Smith, Tony Mutter, Richard Clarke and Navigator Stan Honey. Due to other commitments, Comanche is also missing regular crewmen Kelvin Harrap, Warwick Fluery, Jimmy Spithill and Ryan Godfrey.

Tags: Comanche , records , World Sailing Speed Record Council

Turning the hull of a really big boat →

Getting smaller for record attempt →

New elapsed record for Chicago Mackinac Race →

Crossing the ocean in a 21-footer →

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Thursday, october 20, 2016, comanche has the north atlantic record.

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Is Warner Music Really Achieving ‘Strong Subscription Streaming Growth’? We Crunched the Numbers to Find Out
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Warner Music Group Acquires Moscow-Based Zhara Music — Creates ‘Atlantic Records Russia’ Overnight

Addressing the buyout and the establishment of Atlantic Records Russia in a statement, Bahh Tee said: “EMIN and I have been on an incredible journey since we founded Zhara less than three years ago. We knew fans loved our music and were hungry for new discoveries, but even we were surprised by how quickly things took off!

“Becoming part of the Warner Music family will help take our support for our artists to the next level both here and internationally. It’s a landmark day for me and my colleagues – we’ve really come of age.”

Alexander Blinov stated in part: “I’m delighted that Bahh Tee has agreed to launch Atlantic Records in Russia – connecting the world renowned brand to a whole new generation of artists from across Russia and beyond. It’s going to be a wild ride!”

Last July, Spotify expanded into Russia and 12 other European countries , and the Stockholm-based streaming service said in its Q3 2020 earnings report that the nation of over 144 million residents had “been our most successful new market launch to date and represented the largest portion of subscriber outperformance for the quarter.”

Plus, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) revealed in its Global Music Report yesterday that the European music industry had grown by 3.5 percent in 2020, against 9.5 percent growth for Asia (which would have turned in an astonishing 29.9 percent YoY growth if not for the comparatively modest expansion experienced by Japan, the second-largest music market in the world).

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UNICS vs. CSKA: Only One Will Remain

The last two unbeaten teams in the VTB League meet in Kazan.

Where: Basket Hall (capacity 7,000)

When: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK), December 10, 2017

TV: Nash Sport, VTB-League.com

Face to Face UNICS and CSKA have a long history of battling for top seeds and playoff championships. Over the years, the Army Men have dominated the series, enjoying a 75-17 advantage across all competitions. Within the VTB United League, CSKA has a 15-2 edge.

Last season, Dimitris Itoudis’s club won twice in the regular season. The teams also met in the 2016 playoff finals with the Red-Blues picking up a 3-1 series win. It’s also the last time UNICS was able to record a victory vs. the Army Men.

Looking Back

Intrigue Despite a poor head-to-head record, Moscow is Kazan’s #1 rival. Every game vs. the Army Men is circled in red months in advance and the fans are eager for a chance to take down the reigning champs. This year, the stakes are especially high. It may take a minor miracle to defeat unbeaten CSKA, but after the dramatic win over Khimki last week, anything seems possible in the Tatar capital.

These are the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the League. CSKA is 7-0 and UNICS 6-0, including wins over Zenit, Khimki and Lokomotiv-Kuban. On Sunday, Kazan will try to collect one more scalp from the League’s Big Five.

It goes without saying that Sunday’s winner will take over 1st place in the League as well as pole position in the race for the #1 playoff seed.

Balance of Power CSKA and UNICS both played in Europe this week, taking down Bamberg and Levallois, respectively. The Army Men are in 1st place in the EuroLeague; Kazan has qualified for the next round of the EuroCup.

Injuries, though, have been a concern for CSKA. Leo Westermann has been out since November, and both Andrey Vorontsevich (ankle) and Othello Hunter (hip) missed the game in Germany.

UNICS made a change on its roster, replacing Martins Meiers with Senegalese forward Maurice Ndour, who’s expected to provide more power under the basket.

Coaches Dimitris Priftis may not have as many stars at his disposal at Dimitris Itoudis, but his team is unselfish, compensating for lack of talent with smart, disciplined play. The Greek boss was able to lead his team to a victory over EuroLeague side Khimki and coach Georgios Bartzokas last week. Now he’s facing another fellow Greek, Dimitris Itoudis, who’s earned a reputation as one of Europe’s finest basketball minds. Priftis and Itoudis will have a big impact on Sunday’s game.

Duel Quino Colom vs. Sergio Rodriguez.

Here’s another match-up to watch as two of Spain’s top playmakers duel on the Basket Hall court. Colom recently took Rodriguez’s place on the Spanish national team, impressing in two November appearances. He’s been on fire ever since, and will try to prove he can hold his own against his compatriot face to face. As for El Chacho, he’s always ready to go. The clash between Spanish playmakers will bring some heat to a bitter, cold Russian winter.

Quotes UNICS head coach Dimitris Priftis: – CSKA is an elite European team. The Army Men are very tough to play against because they can attack at any moment and in any situation. They truly play team basketball, especially since many of the players have been on the team for a long time under the same coach.

On defense, our opponent is physical, but also smart and knowledgeable. It will be a very tough game and we need to be focused for all 40 minutes and play our best.

CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis: – Another tough game with a strong opponent awaits us. On the road, your energy is especially important, not to mention your concentration and motivation.

Targeting super yachts owned by Russian oligarchs could hit a nerve in Moscow

Poor transparency around ownership of assets can cause challenges, experts say.

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With sanctions levied and financial assets seized, Russian oligarchs have been scrambling to get their super yachts out of Western ports in search of safer harbours.

One yacht, said to belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, abruptly left port in Hamburg, Germany, just weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted wide-reaching sanctions. Others were not so quick to leave European ports.

Authorities in La Ciotat, on France's Mediterranean coast, seized a yacht they say is linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Igor Sechin, the CEO of state oil company Rosneft. He was Russia's deputy prime minister from 2008 to 2012.

Canada slaps sanctions on Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich
Analysis With Russia pressing on and Ukraine digging in, how will Putin's war actually end?

Industry watchers say oligarchs everywhere are trying to keep their yachts from being taken.

"There's a few yachts that we are watching at the moment in the Atlantic," said Sam Tucker, head of super yachts at the firm VesselsValue, which tracks and estimates the value of these giant luxury yachts.

"I'm expecting some of them to start doing U-turns in the middle of the ocean," he told CBC Radio's Day 6 .

Western countries have imposed a punishing package of sanctions and export control restrictions on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Russia's biggest banks were hit, as was the country's central bank. Major state-owned companies and some of the country's wealthiest individuals have seen overseas assets frozen.

The investment bank JP Morgan Chase believes Russia's economy will shrink 35 per cent in the second quarter of 2022 and seven per cent for the entire year.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki says the suite of sanctions is meant to make every aspect of life difficult on Putin and the oligarchs who protect him.

"What we're talking about here is seizing their assets, seizing their yachts and making it harder for them to send their children to go to colleges and universities in the West," Psaki said in a briefing this week. "These are significant steps that will impact the people who are closely around President Putin."

<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Putin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Putin</a>´s Yacht "The Gracefull" inbound Kaliningrad from Hamburg in anticipation of future sanctions due to the conflict in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ukraine</a>. <a href="https://t.co/qdhAUhCH1m">pic.twitter.com/qdhAUhCH1m</a> — @GDarkconrad

Symbolic target

The yachts themselves are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but experts in Russian sanctions say this isn't just about the dollar value.

"They don't have much value compared to the total net worth of an oligarch," said Bill Browder, a long-time advocate for stiff sanctions against Russian oligarchs, in an email to CBC Radio.

But they are "a highly symbolic attack on something coveted by the oligarchs."

These ultra-luxurious ships became a status symbol for the oligarchs as they amassed fortunes in the 1990s and early 2000s.

"There is a bit of oneupmanship," Tucker told Day 6 . He says the biggest and most expensive ships are cloaked in secrecy. They have extreme privacy and security features, including bulletproof glass, and some require crew to sign non-disclosure agreements.

But Tucker says the biggest security and privacy feature of all is the opaque ownership structure of the yachts. He says precious little information about who actually owns these ships is available.

"[Only] basic information is disclosed — for example, the registered owner — which is often a shell company or a 'special interest vehicle' registered in Monaco, Malta, [or the] Cayman Islands," he said.

Untying those knots is a notorious problem, but one usually confined to taxation issues.

"One thing that I think may come out of this whole situation is the increased call for transparency and transparent ownership," said Tucker.

Yachts on the move

So far, only four super yachts have been seized, including a 213-foot yacht owned by Alexei Mordashov in Imperia, Italy.

While authorities sift through the byzantine paper trail of ownership, other oligarchs have scrambled their crews to get the yachts to somewhere safe.

"One of the things I've been trying to figure out is, where do they go [next]?" asked Alex Finley, a former CIA officer living in Barcelona, in an interview with As It Happens host Gillian Findlay .

This week, Finley tweeted photos tracking a ship said to be owned by Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who owns the Chelsea Football Club.

Anxious Russians flee by the hundreds each day into neighbouring Finland

"A lot of these yachts that we've been looking at are heading towards the Maldives or the Seychelles. A few are in Montenegro, but they look like they're probably going to be on the move," Finley said in the interview .

Here you can see the sterns of both Aurora and Valerie, and in the other pic, the empty slip where Solaris used to be (which is the size of the empty hole in my heart). 7/ <a href="https://t.co/Luvj5vyWXp">pic.twitter.com/Luvj5vyWXp</a> — @alexzfinley

Neither the Maldives nor the Seychelles signed onto the sanctions, so the ships are probably safe from seizure there. Another major hub is Dubai.

"I think we're going to see Dubai as a big hotspot for these yachts," said Tucker. "It has hot weather all year round and … Russians can fly to Dubai without going through the EU airspace."

Tucker agrees that targeting the yachts is a symbolic move.

"It's really sending the message that they aren't untouchable. We've closed the skies on both sides of the Atlantic so their private jets can't operate, and now we're going after their super yachts," he said.

"I'd be feeling quite vulnerable if I was an oligarch right now."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Senior Business Reporter

Peter Armstrong is a senior business reporter for CBC News. A former host of On the Money and World Report on CBC Radio, he was previously a foreign correspondent and parliamentary reporter for CBC. Subscribe to Peter's newsletter here: cbc.ca/mindyourbusiness Twitter: @armstrongcbc

Interview with Sam Tucker produced by Rachel Levy-Mclaughlin