For years, the Christina O was the most famous yacht in the world. It was the ultimate floating palace. In its heyday, it was the place to be, Maria Callas fell in love with Aristotle on it, Churchill met with the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Evita Peron on it.
But over the years, the Onassis fortune fell apart, with Christina’s premature death in 1988, and Thierry’s bitter battles with the Greek Board of the Onassis foundations, the yacht fell into disuse, and lost its sparkle of glory. So, what did happen to it?
After Christina’s death, the Onassis companies were in crisis, with no clear leader, they needed to sell of their assets. In 1990, they listed the palatial boat for sale, but no billionaire was willing to pay the ridiculous $16 million price tag, just because of its fabulous heritage.
In 1998, it was purchased by a famous yachting businessman,John Papanicolaou, for an undisclosed amount. Though, money was not the main reason behind the purchase, as he fell in love with the yacht as a toddler.
Thankfully for all us yacht enthusiasts, the yacht is available for chartering, with prices from around $80,000 per day. Modest, for the history that comes with the package, not to mention the whale penis covered bar stools.
