99m Iconic Hollywood Motor Yacht Christina O Newly Listed
By Nick Jeffery
The iconic 99.1-meter motor yacht Christina O has joined the open market for the first time with Tim Morley of Morley Yachts.
Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Maria Callas, Richard Burton, John Wayne, Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy are some of the names that have walked on her decks or sat at her bar – the latter built from the wood of a sunken Spanish galleon ship.
Christina O was originally delivered by Canadian Vickers in 1943 as an anti-submarine vessel and served in the D-Day landings in Normandy, France. Naval architecture is by Professor Cãsar Pinnau and Howaldtswerke while exterior design is by Costas Carabelas. Her most recent refit was in 2022.
The superyacht was converted by Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis, the second husband of Jackie Kennedy. Onassis bought her at scrap value and then spent $4,000,000 on her rebuild; approximately $50 million in today’s terms. Her original interior is by Apostolos Molindris.
Recent beneficial owners include John Paul Papanicolaou, who spent some $50,000,000 restoring her, then a syndicate of Irish businessmen, set up by the late Ivor Fitzpatrick, who invested substantially in a comprehensive refit before putting her on the charter market.
Two of her most talked-about features over the decades are a mosaic-tiled, saltwater swimming pool that converts to a dance floor and the whale foreskin-upholstered bar stools which surround Christina O's rope-covered bar, colloquially termed Ari's Bar. The footrests are made of whale teeth, which also line the circumference of the bar as a convenient place to hang a handbag.
Christina O accommodates a large party of 34 guests in 17 cabins, refurbished in similar décor to that originally selected by Jackie Onassis. Her rich interior still contains the Steinway piano that Frank Sinatra and Maria Callas used while visiting, while the Onassis suite boasts an onyx fireplace and Baccarat crystal lighting. The yacht's glamorous circular staircase also has a vintage onyx and silver handrail.
There are quarters for up to 39 crew, though the broker pointed out that she can make coastal cruises with up to 157 guests on board.
A total of 5,500hp is provided by twin MAN diesels, giving Christina O a cruising speed of 15 knots and top speed of 19 knots. The 1802GT yacht for sale has an impressive range of 12,000 nautical miles at 10 knots. Her inventory includes two Hacker Craft Prestige varnished tenders, taking eight guests each.
Lying in Nice, France, Christina O is asking €90,000,000.