- Billionaire has to watch Steve Jobs' old yacht crash into his ship
Fate in Slow Motion: A video posted by Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas on his Instagram account shows a very slow but presumably expensive accident at sea. Off the coast of Naples, the famous yacht "Venus," built by Steve Jobs before his death, collided with Salinas' yacht, "Lady Moura." The accident occurred at the end of July, and the "Venus" currently belongs to Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of the Apple founder.
In the video, loud shouting can be heard as the "Venus" slowly but inexorably approaches the "Lady Moura." However, the shouts seem to go unheeded, and after what feels like an eternity, the ships crash into each other and bounce apart. The video ends with a second impact and a despairing "Noooo." It's notable that while the crew of the "Lady Moura" is constantly shouting, there seems to be no one on board the Steve Jobs yacht, as there's no reaction from it.
Ricardo Salinas, the owner of the yacht that was rammed, posted the video on his Instagram profile with a rather crude caption: "You won't believe it, but we were hit by a yacht while we were in Naples. I tell you... the yacht of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple (now his wife Laurene's), hit us while we were anchored off Naples."
Ricardo Salinas is furious
He continues: "I'd like to know what the captain and crew were doing that they didn't see a yacht of that size coming. The good news is that there's no more than a scratch, but it's a big scratch that will cost a lot to repair, ha ha ha ha. So, buy Apple products in my stores to cover the costs of this little prank."
Then, Salinas becomes a bit incoherent: "Here's the video, so you can see that there's no shortage of assholes (literally "pendejos", note by the editor) in the world and understand how important it is to have a responsible and attentive captain at the helm! Anyway, let's continue enjoying our vacation days."
Even yacht expert "Esysman", who has been in the industry for over 20 years, has recently looked into the accident. The question of how such a collision at sea could happen is indeed puzzling. He explains: "It seems that both ships were anchored. You can see the chain in the video. Only after the collision does the 'Lady Moura' move from its spot. The 'Venus' seems to have been uninhabited, as the furniture was covered and the antennas on the roof weren't spinning. That's a sign to me that no one was on the bridge."
"But what happened?", asks "Esysman", and continues: "It seems that the 'Venus' was pushed into the 'Lady Moura' by a very strong wind. The two ships were likely too close to each other. It's very easy to watch the video and jump to conclusions, but one must remember that these ships are not cars that you can just turn the key and drive off."
Esysman concludes that the "Venus" was apparently unguarded and the circular paths around the anchor were too close together or even overlapping. Due to the "swinging" of ships, i.e., their movement on the anchor chain, large yachts like these need enough space to avoid collisions with other objects when the wind changes their position - the so-called circular paths. The miscalculation of these is a clear mistake that the crew of the last-arriving ship should have avoided.
In the case of the accident, there were reportedly very strong winds off Naples, causing the "Venus" to likely reach its maximum circular path. The line was not broken, as it is visible under tension in the video.
In the specialist magazine "Boat International", there is now an explanation of the case from a source familiar with the incident. This confirms the sudden change in wind direction that likely set the "Venus" in motion. However, it also states that its chain was "twice as long as one would expect at the depth where the ship was lying".
Expert "Esysman" does not provide a prognosis of the actual cost of the damage - nor does he address the question of blame. Based on the Instagram post by Salinas, the owner of the "Lady Moura" seems relatively sure of who to blame. However, Esysman's explanation also hints at possible errors by the other ship, as the circular path may not have been correctly assessed - the "Venus'" excessively long chain would naturally have significantly altered the result of this calculation.
It is unlikely that the two billionaires will continue to drag this dispute into the public eye, and we may never know who caused the accident. Fact is, both yachts appear to have suffered no major damage, as both the "Lady Moura" and the "Venus" are currently underway, according to tracking service "Marinetraffic", neither is in dock or headed towards a shipyard. The "Venus" is currently off the west coast of Corsica, while the "Lady Moura" is cruising around Crete.
Ricardo Salinas expresses his frustration over the incident, stating, "I'd like to know what the captain and crew were doing that they didn't see a yacht of that size coming. This is a big scratch that will cost a lot to repair." Later, reflecting on the incident, Salinas muses, "It's a reminder of the vulnerability of even the most luxurious vessels and the importance of vigilance at sea, lest we end up as mere statistics in the cold, unforgiving waters - another grim tale of a shipwreck, a lesson in fate, and a chilling reminder of the specter of Death that lurks beneath the tranquil surface of the sea."
