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Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Oyster's Seductive New 805 Sailing Yacht Revealed At UK Private View
Edging ever closer to the luxuries normally found on contemporary power yachts, this new 805 supersailor from Oyster Yachts whispers seductively in luxury's ear. It beckons those who demand authentic value for their investment, delivering rare and exclusive pillars of luxury: durability, craftsmanship, quality, and design. It is also rare, as the yachtbuilder releases between 20 and 30 yachts per year. At the London event, Oyster announced the 805 from the elegant St. Katharine Docks in early May during a Private View that also featured the Oyster 565, 595, 675, and 885 SII. Nicely fitting between Oyster's 745 and 885 Series II, the first 805 is expected to splash in 2027. A UK brand, leading the 50 to 90 foot range of luxury sailing yachts for more than 50 years, Oyster was acquired in 2018 by UK software entrepreneur Richard Hadida, moving the revered brand from a precarious financial position to a solid place of ownership with strong sales attributed to Oyster's reputation for quality sailing yachts. Torsten Müller-Ötvös, previous CEO at Rolls-Royce, was named Strategic Advisor, as announced at the London event. The 805 follows the form and function Oyster is known for, including the efficient plumb bow that slices through water better than raked designs, while creating a more spacious interior below deck. Another Oyster signature, the extended bow, allows the yacht to carry more sail area for faster passagemaking and cruising, easily handling code zeroes, spinnakers, and storm jibs. Also an Oyster feature, the flush, skyscape windows on the clean teak deck keep the lines defined and flowing while delivering natural light to the salon and guest spaces below. The 805 measures 83 feet in length with a beam just over 21 feet and a draft of between 11.2 feet on the standard keel and 8.7 feet on the shoal keel. The 805 is designed with a full-beam master cabin aft, with two additional guest cabins to port and starboard and one forward, all en suite, accommodating eight guests. The design can be customized to various layouts. The dual helm stations are placed a little further forward than most, offering improved views for the helmsmen. A slightly lowered helm position deck on the footing area, angled on the port and starboard sides of each helm, allows for a sturdy foot position when heeling. New wing stations to both port and starboard sides give guests and crew a great view of the path forward. A large aft deck with twin stair access to the swim platform emphasizes the spaciousness of the aft end of the yacht. On the 805's foredeck, a recessed tender well doubles as a casual lounge at anchor, when the tender is docked at the large, twin access swim platform. The center cockpit is fitted with an integrated daybed, transforming to an alfresco dining area. The cockpit can be fitted with a solar Starlight Bimini providing generous shade. A productive study in space and line, this bluewater cruiser displays Humphreys Yacht Design defined by a long, sleek profile, punctuated by three sets of three vertical windows interspersed with large horizontal hull ports. That continues the light, bright look of the saloon and guest cabins. Customization allows owners to prioritize the use of four guest cabins to their liking, designing for things like a gym, an office, or a library. That fourth cabin can also serve as part of an open space plan by day, converting to a cabin at night via a concealed door. The salon configuration can also include a day bar for convenient refreshment. Powered by a Cummins turbocharged B4.5 250, the engine operates at 186 kW (250 hp) at 2600 rpm. The sail area measures 3,721 square feet, including the 105 percent foretriangle, with the sail plan adjusted for choice of keel. Air draft measures 121'78" excluding antennae. Connected technology is supplied via Oyster Command™, an intuitive CZone digital switching system that integrates navigation, entertainment, and black box monitoring systems. Oyster Command™ controls all main systems, infotainment, satellite, WiFi options, and a dedicated home office via touchscreen or on the Oyster App. Delivery dates are currently scheduled at 26 months from date of order. Designed for performance without compromise, Oyster Yachts pride themselves on building yachts with robust engineering and powerful sail plans using vigorous sail handling systems. The luxurious interiors on this Oyster Yachts 805 a most comfortable bluewater passagemaker suited to long, intrepid adventures, but no one says it can't also be used for a leisurely afternoon sail. Either way, the 805 seems up to the task.
The Sun
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The seedy underbelly of luxury yachts, where billionaires get escorts to whip them on deck and openly take cocaine
STANDING on the deck of a £500,000 extremely luxurious 'floating palace', I thought I was going to throw up. Not because I was out at sea and couldn't find my sea legs but because I was witnessing a fully grown man in his fifties sucking on a baby's dummy. 6 6 6 Worse still, instead of normal underwear he was proudly wearing a nappy and the woman beside him had been tasked with changing it. It's a strange world when you're seen as the lucky one because your job is simply to wash the dummies and feed the man his milk. It was just one of many shocking sights I witnessed during the five or so months I worked onboard a luxury yacht as a stewardess last summer. And one of the reasons why I'll never go back, despite being paid an eye-watering fortune in tips, up to £7000 a week for each charter. From liaisons with sex workers on deck to cocaine binges and used condoms left lying around, nothing was off limits. It truly was an eyeopener and one I'm in no rush to repeat. I was working in a low paid job as a waitress when a friend first introduced me to the scene in March last year. She raved about the pay - the salary and tips combined were around £8000 for the season - and although she did warn me that it could be seedy onboard, nothing could've prepared me for the reality. First, I underwent a week-long training course in Spain which involved learning fire drills, evacuations, water survival and first aid. It cost around £2000, my mum covered the cost, and then I was ready for my baptism of fire, literally thrown in at the deep end. I was already on board with three other female stewardesses when the owner, a 60-year-old oligarch, joined us. The demands came thick and fast: 'Find me three escorts for me and two friends at our next port.' he barked. "I want blue eyes, blonde hair, slim and classy looking, nothing trashy – we want the girlfriend experience.' With no clue where to start one of the other girls who had made similar arrangements before, guided me through it. We found an escort agency - who seemed very familiar with the request - and the women were paid £2000 each, per day. The day they arrived, I met them on shore to bring them onto the four-bedroomed luxurious yacht. They were stunningly beautiful and seemed so comfortable I knew it wasn't their first time. 6 6 6 Not only were they expected to have sex onboard but they were there to look decorative too - the filthy rich men loved to show them off when the boat moored in different locations for dinner at night. And this wasn't just a one off. When that rental ended after a week, the men who hired it next made similar requests - sometimes swapping women daily for their pleasure. Nearly all the men were very rich businessmen, none of them were instantly recognisable, and a couple of DJs. The jobs the hired women were expected to do were horrific and I still get flashbacks to the adult baby scenario I was unfortunate enough to witness. The woman, a sex worker, didn't flinch as she dutifully performed her job of swapping one nappy for another. Neither did another escort who had to chase one of the men round the boat with a whip. These men had no morals. Aside from hiring women they'd also arrange their own – influencers or models, dripping with diamonds and designer gear. Some of the more reserved types brought along their wives or girlfriends, all ridiculously stunning. Once during my stint onboard we sailed from Marbella to Ibiza and the businessman who had hired the yacht took his wife one way and swapped her for his girlfriend on the return leg. I was paranoid that I'd get their names mixed up. Sometimes they even brought both the wife and girlfriend on board and I recall the captain telling one very good-looking male crew member that it was fine to sleep with the oligarch's wife, but touching his girlfriend was forbidden. The wives just turned a blind eye, presumably because they loved the lifestyle so much to risk losing it. Regardless of who they were with, these men had no qualms about having sex on deck, including group sex. 'Humiliating' Often fuelled by cocaine - they'd openly take drugs in front of us - the men would ogle the crew girls and 'accidentally' touch our breasts and bottoms far too often. Truthfully - and wrongly - we put up with it, because the tips were so good. We certainly earnt our tips too – the work was back breaking - and we had to be up at 6am, well before the passengers, if they'd planned an early breakfast. First, we had to clean all the decks and lay the tables to perfection. Breakfast would be full of exquisitely prepared fruit platters, all the pastries you can possibly imagine as well as cold meats and cooked breakfasts. The options were endless and champagne was on tap. One of my most humiliating moments was when a guest spat out the food he didn't like and demanded I clean it up. Each day was exhausting both mentally and physically. We'd often be working into the early hours before collapsing into our bunk beds, waiting for the morning to start all over again. Being a yacht girl is a thankless task, and all the money in the world wouldn't be enough to entice me back for another season Yacht crew member The jobs were degrading too, these men had no shame. Sex toys and used condoms were left on the bed, and crew girls like me were expected to clean the toys before putting them on the bedside table. When I reflect, it turns my stomach, and when I stopped being revolted and came to think that what I was doing was 'normal', I knew my work on board was done. I haven't gone back since and now I'm happily back working as a waitress while I save up to go to university, no longer treated like a skivvy. Being a yacht girl is a thankless task, and all the money in the world wouldn't be enough to entice me back for another season. My feet are staying firmly on dry land from now on.
