Luxury yacht in town
(Diane Bell, San Diego Union-Tribune, August 13, 2008)
If you told friends you saw a yacht as long as a football field at the Embarcadero downtown, you wouldn't be too far off.
A 252-foot mega-yacht owned by Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Peralta is anchored in front of the County Administration Building. It's the first to visit the port's newly christened mega-yacht anchorage, designed to moor up to eight yachts perpendicularly, but the stop hasn't gone perfectly.
The owner alerted the Coast Guard yesterday morning that the yacht spilled about 30 gallons of diesel fuel. The spill was contained and the Coast Guard was supervising the cleanup.
Next week, the ship will head to the Knight & Carver Yacht Center in National City for a refit.
Yachting Web sites and magazines say the six-deck Princess Mariana, named for Peralta's wife, has a master suite with a wall that opens, turning it into a terrace. It contains five additional bedroom suites, a 13-seat cinema equipped with 1,600 movies, a wine cellar, a 13-meter-long pool and a party deck with a dance floor and grand piano.
Its helicopter pad turns into a driving range where players can hit into a screen that depicts the world's greatest golf courses. All is kept ship-shape by a crew of 23, including three chefs.
Oh, and if you have money to spare, the Princess Mariana is available for charter through for 610,000 euros a week. That translates into more than $1.8 million for a two-week minimum rental.
