NORDIC STAR – A PIECE OF HISTORY One of the many appeals of this classical yacht among the huge variety of yachts on offer, is the distinct character. One of these yachts is 37.2m Nordic Star, built in 1978 by Italian yard CRN, which has a rich history that includes movie stars and more recently royalty. Nordic Star was originally commissioned by actress Virna Lisi, Italy’s answer to Marilyn Monroe, whom Bridgette Bardot once described as “the world’s most beautiful woman.” Lisi was born in Ancona, home to the CRN shipyard, and the yard was the natural choice for her to commission a yacht from.She designed everything to her personal taste, even to the extent that “all corners had to be round”, otherwise her silk stockings would get caught. Following her launch Nordic Star played host to countless numbers of both Europe and Hollywood’s biggest talents over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Anthony Quinn, and Tony Curtis.Nordic Star was Lisi’s place to escape, to entertain, to enjoy. Today, this classic yacht is as beautiful as it was back then. The sheer elegance of her lines – lines that are only possible with a steel hull – is head turning, especially in her current base, which is predominantly home to composite vessels. Lovingly maintained in reinstated original condition, with a sympathetic refit completed in 2012, she is a true classic and one of the few yachts of her age on the market that remains so close to her original design. It has been the passion of her current owner to maintain her and preserve this exceptional piece of history – a classic yacht asset so well preserved that it has actually appreciated in value with every year. Featuring sumptuous Italian fittings, hand carved woods and antique furnishings, to step on board is to step back into a different era. Modern additions such as zero speed stabilizers and powerful entertainment systems ensure old meets new in the best possible way. Nordic Star’s home port offers easy access to both the waters of the UAE and of the increasingly popular cruising grounds of Oman, which offers lush green setting, mountains, trees and rivers, all in contrast to nearby Dubai. Having seen little use other than short cruising trips around the region the yacht is in pristine condition. Despite the passing of time and Nordic Star changing hands over the years, she still welcomes to some of the world’s best-known faces. One example is Prince Harry, who has been hosted onboard, during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix racing at Yas Marina where the yacht has a front row berth always reserved. Courtesy; CRN Archives by Ellie Brade, Superyacht Journalist Owner’s are an elusive breed. Secretive, humble and always modest, despite their obvious trappings of the good life. The Owner of Nordic Star is no exception, however, he was more than happy to welcome Boat Owner on board his glorious 1978 CRN, without a non disclosure agreement in sight. His passion for this yacht is understandable given her beauty and he is more than happy sharing the story, which as it happens, just like a classic movie, is one filled with adventure, sadness, but as always, a happy ending. The Owner’s story starts in London, many moons ago. As an experienced aviator, he never dreamt of becoming a boat owner. Spending his time above the Thames, the pleasure craft below never interested him. At the time, he was giving feedback to Honeywell NASA to develop a newfangled navigation system called Global Positioning System. He was the first to try it in a helicopter and soon became known as a GPS expert. As the system gained popularity, he was contacted by a good friend with a brand new 60ft Sunseeker, who couldn’t work his out. So, out he flew out, configured the GPS and enjoyed the water so much, he asked if he could come on the next trip. And the one after. This went on for 10 years, but the actual boat bug didn’t bite until 5 years ago: “I came to Dubai on a business trip and ended up buying an apartment in the Marina,” said the Owner. “It was here, with the Arabian Gulf only minutes away, I turned to my wife and said: ‘why don’t we own a boat?’ Two weeks later, we did. I don’t muck about!” A Windy diesel bought from Fancy Yacht’s Jyrki was now part of the family and was kept outside the apartment. Built for the Norwegian fjords, it was ideal for the Yacht Club rallies, but a return to Europe for a business trip was about to turn the Owner’s life upside down… He was involved in a serious accident in the South of France. To cut the story short, after waking up in hospital two months later, the Owner, immediately sold his business’ and told the wife: “We’re buying a boat!” Like he says, he doesn’t muck about. With plenty of healing time on his side, he researched the yacht market, with the South of France, Italy and Greece marked as potential boating gold mines. And so, he went on a mission, visiting as many marinas as he could, looking at every type of boat with but one prerequisite: it had to be top class. “I’m classic,” said the Owner. “I don’t care about age, just quality.” The journey ended instantly in Sanremo on the coast of Italy: “I stood on the pontoon, saw the wood through the glass – this is it. Nordic Star is the one.” Following a sea trial, the Owner flew Jyrki over for his advice while commissioning a survey and a mere 7 days after arriving in Sanremo – she was his. To the Owner’s delight, Nordic Star’s history was full and well documented. She was one of the most chartered boats in the Med and the previous Owner had employed a fantastic crew, with an experienced captain, his wife, who was the chef and a Scottish engineer. The Owner had kept her in Italy, close to the spare parts and she was so successful, she was booked a year in advance. However, Nordic Star’s new Owner decided she needed some extra “tender loving care” and left an overhaul team in charge for three months to clean, replace and maintain. Her charms soon had him back though and he lived on board for 3 months: “The more we got to know her, the more we fell in love,” said the Owner, but last year, the time came to bring her back to Dubai. The options were sail or container and they decided to sail. A delivery crew was flown in, but the Embassy advised against it due to the escalation in the Egyptian crisis and the job was left to Peters & May to deliver Nordic Star to Jebel Ali, just in time for her first booking at the F1 in mid October. Nordic Star is now very much at home here, with Walidia Yacht Events organising her expanding diary. The Owner together with Walidia wish to return her to her crown of Queen of Charter, however, as there are only five late ‘70s CRNs left in the world, she doesn’t come cheap, it’s an appreciating asset. For her size, she will probably be the most expensive charter in the UAE. And, as it happens, by far the most exquisite.. NORDIC STAR VIDEO LINK: The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

Want to Trade-In Or Sell Your Used Vessel?

Get a free online trade in appraisal by contacting us online today!