Owners & Personalities12 March 2026
The private yachts of Aristotle Onassis
A working record of the vessels linked to Onassis, what is documented in shipyard and registry material, and where the popular account outruns the evidence.
Journal
Research and writing
Articles on yacht history and the sources behind it. Each piece states what is documented and what remains unverified. The entries below are sample editorial content.
Method27 February 2026
What makes a yacht historically significant?
Significance is rarely about size. Design authorship, surviving original material, documented events and continuity of record matter more.
Yacht History9 February 2026
From working ship to private yacht: the great conversions
Frigates, corvettes, trawlers and ferries have all been rebuilt as yachts. The conversion record often survives better than the original build record.
Shipyards & Designers21 January 2026
The Clyde shipyards and the steam yacht era
Yard order books, launch registers and photographic collections remain the primary evidence for British steam yacht construction before 1939.
Lost Yachts4 January 2026
Reading the record of lost yachts
Loss reports, insurance filings and survey notes are uneven sources. Reconciling them is often the only route to a defensible account.
Provenance18 December 2025
Provenance chains and the problem of renaming
A single hull may carry six or more names. Establishing continuity requires registry numbers, not marketing histories.