Silvio Berlusconi passed away on 12 June, and his life has always been of interest: a long career as an entrepreneur, Prime Minister four times, media mogul, leader of political parties and owner of football teams. Not to mention the investigations, conflicts of interest and scandals. But over the years, one of the things that intrigued many were his boats.

PRINCIPESSA VAIVIA

Silvio Berlusconi owned two yachts built by Tuscan shipyard Perini Navi. The first was the Principessa VaiVia, a 40.4 metre sailing yacht with a steel hull, aluminium superstructure and teak decks, built in Viareggio in 1991. The design was based on the 46 metre platform by Perini, with modifications to optimise everything into a smaller size.

Berlusconi decided to name the ketch, originally called ‘Marisa’, with his daughter’s nickname, ‘Principessa VaiVia’. After many cruises around the Mediterranean, he accepted an offer to purchase the boat from his friend and business partner, Ennio Doris, who bought the boat but did not change its name, apparently so as not to displease the entrepreneur.

The Principessa VaiVia sailing yacht can accommodate up to eight passengers in four suites, in addition to the eight crew members. It has two 407 HP Caterpillar diesel engines (3406TA), allowing it to comfortably sail at 10 knots and reach a maximum speed of 12 knots. It underwent a refit in 2011 and was then available for charter.

MORNING GLORY

Another luxury sailing yacht that belonged to Silvio Berlusconi was the Morning Glory. This sailing yacht was longer than the previous one (48 metres), built in 1993 by Perini Navi with aluminium superstructure and steel hull. The vessel can hold 10 passengers and 7 crew members, and reach maximum speeds of 14.8 knots.

Morning Glory was already famous before it became Berlusconi’s, because its first owner was publisher and television producer, Rupert Murdoch. The elegant sailing yacht was recently refitted lasting five months: the Lusben shipyard repainted the hull, replaced the generators, and refurbished the teak among other things.

NOT JUST SAILING YACHTS

The image of Silvio Berlusconi as a yachtsman is mostly tied to his sailing yachts, but, in addition to small motorboats, his family also owned the Sweet Dragon, a 21-metre Magnum 70 motoryacht built in the United States. Among Berlusconi’s many passions, there was certainly a love of the sea, inherited by his son Pier Silvio Berlusconi, owner, in turn, of a number of yachts.