Nation | ![]() |
---|---|
Designer(s) | William Fife |
Builder | William Fife & Son |
Launched | 1936 |
Owner(s) | Panerai |
Specifications | |
Type | Ketch |
Displacement | 50 tons |
Length | 22 m |
Beam | 4.65 m |
Draft | 3.25 m |
Sail area | 301 m2 |
Notes | |
Captain : Andrew Cully |
Eilean is a 70 foot ketch designed and built in 1936 by William Fife.[1] She was built for the Fulton brothers, who were Scottish steel merchants.[2] The yacht was at some time in the 1960s owned by Hartley Shawcross, who sold her to a yacht charter business in English Harbour, Antigua.[2]
"Rio" music video
[edit]She is perhaps best known for featuring in the music video of the 1982 song "Rio" by British pop band Duran Duran.[3] The band chartered Eilean from a charter company in Antigua,[4] and the music video features footage of the band singing and playing around on the yacht as she speeds across the Caribbean Sea.
Subsequent damage
[edit]Shortly after the filming of the "Rio" music video, Eilean collided with a ferry, breaking her mizzenmast. She then sunk on her mooring whilst waiting for repairs.[4]
Panerai restoration
[edit]In 2006, Angelo Bonati, the CEO of Italian watch manufacturer Panerai[1] saw the boat in English Harbour in a state of disrepair.[5] Bonati arranged for the yacht to be restored.[6] The boat was sent to a shipyard in Italy for restoration.[3] She was re-launched in 2009 as part of an advertising campaign for the Panerai brand.[7] In 2012, some members of original Duran Duran lineup were present when Eilean was included in a "classic yacht regatta" in Antigua.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Long, Mark (May 29, 2013). "Object of Desire: The Restored Yacht Eilean". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ a b Heyman, Stephen (May 4, 2012). "Duran Duran Sails Back to 'Rio'". T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ a b Ellwood, Mark (October 17, 2017). "Duran Duran video yacht rescued by luxe watch CEO". New York Post. News Corp. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ a b "On board Duran Duran's icon: Panerai's Eilean docks in London". www.boatinternational.com.
- ^ "My Atlantic crossing on Fife ketch Eilean". Classic Boat. April 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ "Eilean's new era: Panerai's restored yacht". Wallpaper*. 11 Nov 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
- ^ de Burton, Simon (12 June 2010). "Sponsorship: A fresh chapter in Panerai's emotional link with the sea". Financial Times. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Nika, Colleen (3 May 2012). "Duran Duran Toast to the Glamour of 'Rio,' 30 Years Later". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
External links
[edit]- "Eilean" website
- "William Fife Eilean" Classic Sailboats.