‘Meteor’ lands in Bar Harbor

Meteor off Bar Harbor on Oct. 9.

Lobster boats and relatively small leisure craft are a common sight along the Maine coast, but if big boats is what you want – from luxury yachts to cruise ships – Mount Desert Island is a good place to see them in the summer and fall.

Last week, a large schooner called Meteor (shown at right) was anchored in Bar Harbor, off Sheep Porcupine Island. I tried asking around about who the owner is but could not find out.

The boat cuts a striking profile, so it’s not that surprising to come up empty in trying to find out who it belongs to. The incredibly wealthy people who inevitably own ‘superyachts‘ like this one, for some reason, frequently prefer to not to be publicly identified as their owners.

But their desire for secrecy doesn’t always apply to the boat itself. Meteor, for example, has its own website. It is nearly 170 feet long, was built at Royal Huisman Shipyard in the Netherlands, is registered in the Cayman Islands, and launched in May 2007.

Inside, the boat is appointed throughout with mahogany paneling and cabinetry. It has a fireplace, a master cabin, two guests cabins and seven cabins for its crew. In 2009, it was one of seven vessels listed by CNNMoney as “the world’s finest yachts.”

Interested? It’s for sale. All you need to purchase this modern marvel of sailing technology and luxury is a cool $34 million, according to this listing on Superyachts.com (click the link for detailed photos and information). And it is a buyer’s market, apparently. Only three years ago, the asking price was $46 million, according to Luxist.com.

Some of the online mentions of the boat that I have found indicate that Meteor is jointly owned by two families. Anyone with a tip about who either family (or both) might be can email me at btrotter [at] bangordailynews.com

Other superyachts that have been known to make stops at MDI include David Geffen’s 454-foot Rising Sun, Wayne Huizenga’s Floridian, the Rebecca, Malcolm Forbes Sr.’s Highlander, and Scheherazade (shown below), which was built by Hodgdon Yachts of East Boothbay.

Last I knew, Rebecca was owned by billionaire seasonal MDI resident Charles Butt and Scheherazade was owned by multi-millionaire William Stewart, who owns a summer home down the road from Butt’s in Northeast Harbor. I saw Scheherazade in Somes Sound in early August but it also has been listed in recent years for sale for $23 million. Given the frequent secrecy of the ownership of these boats, it is possible Stewart has sold it to another one of his local neighbors. I’ll take email tips about that, too.

Scheherazade in Somes Sound on Aug. 4.

Bill Trotter

About Bill Trotter

A news reporter in coastal Maine for more than 20 years, Bill Trotter writes about how the Atlantic Ocean and the state's iconic coastline help to shape the lives of coastal Maine residents and visitors. He writes about fisheries, marine-related topics, eastern coastal Maine communities and more for the BDN. He lives in Ellsworth. Follow him on Twitter at @billtrotter.