Eilean (yacht)

Eilean

Nation	Italy
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

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

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

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

• Drum (yacht)

References

1. Long, Mark (May 29, 2013). "Object of Desire: The Restored Yacht Eilean". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
2. Heyman, Stephen (May 4, 2012). "Duran Duran Sails Back to 'Rio'". T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
3. Ellwood, Mark (October 17, 2017). "Duran Duran video yacht rescued by luxe watch CEO". New York Post. News Corp. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
4. "On board Duran Duran's icon: Panerai's Eilean docks in London". www.boatinternational.com.
5. "My Atlantic crossing on Fife ketch Eilean". Classic Boat. April 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
6. "Eilean's new era: Panerai's restored yacht". Wallpaper*. 11 Nov 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
7. de Burton, Simon (12 June 2010). "Sponsorship: A fresh chapter in Panerai's emotional link with the sea". Financial Times. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
8. Nika, Colleen (3 May 2012). "Duran Duran Toast to the Glamour of 'Rio,' 30 Years Later". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 February 2019.

External links

• "Eilean" website
• "William Fife Eilean" Classic Sailboats.