Pity the poor Talitha G crew. They’re used to the warm temperatures and sunny skies of the Caribbean this time of year, working a busy charter schedule, but instead, they’re shivering on land as their floating home is being torn to pieces in Germany.
Talitha G, launched in 1930 and in the hands of the famed Getty family for several years now, is undergoing a major refit, which thus far has included gutting the crew area and removing her famous twin funnels (see above). But unlike the interior, the framework of which remains intact, the funnels aren’t being put back. They’re being replaced by somewhat smaller ones. Pictures from the megayacht’s own Web cam show Talitha G’s top deck encased in metal frameworks that appear to form a roof. When yacht-spotters around the world discovered the stream from the Web cam, they shrieked in horror on Power & Motoryacht’s Megayachts forum, fearing the classic cruiser was going to get an entirely new deck layout that would destroy her timeless appeal. Their fears were laid to rest by Dickie Bannenberg. The son of the late Jon Bannenberg (who oversaw the yacht’s last major reworking from 1990 to 1993) and a designer in his own right is involved in the project.
As for the yacht’s crew, I fear the cold has nearly done them in. Having enjoyed their Web site bios (quite funny) and blog for a while, I know they have a terrific sense of humor. But putting the yacht’s funnels up for auction on eBay? Quick, ship these guys and gals to warm temperatures to thaw out!
The bidding was open for about a week. Despite the fact that people will spend money on pet rocks and other crazy items, not one offer came through. Too bad, because, as the crew wrote, “these funnels have circumnavigated the globe. They have been pooped on by Blue Footed Boobies, battered by tropical cyclones, and stroked by movie stars.”
And who wouldn’t want a piece of that?
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