5 Biggest Yacht News Stories of the Year

The stories everyone was talking about in 2025 touched on triumph and tragedy. They further touched on pop culture. From an accident involving the crew of one of the highest-profile charter yachts to the unusual ideas an owner has for how his superyacht should operate, these are the five biggest yacht news stories of the year.

During Christmastime 2024, the crew of the yacht Loon was involved in an accident with one of the yacht’s tenders, Reel Wild. (News broke after Christmas, with the majority of the page views occurring in 2025.) The tender ran up on rocks in St. Barths, with local media reporting multiple crewmembers going to the hospital. The Patreon account (since deleted) belonging to Loon stated that “the situation isn’t as severe as some media outlets may have portrayed.” However, some of the crew later confirmed on their social media accounts that serious injuries resulted. Additionally, three former crewmembers are suing the captain due to their injuries.

Over the years, multiple luxury yachts have appeared in films and TV shows. Although the yachts of Below Deck are perennially part of conversations, one yacht (above and top) overshadowed them all this year. The superyacht Savannah starred in the Netflix film The Woman in Cabin 10. Abundant scenes take place on deck and throughout her decks, in fact. Based on critics’ and Netflix subscribers’ reviews, she was the best part about the movie. Filming conditions were challenging, to say the least, according to co-star Keira Knightley. It was cold, and the cast were warned to avoid damaging anything. Referring to her experience with the Pirates of the Caribbean series, she says, “Filming on the pirate ship is easier, because you can break the pirate ship.”

Onlookers trying to find information about Valor made her one of the biggest yacht news stories of the year. It’s no wonder they were curious. Between her grey exterior paint color and a large “97” on her bow, the 261-footer (nearly 81-meter) doesn’t look typical. She’s certainly not typical, either. Her American owner wants to traverse remote, icy regions with his dogs—three golden retrievers, to be exact. Of course, friends and family also will be in tow. So far, the yacht has been to places like Monaco, London, and St. Maarten.

His sudden death at age 60 and his profoundly positive impact on yachting made Capt. Mark Drewelow one of the saddest yacht news stories of the year. He founded the non-profit YachtAid Global after spending a decade circumnavigating at the helm of a private yacht. Visiting nearly six dozen countries during that time taught him that local communities regularly enjoyed interacting with captains, crews, owners, and guests. From providing school supplies to medical aid and basic needs following natural disasters, YachtAid Global coordinated more than 300 yachts in more than 25 countries. Its work continues with Drewelow’s wife, two children, and colleagues all still heavily involved in, as its tagline says, “Changing the World Without Changing Course.”

At 364 feet (111 meters), with accommodations for 26 guests and 37 among the captain and crew, the yacht Leviathan is, well, a leviathan. What makes her among the biggest news stories of the year, though, is the fact that “We knew we were asking for unusual things, and Oceanco embraced it with open arms,” says Gabe Newell, her owner. For instance, every yacht separates crew and guest leisure areas—every yacht except Leviathan, that is. One especially good example is the bridge-deck saloon, where Newell’s friends and crew can play video games side by side. “We adopted a crew-centric approach that really digs into how Leviathan is operated and maintained,” Newell explains. Specifically, he says, “We can enable them to focus more on engaging with guests and creating meaningful experiences for everyone.”