Few yachts carry a story like Christina O. Launched in 1943 and reborn in 1954 as the private yacht of Aristotle Onassis, this 99.13 metre classic has hosted heads of state, film stars and royalty across seven decades, and she charters today with that history fully intact. A comprehensive refit completed in 2020 brought her systems, safety and comfort up to modern standards while carefully preserving the craftsmanship and detailing that made her name. The result is rare: a genuine piece of maritime history that still cruises, entertains and performs the role she was rebuilt for.
She is, above all, a yacht built for gathering. The main deck opens onto the celebrated mosaic pool that rises at the touch of a button to become a dance floor, ringed by generous space for dining under the stars. Forward, the original bar keeps its lapis and hand worked detailing intact, a room that has hosted more legendary evenings than most hotels. Inside, warm wood panelling, deep sofas and a measured rhythm of saloons, a formal dining room, a library and a piano lounge are laid out for long, unhurried days at sea, each space flowing into the next.
Accommodation is generous by any measure. Christina O sleeps up to 34 guests across 17 staterooms, among them a full beam master and a series of suites finished in the same collected, considered style. Cabins are calm and private, with sitting areas, natural light and bathrooms detailed in marble and polished timber. Several suites carry their own studies and dressing areas, and the layout keeps guest, owner and crew movement discreetly separate. A crew of 38 runs the yacht with the quiet precision her guest list has always asked for.
Life on board reaches well beyond the saloons. Teak sun decks are laid with loungers and shaded seating, a spa pool sits aft, and a dedicated wellness room offers massage and treatments between swims. The tender and toy inventory supports a full programme on the water, from quiet mornings to active afternoons, and the aft deck moves easily from a private breakfast to an evening reception. Her scale gives every group its own corner, from sunrise coffee in solitude to a party for a hundred guests spread across the decks.
As a cruising platform she is unusually capable for a classic. Twin diesels give a cruising speed of 15 knots and a top speed of 19, with a range that suits genuine passage making rather than short coastal hops. She spends her summers along the French Riviera and her winters in the Caribbean and Bahamas, at home equally on the Cote d Azur and among the islands. Wherever she anchors, her profile is unmistakable and her welcome is the same.
What sets Christina O apart is not any single feature but the combination: authentic provenance, the volume of a far larger modern yacht, and a layout shaped by decades of real entertaining. She rewards a charter that lingers, moving slowly between anchorages while the days stretch out on the water. Her decks were made for company and her saloons for conversation, and few yachts afloat offer the same sense of occasion.
