The iconic yacht "Christina O", which once belonged to Aristotle Onassis, was photographed in the Corinth Canal.
The legendary boat, which has been available for charter for several years, once again stole the show.
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Pioneering for its time, the cruiser was a decommissioned anti-submarine frigate of the Canadian fleet that was used as an escort vessel for convoys to transport war materiel to the Allied forces in England and Russia during the Second World War.
The vessel built its history in the hands of Aristotle Onassis' "saviour", his daughter. It hosted on its decks historical figures such as Winston Churchill, King Farouk of Egypt, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly.
This historic yacht, 99 metres long and 11 metres wide, passed into the hands of Aristotle Onassis, in 1954, at the price of 34,000 dollars. Then he himself spent on its renovation the mythical amount of 4 million dollars for the time.
After the death of Onassis in 1975, the "Christina O" was inherited by his daughter, who gave it to the Greek state to be used as a presidential yacht, while at the same time it was renamed "Argo".
The maintenance of the yacht was undertaken by the Navy so that it is available at all times for the President of the Republic. "Argo" was used only once by Christos Sargetakis. After 23 years, the yacht was discovered half-submerged in Ampelakia, Salamina by the distinguished shipbuilder Costas Karabela.
The latter took on his own initiative to contact investors with the aim of renovating the boat and reviving its legend, including John-Paul Papanikolaou. The Greek shipowner, brilliant businessman and friend of the Onassis family, who had been hosted on the yacht as a child, proceeded to purchase it through an auction, renovated it and restored her original name by adding the letter "O".
After some repairs to regain the ability to move, the "Christina O" was transferred to the shipyards of Rijeka in Croatia, where its complete reconstruction took place. The process, completed with complete respect for the vessel's history, took three years and cost $50 million.
Shortly after its restoration work was completed in 2001, the "Christina O" awarded in Monaco as the most beautiful mega yacht in the world.
Today the yacht belongs to the Irish Philhellenic lawyer Ivor Fitzpatrick and is available for charter for 700,000-800,000 euros per week.
Who can compare with her?
The luxury of this particular yacht is evident in all its spaces: in the impressive presidential suite of Aristotle Onassis with the living room, the fireplace, the library and the Renoir painting, the 18 passenger cabins, the indoor and outdoor bar, the outdoor swimming pool with the mosaic floor where the Minotaur is depicted, which rises and turns into a dance floor, the "Winston Churchill" library with works of Greek classical authors, but also in all the other spaces connected to each other by an imposing spiral staircase.
In fact, the mosaic of the pool with the Minotaur was restored with special care, as the mosaics were found broken up and replaced by the student of the artist who created it.
The yacht also has a helipad, gym, playground, jacuzzi and massage area. One of its most impressive and historically important points is the bar "Aris", with its elaborate stools made of white whale skin and handles made of whale teeth, where there are carved representations from Homer's "Odyssey".
Also worth admiring is the famous "Maria Callas" salon, where her first gold record, acquired at auction, her rings from her marriage to Giovanni Battista Meneghini, her piano, as well as the commemorative gift that had been given to her by President Kennedy after her performance in New York. The library of Churchill, who was a regular visitor of the yacht, but also the "Jackie Kennedy" lounge.
Inside there are also other objects of Aristotle Onassis, which have been saved over time, although most have been recovered through auctions. Through auctions, the staircase, the ornate railing of the spiral staircase, original paintings by great artists as well as rich photographic material from the legendary moments of the yacht were also acquired.
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