As you have gained via the website, Legacy's owner is in a bit of a battle with the insurance brokers and carriers. We'll save those details for a later date. Over the past years we have seen all kinds of downsizing. Well, it's been no different with Legacy. Aqua Village has been dismantled and sent to shore, and Halmos has consolidated operations by moving onto and establishing Camp Legacy. Tied up to Legacy is Halmos' 46' sportfish and a few working docks and skiffs. That's it. Adding solar panels and small generators for juice, two watermakers for fresh H2O, and a few tents to the forward deck for sleeping under the stars, Halmos has dug in once again for the long haul. Legacy is expected to remain at anchor through early next year. Refurbishing continues on the interior, and some areas appear ready to move into. Electrical systems still require checking, as we all know the gremlins that could still be lurking within. Here are some shots from when we got on board recently.
Having been a follower of this saga since it's beginning, I've become convinced that Halmos could easily have been done with all this a long time ago. He's saying there's concern about the Insurance co. taking the boat after he does all the renovation ? Sorry, that's hard to believe. He could certainly get them to sign off on this, a "hands-off" agreement, non-disturbance, etc. etc. He just likes the attention; it's become his lifestyle to be the eccentric zillionaire who won't abandon his busted up megayacht. He doesn't want to stop fighting, it's what he knows and has become accustomed to. Weirdo for sure. When I was there almost two YEARS ago-- while the dredging was going on-- I went out to visit the Legacy (January, '08). There was a tug off in the distance, maybe a mile away. And a little white Carolina Skiff. The skiff came to chase us away-- it was Halmos on board. He was all worked up, yelling at us to leave because the cable could snap at any minute, and kill us all. Interestingly, we were looking at the cable just then. It was in 3' of water below us, no load on it, and the tug off in the distance wasn't even manned or running. This dude has gone nuts. That said, CaptTom Serio, please give us an update on this if there's one to be had. A buddy in Key West told me just yesterday, that she is still sitting there.
Kind of facinating story, having seen Legacy up close and having followed the drama from the beginning, I am sure looking for updates as well.
This is not just an ordinary accident. The recover was very intricate and the war with the insurance company is truly a lesson worth learning about. Plus, to hear (when or if) that she's being brought back to her glory will be very uplifting like a lost artwork being found. I think the interest here is far more than rubbernecking at a traffic accident. Most everybody is looking for good news.
I have been following this story from the beginning as well and I love updates. The whole thing is a mess and I can not wait to see her fixed and sailing again. But, I suppose I do look at car wrecks when I drive by as well.
That is part of the reason I follow the story: Trying to learn from other's mistakes. If you don't like it and and don't want any updates, why do you even open up the thread?
As NYCAP put it some of us have been following this situation from the beginning. I for one have seen the boat first hand more than once since the hurricane that caused the grounding in the first place. We are not watching this with any morbiditty but more concern for the future of this fine sailing vessel. It breaks one's heart to be floating next to it in it's current state. My son asked if it would be rebuilt this last visit to which I replied "the longer it sits the more doubtful it becomes". Let us hope I am wrong.
So, where is she now? Because I can't find her anywhere near Key West or in Man of War Harbor on the current Google Earth photos. Granted at the scale of the photos even a 150' yacht isn't hard to miss.
legacy today is approx. one mile north of key west harbor. she's at anchor, but appears to be sitting on the bottom. anchor chains are slack. she's been facing east for about a year. you can see her from mallory dock.
You can see the former resting spot of Legacy in Google maps. Paste the following coordinates (taken from post 116) into Google maps and zoom in a couple times. 24 37 58.44 N 81 48 24.18 W You can't see the whole track, but the spot where she was sitting is visible in the high-res section.
Legacy has sailed out of Key West Harbor on June 9. I wrote a piece for the July 2010 issue of The Triton newspaper, and here's a version for Yachtforums: