While yachts may be a paradise on water for some, our planet begs to differ.
In r/maui, a Reddit user posted a picture of a megayacht in Māʻalaea Harbor, Maui, Hawaiʻi, and said, "Any intel? Mahalo."
A few eagle-eyed users identified it as German-American billionaire Stephen Orenstein's Liva O, which was confirmed by the Molokai Dispatch. The publication said that the vessel had been sighted off Maui before mooring off the island of Molokaʻi.
According to Boat International, the Liva O is a little over 387 feet long and is in the top 5% of yachts in the world in terms of length overall.
While its visit was relatively uneventful, Molokaʻi residents expressed their concern for what yacht visits like this mean to their community.
"We're dealing with something we can't control," explained Molokaʻi activist Walter Ritte to the Molokai Dispatch. "But we can try to prevent more of these kinds of things from happening."
Of course, these yacht visits are not new either.
When a yacht tried to dock at Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi in 2017, Walter's wife and fellow activist, Loretta Ritte, told Hawaii News Now, "We want to keep Moloka'i, Moloka'i. The Moloka'i where we still can go out and not be afraid. We don't have to lock our doors, our cars, we can let our kids go out. So I think that's what we're trying to protect, the lifestyle of Moloka'i."
Both Rittes also expressed more specific concerns about how large ships, as well as large amounts of tourists, could disrupt and harm life in Molokaʻi.
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Definitely 👍 A couple of users were also displeased with the Liva O and Orenstein's presence.
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"The back deck of that thing is bigger than my apartment," said one Redditor, ending their comment with a sobbing emoji.
Another user shared that Orenstein is the owner of Supreme Group, which used to be a major U.S. food and water supplier to military forces until it was caught fraudulently charging the government over $48 million. News24 reported that Supreme Group was fined $434 million for its actions.
Other yachts have even more visible embellishments and show off their extravagance in ways many people who aren't a part of the 1% do not appreciate. New legislation in Maine may offset some of the environmental harm that yachts cause, but more needs to be done to turn the tides in the climate's direction.
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