The new yachts in town

Even as the territory works feverishly to attract megayachts, a new challenge is looming on the horizon: COLOSSAYACHTS.

The private vessels, which are so big their name has to be written in capital letters, are increasingly popular among the super-wealthy.

“I don’t know how I ever got by with a megayacht,” Larry Page, the Google co-founder, told Oprah recently. “I guess it’s because I was a bachelor.”

Mr. Page’s new boat, the 1,075-foot Google This, is one of the first COLOSSAYACHTs in the world. Its amenities include an above-deck vineyard, an indoor ski slope, and a nudist colony that produces organic vegetables and vegan cheese.

Soon after Mr. Page’s purchase was reported in the media, several other billionaires commissioned similar yachts.

Russian businessman Roman Abramovich was among them.

“On my old megayacht, I could never shake the feeling that I was on a boat in the middle of the ocean,” Mr. Abramovich said of his 533-foot-long Eclipse, which he has put on the market at a “greatly reduced price.”

His new 1,200-foot Lunar Eclipse, which is 200 feet longer than the minimum length for a COLOSSAYACHT, solved that problem.

“Now I don’t even have to look at the ocean unless I want to — and then I just go to one of the 157 air-conditioned ocean observation rooms,” he said, adding, “Each observation room has a different theme.”

According to the recently launched COLOSSAYACHT Magazine, more than 100 of the boats are known to be under construction, and many more are probably being built in secret.

“COLOSSAYACHTS are to megayachts what private jets are to mini-vans,” said the publisher, who has announced plans to discontinue his other magazine, Megayacht News, by the end of the year. “Megayachts will soon be out of style to the point where they’re embarrassing to own — let alone vacation on.”

VI tourism

The new trend has serious implications for the VI, which in recent years has invested millions of dollars in efforts to attract megayachts.

“Unfortunately, COLOSSAYACHTS are so big that they currently cannot dock at any of the territory’s existing facilities,” said Premier Dr. Orlando Smith, who is also the tourism minister.

Still, the trend brings opportunity: The huge boats represent an “enormous” potential source of revenue, he added.

Thus, the territory must adapt or get left behind.

“We need to do everything we can to appeal to all of the high-net-worth individuals who wish to come spend their money in these beautiful Virgin Islands,” the premier said. “Today, that means catering to COLOSSAYACHTS.”

Each COLOSSAYACHT owner, he added, represents “billions of dollars” that could come “pouring” into the economy, creating a trickle-down effect.

Interim solution

As a first step toward accommodating the boats, the BVI Ports Authority is considering a plan to convert the cruise ship pier in Road Town into a COLOSSAYACHT dock.

However, because COLOSSAYACHT owners are typically willing to mingle only with other billionaires, this step would require building another cruise ship pier somewhere else.

“This works out perfectly, because many cruise companies are now using longer ships that can’t dock at the Road Town pier anyway,” Dr. Smith said.

The solution is obvious, he added: building bigger cruise ship piers at Cane Garden Bay and The Baths, where most cruise ship tourists want to go anyway.

Once the cruise ships have been relocated, a section of Road Town would be outfitted for COLOSSAYACHT owners.

Though the area wouldn’t be physically fenced off, it would be so expensive that only billionaires would feel comfortable there, officials said.

At restaurants, for example, soft drinks would cost $10-$15, and there would be an hourly fee just for sitting at a table.

Retail outlets would include Gucci, Prada and other high-end brands that only COLOSSAYACHT owners can afford.

Other islands

Officials stressed that the cruise ship pier conversion is only a first step.

Plans are also in the works to construct COLOSSAYACHT facilities at other islands.

Near a planned dock on Little Camano, officials envision a “super-exclusive enclave within swimming distance of an expanded international airport hub,” Dr. Smith said.

He added, “By staying ahead of the curve, the Virgin Islands can refashion itself as the Caribbean’s premier COLOSSAYACHT destination.”