Some of the old school are but some of the new money today will drop that kind of cash on a birthday party. IMHO The boat may mean something to some of us but to him it was just a tool to get him something he wanted at the time. Just look at the Spirit of Qatar team. Once the Sheikh merged with the sail folks of Qatar with it's prestige it only took a couple months to go from testing for the new season to everything is up for auction.
One thing I have found out about pretty much all rich people I've met is they don't have much sentimental value in things. If a better job comes along they take it. A nicer car they dump their old stand by and jump for the new. A house is just an investment. It's just business even if it is fun. I figure he wanted the record and fame that went along with it even if it was just in the boating community and was willing to pay (build the boat) for it.
Last, this is nothing new. How many old racers have their old race boats or cars? Instead of them being in museums most are lost in time sitting behind some marina like the one in Cuba.

It was reported Jan 7 that the owners legal problems with the U.S. have been resolved. No mention was made about the actual boat, but I would infer that it can now be moved.

Just saw someone post a pic on IG of the boat back in Miami @ Haulover.

Wow

Looks to need a paint job. OUCH!

Boat looks to be sitting next to the Marina Hemingway Yacht Club in that pic in Cuba.

The Authorities in Cuba make you Secure your boat by putting it on land and secured with chain to prevent it from being used to escape Cuba .

That's the way it wa when I was over there a couple years ago on my buddies big ketch.

We had a 20 foot Novauranian inflatable for a dinghy that we towed. Cubans said on the deck or pull it out at Marina Hemingway.

I have pics floating around somewhere if I can find them.


There is something Fishy going on here.

McManus would be the only one in trouble for going over there as he is an American. And if they can't prove you spent money in Cuba there is nothing the authorities can do.

Buddies boat I was on has been detained a few times by the US Coast Guard..

Tow the boat to the Bahamas or Mexico and have it shipped from there.

Better off and money ahead stripping it and loading the engines and hardware on a Sportfisher and sneak the parts back into the US thru Mexico or Bahamas.

I have pics of a 55 foot Sportfisherman with a new car in the cockpit at marina Hemingway , take it they were trying to smuggle it into Cuba.

looks like the Miss Gieco boat

I'm sure that paint job was expensive, it doesn't seem like it lasted that long.

Welcome to fluorescent colors left in the direct sunlight with no cover. The UV fades them in short order. As said above look at the side of miss geico that's towards the sun, almost looks white and it was just painted 3 years ago or so.