Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Brothers

Endeavour's mystery buyer revealed

by Karen Freifeld and Jim Silver on 29 Dec 2006
Launch of Endeavour shown in original footage in House of the America’s Cup Mediawave
When L. Dennis Kozlowski, the former chief executive officer of Tyco International Ltd., sold his yacht, the Endeavour, to pay restitution for looting the company, the new owner was somewhat of a mystery.

The historic boat, a 1934 America's Cup entry, was purchased Sept. 28 for $13.1 million by Diversicolor Ltd., a Cayman Islands corporation, according to papers filed in New York state Supreme Court. The sales contract also named Sempervirens Ltd., another company with a Cayman address.

The real owner is a man named Cassio Antunes, a resident of Hawaii, who has big plans for the boat, according to a statement released by his Miami lawyer and people working on the boat in Newport, Rhode Island.

Antunes, 44, has admired the yacht since he was a young boy and plans a significant refit of the sloop as well as a change in its home port to George Town, Cayman Islands, from Newport. He wants to race it again.

`This sailing vessel had captured the new owner's attention more than 30 years ago,' Antunes said in a statement, `when Mr. Antunes, then a young boy, used to go to Italy and visit his grandfather's large yachting library.'

Kozlowski's conviction provided ``a unique opportunity' to buy the Endeavour, the statement said. ``Mr. Antunes and his family feel very fortunate that after thirty years of admiring this yacht, the opportunity arose to actually acquire' it.

Neither Antunes' attorneys at Moore & Co. in Miami, nor people at the Newport shipyard would say what Antunes does for a living. In his statement, Antunes said the boat was sold to ``the Antunes family from Lisbon, Portugal.'

Antunes is the son of Maria Bonomi, 71, a well-known Brazilian artist, according to her adviser, Alexandre Martins, who answered her phone in Sao Paulo. Bonomi, who emigrated from Italy in 1945, is known for engravings and public art.

She also has worked with and married Antunes Filho, a famous Brazilian director, according to the Itau Cultural Encyclopedia. In a 2000 interview with Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, the director said his parents were poor immigrants from Portugal.

The 130-foot Endeavour, built for British aviation pioneer and yachtsman Thomas Sopwith, underwent repairs and maintenance in Newport before setting sail for Antigua for the winter. It will be in the Caribbean by Christmas, Busher said.

John Koon, a boat surveyor from Hawaii overseeing the work at the shipyard, said he got a call in August from Antunes asking him to go to New England and take Endeavour on a 10-day sea trial in September before its purchase. Hired as the owner's representative, he said he helped inspect the boat as well.

``This was a team of five experts for five days examining every square inch, every bit of the hull from the top of the mast to the bottom of the keel,' Koon said.

The family wants to race the sloop again against the two other J-class vessels built in the 1930s, the Shamrock V and Velsheda, according to the surveyor.

``He's got the passion for it, which is a pretty rare quality,' Koon said of the new owner.

It will be available for charter while in Antigua, Koon said.

Read the full story at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aNh4r8Ndw.GA&ref
Rolly Tasker Sails 2023 FOOTERsMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZSea Sure 2025

Related Articles

Wild Thing eyeing Sydney to Auckland record
The new mast to suit the 100 footer was stepped in May Grant Wharington is getting Wild Thing 100 revved up - the new mast to suit the 100 footer was stepped and new sails by Kiwi, Rodney Keenan, added in May - so the timing is right to have a crack at the record in the Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race.
Posted today at 6:23 am
Armstrong Foils Demo Days return for 2025
Test the latest gear, get expert advice, and ride with the pros. Armstrong Foils is proud to announce the return of Armstrong Demo Days for 2025. Test the latest gear, get expert advice, and ride with the pros.
Posted today at 5:41 am
International 5o5 Euro Cup Leg 2 at Lake Garda
Stunning scenery, fresh water and great Ora breezes Between May 29th and 31st, 41 505's from 10 countries arrived in the small town of Riva at the Northern end of Lake Garda in Italy for leg 2 of the 2025 505 Euro Cup series.
Posted today at 5:29 am
Video Interview: Onboard the Excess 14
At the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show 2025 Excess have moved forward their designs with the Excess 13 and 14 cruising catamarans, so seeing the Excess 14 was high on the priority list, as well as talking to some exceptional high performance sailors on board to learn their thoughts.
Posted on 3 Jun
49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Europeans Day 1
Austrians Prettner and Flachberger tip into early lead Keanu Prettner with Jakob Flachberger (AUT) were locked in a light air duel with defending European Champions Hernan Umpiere with Fernando Diz (URU). The two teams were tipped by their fellow competitors as the ones to watch in light winds and delivered.
Posted on 3 Jun
New Dynamic Range of T-Shirts and Shorts
Just the ticket at sea and on shore Packing for a weekend away on the water and having fun onshore has never been easier, thanks to the new range of Dynamic shorts and t-shirts from Henri-Lloyd.
Posted on 3 Jun
Galicia 52 Super Series Royal Cup Day 1
Top level consistency gives 2024 champions a strong start in Baiona The 2024 overall circuit champions, Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing, lead the GALICIA 52 SUPER SERIES ROYAL CUP after two good races on the beautiful but challenging race area off Baiona on the NW corner.
Posted on 3 Jun
Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits.
Posted on 3 Jun
5.5 Metre titles head to Poland for the first time
Scandinavian Gold Cup and World Championship to be held back to back Over the next 12 days the International 5.5 Metre Class heads to Sopot in Poland for the Scandinavian Gold Cup and World Championship. It is the first time the class has held any of its major events in Poland.
Posted on 3 Jun
Mirror dinghy Tuning Guide with Ben McGrane
A detailed guide to maximising speed with Hyde Mirror Sails Continuing the new series of tuning videos from Hyde Sails, One Design Sales Manager Ben McGrane gives a detailed guide to maximising speed with Hyde Mirror Sails.
Posted on 3 Jun