The $16 million Legacy, custom-made for a Wall Street mogul, was one of the most sleek and opulent yachts sailing the seas in its day. But its legacy has been cruel since Hurricane Wilma crippled it in 2005.
Most recently, the 158-foot blue yacht with no mast sunk in the Port of Fort Pierce, in front of Derecktor Shipyards where it’s been moored since summer 2022. Several salvage vessels surrounded it as crews pumped water out of the hull and refloated it last week.
“The FWC is aware of the vessel and is currently investigating its operational condition,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Melissa Brevik told TCPalm last week. “At the owner’s request, the vessel is being refloated by Sea Tow Fort Pierce.”
Several St. Lucie County staff members have had several conversations with the FWC regarding the vessel, spokesperson Erick Gill told TCPalm. FWC reviewed the vessel multiple times, but was unable to deem it derelict, Gill said.
After Hurricane Wilma, it took two years to float the Legacy off the flats at the edge of the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge in Key West. The grounding sparked a multimillion-dollar lawsuit between the owner and insurance company over how much he was owed for salvage and repairs costs.
Florida sailing yacht sunk, refloated in Fort Pierce port
Famed Italian yacht builder Perini Navi built Legacy in 1995 for Peter Halmos, a longtime Palm Beach County resident.
The vessel never was returned to its former glory after Hurricane Wilma blew her onto in the seagrass flats about 4 miles off Key West on Oct. 25, 2005.
With Halmos and his crew aboard, the yacht was pushed around and battered for hours. They survived, but Legacy never again would sail under the power of the wind. Here’s what happened that night:
On Feb. 28, 2008, specialized equipment was used to dig a trench, freeing the yacht and moving it into deeper water. Over the years, Legacy has been towed to various ports, finally making its way to Fort Pierce four years ago.
Halmos’ battle with the elements had ended, but it set the stage for his next battle, a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Insurance Company of North America.
Peter Halmos’ Legacy damaged in Key West in Hurricane Wilma
From 2005-08, Halmos lived on a houseboat in the “Agua Village” he created out of a series of houseboats he had placed near the vessel to watch over it and keep modern-day pirates from burglarizing the vessel. He spent years on his lawsuit against the Insurance Company of North America.
In 2011, Chief U.S. Magistrate Stephen Brown ruled against Halmos, saying he concealed information and was deceptive in his attempt to collect more money from INA, according to the 67-page ruling.
“INA paid all reasonable and necessary expenses for which supporting documentation was provided, and it has thus satisfied its obligations under the policies. INA has not breached its contracts with plaintiffs,” Brown ruled.
Halmos had claimed the insurance company still owed him millions from the two-year effort to remove the yacht, given the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration required it be done in a costly way that reduced further damage to the marine environment and the National Wildlife Refuge, according to the 97-page lawsuit he filed.
Halmos’ son, Nick, declined to comment when reached via text message.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: $16M Florida yacht damaged in Key West ‘cane just sank in Fort Pierce
Reporting by Timothy O’Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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