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Sunseeker Yachts: The Complete Guide to Sunseeker Yachts

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Last Updated on November 8, 2021 by Boatsetter Team

Sunseeker yachts are James Bond-worthy. They have dazzled screens in  Die Another Day, Casino Royale,  and  Quantum of Solace .

Tuxedo on, martini in hand, you too can experience what a luxury yacht feels like with  Boatsetter .

Headquartered in the seaside town of Poole, England, Sunseeker is the largest UK-based luxury yacht, maker. Originally named Poole Power Boats, Sunseeker was the brainchild of brothers Robert and John Braithwaite way back in the heady year of 1969. Harnessing revolutionary materials and technology, the Braithwaite brothers dreamt of building boats of the future. Their early designs were tailored to a handful of customers, keen to embrace the newfound freedoms of the decade.

But things got off to a bumpy start. Across the pond in the United States of America, the owner of Poole Powerboats, Owens Cruisers, decided to close their British operation down and focus instead on domestic production. This was when Robert saw an opportunity. With a bundle of hastily borrowed cash, he drove to Owen’s offices in the sleepy town of Arundel and successfully negotiated the purchase of their boat molds.

Although a small problem remained: he had never built a seagoing craft before.

First came the Sovereign 17 in 1971, followed closely by the Sovereign 20. By the close of the decade, Sunseeker yachts were selling well in the UK and northern Europe. Sunseeker had arrived.

The rest is history.

A leap of  courage  and  imagination  inspired Sunseeker in its early days. In fact, few manufacturers have pioneered as many innovations in the yachting world as Sunseeker. These include duoprops, stern -driven race-bred Arneson surface drives, and a water jet powering system – previously thought impossible.

Now, these bold traits have become the hallmarks of a Sunseeker yacht. Above all, a Sunseeker yacht will give customers exactly what they want. Its expert teams have designed unprecedented and ultimately  successful  yachts to realize their dreams, ensuring that each one is as unique as its customers. This refreshing and prolific stance puts distance between them and their competitors. Not to mention bringing  fabulous  vessels to the waves.  

Capitalizing on the skills passed down from generation to generation, each sunseeker is a triumph in  craftsmanship . While harnessing the best of what digital production and automated assembly have to offer, Sunseeker yachts remain  hand-built  and  hand-finished . Why? Because there is no better way of making the unique, remarkable, and ultimately exceptional.

The Sunseeker Range

Boatsetter’s unique  peer-to-peer  boat renting service offers a range of new and pre-owned Sunseeker yachts. A weekend excursion, exciting day out, or a well-deserved week away (or several), Sunseeker’s expansive range of yachts can satisfy every need. There is the cheetah-like  Predator  up to the magnificent  Superyacht  series. Experience the luxury and technological mastery of a Sunseeker today!

All of Boatsetter’s rentals come with a  knowledgeable captain  and crew to guide you on your exciting yacht adventure and are available from sites across the USA, Europe and beyond. Many Boatsetter rentals offer the opportunity to enhance your experience with jet skis, electronic surfboards, and sea bobs to get splashing on. 

Sport Yacht

Sleek and powerful

Magnificently crafted, expertly finished and composed of raw, unassailable quality materials, every Sunseeker Sport Yacht seamlessly blends elegance and performance. Their two most popular sport yachts are the  74 Sports Yacht  and the  65 Sports Yacht .

The  74 Sports Yacht  is the best of both worlds. This beauty is enhanced by cutting-edge technology and elegant finishes throughout and everything you and your many guests could wish for. Speaking of which, it can accommodate eight passengers plus two crew members.

In a world where distance is everything. The  74 Sports Yacht  has a freshwater capacity of 800 liters (211 US Gal.) and a fuel capacity of 4,800 litres (1,268 US Gal.). This lavishes drivers with a range of up to 900 nautical miles and maximum speeds of up to 38 knots.

Sport, sleek and wonderfully spacious best describe the interior of the  74 Sports Yacht . This is a yacht built to impress. It has copious amounts of entertaining space, including plenty of comfortable seating, large sun pads (both back and front), and the bridge deck seductively shades the cockpit .

The newer  65 Sport Yacht  is a trailblazer. And inside it, you will be one too. Take your holidays to new heights with the yacht’s direct sea access, bar, fridge, BBQ, and free-standing seating. Together these are the perfect spaces for water-loving nymphs and party animals.

20.50 meters (67′ 2″) in length and with a beam of 5.10 (16′ 8″), space is not a premium on the  65 Sport Yacht . With three cabins – including a full-beam master stateroom – it can comfortably accommodate up to 7 guests and 1 crew in absolute luxury. The main deck has a large C shaped sofa and offers options of additional seating with a TV. All of which amounts to a versatile space that adapts seamlessly to all kinds of socializing and adrenaline-seeking.

When you wish to tear up the waves, the innovative Sky Helm of the  65 Sport Yacht , complete with IPS driving joystick, is there. It allows the boat to be sailed while the driver is standing in an upright position, or it can be lowered to fall perfectly into outstretched arms.

The water shark

The Predator range is mythical. Coming in sizes from 50′ to 77′, every boat is a head -turner. Sunseeker has ensured it is strikingly styled, expertly made, and nimble on its hull . The fastest predator models will achieve speeds over 45 knots.

Winner of the prestigious 2019 Motor Boat Awards, the  Predator 50  is ideal for spontaneous adventures or the afternoon adrenaline rush.

Its interior is awe-inspiring. There is plenty of space to host friends, family, or corporate colleagues with space for up to six guests. Plus, each cabin is designed to impress. Sunseeker’s British interior designer’s attention to detail has created the perfect blend of comfort and elegance, especially with their open spaces and large windows, which allow the magical light of a summer sunset to flood in. This is enhanced by an open plan design that boasts a fully opening hardtop roof and fully opening cockpit glazing – bringing the outside inside.

And let us not forget the  Predator 60 Evo . The first model of Sunseeker’s major new product development plan, this bold yacht is tailored for practicality and performance. On the waves, the  Predator 60 Evo  packs a punch. It can glide across the waves at speeds of up to 32 knots. This is matched with its sharp, impressive figure, which allows for unrivaled agility on the open water. The sporty posture of the  Predator 60 Evo  is complemented by a bold, modern interior design. The white finish of the interior and furnishings only aid this sleek feeling.

The conquerors of distance

In this collection are the  Manhattan 68, Manhattan 66, Manhattan   52,  and the  Manhattan 55 .

Fitted with Volvo Penta d13-800 engines, the  Manhattan 55  can cruise comfortably at 25 knots with a range of 250 nautical miles. Or, if you need a speedy getaway, it can be cranked up to an excess of 30 knots at full throttle. Think where you could go with that fuel capacity of 2,200 liters (580 US gal.).

An attractive aspect of the  Manhattan 55  that truly distinguishes it from the crowd is the revolutionary glass-cockpit and gallery window, which can be dropped with the touch of a button, creating a fantastic inside/outside environment. 

Speaking of design capabilities, the exceptional yacht has been meticulously crafted to maximize comfort and cruising, as well as providing owners with a vast array of social spaces – something typically limited to larger yachts.

Length: 21 m (69′). Beam: 5.25 m (17.3′). Range: 550 nautical miles. Maximum speed: 32 knots. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, these are the specs of the  Manhattan 68 . Building upon the exceptional family of award-winning Manhattan models, this yacht redefines luxury and relaxation. Across the main deck, keen attention has been paid to create social spaces fit for a king. It can accommodate up to 8 guests and two crew members.

Performance

Built for speed

Sunseeker’s Performance range does what it says on the tin: perform. Capitalizing on Sunseeker’s incredible racing heritage, every boat in this series is a masterpiece in speed. The Performance range dares you to dare, like never before.  

Following several long years of intense speculation, the  Hawk 38  arrived on the yachting scene with much fanfare. It had been almost 20 years since the British shipyard had last launched a proper performance boat. And it was worth the wait. Motorboat & Yachting Magazine called it Sunseeker’s  coolest boat ever . Boasting a range of up to 200 nautical miles, the  Hawk 38  has a maximum speed of 62 knots. Yes, you read that right, 62 knots.

No wonder the  Hawk 38  has won 43 World Speed Records and 55 World Championships.

Coming in bright Marlin Blue, fiery Sunfast Red or ice cool Super Jet Black, the  Hawk 38  can dazzle onlookers on the beach. Its Spradling Marine Silvertex coated fabrics are engineered and tested to resist the toughest marine conditions, ensuring that the vessel remains in its prime.

The  Hawk 38  is packed with an array of high-tech features; 

• Inflatable STAB (stabilizing tubes)to keep the boat stable against whatever odds the ocean may throw at it
• Simrad 16″ Navigation display
• Smart, adjustable steering wheel with function buttons to control it
• Mercury Verado dual-engine Hydraulic Power Steering 
• Mercury Vessel View link, which interfaces with engine data to display engine temperature, pressure, engine alarms, fuel tank level and engine battery voltages via an app. .

Sunseeker’s  Superyachts  are the largest and most extravagant amongst all their ranges. Inspiring and adaptable, these yachts represent the Sunseeker’s knack for style, design, practicality and ingenuity  par excellence . At present, there are four beauties in this range, each one a tribute to British engineering:  50M Ocean ,  52M Ocean ,  131 Yacht  and the  116 Yacht.   

When Sunseeker launched the  50M Ocean , they said that a ‘new dawn had arrived.’ The tri-deck yacht offers beautiful space and volume. It can accommodate up to 10 guests in five cabins under the standard configuration yet has upgradable options for 12 guests – depending on your needs. Indeed, the already opulent interior spaces of the  50M Ocean  can be styled to each buyer’s personal preferences thanks to Sunseeker’s renowned ‘Bespoke’ Service.

Read more about this customization service  here . It is beyond par.

Space and flexibility characterise the theme of the  50M Ocean . It contains a wealth of compelling features, all to maximize the pleasure of passengers. Typically belonging to larger craft only, there is a plunge pool on the main deck and a delectable beach club at the rear of the yacht. This amounts to a fantastic area for revealing in the water.

Another tri-deck, the Sunseeker  131 Yacht  epitomizes all that the British shipyard has got right over the decades. Grandiose yet gracious, this behemoth can sleep up to 12 guests (and 9 crew) in sheer luxury and comfort. It has a range of up to 1,600 nautical miles at 12 knots. Just think of where you could go in that distance.

The interior is finished with ultra-modern materials and techniques. While on the upper deck, you will find the sky lounge, cocktail bar, and Skydeck, which commands awe-inspiring views of the night’s sky; the main deck is complete with a lounge, dining area, and full galley . 

Like the  50M Ocean , the  131 Yacht  comes with the ‘Bespoke’ Service, meaning that the interior is fully customizable according to the buyer’s taste. This is the king of all yachts as impressive out in the open water as it is in the harbor.   

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Are Sunseeker Boats Any Good?

Sunseeker has been building boats since 1969 and is one of the largest motor yacht builders in the world. With approximately 150 boats produced each year and their range exceeding 20 models to choose from, it's safe to say that the Sunseeker brand will continue its pursuit for quite some time. With thousands of monthly searches for Sunseeker Yachts on Google, one question that continues to arise from boat buyers is "Are Sunseeker Boats any good?"

This is a very subjective question as Sunseeker builds a particular style of yacht for a particular style of boating, one that may not appeal to someone that loves sportfishing boats or center-consoles. By looking at both industry awards and a good volume of boats sold, we can assume the answer. Sunseeker Yachts are widely considered a good boat builder as they are often recognized through marine industry awards, like the World Yacht Trophies, but there have also been more than 450 used Sunseekers sold since the beginning of 2021. 

"Builders like Sunseeker, Princess, Fairline, Azimut, and others are all pretty similar in their styles with some of the shipyards investing in new technology that may give them slight advantages," said Jay Hendrix, Vice President of SI Yachts. "We are proud to represent Princess Yachts and Absolute Yachts as dealers, which are competitors to Sunseeker, but we have also sold a fair amount of all of these brands on the brokerage market. If you have a Sunseeker you want to sell, call us and we'll put together a full marketing plan just for your boat. We can also help you with learning more about Princess, Absolute, and other luxury motor yacht builders.

Seen below: 'AQUAHOLIC' does a walk-through video of the Sunseeker Manhattan 55

What Kind Of Awards Has Sunseeker Won?

The Sunseeker designers and engineers are not strangers to the major marine industry awards that are given out annually. The Motor Boat Awards are arguably one of the top ceremonies for yacht builders on the international stage. The 2022 awards which were held in January included multiple Sunseeker models in the running for various categories. The Sunseeker 65 Sport Yacht was the winner in the 'Sports Cruisers Over 45-Foot Category'.

"The Sunseeker 65 Sport Yacht lives up to its name with the kind of nimble handling and near 35 knot performance that belies its size and simply wouldn’t be possible on a full-blown flybridge," the judges said. Add in the exhilarating experience of driving the boat from the Skyhelm station on the flybridge and you have one extremely fun boat ride. Additionally the Manhattan 55 was nominated for 'Best Flybridge Up To 60-Feet' and the Manhattan 68 was nominated for 'Best Flybridge Over 60-Feet.

The World Yacht Trophies are another highly-regarded awards ceremony where Sunseeker did tremendously well in 2021. Three models took home awards in major categories, a testament to the popularity of the British shipyard. The 65 Sport once again won an award, this time for Best Exterior Design in its category. The 88 Motor Yacht won for Best Exterior Design in its category as well, while the 90 Ocean won for Best Layout.

What Are The Most Popular Sunseeker Models

Again, this is a very subjective thing to say that any one model is more popular than another, especially when there can be many differences between ranges like the Manhattan, Portofino, Superhawk, Predator, and others. There are also going to be much fewer boats sold in the 90-foot and up range as there is less of a market at that price. 

The Manhattan model range was quite popular and the sold data supports this. From the beginning of 2021, there have been 83 used Sunseekers sold in the United States and recorded in the MLS. Nearly half of those boats sold were from the Manhattan model line, with the Manhattan 52, Manhattan 55, and Mahattan 66 being the most popular. During this same timeframe, there were 3 Sunseeker boats sold over 100-feet, two of which were based in Miami.

Comparing Sunseeker sold numbers to other competitive brands is worthy of discussion, but other factors like production schedules, sourcing equipment, owners keeping their boats longer, and a variety of economic situations can "muddy the waters" when trying to determine popularity. Looking solely at the American market, Sunseeker came in behind Azimut in total number of pre-owned vessels sold, but did exceed the numbers for Princess, Fairline, Ferretti, and Galeon.

As a leader in the yacht brokerage industry and as one of the most successful new boat dealers in the Northeast, the team at SI Yachts is uniquely experienced to help you take your boating interests to the next level. If you are looking to sell your current Sunseeker or other boat, we can execute a personalized advertising plan, as well as utilize our vast Hubspot CRM database, to help you find a buyer quickly. If you're looking to purchase a yacht, we have access to boats on and off the market that may fit your budget and requirements. Contact us today at 1-718-984-7676, or by email at [email protected], to get started with one of our yacht sales professionals.

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SunSea Yachting is dedicated to offering the best of Turkey to our clients, whether they prefer a sea school course, skippered or bare boat charter or a learn to sail holiday, maybe with some additional land-based accommodation and recreation.

We provide high quality  RYA sailing instruction , experienced and fully qualified skippers, comfortable sailing yachts and a strong belief in unwavering customer service.

SunSea Yachting believes in providing expert sailing, along with a bit of “the good life.”  We cannot, however, take credit for the breathtaking beauty of The Turquoise Coast .

SunSea Yachting is a Royal Yachting Association Recognised Training Centre.

Our current course selection includes theory, online and practical training for Sail Cruising and Power Boating. Both classroom and interactive online learning courses, for Navigation & Seamanship, Day Skipper Theory, Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory are available, along with practical training from Start Yachting up to Yachtmaster Offshore.

We offer the RYA Power Level 2 practical course, as well as ICC direct assessments for sail or power

Find out more …

Sail the breathtaking Turkish Turquoise Coast onboard a modern luxury yacht.

SunSea Yachting will ensure you have the perfect yachting holiday with as much or as little support as you wish. Whether you simply want a bareboat charter or a skippered or crewed yacht, including a professional chef if you wish, SunSea Yachting can meet your chartering needs.

Through our fleet and network of partners, we can offer a range quality yachts from 32 ft up to 50 ft, 2,3,4 or 5 cabins.

With a sailing area dotted with so many bays, coves and marinas, it is easy to develop an itinerary that will meet the needs of any crew.

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A Learn-to-Sail Holiday is a program especially designed for families and groups with different holiday goals. It offers a relaxed sailing experience, but with some learning – a combination of basic to higher level training for some or all onboard. It is a perfect way for many to sail together, where some want to learn to sail and others simply want to enjoy the journey of the sail.

With the flexibility to make the experience unique, it is an ideal way to turn your holiday into a fun-filled adventure.

SunSea Yachting can deliver your yacht to anywhere in the world. Whether it’s just down the coast or across oceans, we provide the same level of professional care. Our skippers are highly qualified to sail and care for yachts of any size and up to 200 gross tons.

Our belief in simple pricing, together with timely, professional and safe delivery management govern our operating philosophy – one that has consistently benefited our clients’ key concerns for their yachts.

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SEA SUN yacht NOT for charter*

32.2m  /  105'8 | maiora | 2007.

Owner & Guests

Cabin Configuration

• Previous Yacht

Special Features:

• ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) classification
• Cruising speed of 22 knots
• Sleeps 12 overnight

The 32.2m/105'8" motor yacht 'Sea Sun' (ex. Nastya) was built by Maiora at their Viareggio shipyard. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Roberto Del Re.

Guest Accommodation

Sea Sun has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 12 guests in 5 suites. She is also capable of carrying up to 5 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Range & Performance

Built with a GRP hull and GRP superstructure, with teak decks, she has impressive speed and great efficiency thanks to her planing hull. Powered by twin diesel MTU (16V 2000 M93 CR) 2,400hp engines, she comfortably cruises at 22 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 26 knots. Her water tanks store around 2,487 Litres of fresh water. She was built to ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) classification society rules.

*Charter Sea Sun Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Sea Sun is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Sea Sun Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

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M/Y Sea Sun

SIMILAR LUXURY YACHTS FOR CHARTER

Here are a selection of superyachts which are similar to Sea Sun yacht which are believed to be available for charter. To view all similar luxury charter yachts click on the button below.

34m | Sunseeker

from $69,000 p/week ♦︎

Black Pearl

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from $69,000 p/week

34m | Custom Line

from $75,000 p/week ♦︎

Current $ea

29m | Princess

from $55,000 p/week

33m | Benetti Sail Division

from $58,000 p/week ♦︎

31m | Custom Line

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from $60,000 p/week

For Your Eyes Only

31m | Astondoa

from $70,500 p/week

31m | Azimut

from $65,000 p/week

Honors Legacy

34m | Offshore Yard

from $39,800 p/week

32m | Sanlorenzo

from $86,000 p/week ♦︎

31m | Gulf Craft

from $52,000 p/week ♦︎

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SunSea Yacht Charters specializes in private, luxury yacht cruises for any occasion. We have been in business in Chicago for over 25 years, and we maintain our yacht to the highest standards in the charter industry. Whether you are looking to host an intimate dinner party for 10, or a corporate outing for 45, SunSea can provide the perfect setting. SunSea provides complete catering and beverage services, as well as excellent service, one-of-a-kind views of the Chicago skyline, and unbeatable prices. SunSea is ideal for corporate events, weddings, birthdays, graduations, and sunset cruises. Whatever the event, let SunSea be the setting for your next party! …

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My group had a traumatically terrible experience with this company which prompted formal complaints to the city and state. They refuse to communicate over the phone and the day of our charter, after several departure time delays due to "mechanical issues" they stopped communicating at all. We had no idea what was going on for hours and finally had to cancel while 49 people were on their way to the dock. They also reply to reviews here on Yelp using the profile of someone who died in 2016. Here is the obituary of "Captain T": https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/theodore-bruck-obituary?id=2716426 Extremely unacceptable and reported to Yelp.

If you want to book a charter that they will cancel day of, after delaying you and making ridiculous excuses as to why they can't seem to do it minutes before boarding, then book this company. If you want to actually go on a boat that you booked for when you booked it, you should probably book elsewhere. Up to you.

We were part of a party of 20 scheduled for an afternoon cruise today to celebrate a friend's birthday. We were on lakeshore drive, exiting at the museum campus, roughly an hour and a half before scheduled departure, when the cruise was abruptly canceled, by SunSea. The parties planner had food delivered, guests already on the way and SunSea literally "broke up" with us via text. No one would reply to texts, no one answers the phone, no reply to voicemails. Imagine your next event getting cancelled 30 min from when you're required to arrive (1hr early). Clearly this is a normal practice given all the recent reviews.

We had a terrible experience with SunSea. An hour and a half before departure, they informed me that the boat was inoperable. I had 20 guest waiting on the dock when this transpired. I was notified via text that this was happening. I had to make alternate plans in a hurry to accommodate my guest at added expense. Not once was I call or given an apology. I highly recommend that no one uses this company for their venue. very disappointing

Picture this: you and 50 OTHERS have the SunSea yacht reserved for an evening cruise. As the entire group is ubering to the harbor, you are notified that the boat ride has been cancelled with no justification. A group of us that had already arrived then walked up to the C gate to find the boat sitting their unoccupied with the crew on. The crew stated that the captain was "sleeping" in the underneath cabin and that was their only reason for cancellation. Keep in mind this was 30 minutes before we were expecting to start and others were on the way. Very unprofessional and would not recommend.

Highly unprofessional. I do not recommend SunSea Yacht Charters. We had an afternoon charter booked months in advance, and they cancelled the day of. It was drizzling in the morning, but once that cleared up they claimed they were having mechanical issues. When we tried to call, they sent us to voicemail repeatedly. We were never able to get ahold of them by phone. Read other RECENT reviews - it looks like this is a common problem with this company. Do not book here if you want your event to happen!

Really poor coordination and communication throughout the process. There were a couple of extraneous "circumstances" that occurred, including "inclement weather conditions" (it was sunny and many boats sized smaller were heading out throughout our wait) and, eventually COVID issues with the staff. Instead of informing our group of the situation as it was unfolding, the crew attempted to keep our group in the dark about why our boat outing was being cancelled, possibly to try avoiding cancellation/refund. Even after we were given the real news 30 minutes after we were supposed to be on the boat, the communication broke down further. They said that pizza would still be available for us down the block. It wasn't, and the boat drinks bar had no idea what we were even talking about. Of course, after that, we could not get a hold of SunSea through the methods we had previously been using. 6 phone calls all to voicemail. I get that factors outside of your control can cause issues. What I don't get is how this company deals with these factors and how they choose to communicate (not communicate). Would not recommend to anyone who would appreciate good customer service throughout the process.

Sep 4, 2022

Please see responses to Mallory M. and Emma G. as this is the same group comment.

Do not book with SunSea Yacht Charters for your event. If I could give 0 stars I would. Completely unprofessional & unreliable company. This past Saturday on August 13th, I had a 9 pm - Midnight booking for my birthday for 49 people; at 6 pm the day of my event, I received a text from the company saying due to half the staff testing positive for COVID & "deteriorating lake conditions" when there was no storm present, they had to cancel or reschedule my event. I gave options for flexibility to change the time of the boat or asked for any potential remedy and they continuously said there was nothing they could do. I canceled due to the unprofessionalism and extremely short notice of only 3 hours that they gave to me & my group of 49 individuals with seemingly no option to fix the situation other than to reschedule. Similar to my situation, upon this cancelation, a friend that was joining my event communicated to me that earlier in the summer they had a scheduled event with this company & showed up at the boat dock & there was no boat present & the company didn't answer any calls, emails, or texts. Additionally, the communication with SunSea is extremely inconsistent and unreachable. Throughout the weeks leading up to my event, it took days for a simple response to my questions over email & when leaving multiple voicemails, I also received no response. I have never experienced such clumsy & negligent business etiquette & highly advise you against wasting your time, efforts, or excitement over this company. I feel uneasy knowing this company even has my credit card information. Go elsewhere with your business.

Hi Claire. Thank you for taking the time to comment on your experience. Unfortunately this event was scheduled for the same date as Emma G's and we had to convey the same cancellation information regarding Covid exposure in combination with lake conditions. We always regret a negative client experience, but again, client safety always comes first for us. We did ensure that there were no charges to your card and never store credit information beyond the date of an event.

Super late post celebrated my boyfriends 40th birthday in Chicago gathered a few close friends and family in early September was so happy with the crew they calmed me down and helped us relax and enjoy the evening the weather was perfect the food was delicious had a few drinks listen to some great music the captain had us laughing at Chicago jokes and it didn't cost as much as we had expected we will definitely be back in May for my birthday celebration with more family

Hi Robin. Thank you for your feedback! I'll be sure to share this with the captains and crew as well. I'm glad we were able to make your Chicago experience a great one and we look forward to seeing you again!

My first time in Chicago 3 years ago by chance came across this company and was so glad I did they were so professional yet fun we were a small group of 15 and we're only in town for the weekend Christina was very accommodating they had a last minute cancellation they just needed time to clean up unfortunately the group before me had to much to drink threw up and some dumb ass tried to flush a tampon smh never the less we got on 1 hour later and had so much fun they had good drinks music good fun even docked for us to jump in the water and many laughs took amazing pics that just popped up in my memories Ive gone back to Chicago twice since and booked in advance and enjoyed it so much one time was spontaneous and had to just take a chicago tour bus which was fine but missed the sunset crew didn't get to make it this summer to Chicago but hopefully will before the season ends and can get on this boat I highly recommend them

DO NOT TRUST THIS ESTABLISHMENT!!! waited until we all arrived at harbor right before our departure time to tell us the captain was passed out in bottom of boat and our charter was cancelled. We had over 20 people spending $100 each for this boat and had booked it months prior so to say the least we will NEVER. USE. THIS. CHARTER AGAIN. and will make sure everyone we know does the same. Bottom line- DISAPPOINTED and just down right upset.

4 other reviews that are not currently recommended

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Sunken Russian warship Moskva: What do we know?

Russia's flagship Black Sea missile cruiser, the Moskva, has sunk after being "seriously damaged".

That is as far as the warring sides may agree on - not what caused the sinking.

The Russian defence ministry said ammunition onboard exploded in an unexplained fire and the ship tipped over while being towed back to port.

Ukraine claims it struck the vessel with its Neptune missiles. Unnamed US officials have told US media they believe the Ukrainian version.

The 510-crew warship had led Russia's naval assault on Ukraine, which made it an important symbolic and military target.

Earlier in the conflict the Moskva gained notoriety after calling on Ukrainian border troops defending Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender - to which they memorably radioed a message of refusal which loosely translates as "go to hell" .

Unexplained fire or a missile attack?

Prior to the sinking, Russia's defence ministry issued a statement saying "the vessel is seriously damaged. The entire crew have been evacuated".

Naval officials said they were towing the warship back to port.

But a later statement the same day announced that on its journey back to port the ship "lost its balance".

"Given the choppy seas, the vessel sank," it said.

Moscow again blamed the blast on an unexplained fire, making no mention of any missile strike.

But Ukraine says it is responsible for an attack on the cruiser, which it claims it targeted with recently-introduced Ukrainian-made missiles.

In a Facebook post before the ship sank, Ukrainian officials said Russian rescue efforts were being hampered by ammunition exploding on board and bad weather.

On Friday, US officials said two Ukrainian Neptune missiles had struck the vessel, killing an unknown number of sailors.

The BBC has not been able to verify the claims.

Billowing black smoke

Dramatic pictures and a credible video appearing to show the Russian warship listing heavily and billowing smoke have since appeared.

Military experts told the BBC the footage most likely showed the Moskva cruiser and was probably recorded on 14 April.

The damage that can be seen in the footage is consistent with the type that a Neptune-style missile attack would inflict , they agreed.

Rear Admiral Chris Parry, who previously commanded a Royal Navy destroyer, said that after looking at the image he was left in "no doubt it's been hit by one or two missiles".

But other experts said the footage didn't provide enough proof to definitively rule out another explanation not involving a missile strike.

Reported casualties

Russia has not admitted any casualties. On Saturday the Russian defence ministry published footage showing what it described as the crew of the Moskva, on parade in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

The commander-in-chief of the Russian navy said the officers and crew would "continue their service".

The video showing around 100 sailors is the only evidence that's been offered of any survivors from the 510-crew warship.

The history of the Moskva cruiser

Originally built in Ukraine in the Soviet-era, the vessel entered service in the early 1980s according to Russian media.

The missile cruiser was previously deployed by Moscow in the Syria conflict where it supplied Russian forces in the country with naval protection.

It carried over a dozen Vulkan anti-ship missiles and an array of anti-submarine and mine-torpedo weapons, the reports said.

The Moskva is the second major Russian ship known to have been destroyed since the invasion began.

What defences did the Moskva have?

The Slava-class cruiser was the third largest vessel in Russia's active fleet and one of its most heavily defended assets, naval expert Jonathan Bentham from the International Institute for Strategic Studies told the BBC.

The cruiser was equipped with a triple-tiered air defence system that if operating properly should have made it very hard to hit.

In addition to medium- and short-range defences, it could engage six short-range close-in weapon systems (CIWS) as a last resort.

"The CIWS system can fire 5,000 rounds in a minute, essentially creating a wall of flak around the cruiser, its last line of defence," Mr Bentham said.

If the strike is proven to have come from a missile it "raises questions over the capabilities of the modernisation of the Russian surface fleet: whether it had enough ammunition, whether it had engineering issues".

Neptune missiles

Kyiv military officials say they struck the Moskva with a Ukrainian-made Neptune missile.

The cruise missile system was designed by Ukrainian military engineers in response to the growing naval threat posed by Russia in the Black Sea, following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

According to the Kyiv Post , the Ukrainian navy only received its first delivery of the 300km-range (186 miles) Neptune missiles in March last year.

Since the invasion began Ukraine has received an influx of military aid from Western allies, including £100m worth of anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles that the UK announced it would be sending last week .

The Russian military has been dominant in the Black Sea since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and has used its presence there to launch and supply the invasion.

Its Black Sea fleet has supported the war with the capacity to launch cruise missiles anywhere in Ukraine, and has been important in supporting Russian attempts to seize Mariupol.

Snake Island

"The Moskva had been a thorn in the side of the Ukrainians since the beginning of this conflict," Michael Petersen, of the Russia Maritime Studies Institute, told the BBC.

In the early days of Russia's invasion, the Moskva made global headlines after it ordered a group of Ukrainian soldiers on an outpost in the Black Sea to surrender.

When the troops defiantly refused in a radio message, it was initially believed that the border troops had been killed. However, in fact they had been taken captive.

The soldiers were eventually released as part of a prisoner swap with Russia in late March and their commander was honoured with a medal by the Ukrainian military.

The tale of their bravery became such a boost to Ukraine's morale that that the country's postal service commemorated their encounter on Snake Island with a special illustrated stamp.

War in Ukraine: More coverage

• RUSSIA: Grieving families can't believe talk of war crimes
• WATCH: Finding our parents in a warzone
• ANALYSIS: Why is Russia losing so many tanks?
• READ MORE: Full coverage of the crisis

Ukraine's battle for justice over alleged Russian war crimes

Us accuses putin of genocide but france reluctant.

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Russian Invasion of Ukraine What Happened on Day 50 of the War in Ukraine

Ukraine says it hit the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet with a missile strike. Russia says the ship was damaged by a fire and sank while being towed to port. E.U. leaders considered an oil ban despite its potential to increase energy prices around the bloc.

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Follow our live news updates on the Russia-Ukraine war .

Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Richard Pérez-Peña

Here’s the latest.

BRUSSELS — Russia’s faltering war against Ukraine suffered a pair of setbacks Thursday when the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet sank after a catastrophic explosion and fire, as the European Union moved closer to an embargo on Russian oil imports.

Ukraine claimed to have struck the vessel, the guided missile cruiser Moskva, with two of its own Neptune missiles, while Russia said the blast was caused by ammunition aboard the ship. If confirmed, the missile attack would be a serious blow to Russia, both militarily and symbolically — proof that its ships can no longer operate with impunity, and another damaging blow to morale.

It would also give a lift to Ukrainian hopes, while demonstrating the defenders’ homegrown technological capacity and exposing an embarrassing weakness in the Russian navy’s antimissile defenses.

Moscow also faces the possible loss of European markets in fossil fuels, which are providing billions of dollars a month to support its war effort. The European Union has long resisted calls to reduce its energy dependency on Russia, but officials revealed on Thursday that an oil embargo is in the works and is likely to be adopted in the coming weeks.

That comes on top of a previously announced ban on imports of Russian coal . Taken together, the steps are bound to raise fuel and electricity prices in Europe, potentially disrupting the economy and provoking a political backlash.

Ukraine continues to brace for a Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region — where Moscow has said it will focus its war efforts after its failure to capture the capital, Kyiv — while Russian forces squeeze the shrinking pocket of resistance in the ruined southern port of Mariupol. The devastation rained there has offered a dire warning of what may befall other cities in the event of a prolonged Russian siege, prompting a mass exodus of civilians from the Donbas.

Its international isolation deepening, the Kremlin reacted ominously to the growing indications that Finland and Sweden would join the NATO alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, the government warned that any such expansion of NATO would prompt an increased Russian military presence, including nuclear weapons, in the region.

The C.I.A. director, William J. Burns, warned on Thursday of the possibility that Mr. Putin, facing a debacle in Ukraine, might use a tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon, though he stressed that he had seen no “practical evidence” that such a step was pending. It was the first time he discussed publicly a concern that has been much debated in the White House.

“Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they’ve faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons,” Mr. Burns said, in answering questions after a speech in Atlanta.

Prominent voices in Russian state media have made increasingly incendiary statements recently, calling for more brutality in battles that have already sparked calls for war-crimes investigations of the Russian forces.

Much remained unclear about Russia’s setback in the western Black Sea, where a blast on Thursday morning — Wednesday night in the United States — and subsequent fire forced many of the Moskva’s roughly 500 crew members to abandon ship. There was no word on casualties. Ukraine said it had struck the vessel with two Neptune missiles and sunk it.

Russia’s Defense Ministry initially said its sailors had managed to put out the fire and the Moskva, commissioned in 1983, remained afloat. But hours later, it said, the ship sank while being towed to port in a storm.

Western defense officials said they could not be sure what caused the explosion aboard the 12,000-ton ship. Three American officials briefed on the incident said all indications were that it had been hit by missiles. The officials cautioned that early battlefield reports can sometimes change, but expressed deep skepticism over the Russian account of an accidental fire.

Ukraine has been stressing the need for coastal defense weapons, and the U.S. announced this week that it would send more of them. Pentagon officials said that other Russian ships had moved farther from the Ukrainian shoreline, lending credence to the claim of missile strikes.

“It’s going to have an impact on their naval capabilities, certainly in the near term,” but the long-term picture is unclear, said the Pentagon spokesman, John F. Kirby, a former Navy rear admiral.

Until now, Russian ships have been able to fire missiles at will against coastal cities. They have blockaded Ukraine’s south coast and threatened an amphibious landing in the southwestern region. The presence of an effective Ukrainian anti-ship weapon — Ukraine says the Neptune has a range of about 190 miles — could change those calculations, though Ukraine’s commercial shipping is unlikely to resume anytime soon.

Current and former American naval commanders said a successful missile attack would represent a shocking lack of Russian combat readiness.

“This is not supposed to happen to a modern warship,” said Adm. James G. Foggo III, a former commander of the United States Sixth Fleet, whose area of operations includes Europe. “If this was a Neptune missile strike, it’s indicative of complacency and lack of an effective integrated air and missile defense capability.”

Ukraine has endured most of the suffering in the war that began on Feb. 24, with untold thousands of casualties, widespread destruction and millions of people displaced, but the blowback on Russia has also been severe. Moscow’s vaunted military has often seemed hapless, absorbing unexpectedly heavy losses of men and equipment, while unprecedented sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies have shaken the Russian economy.

President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged some of that cost on Thursday in a videoconference with top government officials and oil and gas executives, referring to “the disruption of export logistics” in that industry and “setbacks in payments for Russian energy exports.”

Fossil fuels are Russia’s biggest export product, a huge part of the Russian economy that employs millions of people and supplies the government with much of the revenue needed to support its war-making machinery.

Now E.U. officials and European diplomats say the bloc is moving toward barring oil imports from Russia, a ban that would be phased in over months to allow countries to arrange alternative supplies. They said European leaders will not make a final decision until after April 24, when France will hold its presidential runoff; a rise in fuel prices could hurt the prospects of President Emmanuel Macron and boost his right-wing opponent, Marine Le Pen, who has praised Mr. Putin.

The government of Germany, the most influential country in the European Union, has been particularly reluctant to cut off Russian fuel, which would come at a steep cost and could lead to shortages. But pressure from allies and mounting evidence of Russian atrocities in Ukraine have, step by step, overcome that resistance. Germany refused to allow the virtually completed, $10 billion Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to go into service, supported the coal ban and now appears to be on board with an oil embargo.

The shifting stance of the neutral Scandinavian states is another unintended consequence for Mr. Putin. In waging a war that he said was intended to keep Ukraine out of NATO — a distant prospect at best — he may have succeeded in driving two countries that had been steadfastly nonaligned for generations into the arms of the alliance.

Dmitri A. Medvedev, a senior Russian security official, said on Thursday that if Sweden and Finland joined NATO, there would be “no more talk of a nuclear-free Baltics” region. Moscow would be compelled to “seriously strengthen” its air and ground forces in the area, said Mr. Medvedev, a former president and prime minister, and could deploy nuclear-armed warships “at arm’s length” from Finnish and Swedish shores.

Vladimir Solovyov, a television host who is considered a leading voice of Kremlin propaganda, said on Wednesday that Russia should destroy all Ukrainian infrastructure, including basic utilities.

Russia “must bring these terrorists to their senses in the cruelest way,” he said on his show on the state-owned Russia-1 channel. “We need to talk differently with terrorists,” he added. “There shouldn’t be any illusions that they can win.”

Russia has forced independent news outlets to shut down or leave the country, and has criminalized disputing the Kremlin’s account of the war. Yet Margarita Simonyan, the head of the state-owned RT news organization, said earlier this week that the government should restrict information even more.

No major power can exist “without having information under its control,” she said, adding, “we are all waiting for this.”

Matina Stevis-Gridneff reported from Brussels, and Richard Pérez-Peña from New York. Reporting was contributed by Ivan Nechepurenko and Anton Troianovski from Istanbul, Michael Schwirtz from London, and Helene Cooper , Eric Schmitt , David E. Sanger and Julian E. Barnes from Washington.

Jeffrey Gettleman

A reporter covering the war reflects on the legacy of the Holocaust.

LUBLIN, Poland — On a recent morning, I sat in the sun-filled dining room of a tidy house in eastern Poland, across from one of the most generous men I’ve ever met.

He was a Polish apple farmer who took in eight Ukrainian refugees, all complete strangers, and gave them a place to stay, cooked them meals, brought them armloads of fresh bread every morning and has been trying to find them jobs.

But when it came to talking about World War II, this is what he said: “The real disaster started when the Russians invaded. The Russians were worse than the Germans.”

“The Germans,” he said, “did not hurt ordinary people.”

My first reaction fell somewhere between disappointment and silent outrage: How could this farmer be so kind and so blind? How could he say the Germans didn’t hurt “ordinary people” when they murdered millions of Jews right here in Poland? The biggest death camps were in Poland, and the more I thought about it, the more I was shocked by what the farmer said.

But then I realized he and I were actually engaging in a similar type of thinking.

He couldn’t stop obsessing about Russia, which occupied Poland during World War II and controlled it for many decades afterward, and is now dropping bombs just a few miles from the border. And I couldn’t stop thinking about the Holocaust. Neither of us had lived through all that history ourselves — the trauma was handed down to us from our families — but both of us were trapped in the past.

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Lauren Leibowitz

Ukrainian officials seize cars, property and other assets belonging to a Putin ally, Viktor Medvedchuk.

Officials in Lviv, Ukraine, announced on Thursday that they had seized significant property and assets belonging to Viktor Medvedchuk , a wealthy pro-Russia Ukrainian politician who was captured by security forces this week.

Mr. Medvedchuk, a close friend of the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, and a figure in the U.S. investigation into Russian electoral meddling , had once acted as a mediator of sorts between Russia and Ukraine.

Mr. Medvedchuk was under house arrest and awaiting trial for treason when Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. He went into hiding early in the war and was detained earlier this week. His net worth was reported as $620 million in 2021.

According to the State Bureau of Investigation , items seized from Mr. Medvedchuk included “26 cars, 30 plots of land, 23 houses, 32 apartments 17 parking spaces and a motor yacht,” in addition to capital shares belonging to Mr. Medvedchuk and his wife, Oksana Marchenko. Another of his yachts and additional real estate assets were seized earlier in the month.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has offered to trade Mr. Medvedchuk for Ukrainian prisoners of war. The Kremlin declined the offer, and distanced itself from the situation.

“He had no backstage relationship with Russia,” the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry S. Peskov, said of Mr. Medvedchuk on Wednesday, Reuters reported .

It is unclear if Mr. Medvedchuk will stand trial for the charges he faced before the conflict began.

Andrew Higgins

A Soviet-era air defense system arrives in Ukraine, hiding in plain sight.

DOBRA, Slovakia — Driving back to his village near the Ukrainian border last Thursday, the mayor had to stop to let a train pass, and assumed he wouldn’t have to wait long. But the flatbed wagons, stacked high with military equipment, just kept coming. He waited for nearly half an hour.

“It was a very long train, much longer than usual,” recalled Mikolas Csoma, the mayor of Dobra, a previously sleepy village in eastern Slovakia that, over the past month, has become a key artery funneling weapons and ammunition into Ukraine by rail from the West.

The train that delayed Mr. Csoma’s drive home was not only unusually long but also signaled a singular escalation in Western efforts to help Ukraine defend itself. It carried an air defense system made up of 48 surface-to-air missiles, four launchers and radars to guide the rockets to their targets, which in Ukraine means Russian warplanes and missiles.

As President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia vows to fight the war to its “full completion” and his forces regroup for an expected push in Ukraine’s east, NATO countries, including the United States, are scrambling to keep the weapons flowing and bulk up the country’s defenses.

Bolstering Ukraine’s long-range air defense capabilities is seen as especially critical. Ukraine already had its own S-300 and other air defense systems, but some of these have been destroyed, leaving Russia with a large degree of freedom to hit Ukrainian targets from the air with warplanes and cruise missiles.

Increasingly desperate to reverse this imbalance, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has repeatedly pleaded with NATO to “close the sky over Ukraine” by imposing a no-fly zone. But NATO has been unwilling to send its own warplanes into Ukraine .

Instead, the United States offered Slovakia, a fellow NATO member, a substitute battery of American-made Patriot missiles if it would “donate” its aging S-300 system to Ukraine.

Andrea Kannapell

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that two children injured in a strike on the Kramatorsk railway station a week ago had died, bringing the total death toll to 59, including seven children. On Twitter, the ministry posted an image of a blood-soaked stuffed horse, and said Ukraine’s government would send “a bloody children’s toy” to the United Nations “as proof of this barbaric crime.”

Michael Crowley

Biden says he is still deciding whether to send a U.S. official to Kyiv.

President Biden acknowledged on Thursday that he might send a senior U.S. official to Kyiv, a day after reports emerged about a White House debate on the subject.

“We’re making that decision now,” Mr. Biden told reporters before boarding Air Force One for a trip to North Carolina.

Given the enormous security requirements for the president or vice president in a war zone, it is unlikely that either Mr. Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris would travel to the barricaded Ukrainian capital, U.S. officials say . But another top official, such as Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, might more easily make the symbolic trip.

Spokesmen for both Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin on Thursday said they had no travel plans to announce. At a daily press briefing, however, the State Department spokesman, Ned Price, noted that Mr. Blinken speaks several times a week to his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba. Mr. Price also noted that the men have met in person twice since Russia invaded Ukraine: last week at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels and at the Ukraine-Poland border last month.

The Russian retreat from the Kyiv area and recent visits to the capital by European leaders, including a surprise weekend trip by the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, have prompted discussions about sending a senior American there to demonstrate U.S. support.

Such a trip would involve challenging logistics. British media reported that Mr. Johnson traveled by a combination of car, train, helicopter and military plane.

Mr. Price also said that U.S. diplomats who were evacuated from Ukraine in February remain across the border in Poland. He said the United States was “constantly evaluating and re-evaluating the safety and the security situation” in Ukraine and hoped to restore a diplomatic presence there “as soon as it would be safe and practical to have U.S. diplomats on the ground there.”

Jesus Jimenez

In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine made only a passing reference to the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet that Ukraine says it hit with a missile strike, and that Russia says was damaged by a fire and sank while being towed to port. In listing those who have defended Ukraine since Russia invaded, Zelensky acknowledged “those who have shown that Russian ships can go to the bottom only.”

Jeré Longman and Erin Schaff

Tensions Over the Ukraine War Deepen the Chill Near the North Pole

BARENTSBURG, Norway — At first glance, Sergey Gushchin, 50, is perhaps not a man one would assume to be the Russian consul general at the world’s northernmost diplomatic mission: ponytail, bluejeans, bass player in a punk band.

Yet on Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located between mainland Norway and the North Pole, it has long been a point of pride to distinguish people from governments. Russians, Ukrainians and Norwegians have lived side by side for decades in this isolated and extreme wilderness known mostly for polar bears and a rapidly warming climate, not for divisive politics.

There is a saying in the high Arctic that if your snowmobile breaks down, no one asks for your nationality before helping to repair it. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has echoed at the top of the world, threatening longstanding personal and professional relationships, cultural interactions and even friendly sports rivalries.

The Svalbard tourist board has called for a boycott of Russian state-owned businesses in the coal mining settlement of Barentsburg. Mr. Gushchin, until now considered an inclusive, moderating figure, has surprised and angered many with comments concerning the Russian invasion and an accusation that Norwegian news media provide mostly “fake news.”

Timofey Rogozhin, the former top Russian tourist official in Barentsburg, who left his job last year, now spends considerable time on Telegram, countering Russian propaganda about the invasion. Calling himself a dissident, he describes atrocities committed in Ukrainian towns as “not mistakes but crimes.”

“Svalbard is a place where people from all different countries have managed to get along peacefully,” said Elizabeth Bourne, an American who is director of the Spitsbergen Artists Center in Longyearbyen, the primarily Norwegian transportation, commerce, research and university hub of Svalbard. “This situation is in danger of putting an end to that. I think that would be a tragedy.”

Longyearbyen is about 30 miles northeast of Barentsburg and is inhabited by roughly 2,500 residents from 50 nations. Cultural exchanges involving singing and dancing, and sports exchanges involving games like chess and basketball have been ongoing between Barentsburg and Longyearbyen since the Soviet era.

Their longevity is made more remarkable by the lack of a road between the towns. Travel must be done by snowmobile, boat or helicopter.

“Maybe people of Longyearbyen wouldn’t like to see me, but they still like to see people of Barentsburg,” Mr. Gushchin said.

A 1920 treaty gave Norway sovereignty over Svalbard. But other nations that signed the treaty, including the Soviet Union/Russia, have been granted equal rights to conduct such commercial activities as mining, scientific research and tourism.

The Russian consulate in Barentsburg overlooks the Green Fjord and a kind of outdoor museum of the Soviet past: a bust of Lenin, a Cyrillic sign proclaiming “Communism is our goal,” refurbished Stalinist apartment blocks and smokestacks that belch sulfurous coal at the local power plant.

Once, more than 1,000 people lived here. Now there are only about 370, two-thirds of them Ukrainian, Mr. Gushchin said. Most miners are from the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which has close ties to Russia. It is the area where fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists began in 2014. Others from the region work in tourism and other service jobs.

A number of Russians and Ukrainians approached by a New York Times reporter on Wednesday refused to discuss politics. But Natalia Maksimishina, a Russian tour guide, criticized Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian president, referring to possible war crimes committed by Russian forces and saying, “I hope to see him next in The Hague.”

Barentsburg is essentially operated by Trust Arktikugol, a Russian state-run mining enterprise. The boycott called for by the Svalbard tourist board recommends that money not be spent in the town’s hotel, Red Bear pub and brewery, restaurants or souvenir shop.

Barentsburg seemed mostly empty on Wednesday, except for clots of tourists arriving on a small ship. Before the pandemic, tourism brought in more money than coal, Mr. Gushchin said. Now, he added, Trust Arktikugol loses “big money” weekly. Many tourists who do visit bring their own food and leave quickly, he said.

Critics of the boycott say it hurts the Russian government less than local people in Barentsburg, most of them Ukrainian. Credit cards issued by Russian banks don’t work in the Norwegian financial system amid international sanctions. Flights are difficult to schedule.

In a light moment during an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Gushchin lamented that his band’s solo guitarist had moved away. “When you have only a bass player and a drummer, it resembles more like punk, not rock,” he said.

In a more serious moment, Mr. Gushchin put logs on a fire in the consulate’s reception area, but did not attempt to thaw the sudden chill between him and many on Svalbard.

He stood by debunked remarks he made in English in early April to Nettavisen, a Norwegian online newspaper. He told the outlet that buildings in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol had been destroyed not by Russian projectiles but by a Ukrainian battalion with Nazi sympathies. And that a pregnant woman photographed outside of a besieged hospital was not a patient.

Asked by Nettavisen whether he felt obliged to make such remarks in his official capacity, Mr. Gushchin said they also reflected his opinion. Otherwise, he said, he would have to resign his post immediately. On Wednesday, Mr. Gushchin said, “I saw that it really touched feelings of many Norwegians, but I told them what I think.”

His remarks to Nettavisen were jarring to many, who found them sharply contrasting with Mr. Gushchin’s position as a subdeacon in the Russian Orthodox Church. Last August, he helped perform the liturgy at Svalbard Church in Longyearbyen, a parish of the Church of Norway. Siv Limstrand, the Lutheran pastor at Svalbard Church, said she had previously considered Mr. Gushchin to be “very friendly, easygoing, nonformal, extending communication and cooperation.”

“People get disappointed, but he is a state official,” Ms. Limstrand said. “We can’t really expect something different from him. But a little more diplomacy, I think, could have been within reach.”

Having arrived in Barentsburg in November 2018, Mr. Gushchin awaits his successor, saying he and his wife are eager to return to Moscow to see their 22-year-old daughter and his 82-year-old mother. Perhaps, many who know him on Svalbard say privately, that is why he dares not contradict Mr. Putin.

Clearly, Mr. Gushchin is sensitive to optics. On Wednesday, he declined to be photographed standing beside a taxidermied polar bear in the consulate, saying it would convey a misleading symbol of Russian aggression.

He also said he would not attend a planned cultural exchange in Longyearbyen on May 21 so as “not to provoke anybody.”

“There are a lot of Russian and Ukrainian compatriots and also Norwegians who won’t be very happy if I take part,” Mr. Gushchin said.

When he took the posting on Svalbard, Mr. Gushchin said, he considered it a “dream” job, one that has been “a big adventure.” But he also said he is ready to return to Russia.

With a sigh, then a laugh, he said he hoped the invasion of Ukraine did not become “something more ugly and global.” If World War III breaks out “and we’re stuck here,” he said with gallows humor, “it will be difficult to go home.”

Anton Troianovski

Russian warship sinks after Ukraine claims to have hit it with missiles.

A Russian warship that Ukraine said it had hit with a missile strike sank in the Black Sea on Thursday while being towed to port in a storm, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said the guided-missile cruiser, the Moskva — the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet — had “lost its stability due to damage to the hull from the detonation of ammunition” from a fire.

“In stormy sea conditions, the ship sank,” the Defense Ministry said in a short statement, according to Russian news agencies.

The loss of one of the Russian Navy’s largest and most powerful ships, named after the Russian capital, was a major setback for the Kremlin and a victory for Ukraine as the 50-day-old war appeared to be entering a new phase. Russia has massed troops in the country’s east and appears to be poised for a new offensive there after withdrawing from the north and the region around the capital, Kyiv.

Ukrainian officials had said their forces hit the ship with missiles, but Moscow acknowledged only the fire and the detonation of ammunition. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said earlier on Thursday that President Vladimir V. Putin had been briefed on the situation.

The ship could carry 16 long-range cruise missiles and typically had a crew of about 500 sailors. It was also outfitted with modern air defense systems, making its loss — if Ukraine did indeed strike the ship — an embarrassment for Russia’s military, which has invested billions of dollars into modernizing its weaponry.

If the loss of the ship stemmed from an accidental fire, as the Defense Ministry suggested, the episode would become one of the most striking examples of the miscues and poor discipline that appear to have plagued Russia’s invasion from the start.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not acknowledge any casualties, asserting in its statement that the ship’s crew had been evacuated to “ships of the Black Sea fleet that were in the area.” There was no independent confirmation of that claim.

On Tuesday, the head of Odesa’s military forces, Maxim Marchenko, said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces had struck the ship with anti-ship Neptune missiles.

Although military analysts said the loss of the ship was not likely to alter the course of the war, it was likely to offer a morale boost for Ukrainian forces. In addition, an attack by the Neptune missile systems, if confirmed, would be a significant sign of Ukraine’s military capability and could serve as a deterrent to other Russian naval attacks.

Though Moscow has not confirmed the ship was hit by missiles, a half dozen other Russian ships in the Black Sea moved farther away from the Ukrainian coast on Thursday, a senior U.S. defense official said on Thursday, lending credence to the claim.

For its part, Ukraine seized the opportunity to mock the invader.

“Russian warship, what are you sinking?” the government wrote on Twitter .

Nadav Gavrielov

Britain freezes assets of two Russian businessmen close to Abramovich.

The United Kingdom announced on Thursday that it would impose sanctions on Eugene Tenenbaum and David Davidovich, two Russian oligarchs who it says have close ties to Roman Abramovich .

Mr. Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, is close to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and has himself been targeted with a robust set of British sanctions that have led him to seek to sell the team.

In announcing the move , which would freeze assets estimated to be worth up to £10 billion, or roughly $13 billion, the U.K. government said it amounted to “the largest asset freeze action in U.K. history.”

“We are tightening the ratchet on Putin’s war machine and targeting the circle of people closest to the Kremlin,” said Liz Truss, Britain’s foreign secretary. “We will keep going with sanctions until Putin fails in Ukraine. Nothing and no one is off the table.”

The new measures also include a travel ban on Mr. Davidovich.

Mr. Tenenbaum is listed as a director on Chelsea Football Club’s website. The British announcement states that Mr. Tenenbaum took control of Ervington Investments Ltd., an investment company tied to Mr. Abramovich, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Mr. Davidovich then took over the company from Mr. Tenenbaum in March, according to the announcement.

The club declined to comment on the new sanctions.

European countries have been stepping up sanctions against Russia in recent days, and are also considering a larger ban on Russian oil imports, a step they have been reluctant to take because of the potential for a wider impact on the global economy.

Earlier in the week, authorities in Jersey, a British territory, froze $7 billion in assets believed to be tied to Mr. Abramovich.

The French government published a list this week of dozens of properties, many of them on the French Riviera, that it said it would be freezing as part of its sanctions on Russia. While the owners of the assets can still access the properties, they are forbidden to sell or rent them.

A Russian billionaire's superyacht has been impounded in Hamburg, Germany. Harsh sanctions in response to the invasion of #Ukraine brought the estimated $600-750 million yacht Dilbar out of 'offshore concealment', and into the hands of authorities. pic.twitter.com/GYkH6SmQk2 — German Embassy (@GermanyinUSA) April 14, 2022

In Germany, authorities recently announced the seizure of the superyacht Dilbar after determining that it was tied to Alisher Usmanov, a Russian oligarch, according to The Associated Press. The United States previously targeted Mr. Usmanov in a batch of sanctions announced last month that designated the superyacht as blocked property, estimating its value to be between $600 and $735 million and noting that it was one of the world’s biggest superyachts, outfitted with two helipads and an indoor pool.

Aurelien Breeden contributed reporting from Paris.

An earlier version of this article misstated the amount of money Britain said it would freeze in Russian assets. It was up to £10 billion, which is the equivalent of about $13 billion, not $13 million.

How we handle corrections

David E. Sanger

The C.I.A. director says ‘potential desperation’ could tempt Putin to use nuclear weapons.

The director of the C.I.A. said on Thursday that Vladimir V. Putin’s “potential desperation” to extract the semblance of a victory in Ukraine might tempt him to order the use of a tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon, publicly discussing for the first time a concern that has coursed through the White House during the seven weeks of conflict.

The director, William J. Burns, served as American ambassador to Russia and is the member of the administration who has dealt most often with Mr. Putin. He said the potential detonation of a limited nuclear weapon — even as a warning shot — was a possibility that the United States remained “very concerned” about. But Mr. Burns quickly cautioned that so far, despite Mr. Putin’s frequent invocation of nuclear threats, he had seen no “practical evidence” of the kinds of military deployments or movement of weapons that would suggest such a development was imminent.

“Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they’ve faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons,” Mr. Burns said. “We don’t.”

Mr. Burns’s comments came in response to a question from retired Senator Sam Nunn, Democrat of Georgia, after a speech Mr. Burns delivered at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

Both President Biden and his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, have acknowledged that the White House has been debating sending a high-level official to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in a show of support for the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain recently took a secret trip into the capital by train.

Mr. Sullivan said that the White House had briefly considered having Mr. Biden go to Ukraine, but as soon as it became clear “what kind of footprint that would require, what kind of assets that would take from the Ukrainians as well as the U.S.” to keep the president safe, the idea was rejected.

When pressed about reports that Mr. Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin might go to Kyiv, Mr. Sullivan declined to discuss it. Mr. Biden told reporters no decision had been made to send an envoy.

Mr. Sullivan also said that in coming days the United States would announce a crackdown on countries and companies violating Western sanctions imposed on Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in late February.

Alan Rappeport

Moody’s warns that Russia’s bond payments in rubles could lead to default.

Russia’s repayment of foreign currency bonds in rubles could be considered a default if it does not reverse course and pay in dollars, Moody’s, the ratings agency, said on Thursday.

The warning from Moody’s comes as Russia is inching closer to its first failure to pay foreign debt since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, as President Vladimir V. Putin faces sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies in Europe and Asia in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Moody’s said that Russia still has until May 4, when the grace period ends, to make the payments in dollars and avoid a default on two bonds that are maturing in 2022 and 2042. The payment terms of the original bond contracts required dollars and did not include a provision to allow for another currency.

“Moody’s view is that investors did not obtain the foreign-currency contractual promise on the payment due date,” the ratings agency said.

Earlier this week , S&P Global placed Russia under a “selective default” rating after the Russian government said last week that it had repaid about $650 million of dollar-denominated debt in rubles .

Russia has said that any default would be “artificial” because its foreign-currency reserves have been immobilized by the sanctions and argued that payments in rubles should be a suitable alternative.

Michael Schwirtz

The Russian Defense Ministry says its naval flagship Moskva has sunk in the Black Sea while being towed in a storm. Ukraine had claimed it hit the cruiser with a missile strike. Moscow denied the ship had been hit by missiles, but acknowledged it was on fire.

Dan Bilefsky

Putin admits sanctions have hurt Russia’s oil and gas sector.

As the European Union mulls banning Russian oil products to further punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged on Thursday that sanctions were already disrupting Russia’s lucrative oil and gas sector, undermining exports and raising costs for the industry.

Speaking with government officials via video link from his residence near Moscow, Mr. Putin said that payments for Russian energy exports were under strain and that banks from “unfriendly countries” had been “delaying the transfer of funds.”

“As we have said many times, the most urgent problem here is the disruption of export logistics,” he said.

The European Union, the world’s biggest trading bloc, has long resisted a ban on Russian oil because of its huge costs for European economies, in particular Germany’s, and its potential to jolt European politics and increase energy prices.

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has spurred a growing consensus among the bloc’s officials and ambassadors that Europe should no longer be financing the Kremlin through energy purchases and that it should reduce dependence on Russian energy by expanding alternative sources of supply.

A defiant Mr. Putin told Russian officials that the attempt by western countries to replace Russian energy sources would reverberate in the global economy and could be “extremely painful” for those seeking to sideline Russian suppliers.

Moreover, he said, there is a dearth of available natural gas on the global market. He predicted that Europe’s turn to energy deliveries from other countries, in particular the United States, would undermine European living standards and competitiveness and result in higher energy costs for consumers.

“There is no reasonable alternative to Russian gas in Europe,” he said.

While it is possible for countries in Western Europe to find alternative energy supplies, Mr. Putin said, it would take time.

Rising gasoline prices, driven in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have led President Biden to embrace oil, though he came into office on a promise to tackle the planet’s climate crisis.

On Tuesday, Mr. Biden traveled to Iowa to announce that the Environmental Protection Agency would temporarily lift regulations prohibiting the summertime use of an ethanol-gasoline blend that contributes to smog during the warmer months. Mr. Biden said his administration was going to waive the regulation to lower the price of gasoline for many Americans.

Alluding to such moves, Mr. Putin observed that Western countries appeared to be increasingly ready to abandon their green agendas and to continue their reliance on fossil fuels with a high carbon footprint. He suggested that Russia was being used as a pretext for the United States and its allies to roll back policies aimed at encouraging green energy that had proven to have a high economic cost.

“Now they have a wonderful excuse to cover up their own miscalculations and blame everything on Russia,” he said.

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2 Die in Ukraine After Moscow and Kyiv Exchange Attacks

Firefighters continue to extinguish the fire that broke out after Russian airstrikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine on September 15, 2024. According to officials, at least 41 people are wounded due to the attack. Credit - George Ivanchenko/Anadolu—Getty Images

T wo people died in a missile attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, local officials said, as Moscow and Kyiv  exchanged drone and missile attacks .

The Ukrainian air force said Sunday it shot down 10 of the 14 drones and one of the three missiles Russia launched overnight.

Oleh Kiper, Odesa's regional governor, said the two who died in the suburbs of Odesa on Saturday night were a married couple, and that another person was wounded in the attack.

At least 41 people were wounded Sunday afternoon when a Russian aerial bomb struck a multistory residential building in Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, adding that the guided bomb hit the 10th floor of the building, with the fire spreading across four stories. Twelve other buildings were also damaged, he said.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it downed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday over western and southwestern regions, with no damage caused by the falling debris. It also said another Ukrainian drone was shot down Sunday morning over the western Ryazan region.

While Ukraine and Russia regularly launch overnight drone raids on each other’s territory, Ukrainian officials generally don't confirm or deny attacks within Russia’s borders.

The latest attacks came after Ukraine made a new call Saturday on the West to  allow it to use the long-range missiles  they have provided to strike targets deep inside Russia, as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.

So far, the U.S. has allowed Kyiv to use  American-provided weapons  only in a limited area inside Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Kyiv officials argue the  weapons are vital  to weaken Russia’s ability to strike Ukraine and force it to move its strike capabilities further from the border.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to social media on Sunday to again appeal for a shift in the West's policy on the use of long-range weapons, noting that Russia had launched “around 30 missiles of various types, more than 800 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 300 strike drones against Ukraine” this week.

“Ukraine needs strong support from our partners to defend lives against Russian terror — air defense, long-range capabilities, support for our warriors. Everything that will help force Russia to end this war," Zelenskyy posted on X.

Contact us at [email protected] .

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Two people die in Ukraine's Odesa after Moscow and Kyiv exchange drone and missile attacks

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The Ukrainian air force said Sunday it shot down 10 of the 14 drones and one of the three missiles Russia launched overnight.

Oleh Kiper, Odesa's regional governor, said the two who died in the suburbs of Odesa on Saturday night were a married couple, and that another person was wounded in the attack.

At least 33 people were wounded Sunday afternoon when a Russian aerial bomb struck a multi-story residential building in Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, adding that the guided bomb hit the 10th floor of the building, with the fire spreading across four stories.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said it downed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday over western and southwestern regions, with no damage caused by the falling debris. It also said another Ukrainian drone was shot down Sunday morning over the western Ryazan region.

While Ukraine and Russia regularly launch overnight drone raids on each other’s territory, Ukrainian officials generally do not confirm or deny attacks within Russia’s borders.

The latest attacks came after Ukraine made a new call Saturday on the West to allow it to use the long-range missiles they have provided to strike targets deep inside Russia, as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.

So far, the U.S. has allowed Kyiv to use American-provided weapons only in a limited area inside Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Kyiv officials argue the weapons are vital to weaken Russia’s ability to strike Ukraine and force it to move its strike capabilities further from the border.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to social media on Sunday to again appeal for a shift in the West's policy on the use of long-range weapons, noting that Russia had launched “around 30 missiles of various types, more than 800 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 300 strike drones against Ukraine” this week.

“Ukraine needs strong support from our partners to defend lives against Russian terror—air defense, long-range capabilities, support for our warriors. Everything that will help force Russia to end this war," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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