The Haves and the Have-Yachts

Plus: why storytelling is part of medicine; the VW bus goes electric; and the photography of Wendy Red Star. View in browser | Update your preferences Monday, July 18, 2022 In today’s newsletter, the booming world of superyachts, and then: • The VW bus goes electric • Why storytelling is part of being a good doctor • Wendy Red Star’s Indigenous gaze The Haves and the Have-Yachts Luxury ships attract outrage and political scrutiny. The ultra-rich are buying them in record numbers. Photo Illustration by Javier Jaén; Source photograph from Shutterstock “For the uninitiated, a pleasure boat the length of a football field can be bewildering,” Evan Osnos writes, in a fascinating and darkly funny exploration of the booming world of superyachts. To fit in, it helps to have a billion or so dollars. (The largest of these ships cost well over five hundred million.) But, short of that, you could start by learning some of the vocabulary—you know, fake it till you make it. What makes a yacht? (If it has a crew working aboard, it’s a yacht.) What about a superyacht? (Longer than ninety-eight feet.) A gigayacht? (Over two hundred and ninety-five feet—that’s football-field territory.) None of this gets to the central question, though, which is: why, as Osnos puts it, do “owners obsessed with secrecy seem determined to build the world’s most conspicuous machines”? He travels from Palm Beach to Monaco to the shipyards of Italy—speaking with designers, builders, captains, and others—to look for an answer. —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story Support The New Yorker’s coverage of wealth and power. Subscribe today » Editor’s Picks Dept. of Transportation The VW Bus Took the Sixties on the Road. Now It’s Getting a Twenty-first-Century Makeover Once, it sparked dreams of community and counterculture. What’s gained—and lost—when flower power is electrified? By Jill Lepore Books Why Storytelling Is Part of Being a Good Doctor Physicians’ education puts science front and center, but narrative can be a surprisingly powerful medicine. By Jerome Groopman Here To There Dept. Supply-Chain Problems? Try a Cargo Schooner The crew of Grain de Sail, a sailboat carrying a load of French biodynamic wines—without the carbon emissions of a cargo ship—hoists the mainsail and floats into town. By Adam Iscoe Cover Story Christoph Niemann, this week’s cover artist, talks about the perfect beach-vacation moment: “When you go for the first swim, wait for a large wave, jump up, quickly turn around, and the very tip of the wave slaps you in the neck.” Culture Dept. Photo Booth Wendy Red Star’s Indigenous Gaze The Crow photographer and multimedia artist confronts settler narratives with sly doses of “Indi’n humor.” By Tiffany Midge Essay Is Abortion Sacred? Abortion is often talked about as a grave act. But bringing a new life into the world can feel like the decision that more clearly risks being a moral mistake. By Jia Tolentino The Art World Fault Lines in America and Ukraine A clamorous retrospective of the painter Robert Colescott, and “Women at War,” a show of contemporary Ukrainian artists, unsettle and inspire. By Peter Schjeldahl Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Liz Maynes-Aminzade Daily Shouts This Summer, Get Your Body Back How to reclaim missing limbs—and constitutional rights! By Kit Fraser Crossword A Challenging Puzzle Dad, in Korean: four letters. By Paolo Pasco Daily Cartoon Monday, July 18th By Liana Finck P.S. The Pop artist Claes Oldenburg—known for enormous public works, many of which he made with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen—died today at the age of ninety-three. In 2017, Anna Russell caught up with Oldenburg as he was preparing a new show featuring objects that had accumulated in his studio over the years. “This is a piece that sets out to be beautiful—a saw, and this is part of a golf club,” he said. “This is, of course, a flower. This is to eat. I tried so many different combinations of these things.” Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.