Greek Investor to Refurbish Onassis Yacht for $40 Million

A Greek investment broker said Friday he will sink $40 million into refurbishing the late Aristotle Onassis’ celebrated 325-foot yacht Christina, which he bought two weeks ago for $2.2 million.

Alexander Blastos, a 28-year-old entrepreneur who grew up in New England, said that a two-year refitting project will restore the craft beyond the opulence it had enjoyed under its former owner.

Blastos said the yacht, once visited by the likes of Greta Garbo, Frank Sinatra and Sir Winston Churchill, will be decorated with statues of Greek gods and fitted with a 24-seat dining room table made of gold, ivory and lapis lazuli.

He said he will keep or upgrade all of Onassis’ rooms, right down to the gold faucets.

Blastos, who is based in Athens, said he bought the yacht at auction last fall and had just finalized the deal.

The Greek consulate in New York said Friday that after Onassis’ death, the Christina became property of the Greek state and was used by visiting dignitaries.

When the craft began to age and became unwieldy, it was transferred to the Greek Navy, which was in charge of its sale, the consulate said.

Blastos said the massive two-year refitting project will take place in Germany.

“It will be more spectacular than anybody could imagine a boat could be,” he said, adding that the project would employ thousands of people.