The Serene sits in Tongass Narrows Friday morning. (Photo by Marco Torres)
A super-yacht cruised into Ketchikan Friday morning, touching off the usual flurry of speculation about who might be on board.
The answer wasn’t immediately forthcoming, but the Serene is impressive even without a celebrity sighting. The approximately 440-foot-long yacht, launched just a couple years ago, boasts seven decks, 12 cabins, a helicopter platform, a Jacuzzi on deck, an interior seawater pool that can be used to dock smaller boats, and a crew of about 50.
While this part is unconfirmed, the owner is said – by many internet sites – to be Yuri Shefler, a Russian who made his fortune exporting different vodka brands, including Stolichnaya.
