Geraldo Rivera's Boat: A Luxurious Yacht For The Media Personality

Geraldo Rivera is the owner and skipper of the sailing vessel Voyager, a 70-foot aluminium Sparkman & Stephens ketch. Rivera has been a boater for nearly as long as he's been a journalist and has owned several vessels over the years. He's an active sailor and has participated in the Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race several times. Rivera's love for sailing began as a child, watching fishermen on Peconic Bay. He has since sailed the Voyager all over the world, including up the Amazon River and to Tonga, where he celebrated the new millennium.

Geraldo Rivera's boat is called Voyager

Geraldo Rivera, the Fox News host and television personality, is the owner and skipper of the sailing vessel Voyager. Rivera has been a boater for nearly as long as he's been a journalist and has owned several vessels over the years. Rivera is a native New Yorker, born in Manhattan in 1943. He lived in Brooklyn with his family until the 1950s when they moved to West Babylon on Long Island. It was in this blue-collar town that Rivera realised his passion for life on the water.

Rivera's first experience with sailing was watching fishermen on Peconic Bay as a child. He attended the State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler from 1961 to 1963, where he was a member of the rowing team. After graduating from the University of Arizona and later earning a law degree, he landed a job as a reporter with WABC-TV in New York in the early 1970s. It was in 1976, at the age of 33, that Rivera purchased his first boat, a 20-foot gaff-rigged wooden sloop he named Francina after his fiancée.

Since then, Rivera has owned several vessels, including the 70-foot aluminum Sparkman & Stephens ketch, Voyager. He purchased the boat in 1995 and renamed it Voyager, reflecting his intention to voyage, explore, and discover the world. Rivera has sailed Voyager all over the world, including a trip to Tonga near the International Dateline, where he was among the first people to celebrate the new millennium. He has also sailed Voyager up the Amazon River, a trip that was featured on the Travel Channel.

In 2013, Rivera donated Voyager to the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, where it is now used to train students in vessel operations. Rivera said that parting with Voyager was a difficult decision, but he wanted to find a worthy beneficiary for the boat, which he considered almost a member of his family.

It's a 70-foot aluminium Sparkman & Stephens ketch

Geraldo Rivera's boat, the Voyager, is a 70-foot aluminium Sparkman & Stephens ketch. Rivera is a passionate sailor and has owned a number of vessels over the years. He bought the Voyager, previously named Palawan IV, in 1995. It was built in 1972 for the late IBM chairman Tom Watson Jr. and is one of six S&S cruisers designed for him.

The Voyager is a substantial vessel, with a waterline length of just over 50 feet and a longer deck that slopes gracefully fore and aft, giving it the elegant sweep of a 19th-century schooner. Its rigging is designed to withstand gale-force winds, with powerful stays that look strong enough to support a bridge. Rivera was so taken with the boat that he hired a surveyor to inspect it and chartered it for a week-long cruise before purchasing it for $470,000.

The Voyager has taken Rivera on many adventures, including a three-year, 30,000-mile circumnavigation of the globe, starting in 1997. He and his crew sailed from the US to the Azores, Portugal, Gibraltar, Spain, the Balearic Islands, the Seychelles, the Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Tahiti, and the Galapagos. Rivera also embarked on a 1,500-mile voyage along Central and South America and the Amazon River in 2000.

The Voyager has a special place in Rivera's heart, and he considers it his true home. He once said that if he could, he would skipper the Voyager over the horizon and never return.

Rivera sailed Voyager 1,400 miles up the Amazon River

Geraldo Rivera, the Fox News host and television personality, is an avid sailor and has owned several vessels over the years. One of his most notable boats is the "Voyager," a 68-foot or 70-foot aluminum Sparkman & Stephens ketch. Rivera sailed the "Voyager" on many adventures, including a remarkable journey of 1,400 miles up the Amazon River.

Rivera's passion for sailing began at a young age as he grew up in a blue-collar town on Long Island, New York. He often watched fishermen on Peconic Bay and associated boats and sailing with a sense of freedom and exploration. This early fascination with the sea led him to enrol at the State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, where he gained crucial experience living aboard a converted troop transport vessel.

After establishing himself as a journalist and attorney, Rivera purchased his first boat, a 20-foot gaff-rigged wooden sloop named "Francina." He explored the waters of eastern Long Island Sound and dreamed of sailing to more distant shores. To fulfil these ambitions, he later acquired "New Wave," a 44-foot Gulfstar sloop, which he sailed extensively, even facing challenging conditions like gale-force winds and runaway jibs.

However, it was with the "Voyager" that Rivera embarked on his most ambitious voyages. In 1997, he set out on a global circumnavigation, a three-year, 30,000-mile odyssey that took him to the Mediterranean, the Seychelles, the Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Tahiti, and the Galapagos. Rivera and his crew even celebrated the new millennium near the International Dateline in Tonga, making them among the first to welcome the year 2000.

Following this epic journey, Rivera's spirit for adventure remained unabated. In December 2000, he set off on another ambitious voyage, this time along Central and South America and up the Amazon River. This trip, which covered 1,400 miles, was later featured on the Travel Channel, showcasing the beauty and challenges of sailing one of the world's greatest rivers.

The "Voyager" held a special place in Rivera's heart, and he considered it almost like a member of his family. However, due to his demanding work life, he eventually made the difficult decision to part ways with the boat. In 2013, he donated the "Voyager" to the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, where it continues to train students in small vessel operations and maintenance.

He donated Voyager to the Maine Maritime Academy in 2013

Geraldo Rivera, the Fox News host and television personality, donated his beloved 68-foot aluminium sailboat, the Voyager, to the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, in 2013. Rivera considered the boat, which he had sailed with his family to Tonga and up the Amazon River, almost a member of his family. However, his demanding work life made it difficult for him to use the boat, so he decided to give it up.

Rivera recalled sailing the Voyager to Tonga, where he and his family were among the first people to experience the new millennium on December 31, 1999. The trip up the Amazon River was featured on the Travel Channel. Rivera's journey around the world was chronicled in six one-hour-long specials on the Travel Channel, and some of this footage remains available on his website.

The Voyager was built in 1972 for Thomas Watson Jr., the former president of IBM, and was designed by the naval architect and yacht brokerage firm Sparkman and Stephens. Rivera purchased the boat in 1995 and renamed her the Voyager. He had her restored, and she became one of his most prized possessions.

When deciding to part with the Voyager, Rivera considered selling it but ultimately chose to donate it to the Maine Maritime Academy. He felt a connection to the school as he had spent a fair amount of time sailing the boat in Maine and had met many of the cadets and staff. The boat would be used to train MMA students to operate and maintain small vessels, and Rivera was pleased that his sailboat would be put to good use, helping students gain the experience and training they needed to graduate and find jobs.

The Voyager is now part of the Maine Maritime Academy's fleet of 60 training vessels and is used to help train students enrolled in the vessel operations technology program and small vessel operations program. The students will earn sea hours and training on the Voyager, allowing them to receive a limited Coast Guard license and graduate with a bachelor's degree.

Rivera is an experienced sailor

Geraldo Rivera is an experienced sailor. He has been a boater for nearly as long as he's been a journalist and has owned several vessels over the years. Rivera's passion for sailing began when he was young and grew up in West Babylon, a blue-collar town in New York. He would watch fishermen on Peconic Bay and associate boats and sailing with the "haves".

Rivera's first taste of sailing came when he enrolled at the State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler. Although he didn't complete the four-year program, he lived aboard a 500-ton converted troop transport vessel and was a member of the school's rowing team—an experience that left a lasting impression on him. After graduating from the University of Arizona and then Brooklyn Law School, Rivera landed a job as a reporter with WABC-TV in New York in the early 1970s.

In 1976, Rivera purchased his first boat, a 20-foot gaff-rigged wooden sloop he named Francina after his fiancée. He explored the waters between the north and south forks of eastern Long Island Sound and even cruised as far as Block Island, Rhode Island. Rivera credits this boat with teaching him the basic physics of sailing and understanding how wind can be converted to momentum.

Over the years, Rivera has owned several other boats, including New Wave, a 44-foot Gulfstar sloop, and Belle, a 36-foot Hinckley Picnic Boat. However, his most famous vessel is the Voyager, a 70-foot aluminum Sparkman & Stephens ketch. Rivera purchased the Voyager in 1995 and has sailed her all over the world, including Central and South America, up the Amazon River, and even around the globe to meet the King of Tonga for the new millennium. Rivera's sailing adventures have been chronicled in several specials on The Travel Channel.

In addition to his own personal boats, Rivera has also been a member of the Maine Maritime Academy fleet, donating his beloved Voyager to the school in 2013. The Voyager is now used to train students in small vessel operations and help them earn their limited Coast Guard license and bachelor's degree. Rivera's contribution to the school and the world of sailing is a testament to his experience and passion for the sport.

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