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Boat of the Week: Inside Malcolm Forbes’s Iconic ‘Highlander,’ Once the Ultimate ’80s Party Yacht

This bannenberg-designed 162-footer hosted everyone from rock stars to world leaders. after a major refit, she's now looking for a new owner., howard walker, howard walker's most recent stories.

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If these teak decks could talk. Paul McCartney tinkling the ivory keyboard. Elizabeth Taylor sunning herself on the top deck. Margaret Thatcher discussing world peace with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Harrison Ford taking a turn at the wheel.

Back in the 1980s, an invitation from Forbes magazine owner and consummate bon vivant , Malcolm Forbes, to join him aboard his beloved superyacht The Highlander was a reason for celebration.

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And Forbes was a master when it came to celebrating. His first of many Fourth of July parties aboard The Highlander , anchored off Governors Island in New York Harbor, saw the world’s greatest movers and shakers piped aboard by tartan-clad Scottish bagpipers.

Joanne de Guardiola’s interior design is light and sometimes whimsical, as opposed to Highlander ‘s previous formal, corporate look.  Courtesy IYC

There on the yacht’s decks were the likes of Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli, Henry and Nancy Kissinger, David and Peggy Rockefeller and Brooke Astor. More than 150 Maine lobsters and 30 pounds of Scottish smoked salmon were reportedly flown in to feed the elite crowd.

During the five years Forbes owned the yacht, before his death in 1990, she traveled the globe; everywhere from then Communist China, to Bora-Bora, to Thailand, the Philippines and Alaska.

Launched in 1985, this was the last of five Forbes-owned yachts named The Highlander, after his family’s Scottish roots. But this one was unique. Designed by world-renowned designer Jon Bannenberg and built in Holland by Feadship , her dark green hull—said to be the color of dollar bills—stretched 162 feet bow to stern.

Malcolm Forbes used The Highlander , which traveled around the world, to entertain political leaders, celebrities and other billionaires.  Courtesy John Barrett/Celebrity Archaeology/The Mega Agency

“She was nicknamed ‘The Ultimate Capitalist Tool’ for good reason,” the yacht’s current owner, New York-based interior designer Joanne de Guardiola told Robb Report . “Anyone who was anyone stepped aboard at some time during the ’80s.”

De Guardiola and her husband, investment banker Roberto de Guardiola, bought The Highlander from the Forbes estate back in 2012. And just as she’d done with the couple’s previous Feadship, the classic 159-foot Audacia , de Guardiola commissioned a top-to-bottom refit, this time with Florida’s Derecktor Shipyards.

“We had no thoughts of buying another yacht; we loved Audacia. But back in 2012, we had heard The Highlander was for sale and I went to take a look. She was not in great shape, but as a huge fan of Jon Bannenberg’s designs, and knowing her amazing history, we couldn’t resist,” she said.

The yacht was built by Feadship and designed by Jon Bannenberg, the father of modern yacht design. The original dark-green exterior was said to be the color of a dollar bill.  Courtesy Jim Raycroft

The exhaustive, two-year refit took the steel and aluminum superyacht down to the studs. The yacht was extended by 12 feet to add a swim deck and rear “garage” for water toys; the top deck was lengthened. Effectively doubling its size, and the master stateroom was moved to where the observatory used to be.

The entire interior was redesigned and refitted with more modern materials and finishes. Out went the padded leather ceilings, the somber, dark green carpets and ornate Chippendale antique chairs; in went bleached-white Anigre paneling, wide-planked dark wood flooring, and brightly colored pop art.

One especially jaw-dropping feature de Guardiola created was the stunning, open-tread marble staircase from salon to upper deck. That and the new, glass-enclosed sky lounge with its disco vibe and blue onyx floor.

The top deck nearly doubled in size during Highlander ‘s two-year refit.  Courtesy IYC

“The yacht didn’t really suit a family’s needs—she was really designed for Malcolm Forbes-style corporate entertaining,” says de Guardiola. “And if you wanted to splash in the water, you had to jump over the sides. Mr. Forbes didn’t like to swim.”

But de Guardiola is quick to add that her primary focus with the refit was evolving and not compromising Jon Bannenberg’s iconic design. “That’s what attracted me to the yacht in the first place.”

Mechanical improvements included the installation of Quantum zero speed stabilizers and full rebuilds for the trusty 900 hp Detroit Diesels. They still give the yacht a top speed of 18 mph, cruising at an easy 14 mph with transatlantic capability.

One of Highlander ‘s lounges.  Courtesy IYC

With kids in mind, Highlander —de Guardiola dropped the “the”—is brimming with water toys. Everything from Waverunners, Seabobs, banana floats and kayaks, to Malcolm Forbes’ much-loved, Ferrari-red 22-foot Donzi speedboat. Sadly, his other favorite, a custom-built Cigarette Racing powerboat, is no more. After being fully restored during the refit, the boat caught fire while Highlander was anchored off the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

“My husband was just heading off with our daughter and friends when the fire broke out,” de Guardiola says. “Everyone ended up in the water but were okay. It was one cool boat. It ran at over 60 mph.”

Since the refit, the de Guardiolas have taken friends and family all around the Mediterranean, hanging out at the Monaco Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival, and hitting most of the Greek islands. Winters were in the Caribbean. Typically, they spent eight to 10 weeks a year aboard.

A young Harrison Ford, taking the wheel of Highlander , was one of many celebrity guests in the 1980s.  Courtesy The Highlander Archive

So why the decision to sell? De Guardiola says she’s looking for her next project: “As with my interior design work, I love the intellectual challenge of a makeover. It’s also time. We feel we’ve been good custodians. Now someone else should enjoy her.”

Highlande r is listed with IYC in Fort Lauderdale for $8.5 million.

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Highlander: Inside the 50 Metre Feadship Superyacht

Inside highlander.

Offered for charter through Edmiston , the 50 metre superyacht Highlander was originally built by Feadship  in 1986 for Malcolm Forbes. BOAT takes a look around…

Originally used as a corporate yacht for Forbes magazine cruising the East Coast of the US, Highlander features exterior design by Jon Bannenberg .

Aft Sun Deck

Key features on board include a Jacuzzi with multi-coloured LED lights, disco lounge, media room, large swimming platform and massage room, making Highlander a firm charter favourite.

Forward Sun Deck

Highlander underwent an extensive refit at Derecktor in Florida in 2014 which included a complete interior facelift, lengthening of the hull, mechanical updates and a new paint job.

The Bridge Deck Lounge

The interior styling by Joanne De Guardiola Design features original pop art on the walls and sumptuous features throughout, resulting in an “elegant and comfortable atmosphere”, according to Edmiston.

The Main Deck Lounge

Edmiston said the interior features “an eclectic mix of vintage furniture, abstract art and the tactile textures of stone, wood and linen”.

The main deck lounge on board Highlander .

The Wheelhouse

Built from steel and aluminium, Highlander is powered by a pair of Detroit diesel 900HP engines for a cruising speed of 12 knots.

The Guest VIP

Accommodation on board is for 12 charter guests in seven cabins.

The Owner's Stateroom

The accommodation layout comprises the master (pictured), one VIP and two twins, two doubles and one single. Highlander also has accommodation for 11 crew members.

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Family updates Highlander, a former Malcolm Forbes yacht

As an interior designer who loves yachting, Joanne de Guardiola bought Malcolm Forbes’ last yacht, Highlander, took it down to the studs, and remade his corporate-entertaining yacht into something she and her husband, Roberto, could enjoy with family and friends.

“I am a big fan of Jon Bannenberg, its designer, and it’s a Feadship, which are the best of the best. Bannenberg only designed three or four Feadships,” Joanne de Guardiola says.

She and husband were acquainted with the Forbes family, and they knew the yacht was available.

“It was one of those things,” de Guardiola says. “We took a look at it, and ended up buying it. She’s a great boat, and I loved her.”

Roberto grew up on the water in Havana, and boating has always been part of his life. Not so Joanne; she grew up in Michigan.

“Roberto and I chartered a few times, and I fell in love with boats. About a dozen years ago, we bought our first Feadship, Audacia,” she says.

“With kids 8, 10, or 12, they are not on their phones or computers all the time, and doing water sports with them is fun. We have this inflatable gym that you can get flipped off of, banana floats, kayaks, paddleboards, Seabobs. Everyone has a blast. Being on the water is phenomenal for families.”

They keep their yacht in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, depending on the season, and they spend about 10 weeks a year on it. Some of their favorite trips have been to Ponza Island, Istanbul, Greece, Croatia and Venice. The Palm Beachers now are planning a trip to Capri, and they are hoping to go to the Galapagos Islands soon.

Highlander, launched in 1986, was legendary, de Guardiola says.

“People often come up and talk to our crew because they have fond memories of being on board with Malcolm.”

When preparing to renovate and redecorate, de Guardiola studied Bannenberg’s original designs; she looked at the yacht’s bones, and let them lead her.

“I cleaned up exterior lines, and I took off the teak handrails. It broke my heart, but that change makes the boat look younger.” She repainted the yacht a slightly lighter shade of green, removed striping and extended sidewalls where necessary.

She also extended the top deck forward, doubling its size, and added “brows” for a finished look and to provide shade.

She moved the satellites to the stacks, which made room for a custom Jacuzzi with fountains that change color for a fun water feature.

Secured aft are Forbes’ Cigarette boat and Donzi, which de Guardiola also renovated. The space between them, where Forbes used to keep his motorcycles, now has a big sun pad.

Water accessible

De Guardiola extended the lower deck, making it more accessible to the water.

“Malcolm didn’t swim, and that’s why I designed a swim platform like floating stairs at the back. We can sit on it, or raise it up and use it for diving, or we can lower it down in rough waters for swimming. We can also use it as a passerelle.”

Throughout, she rearranged the interiors to make them work for her family’s lifestyle.

“This (162-foot) boat (with seven cabins as well as room for 11 crew) has a lot of interior space, and I actually cut a room out,” she says.

On the main deck, the salon and media room now flow together. De Guardiola removed padding from the ceilings and walls, replacing it with bleached-white anigre paneling, European walnut trim and bronze ceiling squares. She put in a wide-plank dark-oak floor, and she changed window boxes to match the shape of the windows. Also, she designed a stunning floating stairway in Brazilian granite, creating a very dramatic focal point.

Contemporary furniture, covered in practical indoor-outdoor Perennials textiles from David Sutherland, is functional as well as beautiful. For example, in the media room, furniture includes bronze and parchment tables by Holly Hunt, a Le Corbusier chaise, and a custom bronze bench.

Exotic anigre wood covers the walls in the master stateroom, which is located on the main deck forward, where de Guardiola designed a floating bed in custom woods. “We raised it up off the floor, so that when sitting on the bed, we can look out the surround windows. This room used to be the observatory and we decided to moved the master to this location.” The stateroom also includes closets, his and her marble bathrooms, and, on this deck are Roberto’s office and the galley.

On the bridge deck, a custom dining table can seat two or it can be extended to seat 18 people. Placed around it are Philippe Starck aluminum and teak chairs designed for David Sutherland. The sky lounge, with a disco vibe, is completely glass, with a blue onyx floor and a custom bar.

“It’s a greenhouse room, with the windows coming up around, so you can sit in there when anchored off of Monaco, for example, and you see the twinkling skyline. It’s fantastic.”

On a boat, you get to be inventive on how to use space on different ways, she says.

“Bannenberg played with angles and circles, and was very innovative. I am really proud that I was able to update the boat, and you can’t tell where the boat has been altered. It was a complicated process.”

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Publishing Mogul Malcolm Forbes's Fabulous Life Aboard The Highlander

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-01-new-york-harbor-sailing.jpg

Then called The Highlander, publisher Malcolm S. Forbes’s fifth yacht by that name sails through New York Harbor in the 1980s. Jon Bannenberg, a world-renowned London-based boat designer, was responsible for the sleek vessel, which was topped with a helipad for Forbes’s gold-painted Bell Jet Ranger helicopter. New owners Joanne and Roberto de Guardiola have extensively renovated the boat, dropping the “the” from its name as well as lengthening Highlander to turn what was a largely business-related craft designed to host as many as 140 guests into a family-friendly vessel.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-02-portrait-on-yacht.jpg

Malcolm S. Forbes posed aboard The Highlander with one of the two Harley-Davidson motorcycles he kept on board.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-03-foredeck-bell.jpg

The bell on *The Highlander’*s foredeck; the windowed observation salon behind it is now the De Guardiolas’ master cabin.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-04-observation-salon.jpg

A view of Forbes’s observation salon. Boat designer Jon Bannenberg, who also decorated the interiors, turned octagonal lacquered chests into cocktail tables by adding glass tops. Padded-leather ceilings were used throughout as soundproofing.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-05-fantail-salon.jpg

Scale models of Forbes’s Highlander yachts (arranged in chronological order from top) are displayed in a mirrored cabinet in the fantail salon; to the right is a painting by Charles Raskob Robinson.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-09-main-salon.jpg

Another view of the main salon, showing the bird’s-eye maple paneling that then lined The Highlander. On the side table stands Moby Dick , a Steuben glass sculpture by Sidney Waugh and Donald Pollard; hidden peach-color lights illuminated each step of the staircase, and the potted palm and ficus trees recall the lush flora displays on Edwardian ocean liners.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-06-fantail-salon.jpg

Maritime dioramas by Arthur Clark are shown in individual cases in the fantail salon; the banquettes were made by Donghia.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-07-sundeck-lounge.jpg

Guests were welcomed aboard The Highlander by a steward dressed in traditional Scottish regalia and playing a bagpipe, shown here in the sundeck lounge; the plaid fabric is the Forbes family tartan.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-08-main-salon.jpg

Forbes displayed an 18th-century Thomas Gainsborough portrait in the main salon; its subject is the third earl of Bristol. The furnishings include leather-clad banquettes and Georgian side chairs (at left).

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-10-dining-salon.jpg

In the dining salon hung a 1937 Raoul Dufy watercolor depicting a mast and rigging on the Queen Mary ocean liner. Champagne buckets with Normandie provenance are displayed on the sideboard with other silver hollowware.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-11-dining-salon.jpg

The entrance to the dining salon is flanked by antique pilasters that designer Jon Bannenberg worked into the modern paneling; the 19th-century woodwork once graced Queen Victoria’s stateroom aboard the royal paddle steamer Osborne. Chippendale chairs flank the dining table, which is set with silver candelabra in the shape of stags’ heads (part of the Forbes family crest) and silver plates and flatware from the SS United States.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-12-forbes-cabin.jpg

Forbes’s own cabin features a built-in banquette, Italian green-marble accents, and a quilted-leather ceiling. On the leather-clad cabinet at left stands a diorama of HMS Bluebell, a Royal Navy corvette that served in World War II, and a Charles Parks bronze figure of a youth with seagulls; joining them is a Philip R. Morris watercolor. The window offers a view of *The Highlander’*s wake. As the boat’s owner proudly told Architectural Digest, “I don’t think too many boats since the Spanish galleons have had great rear windows.”

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-13-forbes-cabin.jpg

Another view of Forbes’s cabin, showing the built-in daybed. A battle scene hangs above the bed, whose spread is made of a Donghia fabric.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-14-clock-wall.jpg

Signal flags are stored in a niche in the paneling; the clocks show the time at Forbes’s properties around the world: the 3,500-acre Laucala Island in Fiji; the 17th-century Château de Balleroy in Normandy, France; the 170,000-acre Trinchera Ranch in Colorado; and The Highlander.

dam-images-architecture-2014-07-highlander-yacht-history-malcolm-forbes-highlander-yacht-15-malcolm-forbes-elizabeth-taylor.jpg

Malcolm S. Forbes and close friend Elizabeth Taylor on board The Highlander in 1988. The pair met in the mid ‘80s, and as their friendship grew, the publisher, an avid biker, taught her how to ride a motorcycle. Eventually Forbes would give her a purple-painted Harley-Davidson Sportster (purple was one of her favorite colors and referenced her famous “violet” eyes) as well as several pieces of jewelry and an antique Fabergé picture frame. The two also traveled the world aboard The Highlander, sometimes heading up the Hudson River to see football games at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; on one trip to Thailand, the actress brought 37 pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage.

Forbes Highlander—Legendary Yacht for Sale

The Forbes Highlander is officially on the market.  This famous yacht for sale has hosted everyone from Sir Paul McCartney to the Right Honorable Margaret Thatcher, Buzz Aldrin to Mick Jagger, John Stossel to the cast of the “The Sopranos”. She has sailed across the Pacific, Atlantic, through the Great Lakes and into the Amazon, but she is best known for docking at her homeport in Manhattan.  The Highlander is truly an American icon.

“Countless Forbes stories of businesses and the people who run them were born aboard The Highlander ,” said the Forbes Highlander website.  “Major American mergers resulted from friendships formed aboard The Highlander .”

In 1986, a year after her acquisition by the Forbes family, Ronald Reagan Jr. stood upon her deck to rededicate the Statue of Liberty.  Breathtaking views of the New York City skyline from The Highlander have been featured throughout history, and most recently on NBC’s “The Apprentice”.  This yacht has played an integral role in Americana, but has also been influential in international events.  In 1995, when Israel’s government changed hands, a conference was held aboard the ship.

The Highlander is an exquisite vessel.  It has five guest staterooms, six salons and fourteen heads.  Also on board is a Bell Jet Ranger III helicopter, a 23-foot Donzi and two BMW motorcycles.  The rooms are decked with plush seating and famous artwork, including A. Clark’s five elaborate whaling dioramas, Andy Warhol’s Hamburger and an 1870’s stained glass door from Queen Victoria’s cabin on the royal yacht Osborne .

Now on the market, a new owner will soon take the helm of the Forbes Highlander .  This vessel has served as a luxurious symbol of the yachting industry for decades.  With a captain and crew of 14, The Highlander hosts an estimated 9,000 people a season, with 80 events a year, translating to 18 14-oz tins of Beluga caviar.  Originally built in Holland, The Highlander is 151-feet long, 1,800 horsepower, with a cruising range of 4,000 nautical miles.

If you are in the market for a yacht, then look no further than Atlantic Yacht and Ship, Fort Lauderdale yacht brokers .  Atlantic Yacht and Ship has served the South Florida community for over 50 years, offering all types of new and used boats for sale .  The professionals at Atlantic Yacht and Ship will help you find the yacht you’re looking for, so check out our listings today!

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Boat of the Week: Inside Malcolm Forbes’s Iconic ‘Highlander,’ Once the Ultimate ’80s Party Yacht

If these teak decks could talk. Paul McCartney tinkling the ivory keyboard. Elizabeth Taylor sunning herself on the top deck. Margaret Thatcher discussing world peace with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Harrison Ford taking a turn at the wheel.

Back in the 1980s, an invitation from Forbes magazine owner and consummate bon vivant , Malcolm Forbes, to join him aboard his beloved superyacht The Highlander was a reason for celebration.

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And Forbes was a master when it came to celebrating. His first of many Fourth of July parties aboard The Highlander , anchored off Governors Island in New York Harbor, saw the world’s greatest movers and shakers piped aboard by tartan-clad Scottish bagpipers.

<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-1234631010 size-large" src=" https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?w=1000&quot ; alt="Joanne de Guardiola’s interior design is light and sometimes whimsical, as opposed to Highlander ‘s previous formal, corporate look. - Credit: Courtesy IYC" width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg 1000w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=980,551 980w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=660,371 660w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=480,270 480w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=230,129 230w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=184,103 184w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=170,96 170w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=110,62 110w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=285,160 285w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.-Highlander-10-bridge-deck.jpg?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> Courtesy IYC

There on the yacht’s decks were the likes of Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli, Henry and Nancy Kissinger, David and Peggy Rockefeller and Brooke Astor. More than 150 Maine lobsters and 30 pounds of Scottish smoked salmon were reportedly flown in to feed the elite crowd.

During the five years Forbes owned the yacht, before his death in 1990, she traveled the globe; everywhere from then Communist China, to Bora-Bora, to Thailand, the Philippines and Alaska.

Launched in 1985, this was the last of five Forbes-owned yachts named The Highlander, after his family’s Scottish roots. But this one was unique. Designed by world-renowned designer Jon Bannenberg and built in Holland by Feadship , her dark green hull—said to be the color of dollar bills—stretched 162 feet bow to stern.

<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-1234631066 size-large" src=" https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?w=1000&quot ; alt="Malcolm Forbes used The Highlander , which traveled around the world, to entertain political leaders, celebrities and other billionaires. - Credit: Courtesy John Barrett/Celebrity Archaeology/The Mega Agency" width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg 1000w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=980,551 980w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=660,371 660w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=480,270 480w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=230,129 230w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=184,103 184w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=170,96 170w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=110,62 110w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=285,160 285w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/michaelforbes.jpg?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> Courtesy John Barrett/Celebrity Archaeology/The Mega Agency

“She was nicknamed ‘The Ultimate Capitalist Tool’ for good reason,” the yacht’s current owner, New York-based interior designer Joanne de Guardiola told Robb Report . “Anyone who was anyone stepped aboard at some time during the ’80s.”

De Guardiola and her husband, investment banker Roberto de Guardiola, bought The Highlander from the Forbes estate back in 2012. And just as she’d done with the couple’s previous Feadship, the classic 159-foot Audacia , de Guardiola commissioned a top-to-bottom refit, this time with Florida’s Derecktor Shipyards.

“We had no thoughts of buying another yacht; we loved Audacia. But back in 2012, we had heard The Highlander was for sale and I went to take a look. She was not in great shape, but as a huge fan of Jon Bannenberg’s designs, and knowing her amazing history, we couldn’t resist,” she said.

Courtesy Jim Raycroft

The exhaustive, two-year refit took the steel and aluminum superyacht down to the studs. The yacht was extended by 12 feet to add a swim deck and rear “garage” for water toys; the top deck was lengthened. Effectively doubling its size, and the master stateroom was moved to where the observatory used to be.

The entire interior was redesigned and refitted with more modern materials and finishes. Out went the padded leather ceilings, the somber, dark green carpets and ornate Chippendale antique chairs; in went bleached-white Anigre paneling, wide-planked dark wood flooring, and brightly colored pop art.

One especially jaw-dropping feature de Guardiola created was the stunning, open-tread marble staircase from salon to upper deck. That and the new, glass-enclosed sky lounge with its disco vibe and blue onyx floor.

<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-1234631013 size-large" src=" https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?w=1000&quot ; alt="The top deck nearly doubled in size during Highlander ‘s two-year refit. - Credit: Courtesy IYC" width="1000" height="562" srcset="https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg 1000w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=660,371 660w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=980,551 980w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=480,270 480w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=230,129 230w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=184,103 184w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=170,96 170w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=110,62 110w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=285,160 285w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4.-Highlander-7-back-deck.jpg?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> Courtesy IYC

“The yacht didn’t really suit a family’s needs—she was really designed for Malcolm Forbes-style corporate entertaining,” says de Guardiola. “And if you wanted to splash in the water, you had to jump over the sides. Mr. Forbes didn’t like to swim.”

But de Guardiola is quick to add that her primary focus with the refit was evolving and not compromising Jon Bannenberg’s iconic design. “That’s what attracted me to the yacht in the first place.”

Mechanical improvements included the installation of Quantum zero speed stabilizers and full rebuilds for the trusty 900 hp Detroit Diesels. They still give the yacht a top speed of 18 mph, cruising at an easy 14 mph with transatlantic capability.

<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-1234631011 size-large" src=" https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?w=1000&quot ; alt="One of Highlander ‘s lounges. - Credit: Courtesy IYC" width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg 1000w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=980,551 980w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=660,371 660w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=480,270 480w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=230,129 230w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=184,103 184w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=170,96 170w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=110,62 110w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=285,160 285w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/7.-Highlander-9-lounge.jpg?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> Courtesy IYC

With kids in mind, Highlander —de Guardiola dropped the “the”—is brimming with water toys. Everything from Waverunners, Seabobs, banana floats and kayaks, to Malcolm Forbes’ much-loved, Ferrari-red 22-foot Donzi speedboat. Sadly, his other favorite, a custom-built Cigarette Racing powerboat, is no more. After being fully restored during the refit, the boat caught fire while Highlander was anchored off the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

“My husband was just heading off with our daughter and friends when the fire broke out,” de Guardiola says. “Everyone ended up in the water but were okay. It was one cool boat. It ran at over 60 mph.”

Since the refit, the de Guardiolas have taken friends and family all around the Mediterranean, hanging out at the Monaco Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival, and hitting most of the Greek islands. Winters were in the Caribbean. Typically, they spent eight to 10 weeks a year aboard.

<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-1234631068 size-large" src=" https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?w=1000&quot ; alt="A young Harrison Ford, taking the wheel of Highlander , was one of many celebrity guests in the 1980s. - Credit: Courtesy The Highlander Archive" width="1000" height="563" srcset="https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg 1000w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=980,551 980w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=660,371 660w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=480,270 480w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=960,540 960w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=230,129 230w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=184,103 184w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=170,96 170w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=110,62 110w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=285,160 285w, https://robbreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Highlander14HarrisonFord.jpg?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> Courtesy The Highlander Archive

So why the decision to sell? De Guardiola says she’s looking for her next project: “As with my interior design work, I love the intellectual challenge of a makeover. It’s also time. We feel we’ve been good custodians. Now someone else should enjoy her.”

Highlande r is listed with IYC in Fort Lauderdale for $8.5 million.

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Forbes' Trinchera: Billionaire's painting is message to family

FORT GARLAND — Sometime before he died, Malcolm Forbes purchased a painting of a man in a rowboat and renamed it the "Highlander VI."

The Forbes family has a yacht, "Highlander V," and the meaning of the painting the late billionaire publisher left his four sons and one daughter was clear: Fortunes can be lost and the wealthy must remember they can be reduced from yachts to rowboats.

Christopher "Kip" Forbes, 42, says he and his siblings keep that picture in the back of their minds.

The Forbes family fortune was made by their grandfather, Bertie Charles "B.C." Forbes, who began his journalistic career writing for a Wall Street paper at no pay. He later worked for William Randolph Hearst, who paid him part of the startup capital for Forbes Magazine in 1917.

Later his sons, Bruce and Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, expanded the empire, which has grown even more in recent years.

Today, Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes, the oldest of Malcolm Sevenson and Roberta Laidlaw Forbes' five children, is chief executive officer and president of "Forbes" and its enterprises.

Kip Forbes is in charge of advertising and art collections and Robert Forbes is in charge of FYI, a quarterly feature magazine that goes out to Forbes subscribers and can't be found on the newsstands. Tim Forbes heads the monthly "American Heritage," as well as the quarterly evaluation of journalists in "Media Critic," and the Forbes' "ascension division," which retains their late father's passion for hot air ballooning.

Forbes' daughter, Moira, inherited their mother's family ranch near Jackson, Wyo.

Kip Forbes and his family are the most visible of the family in the San Luis Valley. He, his wife, Astrid, and daughter, Charlotte, 17, spend as many weeks a year here as possible.

The family's favorite of the several homes on the Forbes Trinchera and Blanca Trinchera is the Lake House, a rustic log cabin high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

That is "sheer bliss," Forbes says.

Forbes entertains advertising clients here several weeks a year, flying the corporate jet, "The Capitalist Tool," to the San Luis Valley Regional Airport-Bergman Field in Alamosa. Other times he arrives on commercial airline.

Forbes, who majored in art history at Princeton, lives in the same house in which he was born in New Jersey. There, he and his wife have a garden, raise their own beef, honey and eggs.

His daughter, who also likely will major in art history, is the fourth generation of the Forbes family to attend the Ivy League New Jersey college.

Forbes says Baroness Astrid von Heyl zu Herrnsheim, a descendant of Prussian nobility, was his greatest find in an antique store. She was working in a London antique shop when he stopped in.

"We were good friends at first sight," Forbes recalls about his shy wife. "She is a rare find," he says.

Forbes is quick to point out the wonderful working relationship he has with his brother Steve.

He says "Forbes" loves its advertisers but "readers come first."

Each salesperson is given an opportunity at ranch weekends or boating holidays. Some presentations are made at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City or at the Forbes' New Jersey estate.

The experience allows Forbes to establish a good working relationship between salespeople and advertisers, who may run the gamut from a vice president for an investment group to management of some of the nation's major hotel chains.

Forbes said another trait his late father instilled in his children was the need to remember beginnings and the people who helped the family attain such great wealth and prominence.

Because, Kip Forbes notes, there is always the possibility that the yacht could turn into a rowboat.

Malcolm Forbes` Iconic Yacht The Highlander Now Available for Charter

By Brody Patterson

Updated on August 31, 2017

One of the most iconic ships in the world of business, the superyacht Highlander is, for the first time, available for charter.

The ship was built in 1986 for millionaire publisher and businessman Malcolm Forbes, a man known for his extravagant lifestyle and lavish parties. Among the many illustrious guests Forbes entertained on this stunning vessel were Elizabeth Taylor (who was a close friend of his), Prince Charles, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Robert de Niro, Harrison Ford, Paul McCartney, and Mick Jagger.

The yacht is now owned by American financier Roberto de Guardiola, who purchased it in 2012 and had it undergo a comprehensive overhaul, a process which included interior changes, lengthening of the hull, major mechanical revamp, and a full paint job. The ship is now 162-feet long and has a cruising speed of 13 knots. Up to twelve guests can be accommodated in its six staterooms, with adequate spaces for the eleven crew members left as well.

The Highlander, which is currently based in the Mediterranean but is set to move to the Caribbean later this year, is available for charter through superyacht broker Edmiston.

About Brody Patterson

Brody has worked as a full time staff writer for Luxatic for over five years, covering luxury news, product releases and in-depth reviews, and specializing in verticals on the website alongside the tech & leisure section, as well as men's fashion, watches and travel. Learn more about Luxatic's Editorial Process .

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For VIPs Only, Malcolm Forbes Offers A Cruise of the Harbor

NEW YORK, July 4, 1986 -- Early this afternoon, a police boat came up alongside the Highlander, sitting unchallenged at anchor 900 feet off Governors Island, but it was just New York Mayor Ed Koch, bellowing without benefit of bullhorn, "Malcolm! Malcolm! Hi!"

"Mayor, this is a very nice party you've arranged for us," Malcolm Forbes, who publishes the self-proclaimed "Capitalist Tool," Forbes magazine, yelled back.

"I think we'll do it every year," said Koch.

This was the annual Fourth of July cruise aboard the Forbes yacht, though the first on the new 151-foot Highlander, with its air-conditioned curly maple interiors and floating art collection, its color-coordinated helicopter and its stellar guest list.

And not long after Ed Koch's drop-by, a Coast Guard cutter pulled up barking, "Call for Ambassador Annenberg. Call for Ambassador Annenberg." The man in the gray suit calling out was Charles Z. Wick, director of the United States Information Agency.

"Walter, this is the yacht you ordered," Wick announced when Annenberg was produced by an anxious crew. "What's your American Express card number?"

"I love it," Annenberg said.

Such was life aboard the Highlander on this thronged and brilliant day. It was one of thousands of boats in New York harbor, but some things set it apart.

At 7 a.m., for example, two kilted bagpipers wearing the Forbes family tartan materialized on the pier to pipe 70 guests aboard the Highlander. Someone plopped a potted yew down next to the gangplank for decoration.

Even Malcolm Forbes wouldn't carry pipers around the world just to give his guests a traditional Scottish greeting, would he?

"Why not?" shrugged a Forbes spokesman.

At the entrance to the carpeted dining salon, a clutch of Forbeses -- chairman Malcolm, president Steve, associate publisher Kip and Tim (president of American Heritage and "the last one we could persuade to nepot," his father says) -- greeted their passengers.

"We are honored, Mr. Hewitt," Malcolm said to "60 Minutes" producer Don Hewitt and his wife Marilyn Berger.

"You don't mind posing with the minor press, do you?" Forbes said, embracing Rupert Murdoch as flashbulbs flared.

"It's so nice to see all the boys lined up," Lee Annenberg cooed at the Forbeses. "Just darling."

Promptly at 7:30, the Highlander sounded one long and three short blasts ("that means, 'Alert. Engines in reverse,' " Malcolm explained) and made for its assigned anchorage off Governors Island at the head of a long line of boats that probably constituted the best seats in town for Operation Sail, the International Naval Review and the big-bang fireworks.

The yacht carried 150 Maine lobsters, 30 pounds of Scottish smoked salmon, three pounds of caviar ("we hope it's enough," the chef worried) and the cream of the military-industrial complex.

The Highlander would make a tempting target for whatever terrorists might have in mind this weekend, Forbes acknowledged with a certain pride. Besides several ambassadors, David Rockefeller, Walter Annenberg and the chief executive officers of such Forbes 400 corporations as ITT, Pan Am and AT&T Technologies, it was expecting a visit from the secretary of the Navy. ("Of course, he's got a bigger boat of his own," Forbes said with a bit of glee. "It's called the JFK.")

Forbes had also gotten a letter from the Reagans last week that mentioned the possibility of stopping by. "We said we'd be happy to make room," Forbes said, but the Secret Service nixed the idea.

For his part, Forbes has scoffed at suggestions that it might be prudent not to emblazon "Capitalist Tool" on the company's 727 or the helicopter battened onto the yacht's roof. "People have advised us to mute that note. I said no, we're not going to be terrorized out of being happy that this is a free enterprise society."

Indeed, the prime example of free enterprise was awaiting the chairman on the afterdeck: Ron Reagan the younger, fresh from his appearance in an American Express commercial, was ready to interview Forbes live for "Good Morning America."

"What's in store for the guests?" asked Ron, who looked very tanned.

"Well, I think we're going to arrange some fireworks," Forbes said expansively. His guests, watching the exchange on one of the numerous built-in televisions, chuckled and applauded.

They were, gossip columnist Liz Smith observed from her perch in the prow, "Malcolm's real friends, and business, balanced with his interest in the press. He obviously enjoys publicity in the same way he enjoys his money."

Paris Match was among those aboard, as well as celebrity photographer Jill Krementz shooting pictures for Life and newly ex-NBC correspondent Linda Ellerbee writing "an essay about 'My Day on the Boat' " for Sports Illustrated.

"I suppose it qualifies as a sport," Ellerbee mused. "Sailing is a sport, right?" The Highlander has less to do with sports, however, than with high-level mega-networking. "Some real high-powered people here," Smith noted.

David and Peggy Rockefeller, for example, had dined the night before with their house guests at Pocantico Hills, the Reagans. "Just a family party," David Rockefeller called it. He'd brought a camera to record the OpSail pageantry, but left his own 40-foot yawl in Maine. "This is a much better way to see the show," he said.

Donald Newhouse of Conde Nast pointed out Staten Island, where he grew up, and told people about the Staten Island ferry named for his father Samuel I.

Meanwhile, Barbara Marx Sinatra, Lee Annenberg and her good chum Harriet Deutsch, all three in red and white with straw hats, were trying to spot Ron and Nancy aboard the looming USS Iowa. "That must be where Nancy is, in that white box," said Annenberg, peering through borrowed binoculars. "I'm sure they're saying to the president, 'There's the Highlander.' Let's wave."

And they all did.

In the lull before the tall ships appeared, half a dozen major corporate players -- "the cigar crowd," someone said -- had gathered on a shaded side dock. Rupert Murdoch, naturalized last year but "an American in spirit for a long time," leaned on a railing chatting with Newhouse.

"Just gossip," Newhouse said.

Next to them John Gutfreund, chairman of Salomon Brothers, was deep in conversation with John Kluge, who recently sold Metromedia to Murdoch, Fiat Chairman Giovanni Agnelli and James Olson, chairman of AT&T Technologies.

"Does the FTC know about this?" muttered one of the reporters as the shutters clicked.

There were plenty of other boats in New York Harbor -- perhaps 6,000 or 8,000 at permanent and temporary anchorages, Highlander captain Ken Ashworth estimated early in the morning. Then a growing flotilla jostled for position as OpSail commenced.

Besides other motor yachts of varying sizes, the harbor filled with cabin cruisers, tiny runabouts, speed and sailboats, Circle Line tourist boats and rubber rafts. Coast Guard and police patrol boats tried to keep the herd in order. "You cannot follow the fleet," a Coast Guardsman barked over a bullhorn. "Stay put."

After the smaller of the tall ships had passed, the Highlander cruised along the tip of Manhattan and up the Hudson. Card games sprouted here and there. Delbert Staley, chairman of NYNEX Corp., and his wife Ingrid squared off against AT&T Technologies' Olson and his wife Jean.

"We're playing for AT&T," Staley said.

The Gutfreunds watched the Wimbledon semifinals. Rupert Murdoch stretched out on a sunny lounge for a nap.

There was a stop in early evening to pick up late arriving guests, including Lillian Gish, Brooke Astor and Shelley Winters. Danielle Mitterrand was piped aboard for a brief tour and some handshakes, then piped off bearing Forbes' Capitalist Toolbag souvenirs.

*"I showed her the wine case and said 'look at all these lovely Bordeaux' and she said, 'I'm from Burgundy,' " Forbes lamented.

Nancy and Henry Kissinger also boarded, amidst a flurry of congratulations for his having been awarded the Medal of Liberty, the Wolper-arranged tribute that caused such outcries from overlooked ethnic groups. If it were any consolation, Kissinger told everyone how "murderously cold" the evening had been. "On those occasions when I thought I would survive," he added, "it was very moving."

But enough. After the fireworks, "I'm going to the country," Kissinger said. "This is my last event."

Frank Sinatra, alas, had been summoned at the last minute to perform at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. His wife said he was terribly disappointed.

• Special Report
• Forbes 100th Anniversary

Life as a party: Malcolm Forbes and his guilty pleasures

How Malcolm Forbes turned his passion for balloons, boats, motorcycles and other objects of desire into more than he dreamt

(This story appears in the 10 November, 2017 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here. )

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