For the past few days, members of the yachting community have been mourning the loss of Capt. Drew Gollan, from the 163-foot Perini Navi Perseus, who was shot and killed in Antigua on Thursday evening. Making the crime even more horrific, he was killed in front of his girlfriend and child.

According to information I've received, the assault occurred near the Galley Bar, close to English Harbour. Reports from the Associated Press and both traditional news media and yachting Web sites state the same. Some reports have also stated that Gollan was trying to protect his girlfriend, as the gunman tried to grab her purse; the gun went off during the struggle, shooting her in the foot, with Gollan being shot after chasing the would-be mugger. Unfortunately, Antiguan police do not have a suspect or a motive.

If you've spent time in Antigua, then you know how popular this area is with megayachts; the island has long been the hub for Caribbean cruising in the winter. Whether coincidental or not, this is the second crime in the past few months there against a member of the yachting community; two stewardesses were reportedly run over recently.

The brutality of these crimes, in combination with the assault and killing of newlyweds last summer, has locals and visitors alike disturbed. According to a few published reports, the Antiguan prime minister, Baldwin Spencer, as well as other government officials spoke with more than 100 residents and yacht captains last Friday to address concerns about security in and around English Harbour. They promised an increased police presence immediately and, as Dockwalk reports, will stop and search anyone who's known to have a criminal record and anyone else who doesn't have business there.

A Facebook page has been set up for tributes to Gollan. Among the many posts is one from Chris Holt, the bosun aboard Perseus, who explains that a trust fund is being set up for Gollan's daughter and promises to provide details when they're available. You can be sure I'll post them here, too.

You knew he had to own one.

Bernie Madoff, the former chairman of NASDAQ and American investor who admitted to running a $50-billion Ponzi scheme, owns a Leopard similar to the one pictured above. The name he christened her with? Bull.

A Vanity Fair writer interviewed by CNBC earlier today says the yacht is 92 feet and docked in the Med. However, unless the yacht was stretched, it's likely Bull is closer to 89 feet, as the only Leopards in that size range are 27 meters (88'6") and 31 meters (101'7").

If Bull is indeed the 27-meter model, then she's capable of 37 knots thanks to twin 2,185-hp MTUs paired with Arneson surface drives. She also features three staterooms, including a full-beam owner's stateroom, on the lower deck, and plenty of lounging space fore and aft outside.

Interesting enough, Bull is the same name Madoff gave to a 55-foot Rybovich sportfisherman that he bought two decades ago.

Since today is Christmas Eve, and Megayacht News will be on hiatus until Monday, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season. The spirit of Christmas is one I think we all can appreciate, no matter what our religious beliefs. May good health and good fortune be yours in 2009, too.

In honor of that spirit, I'm sharing this request from Sally Haynes of Tim Haynes Limited.

Tom Napper, one of our lovely rigging technicians, is planning to paddle down the Danube next year in aid of Cancer Research Trust and the Cornish Hospices. THL will be helping him as much as we can, and we hope you will too.

Having had a little boy, Jamie, who died of cancer aged only three years old, I know how important hospices and their very special nurses are to all sorts of people, old and young, and not only those with the illness but their families, friends and carers too. If you can help in any way, either by donating money, as a sponsor and/or donating specific items the expedition will need, please do not hesitate to contact me by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will pass all replies on to Tom - or action them if he is too busy rigging!

More specifics on Napper's trip are at this Web site.

photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

No business can thrive without an injection of new blood, the superyacht business included. Olivier Dorrell and Peter Symonds, two twenty-something designers, certainly believe it. They launched Vienna-based Totti Design in January of this year with the philosophy that megayacht owners who build fully custom yachts deserve fully custom tenders.

Dorrell and Symonds have degrees in automotive design, an achievement they share with some of today's leading yacht designers, including Glade Johnson. Consider also that some of their car designs have received professional accolades, with Symonds receiving an award for Best Interior by ADI (Italian Industrial Design Association) at the Stile Giovanni Design Competition in 2006 and Dorrell being a finalist in the 2004 World Automotive Design Competition.

Though the partners are positioning themselves as designers of custom tenders, they're also meeting with clients who simply want a smaller (20- to 40-foot) primary boat. Dorrell says they have met with brokers and shipyard representatives and alternately shown their own concepts as well as incorporated ideas an owner requested.

One such concept is the Magneto 25, pictured above. The color and the shape combine for a bold, modern statement. It's easy to imagine something like this accompanying an equally bold, aggressively styled yacht. Dorrell says it can be built of fiberglass or carbon fiber.

For a more traditional approach, check out the classic cruiser seen here. Built by PEurope in Hungary, the all-wood beauty still employs the latest technology for performance, but she additionally embraces the design elements that made Rivas and other mahogany runabouts the stuff of many a yachtsman's dream.

Thought it's a tough time to be launching a new business, Dorrell and Symonds seem determined to succeed. I look forward to seeing more come from their studio.