The World is Their Oyster

Oyster Yachts Owner and Chairman Richard Hadida reflects on traveling the world with his family on the first leg of the Oyster World Rally.

By Eva Grunburg

The closest human beings to Ali Hadida are the ones on the International Space Station. Yet, when her husband, Richard, tells me this, showing me a screenshot on his phone with a blue dot exactly in the center of the Pacific Ocean, he is exceedingly calm—even excited.

Richard, the Owner and Chairman of Oyster Yachts, the builder of the world’s finest luxury sailing yachts, and his family have embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. His wife’s seemingly precarious position is a thrilling one, thanks to the Oyster World Rally: the fully-supported circumnavigation exclusively for Oyster yacht owners. 

While Richard and Ali are far from home, their journey started over 2,000 nautical miles ago in Antigua. The 16-month journey kicked off this past January, and will wrap after the completion of 27,000 nautical miles under the new sailors’ belts. Aboard Lush, their 90-foot Oyster 885 sailing yacht, Richard, Ali, and their two-year-old son, Harry, will accomplish an undertaking most sailors only dream of embarking on—and they get to do it immersed in unmatched luxury and community.

Richard tells me that there are two kinds of days aboard Lush: on passage, and not on passage. While on passage, dinner is strictly at 6:00 pm, the deck has to be dark at night, and the sailors split into watch teams, even with a night shift. Life on Lush becomes routine. “It’s sleep, work, eat,” says Richard. 

But, the action can bring its fair share of adventures, like the equator crossing ritual. A 400-year-old nautical tradition, “Crossing the Line,” is an initiation in which the “Pollywogs,” those who have not yet crossed the equator, endure a ritual and make offerings to King Neptune to become “Shellbacks,” trusted confidants of the oceanic deity. 

Aboard Lush, the Pollywogs put forward offerings like banana bread, an origami sailboat, and treasured alcohol. Even little Harry’s first ever haircut was an offering to Neptune, tossing one of his signature blonde curls into the sea to ensure fair winds, following seas, and thrilling adventures for the newly initiated Shellbacks.

But, when Lush’s crew are not on passage, they spend their time exploring the most remote, unique, and dazzling destinations in the world. Richard shares tales of curious sea lions and unbothered blue-footed boobies in places so desolate, that they don’t know to fear humans as predators. Scrolling through a seemingly endless stream of texts in the Oyster World Rally group chat, I’ve never seen so many giant fish, stunning sunsets, and genuine smiles. 

As Richard tells me about his adventures, he continues naming places and saying they’re the most beautiful in the world—but he makes special note of the Island of Coiba in Panama. This remote island was a prison for nearly 100 years, but its isolation proved to be its greatest asset. Now, it’s a pristine, untouched corner of the earth and a sanctuary of biodiversity.

While each stop is special in its own right, the Galapagos Islands embody the Rally’s spirit of sailing with purpose. On the Oyster World Rally, participants are more involved than just picking up trash on a beach, or making a donation—they’re actively contributing to the environment through regenerative tourism.

As partners with the Galapagos Conservation Trust, the sailors work to reintroduce locally extinct species to the island of Floreana. The historic site where Darwin noticed the evolutionary differences in mockingbirds, the island has 12 species that have gone locally extinct—including the Floreana mockingbird. Collaborating with GCT ambassador Sarah Darwin, the great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin, the Oyster World Rally “Class of ‘26” directly contributed to efforts to reintroduce the threatened Floreana racer snake. “Anyone can spend money. We’re making a difference while genuinely a part of it rather than just a financial transaction,” says Richard.

Although he’s missing the Pacific Passage segment of the journey for business in the U.S., he says that as long as he doesn’t go home, he’s still keeping with the spirit of the Rally, exploring places new to him and keeping the “magic” alive. “It’s a privilege to travel the world this way and watch it all go by. If the opportunity presents itself, take it,” he urges.

When Richard rejoins his family on the Marquesas Islands, the magic of the Rally will be alive and well, and little Harry will grow up knowing that, thanks to his family and the rest of the “Class of ‘26,” the world is his oyster.

Watch the Hadida family continue to make waves on @sailing.lush