As Mexican billionaire Emilio Azcárraga Milmo lay dying aboard his daringly designed 75-metre Eco, the setting spoke volumes about one of yachting's greatest-ever characters. 16 April 1997, the views would have been screened by curtains. The bulbous, curved-glass windows, which drew inspiration from 1950s Parisian buses and lent Eco her distinctively classic yet futuristic look, would have been shrouded by sumptuous, pale-coloured fabrics, muffling sound and cocooning the solemn scene.
For one thing, it was the patron's stateroom, rather than the wheelhouse, that had the stellar views. “The pilot of my plane never looks out of the window,” Azcárraga had ruled. “I don't see why the captain needs to.” But that night,
That night, Eco was at rest in Miami Beach Marina. The vexing issue of mechanical vibrations – felt most acutely on the owner's bed, caused by its famously powerful engines – had long since been resolved. Now, there was just the faint hunt of the vessel's “life support” systems. Otherwise, peace. The warm polished woods and buttery tones of François Zuretti's interior design, fashioned in the spirit of the faraway art deco-themed Mamounia Hotel in Marrakesh, lent the scene a strange, intimate feel. It was an opportunity for Azcárraga to contemplate his final words and deeds – if he could only manage to quieten his mind.
Aged 66, Azcárraga, dubbed by many who knew him as El Tigre, had too much left to offer the world, particularly in the media (the primary vehicle for his wealth and power) and yachting (Eco being his fifth yacht; surely he dreamed of more). Somehow, the progress of his cancer – first presenting as melanoma or skin cancer, almost certainly exacerbated by time enjoyed on his boat's decks – had proved unstoppable.
He was accompanied on Eco during those final six weeks by Adriana Abascal, his fifth companion and a 1988 Miss Mexico four decades his junior. It is unclear who was aboard that night besides core crew, which included his English butler, dutifully spoon-feeding hint. But it was to his older sister, Carmela, that
