The Perini Navi Cup, an annual super-luxe regatta in Sardinia dedicated to the world's most stylish sailing superyachts built by the famed Italian boatyard Perini Navi, is gearing up for its biggest year ever with an extra day of racing and help from some big-name sponsors.

Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of yachts, from the megabucks Maltese Falcon to the Lord Foster-designed Panthalassa and founder Fabio Perini's own Elettra are slated to make the scene and compete for the top prize under the auspices of the ultra-exclusive Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

Set to take place September 1–4 in the waters around Porto Cervo, big ticket sponsors include Rolex, Audi and Champagne Pommery.

Want to compete in the Cup? There are six Perini Navi yachts available for sale via global online luxury marketplace JamesList, ranging from the 131-ft. Clan VI built in 1983 for $7.3 million, to the 184-ft. Salute built in 2008 for $50 million. There are also six Perini beauties for charter on JamesList, from the 110-ft. Heritage M built in 2000 for $95,000 per week to an impressive 164-ft. cruiser built in 2001 for $195,000 per week.

German eco-industrialist Guido Krass is offering to sell his 241-ft. Silver Zwei (above), the world's fastest long-range superyacht, for €59 million (about $85 million). Designed to the billionaire's specifications by Monaco's famed Espen Oeino, the Silver Zwei is about as an environmentally friendly as a yacht of its size and speed can be.

That means high fuel efficiency, which is quite handy when crossing the Atlantic at a cool 22 knots. The yacht's light, airy interior has accommodations for 20 guests in nine cabins including a large owner's suite with private lounge and veranda deck. Earth tones and clean white spaces with orange accents abound.

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Real-life tycoons Donald Trump and Roman Abramovich grace the pages of Luxist frequently for their lavish spending habits like buying up golf courses and dropping $52K on lunch in New York City, but when it comes to covering the wealthy why limit ourselves to flesh and blood?

Some of the word's richest characters are fictional, and although the spending (or scrooging, as the case may be) isn't real it's just as entertaining.

Forbes has released their 2011 Fictional 15, a list of the wealthiest fictional characters in the world. Their net worth averages $9.86 billion (up a whopping 20 percent from last year) and each was calculated based on source material, real life commodity and share price movements, and a healthy dose of "this is just for fun."

So who tops the list? Scrooge McDuck, of course, with his penny-pinching ways and investments in "hoardables" earning him a fictional net worth of $44.1 billion.

Other interesting list members include: No. 2 Carlisle Cullen of the Twilight series, rich in part due to solid banking habits and and early investments into Wal-Mart and Google, and No. 7 the red-golden dragon "Smaug" from "The Hobbit" who hoards his riches meticulously but spends little, preferring instead to use his gold and gems as bedding material.

See the complete Forbes Fictional 15 here.

At 295 feet, Netscape billionaire Jim Clark's Royal Huisman yacht Athena is the second largest sailing superyacht in the world. Just behind Barry Diller's 305-ft. Eos and just ahead of the famed Maltese Falcon at 289 feet, the stunning Athena is a sight to behold wherever she sets sail.

Now Clark, who's said to have paid under $100 million for the craft back in 2004, is having her refit in New Zealand – the largest such project ever carried out in the country – at a cost of tens of million of dollars including many high-tech additions.

Upgrades are reportedly being carried out at the behest of Clark's much, much younger new wife, former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model Christy Hinze. He's 67, she's 31. We had dinner with the Aussie stunner once and found her charming.

Hinze apparently wants to freshen up the somewhat stodgy, old-guy interior done up in dark wood and hotel suite-type furniture. The yacht's deckplan features an open air lounge, media center, formal dining salon, library, main salon with wet bar and an alfresco dining area.

The Athena can currently accommodate ten guests in five cabins, with the lower deck comprised of a full-width master cabin with a Jacuzzi, study and walk-in wardrobe. Hinze will want to enlarge that, no doubt.

[via JamesList]

What are the world's top luxury toys for men? Uber-luxe German publisher teNeues has the answer with its newest super-sized volume, Luxury Toys: For Men. The awesome Aston Martin One-77, so named because of its limited 77-example run and $1.7 million pricetag, appears on the cover.

Other supercars that make the cut, including the Audi R8 GT, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Jaguar XKR Special Edition, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S Awards Edition, and Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible. Quite the garage.

Covering transportation, style, accessories and dream vacations, the massive 220-page volume features 138 giant full-color photographs and text in English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. Not based merely on price, the selections show how "emotion and finesse can be combined with spectacular aesthetic purity."

Luxist recently reported about Steven Spielberg's amazing new $200 million megayacht the Seven Seas (pictured above). Now it seems as though the famed director wants to recoup some of his impressive investment – he's offering the ultra-luxurious yacht for charter at $1.3 million per week. That makes it the world's most expensive yacht charter, leaving the likes of P. Diddy and Simon Cowell's crafts in the dust.

Recently we reported on the impressive racehorses owned by His Highness the Aga Khan, the immensely wealthy Muslim spiritual leader. The urbane Aga Khan, a philanthropist, Harvard graduate and stepson of Hollywood bombshell Rita Hayworth, hasn't had as much good fortune when it comes to superyachts however. A considerable portion of his $800 million fortune has gone into what is supposed to be the world's fastest superyacht, but instead is a serious snafu.

The 164-ft. Alamshar (pictured above), named after a prized racehorse, is a $200 million vessel commissioned by His Highness from the UK's Devonport, which has now been in build for twelve whole years. Designed to break the transatlantic speed record, her ultra-expensive Rolls-Royce gas turbine engines underperformed and had to be replaced. It also caught on fire a bit. However, the luxurious craft was recently spotted performing sea trials and may one day soon be ready to sail.

[via JamesList]

Swedish gun and rifle maker VO Vapen, founded in 1977 by master gunsmith Viggo Olsson, fashions the world's most exclusive handmade hunting rifles. Their newest creation, the VO Falcon Edition (above), is the world's most expensive priced at about $820,000. The VO Falcon Edition is a tribute to the deep rooted traditions of falconry in the Arabian world, covered by beautiful engravings of Peregrine and Saker falcons among other luxurious finishes.

Britain's Windsor family may not occupy the top spot among the world's richest royals, but with the Queen of England commanding a fortune of at least $450 million there are some practical, wealth-related issues surrounding the upcoming royal wedding.

UK wealth management media firm Spears asked some London lawyers specializing in family practice what advice they would give Prince William re: having Kate Middleton sign a pre-nuptial agreement.

Famed director Steven Spielberg was recently spotted in St. Barth's and St. Maarten on his new $200 million megayacht, the Seven Seas (pictured above), a stylish 282-footer fitted with every imaginable luxury.

Built by Dutch shipyard Oceanco to the Hollywood mogul's specifications, it has a sophisticated interior design scheme with acres of walnut, teak and rosewood. Its most impressive feature is an infinity pool with a 15-ft. glass wall that doubles as a cinema screen so Spielberg and his guests can view movies while swimming or lounging poolside.

The Dubai Falcons and Abu Dhabi Polo will battle it out in the final of the Threadneedle Polo Gold Cup to be played at the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club today. The UAE's moneyed elite are divided in their support for the two area teams, both strong contenders for the championship with four wins each going into the contest. "We are up against a very strong team in the final and we just hope to continue with our winning streak in this tournament," Dubai Falcons' star player Tommy Iriarte tells the Gulf News. "We have managed to keep a clean slate in this tournament so far," notes undefeated Abu Dhabi Polo captain Fares Al Yabhouni, "so there is nothing like going for an all-out victory and making this a terrific debut participation for us." The Threadneedle Polo Gold Cup is the latest in a series of high-profile equestrian events taking place in Dubai this season.

A new lavishly illustrated volume by Philip Jodidio from Prestel highlights fifty years of the prestigious horse racing and breeding enterprises of His Highness the Aga Khan, the immensely wealthy Muslim spiritual leader. The urbane Aga Khan, a philanthropist, Harvard graduate and stepson of Hollywood bombshell Rita Hayworth, built his world class thoroughbred empire on a legacy handed down through generations and now oversees one of the largest and most successful racing and breeding operations in Europe. The luxe book traces the history of the Aga Khan Studs including many famous champions through remarkable photographs, engravings and paintings taken from the Aga Khan's archives. Also included is a lengthy interview with His Highness and informative essays on what makes a great racehorse. Check out the gallery for a preview.

When we first reported back in May that Pablo Picasso's 1932 painting Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust (above) had sold for a record-breaking $106.5 million at Christie's we heard whispers that the buyer was a certain Russian oligarch known for his eye-popping acquisitions: Roman Abramovich. Now that the world's most expensive painting has been lent to the UK's Tate Modern museum by the unnamed "private collector" who bought it (as my colleague Deidre Woollard reported), a strong indication that the owner is based in London where Abramovich spends most of his time, we're hearing them louder. [cont'd]

On Wednesday, Forbes magazine will publish its annual list of the richest billionaires in the world. It's almost certain to include Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Carlos Slim in the top three, but while Gates has topped the list nearly every year since 1995 (losing out only once to Buffett by a margin of half a billion), this year we're not expecting to see the Microsoft co-founder in the top spot.

The reason for Gates' displacement? His overwhelming philanthropic activity. Although his personal fortune today is estimated around $49 billion, he and his wife Melinda have funneled some $28 billion into their non-profit foundation. As a result, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim – who contributes far less than Gates or Buffett to charity - is expected to top the list.

[Source: Reuters]