For Argyll

First we had John Prescott and Gordon Brown meeting in the Car Park at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar. Now rumour has it that Chelsea FC’s owner, Roman Abramovich, and Rangers’ Chairman, David Murray, have cosied up on the Russian’s yacht moored off Inveraray.

Prescott and Brown stopped in te Oyster Bar’s car park on their way home from the wedding of John Smith’s daughter allegedly to put a few moves together to unhorse Tony Blair. (When the Press got on to it, John Prescott said he’d only gone in to buy a few kippers.Honest, guv.)

This week has seen an exotic and extravagant ocean-going yacht moored off Inveraray with tenders coming and going amidst a general buzz. Rumours have it that Rangers’ Chairman, David Murray, was seen being tendered out and back and that the boat was owned by Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC. Abramovich is known to own around five major yachts, another of which was seen off Inveraray.

This one was moored too far off for the curious to read its name. However, our news team’s research suggests that the yacht may have been Le Grand Bleu. Wikipedia describes it as one of the largest private yachts in the world at 370 feet (114 metres) in length, built at the Vulkan yard in Germany and launched in 2000. Paul Allen, Bill Gates’s colleague infounding Microsoft, used to own her and sold her to Abramovich in 2002. Abramovich had her refitted to his own requirements, included the addition of a 16ft swim platform whcih can be seen in press photos of the yacht visiting Inveraray this week.

The real question is - what were they planning? Would a player deal require this level of secrecy? Is Murray about to sell the club to the Russian’s deep pockets? (Photo shows Le Grand Bleu before Abramovich’s refit: via Wikipedia. Public Domain)