Olinka

A sailboat sailing near a lighthouse on a breakwater in calm blue water under a clear blue sky.

OLINKA — A “Presidential-era” Classic yacht, for Film & Photography

Designed by legendary naval architect Olin Stephens, built in 1953 by Plym. Olinka is a 65-foot classic wooden yawl whose provenance bridges offshore racing, cruising and stunning design. With her proven, racing pedigree, she is now offered as a top-tier picture boat for film, television, and editorial productions.

A black and white photo of a sailing yacht with multiple sails, crew members onboard, on choppy water under a cloudy sky.

About the Yacht

Olinka was brought to the United States from Sweden by John Calley, former head of Warner Bros. Studios, linking her early history to the film world. She was later owned by Tony Bill, Academy Award–winning producer of The Sting and actor in Shampoo. Both men shared a sharp eye for storytelling—and a deep appreciation for sailing yachts.

With her elegant sheer, balanced proportions, and carefully maintained brightwork, Olinka stands apart. Current owner and director Jonathan Lennard describes stepping aboard as an immediate sense of craft underfoot—a boat built with the finest materials, preserved like a time capsule. Designed by Olin Stephens, she sits between two of his landmark yachts: Dorade, slightly smaller, and Baruna, slightly larger—distinct designs, with Olinka perfectly placed between them.

Launched as Barracuda II, she was renamed Olinka after Calley’s wife, actress Olinka Berova—a playful nod to both the designer he admired and the woman he loved.

As a picture boat, Olinka is well suited for branded content, feature films, and editorial photography.

A sailboat with white sails and a wooden hull sailing on the ocean with a distant landmass on the horizon.
Top-down aerial view of a wooden sailboat docked at a pier on dark water, with two people onboard and American flag at the stern.

Film & Photo Use

You might have spotted John Calley and Sydney Lumet or Alan Pakula going over scripts basking in the cockpit aboard Olinka. Like working on a rewrite of Dog-day Afternoon, or All the president’s men. You could have seen Olinka as the picture boat standing in for JFk’s sailboat Manitou (The Ratpack 1998)—chosen for her classic yawl rig, and unmistakable Olin Stephens design. You could have seen Mick Jagger standing on the dock as she sailed off to Catalina, Calley didn’t wait for anyone.

More recently you could have seen her at the San Pedro Fleet Week, alongside the local Tall Ships, or the Newport Harbor wooden boat show.

The same film industry heavyweights that adored her for her beauty and prowess at sea, make her exceptionally well suited for filming today.

A sailboat with multiple large sails cruising on the ocean under a cloudy sky.
Two dogs on a boat named 'Olinka Newport' docked at a marina.
Three people on a boat by the water. One man is pointing and grabbing the woman’s neck, another man is holding her throat, the woman looks distressed. The man on the left is wearing a hat and a white shirt, the woman in the middle is in an orange bikini, and the man on the right is shirtless with sunglasses and patterned shorts.
A sailboat with multiple sails, including a colorful spinnaker, sailing on the ocean.
Group of people sailing on a boat, some are working with ropes and others are relaxing, with a woman sitting on the edge of the boat and a woman standing nearby taking a photo, under an overcast sky.
Aerial view of a marina with numerous docked sailboats and yachts, a clubhouse with outdoor seating, and buildings in the distance under a cloudy sky.
A woman wrapped in a plaid blanket standing on a yacht deck, looking out over the water with an island in the distance and cloudy sky above.
A woman in a red bikini and sheer red cover-up standing on a sailboat at sea, holding the steering wheel with her left hand and stretching her right arm forward, with the sun setting in the background.
A sailboat docked at a marina with a wooden dock in the foreground, other boats, and a container port with cranes in the background, under a partly cloudy sky.
A man with curly hair wearing sunglasses and an open white shirt is steering a sailboat, with a woman in a black swimsuit sitting behind him, both looking ahead under a clear blue sky.
A young man with curly hair relaxing shirtless on a wooden boat deck, with an open white shirt, black shorts, and a calm ocean in the background.
A woman in a black swimsuit and sunglasses standing on the deck of a boat with a white sail against a blue sky.