is reliance yacht

Similar yachts

New listings

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

World’s coolest yachts: Reliance

• August 3, 2022

We ask top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our times. Andre Hoek nominates Reliance

My choice would be the yacht Reliance of 1903 designed by the famous Nat Herreshoff. I read the book Temple to the Wind a long time ago and could not put it down. That yacht was, for its day, such an extreme design and engineering feat, without computers and all designed and built in a short time. Herreshoff was the master in those days.

The yacht measured over 200ft overall with just 90ft of waterline [the huge overhangs were to take advantage of the rating rule when heeled], it displaced 189 tons and had a sail area of 1,500m2 (16,000ft2)! It was massive and with wooden masts that tipped 200ft above the water, an 84ft long wooden spinnaker pole and cotton sails.

Photo: Alpha Stock/Alamy

She was the first yacht with winches below decks and despite that still had a crew of 64 to handle the gigantic sailplan.

Reliance won the America’s Cup against Shamrock III , a beautiful yacht designed by William Fife. Those were the days of extreme but beautiful yachts!

Reliance stats rating:

Top speed: 20 knots LOA: 61.3m/201ft Launched: 1903 Berths: 0 Price: $175,000 Adrenalin factor: 80%

Over the last four decades Andre Hoek has designed or optimised more classic style yachts than perhaps anyone, from traditional Dutch leeboarders to his highly successful Truly Classic and Pilot Classic ranges, through to stunning superyachts such as Adele and Elfje – plus of course his work on three of today’s latest J Class yachts .

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams. Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Yacht is no longer available for sale.

• Yachts for Sale

Yacht is no longer available for sale. This is an archived web page showing historic information for reference purposes only. Search Yachts for Sale.

RELIANCE Yacht for Sale

• Stabilizers

Specifications

Accommodations

Dimensions & Capacity

Construction

Complete the form below and one of our experienced sales brokers will be in touch soon.

Similar Yachts for Sale

Heesen yachts yachts for sale.

Proud to be part of the MarineMax family

© 2024 Northrop & Johnson

• BOAT OF THE YEAR
• Newsletters
• Sailboat Reviews
• Boating Safety
• Sails and Rigging
• Maintenance
• Sailing Totem
• Sailor & Galley
• Living Aboard
• Destinations
• Gear & Electronics
• Charter Resources

Reliance 44

• By Jen Brett
• Updated: September 12, 2011

Several years ago, when my husband, Green, and I went cruising on our first boat, I learned to appreciate the importance of having clear decks to work on and a safe interior with plenty of handholds. These points were on my mind when an online listing for a Reliance 44 caught my eye. Her traditional lines and ketch rig made her look like she’d go places.

Designed and built by Pierre Meunier in Montréal, Reliance 44s were available either as a hull and deck to be finished by the owner or in various stages of completion from the factory. Since many, including my own, were finished by the original owners, there are vast differences between boats in terms of cabin layout, hardware, and the general quality of the interior. The hull and deck are constructed of hand-laid fiberglass with a 1-inch balsa core. The core provides for a stiff hull that’s much lighter than solid glass, and the additional insulating effect has been a bonus for living aboard through New England winters. There’s solid fiberglass in the important places: the chainplates, deck fittings, and keel. The fiberglass work is top-notch, and delamination hasn’t been an issue with our boat or with any other Reliance that we’ve encountered. Meunier was one of the first builders to utilize temperature and humidity control during layup.

Our boat, Lyra , has definitely gone places. She’s been around the world and has several additional transatlantic runs under her keel. With this in mind, we expected to discover issues with the bulkhead tabbing or water intrusion in the balsa core. However, our pre-purchase survey revealed no such problems.

We’ve now owned Lyra for three years, and she’s exceeded our expectations in just about every way ( read “At Home Afloat,” Jen Brett’s blog, here ). Laid up in 1975 and splashed in 1980, she’s certainly a classic, but with a few system upgrades, she’s become a comfortable, modern cruising boat.

Under sail, the helm is easily felt and balances well. She’s also fairly quick—200-mile days aren’t out of the question. Below the waterline, she features a modified full keel and attached rudder, so she tracks well once the sails are trimmed properly.

Below, there’s plenty of storage, substantial fiddles around the countertops, and excellent handholds everywhere. By contemporary standards, she’s narrow, so she’s not as spacious as other 44-footers. There’s a large sail locker aft of the chain locker, which also cuts into interior space. The two bunks to port and starboard in the aft cabin are excellent sea berths.

A 40-horsepower diesel was the standard auxiliary in the Reliance 44, which may be considered underpowered these days, and my only real beef with the boat is access to the engine. On our boat, it’s located beneath the galley “island”; moving that is a two-person job, and not something that can be done easily at sea.

The June 1981 issue of Cruising World describes the Reliance 44 as a “sturdy and pretty boat that will stand out in any crowd of modern cruising boats.” Now, 30 years later, it’s still true. Depending on the fit and finish, Reliance 44s usually list between $85,000 and $150,000.

Reliance 44 LOA 44′ 4″ (13.5 m.) LWL 31′ 5″ (9.5 m.) Beam 11′ 8″ (3.5 m.) Draft 6′ 2″ (2.1 m.) Sail Area (100%) 905 sq. ft. (84 sq. m.) Ballast 11,200 lb. (5,080 kg.) Displacement 28,000 lb. (12,700 kg.) Ballast/D .40 D/L 403 SA/D 15.7 Water 200 gal. (757 l.) Fuel 80 gal. (303 l.) Holding 30 gal. (113 l.) Engine 40-hp. Yanmar diesel Designer Pierre Meunier

Jen Brett, a_ CW_ associate editor, lives aboard her Reliance 44 in Newport, Rhode Island.

• More: 41 - 50 ft , before 2000 , bluewater sailing , Coastal Cruising , keelboat , monohull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats , sailboats classic plastic
• More Sailboats

New Sailboat Brand: Mishi Yachts

For Sale: 2005 Tayana 48

For Sale: 2015 Catalina 355

For Sale: 1998 Hinckley 51

Hurricane Beryl Relief Efforts: How You Can Help

Gary Jobson To Talk U.S. Prospects in Upcoming World Sailing Competitions

Make Downwind Sailing Fun Again. Turn Off That Motor and Unfurl Your Kite!

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Email Newsletters
• Cruising World
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding

• Heesen movies

Heesen launches YN 19755 MY Reliance

Heesen is delighted to announce the launch of YN 19755, formerly known as Project Gemini and now named MY Reliance. The yacht began as a speculative venture, and the client, introduced by Arcon Yachts Monaco, joined 15 months into the construction – early enough for Heesen’s engineering team to accommodate some essential modifications that allowed the owners to personalise the yacht to their taste and lifestyle. The changes include an opening window in the master stateroom and a new layout for their bathroom, and lovely windows in the transom door to allow natural light into the beach club.

“We are pleased that Heesen was able to meet yet another important milestone in the construction of this 55-metre. The experience of the shipyard in the construction of its Series yachts is an awesome guarantee for our clients. Time is priceless for our customers,” says Richard Kaye of Arcon Yachts. “Consequently, for us as the broker, it is invaluable that the shipyard can stick to the schedule. It reinforces our credibility and reassures the client about their choice.”

The shark grey hull – a choice of the owners, to imbue their yacht with a strong character – perfectly matches the muscular exterior by Frank Laupman and echoes the distinctive ‘shark tooth’ in the overhang of the superstructure – a signature design feature that embellishes the profile and makes the Heesen 55-metre Steel design recognisable from far.

MY Reliance marks the debut of Heesen’s collaboration with Luca Dini Design and Architecture. The Italian designer and his team worked closely with the owners and Arcon’s project manager to adapt the design to their taste.

Twelve guests are accommodated in six spacious staterooms, with the 82-square-metre owners’ apartment traditionally located on the main deck forward and the VIP on the bridge deck. The remaining guest cabins – two doubles and two twins – are on the lower deck.

“I would like to congratulate our incredible colleagues for their commitment to working hard to meet this important deadline,” says Rick van de Wetering, Heesen COO. “It is a collective success that we also achieved thanks to the impeccable collaboration with our suppliers, who are an integral part of our success and who we consider part of our extended family.” MY Reliance is due for delivery in Fall 2022 and will join the exclusive charter fleet of Arcon Yachts.

Related News

Where wisdom meets waves: heesen announces hull and....

Setting Sail towards Celestial Luxury: Heesen sells 55m...

WE’LL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE

T. +31 6 11 49 96 00

• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies
• Analytical Cookies
• Cookie Policy

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

More information about our Cookie Policy

• Yacht Management
• Yacht Repossession
• Owner Orientation
• Crew Management
• Commissioning
• Quality Control
• Yacht Delivery
• Yacht Shipping
• Delivery Quote
• What to Expect
• Our Captains
• Delivery Crew
• Sailing Opportunities for Delivery Crew
• Video Gallery
• Testimonials

WE MOVE YOUR PASSION

Reliance Yacht Management has been delivering and managing yachts since the 1980s. We focus our knowledge and expertise on quality, and as a result, our service has an international reputation for excellence. Beginning life as a one-man startup, Reliance has evolved into an enthusiastic team of Captains, Crew, and Operational Support, spread throughout the globe but all driven to deliver excellent service.

Whether your boat is a sailing yacht or a motor vessel, a heritage model or straight from the factory, destined for a boat show or a far flung corner of the globe, Reliance will provide a solution to relocate your vessel. Quality and distinction is at the heart of everything we do at Reliance, and so we continuously work to ensure that our high standards are met and that Reliance Yacht Management is a delivery company you can trust.

Reliance offers a unique multi-modal service, whether by sail or ship, we like to provide our customers with the safest and most efficient delivery method. Wherever you or your vessel is located in the world, we can provide a relocation solution that best suits you.

Reliance provides an end-to-end delivery and management service. We can provide quality control, handover, safety equipment, sea trials, export documentation, and delivery of your vessel prior to shipping. Recognizing the importance of operations surrounding delivery as much as the delivery itself, our aim, is to make delivery and management as easy and smooth as possible.

Our satellite tracking services are internationally regarded. Every client is provided with a unique webpage with live visual tracking data, as well as a captain’s log, image galleries and document downloads, all in one place. Our aim is to provide as accessible, transparent and advanced a service as possible for our clients.

Yacht, IMO 9933286

• VesselFinder
• Miscellaneous

The current position of RELIANCE is at West Mediterranean reported 24 mins ago by AIS. The vessel is en route to CAPRI , sailing at a speed of 0.2 knots and expected to arrive there on Jul 20, 19:30 . The vessel RELIANCE (IMO 9933286, MMSI 256192000) is a Yacht built in 2023 (1 year old) and currently sailing under the flag of Malta .

Position & Voyage Data

Map position & Weather

Recent port calls, vessel particulars.

RELIANCE current position and history of port calls are received by AIS. Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of RELIANCE data.

Review of Reliance 44

Basic specs..

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The boat equipped with a ketch rig.

The Reliance 44 is equipped with a long keel. A long keel provide a better directional stability than a similar boat with a fin keel; on the other hand, better directional stability means also that the boat is more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.89 - 1.99 meter (6.20 - 6.50 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Reliance 44 is 1.54, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.5 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Reliance 44 is about 228 kg/cm, alternatively 1279 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 228 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1279 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 26m 2 (279 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Reliance 44 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

• India Today
• Business Today
• Harper's Bazaar
• Brides Today
• Cosmopolitan
• India Today Hindi
• Reader’s Digest
• Aaj Tak Campus

Video: Turkey yacht with 110 tourists catches fire, people jump for life

A fire broke out on a tour boat in Muğla's Marmaris district, resulting in the evacuation of 110 people and leaving four injured, three of them seriously.

Authorities determined that the blaze originated in the engine room of the vessel.

The incident occurred at around 4.30 pm on July 14 on the 20-meter-long tour boat named 'Eagles,' which was anchored at Goat Island.

As flames engulfed the boat, panic-stricken local and foreign tourists jumped into the water. Nearby boats, other tour vessels, and Coast Guard teams rushed to the scene, rescuing many of those who had leapt overboard.

Emergency services quickly responded, ensuring the safe evacuation of all 110 people on board. The injured were promptly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. 

OTHER VIDEOS FROM WATCH

Puja Khedkar's first reaction after UPSC FIR: 'Judiciary will take its course'

Trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, in her first reaction after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) filed an FIR against her for allegedly forging disability certificates to clear civil services exam, has said 'judiciary will take its course'.

Travel made easier: Check-in for international flights at Delhi metro stations

You can now check-in for international flights via Delhi metro stations.

Video: Drunk man hits police official on head with log, causing severe injuries

The attacker has been apprehended.

BJP's allies JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) slam Kanwar Yatra diktat

BJP allies JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) have slammed Uttar Pradesh's government's Kanwar Yatra diktat mandating all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners. 

Please use a modern browser to view this website. Some elements might not work as expected when using Internet Explorer.

• Landing Page
• Luxury Yacht Vacation Types
• Corporate Yacht Charter
• Tailor Made Vacations
• Luxury Exploration Vacations
• View All 3676
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Classic Yachts
• Catamaran Yachts
• Filter By Destination
• More Filters
• Latest Reviews
• Charter Special Offers
• Destination Guides
• Inspiration & Features
• Mediterranean Charter Yachts
• France Charter Yachts
• Italy Charter Yachts
• Croatia Charter Yachts
• Greece Charter Yachts
• Turkey Charter Yachts
• Bahamas Charter Yachts
• Caribbean Charter Yachts
• Australia Charter Yachts
• Thailand Charter Yachts
• Dubai Charter Yachts
• Destination News
• New To Fleet
• Charter Fleet Updates
• Special Offers
• Industry News
• Yacht Shows
• Corporate Charter
• Finding a Yacht Broker
• Charter Preferences
• Questions & Answers
• Add my yacht

RELIANCE Yacht Layout & GA Plans

55m  /  180'5   heesen   2023.

• Previous Yacht
• Amenities & Toys
• Rates & Regions
• + Shortlist

Use two fingers to move the deck plan

Use ctrl + scroll to zoom the deck plan

Use ⌘ + scroll to zoom the deck plan

Zoomable Deck Plans Instructions To view the yacht General Arrangement / Deck Plans in more detail use the Zoom Tools + / - buttons to 'zoom in' or ' zoom out'. To navigate around hold down you mouse and drag to look around or for touch use two fingers to pinch and drag. To zoom with the mousewheel hold CTRL/⌘ and use the mouse wheel or use two fingers to scroll on an Apple touch pad.

SIMILAR YACHTS FOR CHARTER

52m | Custom

from $96,000 p/week ♦︎

Al Kous 164

50m | Al Kous Marine

POA ♦︎

55m | Alia Yacht

from $343,000 p/week ♦︎

50m | Benetti

55m | Custom

from $139,000 p/week ♦︎

50m | Heesen

from $290,000 p/week

56m | Hargrave

from $350,000 p/week

from $86,000 p/week ♦︎

from $308,000 p/week

54m | Baglietto

from $300,000 p/week ♦︎

from $332,000 p/week ♦︎

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

Charter Reliance

To charter this luxury yacht contact your charter broker or

SIMILAR LUXURY CHARTER YACHTS

Here are a selection of yachts which are similar to the current charter yacht. To view all similar luxury charter yachts click on the button below.

As Featured In

The YachtCharterFleet Difference

YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website.

San Francisco

• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on Instagram
• Find us on LinkedIn
• Add My Yacht
• Affiliates & Partners

Popular Destinations & Events

• St Tropez Yacht Charter
• Monaco Yacht Charter
• St Barts Yacht Charter
• Greece Yacht Charter
• Mykonos Yacht Charter
• Caribbean Yacht Charter

Featured Charter Yachts

• Maltese Falcon Yacht Charter
• Wheels Yacht Charter
• Victorious Yacht Charter
• Andrea Yacht Charter
• Titania Yacht Charter
• Ahpo Yacht Charter

Receive our latest offers, trends and stories direct to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail.

Thanks for subscribing.

Search for Yachts, Destinations, Events, News... everything related to Luxury Yachts for Charter.

Yachts in your shortlist

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts

Become an FT subscriber

To read this article for free register now.

Once registered, you can:

• Read free articles
• Get our Editor's Digest and other newsletters
• Follow topics and set up personalised events
• Access Alphaville: our popular markets and finance blog
• Global news & analysis
• Expert opinion
• Special features
• FirstFT newsletter
• Videos & Podcasts
• Android & iOS app
• FT Edit app
• 10 gift articles per month

Explore more offers.

Standard digital.

• FT Digital Edition

Premium Digital

Print + premium digital, ft professional, weekend print + standard digital, weekend print + premium digital.

Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism. Cancel anytime during your trial.

• Global news & analysis
• Exclusive FT analysis
• FT App on Android & iOS
• FirstFT: the day's biggest stories
• 20+ curated newsletters
• Follow topics & set alerts with myFT
• FT Videos & Podcasts
• 20 monthly gift articles to share
• Lex: FT's flagship investment column
• 15+ Premium newsletters by leading experts
• FT Digital Edition: our digitised print edition
• Weekday Print Edition
• Videos & Podcasts
• Premium newsletters
• 10 additional gift articles per month
• FT Weekend Print delivery
• Everything in Standard Digital
• Everything in Premium Digital

Today's FT newspaper for easy reading on any device. This does not include ft.com or FT App access.

• 10 monthly gift articles to share
• Everything in Print
• Make and share highlights
• FT Workspace
• Markets data widget
• Subscription Manager
• Workflow integrations
• Occasional readers go free
• Volume discount

Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

Terms & Conditions apply

Explore our full range of subscriptions.

Why the ft.

See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.

Reliance Industries’ Unit Plans Over $500 Million Offshore Loan

• Loan will refinance debt to support buying ships for ethane
• Firm in talks with lenders to raise funds for 12-15 years

A unit of India’s largest company Reliance Industries Ltd. is planning to borrow at least $500 million to refinance debt, in what could be the conglomerate’s first offshore loan this year.

It is in talks with a group of foreign banks for a loan of 12-15 years, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private. The funds would be raised for Ethane Crystal LLC , a subsidiary of Reliance Ethane Holding Pte. , the group’s business of buying ships to transport ethane, they said.

Across river from lavish Indian wedding, frustration and flooded streets

The extravagant nuptials of Anant Ambani were a national Rorschach test: awe-inspiring showcase of Indian affluence or indictment of lopsided development?

Key takeaways

Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed.

• Ambani's extravagant wedding contrasts with Mumbai's infrastructure woes
• Residents frustrated by government's priorities, lack of basic services
• Event showcases India's wealth disparity, sparks national debate

MUMBAI — On two streets half a mile apart last week, life in this city was disrupted for two very different reasons.

On one side of the Mithi River, police fanned out to divert traffic and provide security for the wedding of Anant Ambani , the son of Asia’s richest man, and employees in the business district were asked to work from home. On the other side of a busy bridge, entire neighborhoods surrounding the thoroughfare known as LBS Road were submerged under monsoon rains — the perennial result, residents say, of an outdated drainage system and hapless city administrators.

As Indians consumed the wall-to-wall media coverage this past week of the most expensive wedding in history, the Ambani family affair has become a national Rorschach test. Some saw an awe-inspiring showcase for India’s growing affluence and its rising clout. Others called it an indictment of its lopsided development; the cost of the wedding, which was widely reported to exceed $500 million, would eclipse the yearly education budget of several small Indian states.

Here on the far side of the river, in the low-lying alleys and honking boulevards of working-class Mumbai, the most common reaction to the extravaganza was not resentment toward Ambani but frustration — about a system that catered to the whims of the exalted few yet rarely delivered for the many.

GET CAUGHT UP Stories to keep you informed

Appeals court blocks Biden’s student loan repayment plan

The Persian Gulf is enduring life-threatening heat indexes above 140 degrees

Paul Hollywood is right: Don’t refrigerate bread

Bob Newhart, who went from standup comedy to sitcom star, dies at 94

Social anxiety can be limiting. There are ways to get relief.

Naushad Ahmed, a burly, middle-class mechanic who owns an auto repair shop on a flood-prone stretch of LBS Road, wondered how the city could deploy resources for the Ambani wedding but fail to tackle basic infrastructure. He wanted potholes to be filled. He begged for a solution to the knee-deep floodwater that ruined businesses during every monsoon and turned alleys into canals of floating trash.

“Look, Ambani earned his money, and it’s his right to spend it on his own children,” Ahmed said, echoing a commonly heard refrain. Mumbai, after all, was a city that understood hard work and celebrated success. “But it’s no surprise that the government makes everything easy for him,” Ahmed continued. “If the government did as much for us as they did for him, then things could really be great.”

The four-month nuptials, which ended Monday, kick-started in March with a pre-wedding ceremony attended by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Rihanna. Then came a Mediterranean yacht trip for 800 guests in May. The festivities culminated with the blowout bash at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai, a gleaming 18½-acre project developed by Anant Ambani’s father Mukesh, who took partial control of his father Dhirubhai’s business, Reliance Industries, in 1981 and turned it into an empire worth $250 billion today.

On Saturday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped by to offer his blessings. Former British prime minister Boris Johnson was seen shuffling to bhangra music. Anant Ambani’s groomsmen, including the Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, took pictures with the $200,000 Audemars Piguet watches that they had received as gifts from the host. And a viral video captured a scantily clad Kim Kardashian milling near Mamata Banerjee, the matronly doyenne of West Bengal politics.

The influx of guests has been so great that during the pre-wedding in March, the Indian air force ordered around-the-clock operations and built new roads, taxiways and immigration counters at a dual-use airfield. This past weekend, Mumbai police closed roads near the wedding venue, and travelers complained on social media that flights out of Mumbai International Airport were delayed by a flurry of private jet traffic.

In a nod to public service, the Ambanis in recent months have thrown large feasts for 51,000 ordinary residents in Gujarat. In a Mumbai suburb, they arranged a mass wedding for 50 poor couples, who received gold jewelry. Reliance, the family conglomerate that has holdings spanning oil, telecommunications, media and retail, has framed the sprawling affair as a celebration of India’s success. “The presence of esteemed individuals highlights India’s economic, political, intellectual, and scientific prowess,” the company said in a statement to Reuters.

But to many in Mumbai and beyond, the contrasting images — of international VIPs paying respects to Ambani and of straining public infrastructure — pointed to a deeper truth about India today. It wasn’t just LBS Road in Mumbai that was flooded in recent weeks. Monsoon rains have paralyzed New Delhi, snapped 12 bridges in Bihar state and even ruptured the roof of an airport terminal in the nation’s capital , sparking angry commentary on debate shows and op-ed pages.

Jayati Ghosh, an economist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said the meteoric rise of Ambani and the rest of India’s 200 billionaires, who collectively hold nearly $1 trillion, according to Forbes , could unbalance India’s development at a time when other economic metrics are lagging.

Until recently, China invested nearly a quarter of its gross domestic product on infrastructure at its peak, but India has hovered around 2 percent, Ghosh said. Meanwhile, Brazil and South Africa, two other developing countries with extreme wealth disparities, invest 17 and 15 percent of their GDP, respectively, on social services compared with India’s 9 percent, according to the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

While Modi has been widely praised for emphasizing infrastructure and social spending compared to previous administrations, he will have to make up for years of underinvestment.

The bigger issue here, Ghosh argued, was the misplaced priorities of India’s ruling class.

“The fact that you can hire Rihanna or Justin Bieber is supposed to be a sign of India’s strength, but it’s not,” she said. “Why worry about waterlogged roads when you can fly in a helicopter?”

But near the wedding venue, many residents didn’t begrudge the clan often called India’s “first family.” Sweaty welders said they sold contractors 50 tons of steel just to build the event’s awnings and made good money in the process. Outside the gleaming Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center at Dhirubhai Ambani Square, streets smelled like citrus blossoms. A group of young students huddled under a tree, reveling in the celebrities they saw and the $38 they made working as caterers the night before.

Dev Kanojiya, a stylish 20-year-old college student, said he passed an interview to get the job after proving he was over 5-foot-4, could speak with poise and possessed a basic knowledge of Western liquor. He caught a glimpse of the Kardashian sisters and the professional wrestler John Cena, but he was delighted above all, he said, to see the cavernous event hall decorated in the theme of Varanasi, his hometown, and for the foreign guests to be exposed to classical Hindustani music and traditional Hindu marriage rituals.

Ambani “was not just doing all this spending for his son. He was presenting India in a different way to the world, showcasing India’s culture,” Kanojiya said excitedly. “We grew up hearing India is a very poor country and we can’t afford these things. But today, you see how this is done and who will come.”

Back across the river, Ahmed the mechanic and his neighbor Shareef Khan, a locksmith, stood surveying a stretch of LBS Road where shallow pools were forming again as rain began to fall. At that moment, a bus hit a pothole with such force that every head on the street corner swiveled, thinking there was an accident.

“I know why the roads here are bad,” Khan said. “Politics.”