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ObituaryPrince Karim Aga Khan left his mark on the yachting world

Martin Hager

 · 06.02.2025

Prince Karim Aga Khan in 1960 on a hill above Porto Cervo, with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, which he co-founded, in the background.
Photo: Getty Images/Slim Aarons
The spiritual leader and founder of the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club was passionate about fighting poverty and influenced yachting in many ways. He died in Lisbon at the age of 88.
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Prince Karim Aga Khan was the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Muslims and is considered a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. Born in Geneva on 13 December 1936, Prince Karim took on the role of imam at the age of 20 while studying Islamic history at Harvard University.

The Aga Khan lured the sailing elite to Sardinia

In 1967, he co-founded the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, which still attracts sailing enthusiasts from all over the world and remains one of the best international yacht club addresses. Based in Porto Cervo in Sardinia, the club is still one of the most active organisers of prestigious regattas such as the Swan World Cup and the Maxi Yacht World Championships, both of which were founded by Prince Karim Aga Khan in 1980.

The 49.90 metre long "Alamshar" managed 67 knots

The Aga Khan owned several yachts over the course of his life, but "Alamshar" attracted the most attention. The 49.90 metre long glider was delivered in 2014 and named after a thoroughbred from his horse racing stable. The yacht aficionado ordered the design of the massively motorised triple-decker from design studio Pininfarina, and the lines were optimised for speeds in excess of 60 knots. The construction of the power format dragged on for 13 years, with problems with the complex COGAG propulsion system (six gas turbines, three waterjets) causing considerable delays. During test runs, "Alamshar" is said to have travelled at 67 knots. This puts her in second place in the ranking of the fastest yachts of all time.

Humanitarian projects in over 30 countries

A spiritual mentor, entrepreneur and billionaire philanthropist, he founded the Aga Khan Development Network, which realised humanitarian projects in over 30 countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. The non-governmental development organisation announced the news of his death with the following statement: "His Highness Prince Karim al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, passed away peacefully in Lisbon, surrounded by his family."

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The Aga Khan is survived by his eldest daughter Zahra and his sons Rahim, Hussain Aga Khan and Aly Muhammad.

Martin Hager

Martin Hager

Editor in Chief YACHT

Martin Hager is editor-in-chief of the titles YACHT and BOOTE EXCLUSIV and has been working for Delius Klasing Verlag for 20 years. He was born in Heidelberg in 1978 and started sailing at the age of six, in an Opti of course. This was soon followed by 420s, Sprinta Sport and 470s, which he also sailed on the regatta course with his brother. His parents regularly took him on charter trips through the Greek and Balearic Islands. Even at a young age, it was clear to him that he wanted to turn his passion for water sports into a career. After graduating from high school and completing an internship at the Rathje boatbuilding company in Kiel, it was clear that he did not want to become a classic boatbuilder. Instead, he successfully studied shipbuilding and marine engineering in the Schleswig-Holstein state capital and focused on yacht design wherever he could. His diploma thesis dealt with the “Testing of a new speed prediction method for sailing yachts”. In 2004, the superyacht magazine BOOTE EXCLUSIV was looking for an editor with technical and nautical background knowledge, a position that was perfect for Martin Hager. The application was successful and a two-year traineeship was arranged. After twelve years as an editor, the editorial team changed and he took over responsibility for BOOTE EXCLUSIV as editor-in-chief in 2017. After long-time YACHT editor-in-chief Jochen Rieker moved to the role of publisher, Martin Hager also took over the position of editor-in-chief of Europe's largest sailing magazine YACHT, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, at the beginning of 2023. When he's not working on topics for the two water sports titles, Martin Hager likes to go out on the water himself - preferably with kite and wingfoil equipment or on a little after-work trip across the Alster.

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