Plenty of yachts sell at auction. But rarely, if ever, has a major yacht sold at an unreserved auction, meaning it will sell to the highest bidder regardless of price.

拍卖会上拍出的游艇有很多。不过却很少有豪华游艇被无底价拍卖。无底价拍卖指的是无论价格多少，拍品都会卖给出价最高的竞买人。

That is what will happen today to Apoise, a 220 footer that is one of the 100 largest yachts in the world. It will be sold at a no-reserve auction at 11 a.m. EST. If the highest bid is $1, $1 million or $100 million, that is the sale price-theoretically at least.

这就是3月31日发生在"Apoise号"游艇身上的事，这艘220英尺长的游艇是全球100大游艇之一。它在当天美东时间上午11点以无底价方式拍卖。无论最高出价是1美元、100万美元，还是1亿美元，都将作为最终的成交价──至少理论上是这样。

Dave Ritchie is the seller and his motives seem to be more about marketing than money. Mr. Ritchie is co-founder of Ritchie Bros Auctioneers, of Canada, which made its name on unreserved auctions.

卖家戴夫•利氏(Dave Ritchie)的动机似乎更多的是营销而非金钱。利氏是加拿大利氏兄弟拍卖行(Ritchie Bros Auctioneers)的创始人之一。该公司就是因无底价拍卖而出的名。

He bought the boat, built by Lurssen, in 2006. His plan was to sail it around the world for four years then sell it at a Ritchie unreserved auction. 'An unreserved auction, with no restrictions and no limitations, gives the fairest, most honest valuation of any item,' Mr. Ritchie said in a news release.

利氏2006年买下了Lurssen造船厂建造的这艘游艇。他的计划是在四年的时间里驾驶游艇环游世界，然后在利氏兄弟的一场无底价拍卖中把它卖掉。利氏在新闻稿中说，一场没有限制的无底价拍卖能够给出任何一件拍品最公平、最诚实的估价。

It is hard to say what he paid for it, though 220-footers could cost from $50 million to $100 million to build depending on the features and finishes.

很难说他买这艘游艇时花了多少钱，不过取决于游艇的配置和装修，建造一艘220英尺长的游艇通常可能要花5,000万至1亿美元。

What will Apoise fetch today? Wealth Report will provide an update this afternoon. My hunch is that it will fetch north of $40 million.

Then again, with true no reserve in today's weak market, where the world is still flooded with unwanted yachts, it could go for much less.

Apoise能卖出怎样的价格？我的猜测是要超过4,000万美元。

在如今这个仍充斥着无人问津的游艇的世界中，在疲弱的市场上进行真正的无底价拍卖，最终的成交价可能会比这少的多。

What do you think it's worth? Do you think the no-reserve auction works for yachts?

UPDATE: Apoise sold for $46 million, which the knowledgeable folks at Superyachts.com say is a great deal for the buyer. The site says Apoise had an estimated worth of the boat is $87 million, suggesting that demand for yachts is still far from meeting the supply.

你认为它值多少钱？你认为无底价拍卖对游艇有用吗？

Apoise号最终以4,600万美元的价格拍出。Superyachts.com网站上的行家说，对买家来说这是一桩好买卖。该网站说，Apoise的估价为8,700万美元，这意味着游艇的供应仍远远大于需求。

Robert Frank

• rarely [´reəli] ad.难得；非凡地 (初中词汇)
• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中词汇)
• regardless [ri´gɑ:dləs] a.不留心的；不关心的 (高中词汇)
• seller [´selə] n.销售者；行销货 (高中词汇)
• auction [´ɔ:kʃən] n.&vt.拍卖 (四级词汇)
• valuation [,vælju´eiʃən] n.估价；价值；重要性 (六级词汇)