“Yes I would still continue to tour because I enjoy it but I’ve been doing it since I was 16. This is now a different, new chapter in my life and it’s difficult for the two to marry. I’m happy to put that last chapter to bed and focus on what’s to come with these vibrant, wonderful little people. I just want to be with them.”


Of course, stepping away from the limelight is something that most entertainers face up to sometime or another, not everyone is a member of The Rolling Stones. For every famous face, however, looking to trade the many lenses of the world’s paparazzi for a quiet family life, there is always the problem of privacy. And in the age of the smartphone, protecting one’s own personal sphere from prying eyes has become even harder.


Thankfully, Elton has an ace up his elaborately tailored sleeve. For nestled safely in one of the globe’s azure harbours is Hercules, the singer’s 50m superyacht. It is, he says, the perfect place for him and his family, husband David Furnish and sons Zachary and Elijah, to really make the most of his newfound freedom.


“There’s downtime and then there’s downtime, and for me, jumping on the yacht is the ultimate downtime,” he smiles. “I think when you’re on land you always feel a bit connected and in the line of vision, but getting some water between you and the realities of the world is probably the best escape I can think of. It’s an inspirational place in which I can clear the mind.”


And craft new music, perhaps? “Actually, I’m surprised I’ve never gone there with my music really - I think there must be some lines somewhere that Bernie [Taupin] has put down that talk about boats and the open seas, but they’re not coming to me right now.”


I THINK WHEN YOU’RE ON LAND YOU ALWAYS FEEL A BIT CONNECTED AND IN THE LINE OF VISION, BUT GETTING SOME WATER BETWEEN YOU AND THE REALITIES OF THE WORLD IS PROBABLY THE BEST ESCAPE I CAN THINK OF


One possibility that springs to mind is Oceans Away, from his 2013 EP The Diving Board. In it, Elton ruminates on ‘Oceans away, where the green grass sways, and the cool wind blows’. But in spite of his obvious enthusiasm for the solace that the open sea provides, the bombastic Brit is in no rush to fill his spare time with the technical vagaries of a fibreglass hull or the logistics behind a pair of Mercury Racing engines.


“Hercules at first was just a bit of fun, it was a case of doing something different, and when I first got into boats I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” he explains. “I spent a bit of time researching the basics, but I only want to go far with that stuff, and generally I’ll leave it to the experts.”


“I don’t go in for all the competitiveness with yachts, that’s not what it’s about for me. Some like that and there’s a level of bravado, and I get that... after all I’ve been known to show off once or twice myself, I have to admit that. But having a yacht isn’t about proving anything or making a big statement - I’m too old and too tired for all that.”


“For me, it’s a place where you can spend positive, happy times, and it’s an experience. That mobility is something you can’t really get elsewhere whilst still having so many comforts around you.”


Having ditched the need for almost continuous air travel – “every year I would do a couple hundred flights,” he says, “I’m happy for that to come to an end” – Hercules may well be experiencing far more time out at sea in the near future. But first and foremost, there’s the not so small matter of a farewell tour to undertake, and in keeping with Elton’s public image, you know it’s not going to be a small and subdued affair.


“It’s going to be very elaborate, very memorable, and the perfect send-off for the music that changed my life,” he beams. “It’s going to a huge celebration, exploding with colour and vibrancy… I want to go out with the biggest bang, something which no-one will ever forget!”


Knowing Elton, we suspect that he may get his wish.


ONBOARD | SUMMER 2018 | 25


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