Ronnie O'Sullivan's £130k canal boat home and sad reason he 'had to leave it'
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Snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan once splashed out on a £130,000 canal boat, only to part ways with it a year later. The seven-time world champion, who has raked in more than any other player in the history of snooker with career earnings totalling £14.73million, is not one for predictable spending.
The Rocket, holder of most of snooker's records including the highest number of Triple Crown titles and maximum breaks, doesn't necessarily splash his cash in the manner you'd expect from an international sports star. This was evident in 2018 when he shunned the typical yacht or multi-million pound mansion for a luxury narrowboat.
His 60-foot floating home, named Morfe Lady Three, was anchored on Regent's Canal, which snakes through north and east London. It offered a tranquil retreat from the city's hustle and bustle, complete with a cosy lounge featuring an indoor fireplace, sofa, chair and rug.
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Despite downplaying his purchase to TV host Matt Smith in a Eurosport clip, saying it's "no big yacht but it's alright," the boat was far from basic. It boasted a contemporary kitchen equipped with an oven and wooden oval table, a bedroom with a double bed, and an en-suite bathroom decked out with a tiled floor, redwood vanity units topped with granite, and a sizeable wash basin.
The 49 year old disclosed to Smith: "I lived on a boat for about seven or eight years ago in London and I loved it. I spent about three or four months living on it but couldn't use it because I had to get back to work - but I always had it in my mind that I'd buy another one.", reports the Express.
He continued to detail the perks of his maritime living arrangement, sharing: "I couldn't sit in a hotel room but I come in, have a little kip, put the snooker on, the TV on, have a few friends come in. You don't feel like you're cooped up so much. It's nice to see water."
Yet, O'Sullivan's commitment to returning to "get back to work" seemed to take the front seat again, as he apparently put his nautical home up for sale after only a year for £129,950, and chose not to look for another. Since then, he has captured two additional world championships, though he missed out on clinching an unprecedented eighth title after a semi-final defeat to eventual champion Zhao Xintong in the 2025 tournament earlier this month.
Returning to professional play for the first time since January following a prolonged hiatus from snooker, O'Sullivan displayed flashes of brilliance but also vocalised a persistent lack of confidence, related in part to his battles with his cue. Having snapped his stick earlier in the year, he struggled to adapt to a replacement, even switching his cue tip during his first session against Zhao.
O'Sullivan was ultimately knocked out with a 17-7 scoreline, despite kicking off the Friday morning session on equal footing at 4-4 with his Chinese rival. His rocky year kicked off with eleventh-hour pull-outs from the German Masters and UK Open, as well as cancelling an exhibition match with John Higgins in Helsinki.
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