Was Johnny Depp aboard his yacht at City Dock?

The 156-foot motor yacht belonging to actor Johnny Depp - of "Pirates of the Caribbean" fame - docked at the Annapolis Yacht Basin Co. this week.

Steve Grace, assistant manager of the basin, said the boat stayed three days at the marina's dock. And as the yacht peeled away around noon yesterday, just after fueling, a few curious observers snapped photos from a vantage point alongside Compromise Street.

With a little help from idle "dock talk," it didn't take long before rumors spread and star-struck residents began to wonder if Depp was actually aboard, hiding in the retro craft's wooden cabin.

The Capital attempted to find out if the actor was on deck through Depp's Hollywood publicist, Robin Baum, but did not receive confirmation or denial before the newspaper went to press.

Scott Schopman, who is experienced in the ways of crewetiquette, works aboard the Woodwind II, a local schooner that has become a Hollywood star in its own right. In 2004, actors Christopher Walken, Owen Wilson and other cast members of "Wedding Crashers" filmed scenes on the 74-foot Annapolis boat.

Though Schopman had heard a little of the marina gossip about the celebrity's yacht, he said trying to get any information about Depp's whereabouts would be futile.

"It's kind of an unwritten rule that people who own boats like that want their privacy," Schopman said, "and (the crew members) know not to talk."

Still, many boaters said it was no secret who owns the unusual, presidential-looking yacht. Vanity Fair and a boatload of other boaters' magazines, such as Superyacht, have profiled Depp's craft due to its unusual design and impressive amenities.

Built in 2001 and hailing from Istanbul, the yacht has a 143-foot deck with 156-foot LOA and about a 23.5-foot beam. It can hold about 11 guests and accommodate nine crew members. Based on other reports, the yacht is said to have a humidor room along with several guest cabins.

Many who work around the marina said they had previously seen pictures of the yacht and could identify it.

Locals were also quick to observe Depp's seeming affinity for unusual watercraft, considering just how many of his roles have been of men with strange boats: There's the pirate ship in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, the rickety gypsy riverboat in "Chocolat" and even Willy Wonka's gondola-like vessel in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

As far as the actor's own taste goes, though, several Annapolis boaters said they were impressed. Ulric "Ric" Dahlgren, the city's harbormaster, said the boat reminded him of one of the old-fashioned yachts belonging to J.P. Morgan.

And George Moose, who has worked at Fawcett Boat Supplies for more than 20 years, said it looked to him like a reproduction of a yacht the wealthy Vanderbilt family owned at the "turn of the other century."

The yacht, which undoubtedly carried a mystique, if not its celebrity owner, is named the Vajoliroja, which is said to be the combination of the first two letters of each of his family member's names, including himself: partner Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp, daughter Lily Rose and son Jack.

"It's unpronounceable, if you ask me," Moose said, shaking his head and laughing.

Not so, said Danielle Gagliardi, who works at a Woodwind Cruises stand adjacent to the basin. When she did a little Web-searching about the yacht the other day, she said she found out that the crew calls it The Jolly Roger.

Imagine the Keith Richards-inspired voice of Jack Sparrow drawling "The Jolly Roger," and that sounds about right.