Unseasonably strong winds played havoc with the yachts that dropped anchor in the bay of Cannes during this year's fest, necessitating some adjustments on the fest's promo and party scenes.

Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen's yacht and the Latsis family's 412-foot Alexander had to move to Antibes temporarily because choppy waters made it difficult for tenders to shuttle passengers between the boats and terra firma.

Financier Antony Mitchell's rented yacht got its anchors twisted and was forced to cut them loose and sail to a harbor down the coast. PR honcho Matthew Freud moved Elisabeth (named after wife Elisabeth Murdoch) out of Cannes' Old Port to calmer waters in nearby La Napoule.

An AFI Fest party, skedded May 20 aboard the Social Hollywood yacht, had to be scrapped. But most other harbor-bound yachts were able to keep the champagne flowing, including Budweiser's Big Eagle, which hosted Harvey Weinstein's May 22 soiree. Allen returned to Cannes to throw his boat party the next day, when winds calmed.

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's mega-yacht Rising Sun was one of the few to remain in the bay, thanks to its enormous 453-foot heft. It played host to a luncheon on May 21 for an unveiling of Dean Devlin's pic slate as well as a party on May 22.