In summer the Mediterranean becomes a catwalk for the parade of the most luxurious ships in the world. Yachts and sailboats built to be admired from the most prestigious docks pass the baton between Monte Carlo, Cannes, Porto Cervo, Eivissa, Capri or Mykonos in a marathon where yacht watching enthusiasts can unleash their imagination.
The Regina d’Italia, by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, and the Main, personally furnished by its owner, Giorgio Armani, have docked in southern Italian ports, while the eco-friendly Sunreef catamarans, chosen by Fernando Alonso and Rafa Nadal, park between the Balearic Islands and Greece. The floating fortresses of Rattan Chadha, the Indian businessman who owns the Crazy Me, and Bernard Arnault, CEO of Lvmh and the world’s richest person, owner of the enormous Simphony, chose the French and Italian coastlines.
However, there is a man who, after filling the planet with his planes and trucks, is not satisfied with traveling aboard a single ship, no matter how luxurious. This is Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, the third richest person on the planet, after having long been the first. The 59-year-old American businessman sails the waters of the Mediterranean aboard the majestic sailboat Koru, faithfully followed by the tender Abeona with which he forms the most talked-about yacht couple from Mallorca to Cannes, via Portofino.
At 127 meters long, 16 meters wide, with three masts and a traditional navy blue livery, Koru is a magnificent sailboat built by the Dutch shipyard Oceanco starting in 2021 and delivered to Bezos last April. Due to its elegance and classic colors, Mr. Amazon’s ship is reminiscent of the yachts of the British royal family, such as the legendary Britannia, and is the second largest sailboat in the world, only surpassed by Sailing Yacht A, designed by Philippe Starck for the Russian tycoon Andrey Igorevich Melnichenk.
Koru is causing a sensation on her tour of the Mediterranean and has been making headlines even before her launch, due to the controversy that followed the announcement by the city of Rotterdam that part of the historic Koningshaven Bridge had to be temporarily dismantled. , known as De Hef, to allow the passage of the new Bezos toy. In the end it was not necessary and the masts were installed later.
During its construction, the vessel was classified with the initials Y721 and protected by the most absolute secrecy. Some details were revealed after the first outing, but many details remain confidential; however, it is estimated that the price of the yacht, registered in the Cayman Islands, is close to 500 million dollars, with maintenance costs of around 25-30 million a year.
The Dutch studio Dykstra Naval Architects was responsible for the exterior design that incorporates several features of the nautical tradition, such as the blue navy hull, the scarlet waterline and the gold decorations on the bow. The interiors, of which no photographs have been published, were designed by the Mlinaric, Henry and Zervudachi Interior Design and Decoration studio in a contemporary style, based on natural wood tones and refined patterned fabrics.
The bow of the ship is topped with an elaborate polished wooden figurehead, a decorative element that, apparently, would be a tribute by Jeff Bezos to his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez. In fact, the sculpture would be inspired by the face of the fifty-three-year-old journalist, whose relationship with the American magnate was made official in 2019. The wooden effigy wears a necklace with a pendant where the Maori symbol for the word “koru” appears. ”, that is, “new life”.
Three thousand tons of technology and luxury, with an area of ??more than 3,500 square meters, but not many cabins: apparently only five or six, yes, very large, considering that the owner’s suite alone occupies 250 square meters. Despite the confidentiality of the ship’s equipment, one can easily bet on the presence of a gym, cinema, spa and endless water games. The engines are also up to the task and allow reaching 18 knots, 30 when the gigantic sails are opened, maneuvered by a crew of 40 people.
As said, Bezos’s nautical gigantism does not end here, since the Koru travels accompanied by the world’s largest tender -the support ship, that is, what for normal yachts is usually a simple boat-: the Abeona. Thus, in the silent wake of the sailboat moves this 75-meter-long motor boat, used as a true floating garage.
The name of the ship comes from the Roman goddess, protector of departures, of the children who leave their parents’ house for the first time or who take their first steps. With a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, the Abeona is not meant for long-range cruising: the two engines push her up to 18 knots, enough to discreetly trail the flagship of Bezos’s flotilla.
Costing around $100 million, the tender houses luxury cars, submarines, motor boats, jet skis and a helicopter inside. In fact, one of the main reasons why the businessman commissioned the custom construction of this shadow yacht from the Dutch shipyard Damen Yachting is that his fiancée and future wife is also a helicopter pilot and owns an Airbus ACH-135 that is impossible to park in the sailboat. A “small” gesture of love that Bezos wanted to dedicate to the woman of his “new life”.
